Smart Technologies for Environmental Safety and Knowledge Enhancement in Intermodal Transport

International concerns about security in transport systems are leading to a new international regulation in this field. This introduces new requirements for operators and authorities as well as it opens new challenges, in particular when referred to seaports and maritime transport in the Mediterranean area, where many seaport terminals and infrastructures are affected by a noteworthy technological divide from North European contexts. In such contexts, the adoption of the new regulations can represent the right chance for upgrading the local operative standards, increasing latu sensu the quality of maritime transport performances, while conferring a greater level to security and safety checks. This paper explores the chances for increasing the level of Mediterranean seaport competitiveness allowed by technological innovations in transport systems, both in operations and organization of these infrastructures. The aim of the work is to study the effects of the adoption of technological solutions such as wireless communications and radiofrequency identification on the competitiveness of Mediterranean seaport infrastructures. Technological solutions designed to identify good items help operators in organizing activities in terminals and make maritime transport faster in delivering goods, by cutting the handling time and costs in seaport terminals. Seaports that adopt this kind of technologies, and the surrounding economic areas connected to seaports, have a greater attractiveness on shipping companies and operators, since they allow faster handling activities and easier checks on goods. Besides, the analysis of direct and indirect effects of the use of such technologies specifically focuses on the contribution that the use of these solutions gives in ensuring higher security levels, by increasing the level of information and knowledge associated to goods. The different types of security provided (e.g. for people, environment and goods) and the extreme flexibility of the technologies involved give the overall worth of the challenge. It seems to be a great chance of growth for the Mediterranean area, more than a mere compliance to the international security regulations.

Spatial primitives and knowledge organization in planning and architecture: some experimental notes

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Navigating in multi-level buildings: the effect of rotation

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Methodology for a Study of the Perceived Quality of Public Transport in Santander

ABSTRACT:This article will primarily deal with improving the quality of a public transport system through the study of the main variables that influence the perceived quality by users, in other words a methodology for modeling the quality of bus services in the Spanish city of Santander, supported by user perception data. The models calibrated to study the quality of public transport perceived by users are firstly obtained by estimating all the different service attributes, considering mean users’ perceptions through an Ordered Probit model, and then studying random variations in users’ tastes, applying an Ordered Probit model with random parameters. The models represent the process of quality evaluation based on a limited group of predefined variables. The choice of these variables is important because they are used to explain the selection process to be modeled. The collected data are analyzed and modeled to check the validity of the different variables. Main results suggest consumers would be willing to pay a higher price for improved transport connection networks including the supply of clearer information and the attention to consumer’s complaints. Ticket price is also an important attribute mainly for frequent bus users.This work was made possible thanks to a grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad with additional financing from FEDER funds to the project TRA2012-37659

A study of herding behaviour in exit choice during emergencies based on random utility theory.

Modelling human behaviour in emergencies has become an important issue in safety engineering. Good behavioural models can help increase the safety of transportation systems and buildings in extreme situations like fires or terrorist attacks. Although it is well known that the interaction with other decision makers affects human behaviour, the role of social influences during evacuations still needs to be investigated. This paper contributes to fill this gap by analysing the occurrence of Herding Behaviour (HB) in exit choice. Theoretical explanations of HB are presented together with some modelling approaches used in different fields where HB is relevant. A discrete choice stated preference experiment is then carried out to study the role of HB in the decision-making process concerning exit choice during evacuation. A binary logit model is proposed showing that the occurrences of HB are affected by both environmental and personal factors. In particular, the model shows that the personal aptitude to HB can have a key role in selecting an exit

Il divenire della disciplina urbanistica: il contributo di Dino Borri

  With this volume - Conversations with TeMA - the Journal opens a new editorial line specifically dedicated to promoting and disseminating the discussion between worldwide researchers on specific issues concerning the contents, methods and timing of our work. This first experience is dedicated to a deepening, in an interview formula, on the future of spatial planning in Italy both from a regulatory and technical-disciplinary perspective, also concerning what is happening in other countries. In line with the aims we had set, we decided to involve, in this first phase, both colleagues working in Italian universities and those working in foreign universities and research centres. This contribution is by Dino Borri, Emeritus Professor in Urban Planning, Politecnico di Bari &nbsp

Virucity. Rethinking the urban system

The paper focuses attention on three fundamental points. The first one concerns an analysis of the urban condition perceived and detected directly by the observation of the city suddenly deprived of the fruition component and characterized by the functional reset of urban activities with the exception of health functions. The second element is attributable to a systemic interpretation of the phenomenon through the analysis of the effects on urban subsystems produced by the pandemic, recalling the holistic approach to the study of urban phenomena. The third element concerns the envisaging of possible post-virus urban scenarios for which a significant bifurcation is foreseen: on the one hand, if the virus produced a rethinking of life models and the need for new ways of acting and interacting in the city we could imagine an urban future characterized by a general rebalancing of anthropic contexts; on the other hand, if the desire to return to entropic and energy-consuming models will prevail, we will continue to witness the slow degradation of human and natural habitats that will lead to the “right” extinction of human beings. These alternatives underlie a series of dilemmas that the paper emphasizes as structuring elements of possible future urban scenarios, highlighting the fundamental role of urban scientists and planners