Understanding the major drivers for implementation of municipal sustainable policies in underground space

[EN] Because of the expanding population in our cities with its demands for more diversified services, we cannot afford a piecemeal type of urban underground growth. Utilization of the urban street system for buried utilities has a serious adverse effect on other street functions because of the continuing necessity to perform excavations for the repair of existing lines and the installation of new ones. The excavations not only are a serious cause of traffic delay and congestion but also create noise and aesthetic disturbances, and result in excessive street maintenance requirements and in shortened overall street life. Consider the enhancing effects in quietness on abutting properties and users of the street, and the benefits become very great. Unfortunately, the lack of data and the difficulty in quantifying the intangibles have made it impossible to arrive at a reasonably accurate figure of overall negative impact on the urban environment of street cuts. However, if drivers are sufficiently strong to merit the use of utility tunnels, then sustainable municipal policies improving living quality will be implemented. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.Curiel-Esparza, J.; Canto-Perello, J. (2012). Understanding the major drivers for implementation of municipal sustainable policies in underground space. The International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. 19(6):506-514. doi:10.1080/13504509.2012.732973S50651419

Assessing governance issues of urban utility tunnels

Throughout the centuries, utilities have been an important and sometimes decisive instrument in human development. Municipal policy-makers and engineers have been playing a key role in improving management and technology of urban utilities. With the growth of urban areas and the corresponding increased demand for utility services, available underground space will continue to diminish. Therefore, planning for an urban subsurface sustainable future consists of the ability to lessen the use of raditional trenching techniques and developing coordinated installations of utilities. As an innovative problem-solving technique, utility tunnels become inevitable to reduce congestion of the shallow underground. Utilities management becomes more complex as many public authorities and private companies are involved. Because of the complexity of ownership of the various utility tunnel potential occupants, some form of governmental ownership would probably be the most practicable, although other orms (individual private, joint private, or condominium) of ownership must be nalyzed. Whatever the form of financing and ownership, some single entity must be made esponsible not only for initial construction but also for security, access control, and operation and maintenance throughout the life of the project. The purpose of this paper is to point out some of the utility tunnels innovation and organizational advantages to encourage municipal engineers to demand sustainable solutions for services congestion. Proper adequate governance and security management should be key elements of every decision undertaken in utility tunnels.Cantó Perelló, J.; Curiel Esparza, J. (2013). Assessing governance issues of urban utility tunnels. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 33:82-87. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2012.08.007S82873

Strategic decision support system for utility tunnel s planning applying A WOT method

[EN] Future sustainable underground strategies will consist of the ability to reduce overcrowding subsurface space in our cities. To this end, utility tunnels become a key factor in urban underground planning. These facilities improve joint-use of urban underground space (UUS) that may contain multiple utilities such as water, sewerage, gas, electrical power, telephone, and central heating in several combinations or in some cases all together. However, implementing these subsurface tunnels is retarded most by first-cost, compatibility, security and liability problems. All these drawbacks should be addressed in early planning stages taking into account the uniqueness of each city. Therefore, expert consensus panels from public and private organizations should determine appropriate policies for developing utility tunnels network. This research work applies A WOT hybrid method combining SWOT analysis and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to study utility tunnel planning in urban areas. The hybrid method takes account of internal resources and capabilities (strengths and weakness) and external factors (opportunities and threats). SWOT analysis is a structured way to analyze these four factors, while AHP technique achieves pairwise comparisons among factors in order to prioritize them using the eigenvector method. The quantitative strategic analysis obtained from the decision support system should be used as a preliminary step in urban planning of future utility tunnel networks.Canto-Perello, J.; Curiel-Esparza, J.; Calvo Peña, V. (2016). Strategic decision support system for utility tunnel s planning applying A WOT method. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 55:146-152. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2015.12.009S1461525

Consensus in prioritizing river rehabilitation projects through the integration of social, economic and landscape indicators

Selecting a river rehabilitation project is a complex decision which should address social, economic and landscape indicators. The rehabilitation project becomes even more complicated if the city qualifies for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tangible and intangible factors must be assessed to take into account cultural and natural heritage, water flow, river naturalization, interaction of water stream, construction costs and operational and maintenance costs. The proposed method is a hybrid model combining Delphi, Analytical Hierarchy Process and VIKOR technique. This hybrid model has been applied to the historic walled town of Cuenca and the Huecar river. The objective of the selected rehabilitation project must be the optimal integration of the river in the townscape. The indicators most valued by the panelists have been cultural heritage and river naturalization with 28% and 25% respectively. As a result, the trapezoidal cross section has achieved an acceptable advantage and stability over the modified triangular cross section, valued as second.Canto-Perello, J.; Martínez León, J.; Curiel Esparza, J.; Martín Utrillas, MG. (2017). Consensus in prioritizing river rehabilitation projects through the integration of social, economic and landscape indicators. Ecological Indicators. 72(1):659-666. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.09.004S65966672

Restoration prioritization framework for roadway high cut slopes to reverse land degradation and fragmentation

[EN] Land degradation is one of the most critical global environmental threats. The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 has appointed land degradation and ecosystems fragmentation caused by transport infrastructures as crucial threats to biodiversity. Implementing environmental criteria in roadway project conception phase for restoring large cut slopes will prevent this threat. There is a lack of decision support systems to implement environmental criteria in the decision making procedure to restore high cut slopes. The major difficulties have been building consensus and ensuring traceability and transparency from the panel of experts. This paper presents a hybrid framework capable of dealing with environmental criteria and also with conventional territorial and economic criteria. The decision support procedure combines the Analytical Hierarchy Process with the Delphi technique and the VIKOR procedure. The experts' consensual decision-making process is properly documented, unambiguous and verifiable. The results of this study yielded that the functional and environmental criteria are the key factors in the decision-making process of large cut slope restoration projects. And it has been found the suitability of the cut-and-cover tunnels despite their higher cost and complexity of its construction.Canto-Perello, J.; Morera Escrich, JL.; Martín Utrillas, MG.; Curiel-Esparza, J. (2018). Restoration prioritization framework for roadway high cut slopes to reverse land degradation and fragmentation. Land Use Policy. 71:470-479. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.11.020S4704797

Prioritization by consensus of enhancements for sustainable mobility in urban areas

Nowadays the European cities usually present important problems at economic, social and environmental levels. The European Union has published policies to ease this issue, and several European cities are creating sustainable mobility urban plans with the measures which can be taken to improve the mobility system. Transport decisions have direct impact on transit times, urban connectivity, and have also effects in the environment, public health and society. Choosing the best enhancement to implement is a complex decision, depending on tangible and intangible criteria, which have to be taken into account together. A compromise solution that weighs travel quality, cost and sustainability inputs has to be achieved. This research work presents a decision support system to select the optimal sustainability enhancement integrating the Delphi technique with the analytic hierarchy process and the VIKOR method.Curiel Esparza, J.; Mazario-Diez, JL.; Canto-Perello, J.; Martín Utrillas, MG. (2016). Prioritization by consensus of enhancements for sustainable mobility in urban areas. Environmental Science and Policy. 55(1):248-257. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2015.10.015S24825755

Criticality and threat analysis on utility tunnels for planning security policies of utilities in urban underground space

A utility tunnel is defined as an underground structure containing one or more utilities, permitting the installation, maintenance and removal of the systems without the necessity of making street cuts or excavations. These underground facilities contain all essential utilities serving large urban areas collected together in a tunnel; therefore they are an inviting target for sabotage or vandalism. This paper proposes an expert system combining color-coded scales, Delphi and AHP methods to analyze criticality and threats on utility tunnels to support planning of security policies for utilities in urban subsurface.Cantó Perelló, J.; Curiel Esparza, J.; Calvo Peña, V. (2013). Criticality and threat analysis on utility tunnels for planning security policies of utilities in urban underground space. Expert Systems with Applications. 40(11):4707-4714. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2013.02.031S47074714401

Collaborative elicitation to select a sustainable biogas desulfurization technique for landfills

[EN] The 2015 Paris Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change establishes three key ways for the reduction of the emissions of Greenhouse Effect Gases: mitigation, adaptation and resilience of ecosystems. In this context, one of the major goals for methane recovery from waste is the process of obtaining biogas from biomass or waste, a form of fuel with zero impact on the carbon footprint of the planet. All possible uses of biogas depend mainly on the degree of purification obtained. The removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the main weakness in using biogas in industrial applications. If the use of biogas is intended for engines, turbines or to enrich the biogas to obtain natural gas, lowering the levels of H2S will be necessary, in order to avoid corrosion in gas lines and in engines. Biogas desulfurization can be achieved through different techniques: physical, chemical, biological or hybrid procedures. Selecting the most sustainable technique to clean biogas entails a complex problem, which involves the analysis of these desulfurization treatments under different criteria. In this paper, we present a novel collaborative elicitation to select the consensus procedure for the reduction of the concentration of H2S in biogases from landfills. The elicitation technique is based on fuzzy set theory and VIKOR method in order to handle intangible data and to avoid potential bias by the panelists. The proposed hybrid method guarantees traceability and transparency to achieve consensus among the panel of experts during the decision making procedure.Curiel-Esparza, J.; Reyes-Medina, M.; Martín Utrillas, MG.; Martínez-García, MP.; Canto-Perello, J. (2019). Collaborative elicitation to select a sustainable biogas desulfurization technique for landfills. Journal of Cleaner Production. 212:1334-1344. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.095S1334134421

Funciones lineales para la evaluación de recursos hídricos en humedales. Aplicación al embalse de Peñarroya

[EN] Wetlands need water resources to meet their environmental water requirements. Water resources are scarce and their demand is increasing, so it is necessary in many cases to supply water to the wetland from external water sources. Previously, water suitability for wetland restoration and conservation should be evaluated. To address this problem, a novel methodology based on linear rating functions has been designed. This methodology has been applied to the Peñarroya reservoir.[ES] La conservación de humedales requiere disponer de los recursos hídricos mínimos imprescindibles para satisfacer los requerimientos medioambientales del ecosistema. En una situación de escasez, en la que las demandas de agua son crecientes, es necesario en muchos casos aportar recursos hídricos externos. Previamente a su utilización ha de evaluarse la idoneidad del agua para determinar si es apta para la restauración y conservación del humedal. Para abordar este problema se ha diseñado una metodología novedosa, que se aplica al embalse de Peñarroya.Benítez Navío, A.; Curiel-Esparza, J.; Martínez León, J.; Canto-Perello, J.; Martín Utrillas, MG. (2020). Linear rating functions for the evaluation of water resources in wetlands. The Peñarroya reservoir. Asociación Española de Dirección e Ingeniería de Proyectos (AIEPRO). 1004-1015. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/179822S1004101

Dualidad del agua superficial y subterránea en la restauración hidrológica de humedales

[EN] Wetland conservation is a high priority since these ecosystems have disappeared at an accelerated rate. During the 20th century more than 50% were lost. These natural spaces, besides being a biodiversity reserve, are sinks of greenhouse gases, and therefore are one of the most effective tools in the fight against climate change. Frequently, water resources are reallocated to ensure the minimum environmental water requirements of the wetland. The water supplied should reproduce as much as possible the natural hydrogeological functioning. Groundwater and surface water flows to the Tablas de Daimiel wetland are analyzed, taking into account the representative hydrochemical facies of both the wetland and the water sources proposed for hydrological restoration.[ES] La conservación de humedales es prioritaria ya que estos ecosistemas han desaparecido a un ritmo acelerado. Solo durante el siglo XX se perdieron más del 50%. Estos espacios naturales, además de ser una reserva de biodiversidad, son sumideros de gases de efecto invernadero, y por tanto son una de las herramientas más eficaces en la lucha contra el cambio climático. Es frecuente tener que reasignar recursos hídricos para garantizar las dotaciones mínimas de los humedales. Los recursos hídricos aportados deben reproducir en lo posible el funcionamiento hidrogeológico natural. Se analizan las diferentes características de los posibles aportes con aguas subterráneas y superficiales a las tablas de Daimiel, teniendo en consideración las facies hidroquímicas, representativas tanto del humedal como de las fuentes de agua propuestas para su restauración hidrológica.Benítez Navío, A.; Martínez León, J.; Canto-Perello, J.; Curiel-Esparza, J.; Martín Utrillas, MG. (2020). The duality of surface water and groundwater in the restoration of wetlands. Asociación Española de Dirección e Ingeniería de Proyectos (AIEPRO). 1016-1026. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/179858S1016102