Correlations between Traffic Noise and Accommodation Units Location in Craiova (Romania)

AbstractOn the background of regional development, during the last decade, the number of the accommodation units, especially hotels, increased significantly. Thus, if in 2001 there were 8 accommodation units, in 2014, the number of registered units reached 35 out of which 18 were hotels, 9 guesthouses, 4 hostels and 2 motels and 2 tourist villas. Besides the business tourism, Craiova city has the possibility to increase the number of tourists, their trend, already increasing, is evidenced by the 63,144 tourists registered in 2014, as compared to 41,081 persons registered at the beginning of the above mentioned period. On this background, noise is an important degradation factor of the urban environment, a major problem that impacts the quality of life and one of the most important causes of the fundamental contradiction between urban tourism and environmental quality. This study analyses the present situation regarding the location of the accommodation units from the point of view of the noise comfort and accessibility. The study correlates the existing noise map of Craiova with the measurements (Sound Level Meter NL-31) performed for the main accommodation units existent, recordings on the basis of which the units will be granted a grade value according to the noise level, accessibility and related improvements. Emphasis is placed on conducting accurate measurements and computer simulations in order to evaluate the noise exposure levels for the accommodation units in Craiova. Furthermore the study attempts to understand the prioritization made by the urban tourists when considering environmental sound quality versus distance from the main city attractions. The study reveals that the average noise level surpassed 50dB in the case of all accommodation units (and even 55dB, with a single exception), irrespective of the measurement interval, transcending the limits stipulated by the present policy

Natural and man-induced hazards along the Danube, between Rast and Gighera settlements, with a special view on the 2006 flood

The paper discusses the natural and man-induced hazards in the Rast-Gighera sector of the Danube Floodplain, an area displaying asymmetric character, with the high and steep slopes of the Prebalcanic Tableland dominating the low Romanian floodplain. The subject regards an acute present problem, the necessity to improve the management of dangerous phenomena included among the objectives for this millennium. Moreover, the paper regards a space with an exceptional natural heritage that has been seriously transformed by man, the natural-human opposition becoming the key-element of the region. The complexity of the subject is given by the plurality of causes that lead to the genesis of hazards. Their nature, frequency and intensity, along with other factors of psychological or economic nature imply different answers from the part of the affected population

Mapping soil erosion susceptibility using GIS techniques within the Danube floodplain, the Calafat - Turnu Măgurele sector (Romania)

The Danube floodplain, the Calafat - Turnu Măgurele sector, through its main features (topographic and climatic characteristics, land use and soil type) and human activities, constitutes an area exposed to soil erosion. The main objective of the present research is to map soil erosion susceptibility using the GIS techniques for the computation and representation of areas, which are exposed to soil erosion correlated with the field data for the validation. Analyzing the entire model, the relatively simple methodology, the database consistence, the comparability of the results with the existent soil erosion values at national and local scale, we can say that the model was applied with success in the studied area (areas and classes of water erosion susceptibility: very low, low, moderate, high - Ciupercenii Noi, Desa, Măceşu de Jos, Grojdibodu, Orlea, very high - Rast, Negoi, Catane, Bistreţ, Goicea; areas and classes of wind erosion susceptibility: very low, low, moderate - Ciupercenii Noi, Dăbuleni, Ianca, high - Calafat, Poiana Mare, Desa, Goicea, Piscu Vechi, very high - Poiana Mare, Rast, Negoi, Bistreţ, Gighera, Orlea. The soil erosion susceptibility map can be useful for planning erosion control measures and for selecting suitable sites for runoff plot experiments