Strategies for Mitigating Urban Heat Island Effects in Surabaya, Indonesia

The rapid development in urban areas, especially in the central business district can result a number of consequences related to urban heat island (UHI), as it increases both the surface albedo and anthropogenic heat which lead to rise the temperature in the certain areas. This research aims to investigate existing actions and determine possible strategies for mitigating UHI, a case study of Surabaya, Indonesia. Qualitative method using triangulation analysis was used, as well as document review and stakeholder interview to recommend strategies for mitigating the UHI effect. The city development document is being used as document review. Furthermore, Department of Public Works, Planning and Development Agency and experts in urban environment and urban development were the stakeholders. The results of this research can be used as a baseline study for more understanding and addressing the UHI effects in Surabaya and other cities. The result shows that despite lack of understanding to the concept of UHI, municipality of Surabaya has been implemented several strategies for mitigating UHI effects, such as increasing provision of green space, reducing electricity consumption and replacing asphalt with cool pavement. Comprehensive approaches to the integration of stakeholders are needed to contrive and implement the strategies, as well as developing more plans and programs for mitigating the UHI effects. The strategies should be incorporated with the urban environmental issues, since it`s all substantial aspect of sustainable city development and related to UHI.

Planning for the management of conflicting water uses in Thailand watersheds: a case study

This paper presents part of the results from a project for Study of Environmental Situation in Upper Watersheds of Chiang Mai Province, carried out in 1998-2002 for the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning. The Huai Mae Tia Watershed, one of selected watersheds in the project, represents a watershed with serious conflicting uses at different times of the year. It critically needs planning and implementation for watershed management plan which assigns appropriate allocation of the watershed’s water resources to achieve efficient optimal overall use. A watershed management plan has been developed which features integration of public participation in the planning and implementation processes. A core planning team including representatives of stakeholders in the watershed has been formed for developing the plan. This team was then modified to suit the needs for plan implementation

The role of gender in domestic water conservation in Malaysia

While the role of gender in water management is vital in many countries experiencing water scarcity, such as in the African continent and Indian Sub-continent, it is rather undefined in the case of Malaysia. This is strange considering the escalation of water problems in the country in recent decades due to climate change and social, political and economic reasons. Though the country is rich in water resources, mismanagement causes water supply to lag far behind water demand. As a result, Malaysia is facing water problems which have severe impacts, particularly on gender. This paper demonstrates that women are the main water managers both at home and in the office, and they wield tremendous influence on the ways families and businesses use and conserve water. The role of women is pivotal in curbing domestic wastage, but ensuring wise use and conservation. Since domestic consumers use roughly more than half of the country’s total water demand, Water Demand Management (WDM) is a vital conservation tool. Women are the managers of the family’s water budget. Because of the fact that women use water for most of the domestic chores in the home, they are considered vitally important in water conservation. Women also make decision on the installation of water saving devices. When women save water in the home, they also educate their children and family members about the importance of water conservation. Finally, women themselves need to cut down on water use via substitution of water-saving methods and other personal adjustments. Women who work can similarly exert their influence in the office by impressing upon colleagues and the employer about the benefits of water conservation. Overall, water conservation via involvement of the public can be effective when women are actively involved as they are the key players towards achieving sustainable management of water resource

Investigation of Barriers and Factors Affecting the Reverse Logistics of Waste Management Practice: A Case Study in Thailand

Economic growth in developing countries accelerated waste generation, and Thailand also is experiencing issues related to increased waste generation and improper waste management. The country’s domestic waste utilization is only 20%–26%. Efficient waste management and increased quantity of waste utilization is possible only by overcoming problems and constraints in reverse logistics (RL) systems in Thailand. To address these issues and constraints, this study aims to focus the investigation on the current practices in the RL systems. The study was conducted in Bangkok and its vicinity. An integrated approach of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to investigate the systems’ and stakeholders’ characteristics and to explore the factors influencing and constraining RL practices. Data were gathered through: (1) existing literature and in-depth interviews of key stakeholders involved in RL; and (2) a questionnaire survey of 98 managers of separation centers (SCs) probing their practices and studying the factors influencing those practices. The findings showed that RL systems can be separated into three levels, i.e., downstream, middle stream and upstream. SCs are key stakeholders in RL of waste management, and they collect waste from downstream, manage waste in a systematic way and send it upstream. The factors influencing and the barriers in the flow of recyclable waste are related to environmental, economic and social aspects. The analysis shows that waste managed by a cooperative-like franchise of SCs perceived that their practices were more efficient than those of a non-franchise practices. Additionally, these SCs have more bargaining power with waste buyers and sellers to set prices in the RL system. The constraints in RL practice are related to finance, market, labor, management/technology and legal issues

Enhancing coastal areas governance for sustainable tourism in the context of urbanization and climate change in eastern Thailand

Coastal areas in the eastern sub-region of Thailand, a popular destination in Southeast Asia, are facing rapid tourism-related urbanization and associated consequences of environment and climate change (CC). Thus, this study aims to analyze the relationships between tourism, coastal areas, the environment, and CC in the context of tourism urbanization; and recommend strategies for enhancing the governance of coastal areas. Three popular destinations were selected as study areas, Koh Chang, Koh Mak, and Pattaya. Group discussions, questionnaire surveys, interviews, and observation were used for primary data collection together with secondary data. The results show that the development of these destinations has been incompatible with the coastal environment and CC patterns. Rapid urbanization from tourism development is the main driver of environmental changes and makes the areas vulnerable to CC-related risks. While water scarcity and pollution are found the most critical environmental issues of the destinations, coastal areas are negatively affected in terms of increased air and water pollution and resource degradation. They have also been exposed to different CC-related problems while the risks of accumulative impacts of both environment and CC have not been adequately recognized or addressed. Although some measures have provided synergies of improved environment and increased climate resilience, possible conflicts and gaps were also found. Public infrastructure integration and optimization to enhance coastal areas’ environment and climate resilience are suggested. Keywords: Climate change, Coastal urbanization, Environment, Governance, Infrastructure and services, Sustainable touris

Evaluating accessibility to Bangkok Metro Systems using multi-dimensional criteria across user groups

AbstractMetro systems act as fast and efficient transport systems for many modern metropolises; however, enhancing higher usage of such systems often conflicts with providing suitable accessibility options. The traditional approach of metro accessibility studies seems to be an ineffective measure to gage sustainable access in which the equal rights of all users are taken into account. Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR) transportation has increasingly relied on the role of two mass rapid transport systems publicly called “BTS Skytrain” and “MRT Subway”, due to limited availability of land and massive road congestion; however, access to such transit arguably treats some vulnerable groups, especially women, the elderly and disabled people unfairly. This study constructs a multi-dimensional assessment of accessibility considerations to scrutinize how user groups access metro services based on BMR empirical case. 600 individual passengers at various stations were asked to rate the questionnaire that simultaneously considers accessibility aspects of spatial, feeder connectivity, temporal, comfort/safety, psychosocial and other dimensions. It was interestingly found by user disaggregated accessibility model that the lower the accessibility perceptions—related uncomfortable and unsafe environment conditions, the greater the equitable access to services, as illustrated by MRT — Hua Lumphong and MRT — Petchaburi stations. The study suggests that, to balance the access priorities of groups on services, policy actions should emphasize acceptably safe access for individuals, cost efficient feeder services connecting the metro lines, socioeconomic influences and time allocation. Insightful discussions on integrated approach balancing different dimensions of accessibility and recommendations would contribute to accessibility-based knowledge and potential propensity to use the public transits towards transport sustainability

Integrated assessment for Sustainable Development Goals of metropolitan regions: A case study of the Pearl River Delta region, China

Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the sub-national scale requires contextual insights and localized implementation. This study utilizes Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to assess SDG progress and interactions in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) metropolitan region of China. Population growth, economic development, and rapid urbanization are key drivers, exerting pressures on energy and water consumption, pollutant discharges, transportation, environmental degradation, and disaster management. The results reveal varied progress in nine goals intrinsic to this metropolitan context, with notable progress in energy and water consumption, and employment (Goals 7, 8, and 3). While moderate progress is evidenced in poverty reduction, economic growth, healthcare services, social security, access to potable water, water quality (Goals 1 and 6), challenges remain in transportation, waste generation, air quality, forest management, and disaster response (Goals 9, 11, and 15). Furthermore, target interaction analysis suggests that initiatives in high-leverage areas - ecosystem and environmental protection, equal access to resources and basic services, and climate change response - can yield substantial systemic impacts. However, poverty reduction, access to resources and basic services, ecosystem protection, and economic growth appear more dependent on system-wide efforts. By leveraging the DPSIR model, this context-sensitive SDG assessment accentuates priority zones and offers valuable perspective for cohesive SDG strategy formation and policy-making in dynamically growing metropolitan areas globally

Green Roof Retrofitting: Potential Assessment in an Academic Campus

Retrofitting becomes the priority action for existing buildings under uncertain economic times and increasing environmental awareness. Before retrofitting, it is necessary to evaluate the feasibility of the buildings to minimize the risks. The challenge in here is the evaluation with relevant criteria and assessment framework from sustainable perspective. Using AIT campus as study area, this paper aims to assess the potential of existing buildings for green roof retrofitting. Multi-criteria analysis was applied in the assessment of potential, where inputs were generated from questionnaires survey, visual inspection and literature records. The potential benefits were identified and estimated throughout a systematic literature reviews and saving calculators. The results revealed that physical factors are the most influence factors on the assessment where 33% of buildings in study area are found to be viable for retrofitting while 20% as not viable and 47% as possibly viable. Buildings as free standing, mid-rise-concrete-framed with flat roof and oriented to south are appeared to be more preferable for retrofitting. Environmental impacts such as UHI need a micro scale implementation to have more effective results. The study contributes to the building industry by providing a way to conduct the potential assessment for green roof retrofit in terms of criteria and assessment framework not only as micro scale but also in wider scale as under regional context.Retrofitting becomes the priority action for existing buildings under uncertain economic times and increasing environmental awareness. Before retrofitting, it is necessary to evaluate the feasibility of the buildings to minimize the risks. The challenge in here is the evaluation with relevant criteria and assessment framework from sustainable perspective. Using Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) campus as study area, this paper aims to assess the potential of existing buildings for green roof retrofitting. Multi-criteria analysis was applied in the assessment of potential, where inputs were generated from questionnaires survey, visual inspection and literature records. The potential benefits were identified and estimated throughout a systematic literature reviews and saving calculators. The results revealed that physical factors are the most influence factors on the assessment where 47% of buildings in study area are found to be viable for retrofitting while 6% as not viable and 47% as possibly viable. Buildings as free standing, concrete-framed with flat roof and oriented to south are appeared to be more preferable for retrofitting. Approximately 2% of annual energy use could be saved from campus-wide retrofitting however impacts such as urban heat island, air quality need a micro scale implementation to have more effective results. The study contributes to the building industry by providing a way to conduct the potential assessment for green roof retrofit in terms of criteria and assessment framework not only as micro scale but also in wider scale as under regional context

Long-Term Dynamic of Land Reclamation and Its Impact on Coastal Flooding: A Case Study in Xiamen, China

While land reclaimed from the sea meets the land demand for coastal development, it simultaneously causes socio-economic systems to be prone to coastal flooding induced by storm surges and sea-level rise. Current studies have seldom linked reclamation with coastal flood impact assessment, hindering the provision of accurate information to support coastal flood risk management and adaptation. This study, using Xiamen, China as a case study, incorporates the spatiotemporal dynamics of reclamation into a coastal flood impact model, in order to investigate the long-term influence of reclamation activities on coastal flood inundation and the consequent exposure of the population to coastal flooding. We find that rapid population growth, continual economic development and urbanization drive a substantial logarithmic increase in coastal reclamation. Historical and future expansions of seaward land reclamation are found to cause dramatic surges in the expected annual inundation (EAI) and the expected annual population (EAP) exposed to coastal flooding. In Xiamen, EAI is estimated to increase by 440.2% from 1947 to 2035, owing to continuing land reclamation. Consequently, the population living in the flooded area has also increased sharply: the EAP of total population is estimated to rise from 0.8% in 1947 to 4.7% in 2035, where reclamation contributes over 80% of this increase. Moreover, a future 10 cm sea-level rise in 2035 will lead to extra 5.73% and 8.15% increases in EAI and EAP, respectively, and is expected to cause massive permanent submersion in the new reclamation zone. Our findings emphasize an integration of hard structures and nature-based solutions for building resilient coasts