Seismic Risk of Inter-urban Transportation Networks

AbstractThe paper presents a holistic approach for assessing and managing the seismic risk and potential loss in inter-urban highway networks in earthquake-prone areas. The vulnerability of all elements of the intercity transportation system (i.e., roads, bridges, abutments, retaining walls, and tunnels) is assessed considering the interdependency among the structural, transportational and geotechnical components of the network under different seismic scenarios. Both the direct earthquake-induced damage, as well as the indirect socio-economic loss attributed to reduced network functionality are taken into account in an explicit and transparent formulation that is then displayed in space through an ad-hoc developed GIS-based software. The methodology and the decision-making tools developed are adequately modular, for them to be utilized after appropriate adaptation by local authorities in identifying, prior to a major earthquake event, those vulnerable components of their network whose failure may have a disproportional socio-economic impact. In this way, a rational and effective emergency plan can be deployed to minimize potential human, social and financial loss after a future earthquake. The outline of a foreseen application is also presented for the case of the road network of the Region of Western Macedonia in Greece. Through this pilot application, the methodology is to be optimized in real conditions before being cast in the form of a fully parameterised seismic risk tool, to be used in other earthquake prone areas as well

The use of new technologies in museum educational programmes: results from research in Greek museums [in Greek]

No abstract available

The use of new technologies in museum educational programmes: results from research in Greek museums [in Greek]

No abstract available

Identifying and prioritizing sustainable urban mobility barriers through a modified delphi-ahp approach

Sustainable urban mobility has been the epicenter both at the scientific and administrative level during the last decades, with a high number of relevant research projects, awareness campaigns, and other initiatives taking place at the local, national, and international level. However, many urban areas have so far achieved limited results in this direction because of political, institutional, organizational, technological, infrastructural, and socio-economic barriers as well as unforeseeable (e.g., COVID-19) conditions. The overall aim of the present research study is to support policy-making by proposing a methodology that identifies and prioritizes the sustainable mobility barriers for a specific urban area, with a view to developing effective policies. Towards this purpose, this work provides, in the first phase, a comprehensive inventory of barriers based on a literature review. In the second phase, a methodology using as a basic scientific tool a modified Delphi-AHP is proposed for the adaptation of this inventory to a specific urban area and for both the evaluation and prioritization of sustainable mobility barriers. The whole process is then applied in Thessaloniki, Greece, a European city suffering from many problems related to sustainable mobility. The above pilot application confirms that this approach can be integrated as a supporting tool in the first steps of sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs). © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Infrastructure planning for autonomous electric vehicles, integrating safety and sustainability aspects: A multi‐criteria analysis approach

After the awareness‐raising of recent years for coping with the global societal, economic and environmental challenges, the need for sustainable planning in the transport sector has become even more evident. Initiatives aiming at promoting sustainable and innovative mobility solutions, especially in urban areas where mobility needs are higher and transport problems are more intense, have been launched by different organizations around the world. In this context, autonomous electric vehicles are emerging as a promising solution; however, they are accompanied by new infrastructure requirements, along with safety concerns. Policymakers will be confronted with an array of choices, such as plug‐in or wireless, dynamic or stationary charging and mixed flow with conventional vehicles or dedicated lanes, taking into account the uncertain impacts of innovation on safety and sustainability. Within this scope, these infrastructure alternatives are evaluated and prioritized, for the first time, in the present study, through the combined application of two hybrid multi‐criteria analysis models, with the participation of experts. The analysis is based on a set of safety and sustainability criteria. Road safety and exposure to electromagnetic radiation emerge as the most important criteria, with the optimum solution—based on current data—consisting of plug-in charging and the circulation of autonomous electric vehicles in dedicated lanes. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Microsimulation of Public Transport Stops for the Optimization of Waiting Times for Users Using the Social Force Model

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.Cities in the world aim to ensure the mobility of people, through the implementation of efficient Integrated Transportation Systems (ITS). This aims to improve the transport of people, which guarantees that they can be mobilized safely and without delays in the terminals and bus stops of the public transport system. The present article proposes a design of public transport stops aimed at optimizing the waiting time of users when transferring from one bus to another. For the validity of the proposal, the social force model of the Vissim program was used, where the behavior of the users within the bus stops was reflected. The results showed that the waiting times in the calibrated and validated microsimulation model were optimized by approximately 20%, which generates an improvement in the efficiency of the public transport system.Revisión por pare