Spatial and temporal variations of satellite-derived multi-year particulate data of Saudi Arabia : an exploratory analysis

CITATION: Aina, Y.A., Van der Merwe, J.H. & Alshuwaikhat, H.M. 2014. Spatial and temporal variations of satellite-derived multi-year particulate data of Saudi Arabia: An exploratory analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(11):11152-11166, doi:10.3390/ijerph111111152.The original publication is available at www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerphThe effects of concentrations of fine particulate matter on urban populations have been gaining attention because fine particulate matter exposes the urban populace to health risks such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Satellite-derived data, using aerosol optical depth (AOD), have been adopted to improve the monitoring of fine particulate matter. One of such data sources is the global multi-year PM2.5 data (2001–2010) released by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). This paper explores the satellite-derived PM2.5 data of Saudi Arabia to highlight the trend of PM2.5 concentrations. It also examines the changes in PM2.5 concentrations in some urbanized areas of Saudi Arabia. Concentrations in major cities like Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah and the industrial cities of Yanbu and Jubail are analyzed using cluster analysis. The health risks due to exposure of the populace are highlighted by using the World Health Organization (WHO) standard and targets. The results show a trend of increasing concentrations of PM2.5 in urban areas. Significant clusters of high values are found in the eastern and south-western part of the country. There is a need to explore this topic using images with higher spatial resolution and validate the data with ground observations to improve the analysis.http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/11/11152Publisher's versio

A critical perspective for integrating the trans-disciplinary paradigm into a comprehensive understanding of sustainable affordable housing

Sustainable affordable housing is traditionally looked at as a way of satisfying certain indicators linked with performance criteria; be it environmental, economic, cultural or social. Current efforts are usually based on addressing multiple criteria in isolation and tend to overlook the process of achieving sustainability, hence affecting the success of a housing policy or a sustainable affordable housing project. This paper calls for a fresh look at an integrated approach necessary to capitalize on current efforts. The paper discusses the complexity of affordable housing sustainability while critically analyzes shortcomings in typical approaches adopted to achieve sustainability. It introduces the trans-disciplinary paradigm that is based on transgressing the boundaries of different disciplines essential to the creation of sustainable affordable housing environments. A responsive approach is conceptualized based on integrating multiple sets of issues while envisioning the way in which such an approach can the planning and design process of a sustainable affordable housing project

Sustainability Matters in National Development Visions—Evidence from Saudi Arabia’s Vision for 2030

Sustainability advocates for a universally shared common vision of progress towards a society that is just, safe and sustainable for humanity. Beyond environmental protection, the concept recognizes the urgent need to improve life quality through strategies that build socio-economic growth and address a wide range of cross cutting issues. While consensus abound that a more sustainable society serves everyone, opinions on what sustainability means and how it can be achieved are diverse. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), through the 2030 Vision and the 2020 National Transformation Program (NTP) outlines an agenda for a more balanced growth and socio-economic development. The extent to which the vision systematically aligns with sustainability principles, however, remains unexplored. This research is a maiden attempt to investigate how much sustainability substance is in the 2030 Vision and the NTP of Saudi Arabia. The Sustainable Society Index (SSI) has been employed to examine the 2030 Vision and the NTP to understand the Kingdom’s commitment to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable societies. The vision and NTP texts were matched against five broad measures and 22 sub-measures of the SSI to identity the points of convergence. While both the 2030 Vision and the NTP align with the SSI measures in some respect, the goals and objectives are, at best, a reflection of the needs, aspirations and context of Saudi Arabia. The paper concludes that the success of the 2030 Vision rests on the active involvement and empowerment of relevant stakeholders at all levels as well as the development of comprehensive assessment mechanisms based on which to measure progress towards sustainability

A trans-disciplinary approach for a comprehensive understanding of sustainable affordable housing

Sustainable affordable housing is traditionally looked at as a way of satisfying certain indicators linked with performance criteria; be it environmental, economic, cultural or social. Current efforts are usually based on addressing multiple criteria in isolation and tend to overlook the process of achieving sustainability, hence affecting the success of a housing policy or a sustainable affordable housing project. This paper calls for a fresh look at an integrated approach necessary to capitalize on current efforts for creating sustainable built environments. By conducting literature reviews, the paper discusses the complexity of sustainable affordable housing s while critically analyzing different characteristics found in the bottom-up and top-down approaches adopted by the professional community to achieve sustainability. Based on the shortcomings found in these approaches, the paper introduces the trans-disciplinary paradigm that is based on transgressing the boundaries of different disciplines, which is essential to the creation of sustainable affordable housing environments. The inductive and conceptual analyses of the issues involved in sustainable affordable housing stimulated the development of a responsive approach, which is devised based on integrating multiple sets of issues while envisioning the way in which such an approach can be implemented in the planning and design process of a sustainable affordable housing project

Spatial Estimation and Visualization of CO2 Emissions for Campus Sustainability: The Case of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia

A total of 21 metric tons of CO2 per person in terms of per capita emissions from consumption of energy was recorded in Saudi Arabia in 2011 and forecasts have shown that this emission of CO2 is increasing. This poses the threat of climate change and global warming and therefore the need for the sustainability of the country. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision for 2030 addresses environmental sustainability that includes a reduction in CO2 emissions as well as diversified economic growth. Universities have been regarded as institutions with significant responsibilities to resolve the issues of sustainability as well as serve as role model to society by implementing a sustainability plan. This study established a spatial evaluation, estimation, and visualization of the CO2 emissions of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. The data required for this study were collected from the overall coverage of the university campus buildings by transforming raster data from the satellite image to vector data in the form of polygons, and then multiplying the area by the number of floors of the individual building. ArcGIS 10.3® (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA) software was used for this campus CO2 emissions evaluation and visualization. The overall estimate of the CO2 emissions for the university campus was 127.7-tons CO2 equivalent. The lowest emission was 0.02-tons CO2 equivalent while the maximum value was 20.9-tons of CO2 equivalent. By this ArcGIS-based evaluation, it is evident that geographically integrated model for campus estimation and visualization of CO2 emissions provides the information for decision makers to develop viable strategies for achieving a higher standard in overall campus sustainability and addressing the issue of climate change

SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT-BASED MUNICIPAL PLANNING IN SAUDI ARABIA

The Saudi government has made some efforts in incorporating the principles of sustainable development into the planning process by establishing a framework for considering environmental consequences of development activities. The framework is guided by the General Environmental Code. The Ministerial Committee on the Environment (MCE) coordinates the environmental assessment of plans, policies and programmes prior to approval. However, the framework tends to focus on plans and programmes at the national level with little or no explicit provision for ensuring the assessment of municipal plans, policies and programmes. This paper evaluates the integration of environmental assessment into the municipal planning process and the plan documents. The findings indicate that the implementation of environmental assessment at the municipal planning level is minimal. Inadequate institutional framework and lack of effective environment assessment legislation are the main barriers to the implementation. Overall, the assessment shows that there is the need to improve sustainability planning practice in the Kingdom.Strategic environmental assessment, master plan, sustainable planning, sustainability indicators, Saudi Arabia

Visualizing decisionmaking: perspectives on collaborative and participative approach to sustainable urban planning and management

Over the last two decades shifting human resources, socioeconomic potentials, and innovations in information technology and communication have all but overthrown the formal order of the planning and management of urban systems. The authors trace the causes to misplaced priorities in urban governance and related issues, via the interface of infrastructure systems and land use. They survey some major theoretical and applied decision-support systems collaborative planning systems, and collaborative decision-support systems which have been advanced to date, indicating their strengths and weaknesses with regard to their ability to anchor public participation and professional collaboration in key planning and management issues. They highlight the fact that, although relevant multivariate, disaggregated, and incoherent small-scale researches do yield high dividends, their lack of cohesive interrelationship is related to the fragmentation of urban systems -- despite various attempts at bringing about sustainable development. They suggest that decisionmaking can be effective when all aspects involved are visually related and collectively executed. They conclude by emphasizing that a comprehensive approach needs to be adopted for the planning and management of urban centers in order to enhance systems performance, human interaction, and contained developments.

A Lifecycle-Based Smart Sustainable City Strategic Framework for Realizing Smart and Sustainability Initiatives in Riyadh City

Smart cities rely on innovative technologies, guidelines, and mechanisms to advance city dwellers’ quality of life (QoL). Notwithstanding the global attention the smart city concept has received within the last decade, studies establishing pragmatic approaches for implementing smart sustainable city strategies in the Gulf region are rare. This study modelled a practical framework for implementing smart sustainable city strategies and megaprojects in one of the Gulf cities. A qualitative research methodology was used to assess smart city strategies from four cities to identify the optimum implementation strategies. This study design framework adopted a case study methodology, the identification of knowledge gaps, data collection and analysis, and interpretations of key findings. Best practices, paramount/relevant stakeholders, main issues/relevant considerations, 15 key performance indicators (KPI), and outputs/deliverables involved in diverse smart sustainable city strategies and project lifecycle phases were identified. The lifecycle phases adopted in the study were (i) conceptualization, (ii) planning/design, and (iii) installation/closure. A pragmatic understanding of how to effectively appraise, monitor, and implement smart sustainable city strategies and megaprojects is provided for policy/decision-makers and built environment experts in Saudi Arabia and globally. The proposed implementation strategic framework can perform the function of an appraisal tool for assessing each phase of the smart city project’s life cycle progress, informing preventions of delays or implementation challenges. This study’s contribution to research knowledge is the development of a model that reveals and illustrates the connections between different phases of smart sustainable city strategies and projects

A GIS-based approach to determining optimal location for decentralized inner city smart filters: Toward net zero cities

Climate change has already begun to take visible effect globally in recent years. Given the climate change paradox and urbanization trends, cities’ success would not only depend on smartness and sustainability, but also resilience to all forthcoming economic, environmental, or behavioral changes. Numerous technologies have surfaced and proved effective in CO2 removal from the local environment. However, the optimal placement of these smart filters is a complex task and require logical and strategic decision-making. Determining the optimal location is one of the key factors for establishing a network of smart air filters. This study used a GIS-based suitability analysis for identifying optimal locations for smart filters based on pollution hotspots (population and spatial proximity to industry, commercial centers, roads, high-traffic areas, and intersections). The spatial analysis involves the determination and preparation of input layers, ranking layers, assigning weights to each criterion, and generation of a suitability map. The sites with a higher suitability score (7 or above) are optimum sites for air filters. The sites are spatially distributed over different regions. The findings revealed that GIS-based suitability analysis can be an effective technique for placing smart filters within an urban environment. These findings can help decision-makers to prioritize the location considering environmental constraints. The proposed solution aims to pave the way for fostering resilient, smart, and sustainable cities through a community sensing platform targeting hotspots within spatial variations

The Development of a GIS-Based Model for Campus Environmental Sustainability Assessment

Sustainability indicators and assessments are vital in promoting campus sustainability. Despite the plethora of indicator frameworks, campus sustainability assessment in developing countries encounters many challenges including lack of, or restricted access to, data and difficulties in measuring indicators. There is also a limited application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in campus environmental sustainability assessment, although campus operations have spatial dimensions. This article proposes a GIS-based model for environmental sustainability assessment of campus operations and demonstrates its usefulness using King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia. The model applies spatial analysis techniques, including inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation, to statistically assess the various campus operational activities by using land use data to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from energy use, water consumption, solid waste, and transportation. The integration of spatial dimension in the model facilitates the collection and measurement of spatially related indicators, helps identify hotspots of campus operations, and provides better visualization of the existing condition and future scenario of campus environmental sustainability status. This model can assist decision-makers to construct strategies for improving the overall environmental sustainability of university campuses. The paper concludes by highlighting how the model can address some challenges of campus sustainability assessment in developing countries