Brownfields regeneration, between sustainable urban development and cultural heritage: The former military sites in Oradea, Romania

The post-Cold War conditions, following the collapse of the USSR, brought radical socio-economic changes in Central and Eastern Europe, including the process of military restructuring - a process of military relocation, which resulted in huge amounts of under-used land. Many regions are facing development dilemmas while experiencing demilitarization transformations, as the process has left behind in many cities large areas of abandoned and potentially contaminated tracts of land. The paper deals with the multitude of military brownfields redevelopment benefits, explaining the case of the city of Oradea (Romania) which implemented effective land restoration through (re)development projects in order to address the considerable contemporary demand for new lands to sustain the residential, commercial and other socio-economic needs. The cultural-historical context of the former military constructions has to be mentioned, as the involved heritage buildings have a special architecture, being a direct result of the military development process under the historical influences

TOURISM SEASONALITY IN THE SPAS OF ROMANIA

The paper aims at presenting the seasonality as one of the most important elements that influences significantly the tourist activities. The research methododology deals with the statistical analyze of the basic indicators that define the seasonal flows – the arrivals of tourists, the overnight stays and the ratio between them and the average stay, having as main result the setting out of the tourist seasonality in the spa resorts in Romania. The interpretation of the results show that in these spa resorts the tourist season differs very little from the tourist season registered at the national level, the periods of the tourist season being approximately identical for of all three indicators. Further, the results show that in the case of tourists' arrivals, the seasonal tourism in Romania (May-September) is one month longer than the seasonal spa tourist season in Romania (June-September), in the case of tourists' overnight stays, the seasonal tourism in Romania (June-September) is identical with the seasonal tourism in the Romanian spa resorts (June-September), and in the case of the average tourists' stay, the seasonal tourism in Romania (June-November) is shorter by one month, compared to the seasonality of the spa resorts in Romania (May-November)

The coastal fog and ecological balance for plants in the Jizan region, Saudi Arabia

Fog water collection provides a sustainable resource for watering of crops. The Jizan region is one of the smallest states in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) but very rich with unique flora, fauna, landscape diversity, and occurrence of fog. According to satellite data from the period between (1991–2021) the average visibility in this fog belt varied between 5 m and 100 m. Specific relief properties, such as elevation contrast, present rare space for flora preservation and sustainable fog utilization and use in the watering of crops. Some results showed that number of foggy days is not equal and can be divided in three big cycles. It was estimated that 8 × 1013 L, or 80 m3 of fresh water from fog per year, could be used for drinking and partly for farming in Jizan region from settlements Al Araq and Al Gandla, city of Jizan, Al Madaya, Al Mubarakiyah, Muwassam. This amount of water varied through time. The last observational period had large amount of water, 10 × 1013 L or 100 m3. The main methodologies used in this research were advanced GIS (Geographical Information Systems), Remote Sensing (RS), and numerical analysis. Satellite data were downloaded from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Landsat 8 and 9 satellite missions. This kind of alternative water may produce stability for three main plants in Jizan region, palm, wheat and olive. Typical arid regions in KSA can be transformed by water used from the fog

Shaping Sustainable Urban Environments by Addressing the Hydro-Meteorological Factors in Landslide Occurrence: Ciuperca Hill (Oradea, Romania)

Romania is one of the countries severely affected by numerous natural hazards, where landslides constitute a very common geomorphic hazard with strong economic and social impacts. The analyzed area, known as the "Ciuperca Hill", is located in Oradea (NW part of Romania) and it has experienced a number of landsliding events in previous years, which have endangered anthropogenic systems. Our investigation, focused on the main causal factors, determined that landslide events have rather complex components, reflected in the joint climatological characteristics, properties of the geological substrate, and human activity that further contributed to the intensive change of landscape and acceleration of slope instability. Analysis of daily precipitation displays the occurrence and intensive distribution between May and September. Higher values of rainfall erosivity (observed for the 2014-2017 period), are occurring between April and August. Erosivity density follows this pattern and indicates high intensity events from April until October. SPI index reveals the greater presence of various wet classes during the investigated period. Geological substrate has been found to be highly susceptible to erosion and landsliding when climatological conditions are suitable. Accelerated urbanization and reduced vegetation cover intensified slope instability. The authors implemented adequate remote-sensing techniques in order to monitor and assess the temporal changes in landslide events at local level. Potential solutions for preventative actions are given in order to introduce and conduct qualitative mitigation strategies for shaping sustainable urban environments. Results from this study could have implications for mitigation strategies at national, regional, county, and municipality levels, providing knowledge for the enhancement of geohazard prevention and appropriate response plans

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Urban Green Areas Using Change Detection: A Case Study of Kharkiv, Ukraine

Тhe contemporary globalized world characterizes the rapid population growth, its significant concentration in cities, and an increase in the urban population. Currently, many socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and other challenges are arising in modern cities, negatively affecting the state of the urban environment, health, and quality of life.There is a need to study these problems in order to solve them. Urban Green Areas (UGAs) are a part of the social space and a vital part of the urban landscape. They act as an environmental framework of the territory and a factor ensuring a more comfortable environment of human life. This study aims at substantiating the importance of the UGAs, identifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of their functioning, and transforming changes in their infrastructure given the expansion of their functions. This research was carried out as a case study of the second city in Ukraine, Kharkiv. The authors developed and used an original integrated approach using urban remote sensing (URS) and GIS for changes detection to evaluate the current state and monitor spatial transformations of the UGAs. We used several GIS platforms and online resources to overcome the lack of digital cadastre of the thematic municipal area of Kharkiv. This resulted in the present original study. The study analyses the dynamics of the spatial and functional organization of the UGAs according to the Master Plans, plans, maps, and functional zoning of the city for the period from 1867 to 2019. The peripheral green areas became important after the large scale development of the extensive residential areas during the rapid industrial development in remote districts of the city. They provide opportunities for population recreation near living places. Central UGAs are modern, comprehensively developed clusters with multidisciplinary infrastructure, while the peripheral UGAs are currently being developed. The use of URS/GIS tools in the analysis of the satellite images covering 2000–2020 allowed identifying the factors of the UGAs losses in Kharkiv and finding that UGAs were not expanding and partially shrinking during the study period. It is caused by the intensive construction of the residential neighborhoods, primarily peripheral areas, infrastructure development, and expansion of the city transport network. Nonetheless, some sustainable trends of UGA functioning without more or less significant decrease could be proved as existing in a long-term perspective. The authors analyzed and evaluated changes and expansion of the UGAs functions according to modern social demand. The research value of this is the usage of different approaches, scientific sources, URS/GIS tools to determine the UGAs transformation in the second-largest city in Ukraine (Kharkiv), to expand and update the main functions of UGAs and their role in the population’s recreation. The obtained scientific results can be used to update thefollowing strategies, programs, and development plans of Kharkiv

GIS-Based Spatial Modeling of Snow Avalanches Using Analytic Hierarchy Process. A Case Study of the Šar Mountains, Serbia

Snow avalanches are one of the most devastating natural hazards in the highlands that often cause human casualties and economic losses. The complex process of modeling terrain susceptibility requires the application of modern methods and software. The prediction of avalanches in this study is based on the use of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and multicriteria analysis—analytic hierarchy process (AHP) on the territory of the Šar Mountains (Serbia). Five indicators (lithological, geomorphological, hydrological, vegetation, and climatic) were processed, where 14 criteria were analyzed. The results showed that approximately 20% of the investigated area is highly susceptible to avalanches and that 24% of the area has a medium susceptibility. Based on the results, settlements where avalanche protection measures should be applied have been singled out. The obtained data can will help local self-governments, emergency management services, and mountaineering services to mitigate human and material losses from the snow avalanches. This is the first research in the Republic of Serbia that deals with GIS-AHP spatial modeling of snow avalanches, and methodology and criteria used in this study can be tested in other high mountainous regions

Application of Angot precipitation index in the assessment of rainfall erosivity: Vojvodina Region case study (North Serbia)

The paper aims to provide an overview of the most important parameters (the occurrence, frequency and magnitude) in Vojvodina Region (North Serbia). Monthly and annual mean precipitation values in the period 1946–2014, for the 12 selected meteorological stations were used. Relevant parameters (precipitation amounts, Angot precipitation index) were used as indicators of rainfall erosivity. Rainfall erosivity index was calculated and classified throughout precipitation susceptibility classes liable of triggering soil erosion. Precipitation trends were obtained and analysed by three different statistical approaches. Results indicate that various susceptibility classes are identified within the observed period, with a higher presence of very severe rainfall erosion in June and July. This study could have implications for mitigation strategies oriented towards reduction of soil erosion by water.Prispevek podaja pregled najpomembnejših padavinskih parametrov (pojavnost, pogostost in velikost) v Vojvodini (severna Srbija). Za 12 izbranih meteoroloških postaj so bile uporabljene mesečne in letne povprečne vrednosti padavin v obdobju 1946–2014. Kot kazalnike erozivnosti padavin smo upora-bili ustrezne padavinske parametre (količina padavin, padavinski indeks Angot). Izračunali smo indeks erozivnosti padavin in ga razvrstili v razrede glede na možnost pojavljanja erozije prsti. Trende smo preučili s tremi različnimi statističnimi pristopi. V preučevanem obdobju smo prepoznali različne razrede indeksa, z zelo močno padavin erozijo junija in julija. Raziskava je dober temelj za oblikovanje strategij, usmerjenih v zmanjšanje vodne erozije prst

Initial results of the colorimetric indices of the oldest exposed pedocomplex (Titel loess plateau, Serbia)

In this study we present an in-depth description of the colorimetric values for the lowest section of the Dukatar Loess Palaeosol Sequence (LPS) pedocomplex S5. Formed during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13-15, it represents the oldest pedocomplex exposed at the base of the Titel loess plateau (TLP), near the confluence of the Tisa and Danube rivers in Vojvodina (northern Serbia). The results of low-field magnetic susceptibility measurements (χlf) were compared to colour properties (obtained by conventional methods as well as instrumental measuring) and quantified Soil Development Indices (SDI). Of these measurements we found that the Redness Index (RI1) yielded the most useful results, as this index appears most sensitive to lithological changes and soil development intensity. It was also observed that a high level of correlation existed between χlf, and a* chromaticity. The initial results of this study highlight the utility of colorimetric methods as an interdisciplinary tool when evaluating the presence of ferromagnetics, and the application of rock magnetism to the Middle and Upper Pleistocene LPS of the Middle Danube Basin. The presented approach can be used to observe the evolution of climatic and ecological conditions in the given study area, and for establishing correlations between sites extending over the Eurasian LPS provinces

PERSPECTIVES OVER THE ECONOMIC TRANSITION AND DEMOGRAPHIC AGING IN EASTERN EUROPE

The countries of Eastern Europe represent a particular case from the demographic and economic point of view, as their demographic transition overlapped the economic development process. This represents a major challenge for the sustainability of their health and pension systems and has resulted in reforms and measures to support economic growth and increase the birth rate. Two categories of countries from Eastern Europe were analysed, Romania and Poland as representatives of the ex-Communist countries that joined the European Union and the Russian Federation as representative of the former Soviet Union. The Russian Federation experienced the most profound changes after 1990, being the only country in the Eastern bloc that is close to the generational replacement threshold, the only country with a positive migration balance, but also the only country with the lowest life expectancy