The value of natural heritage within urban areas is nowadays gaining recognition, but there are still no clear reference frameworks to confront the complexities of their management. In this discussion, the challenges of the association of historical preservation and urban nature are explored through the analysis of the management of Kyoto’s waterways. The conflicts caused by the rapid modernization of Japan at the end of 19thcentury find in Kyoto a remarkable expression in the tensions between renovation and conservation, providing a fertile frame for discussion. Relevant achievements and shortcomings of Kyoto ́s experience are here analyzed, considering how the preservation of historic landscapes affected the protection of urban rivers, the relationship between sustainability and heritage, and the new environmentally aware approaches to river improvement.
Daylighting the Amorsolo Creek - Participatory Design and the Revival of an U...Rodelon Ramos
Daylighting the Amorsolo Creek - Participatory Design and the Revival of an Urban Waterway in Makati CBD
Author: Rodelon Ramos, Master of Architecture, University of the Philippines Diliman
Kyoto – City with Dominant History and Culture : 6 Amazing FactsTheEnterpriseWorld
Let’s travel to Kyoto with knowing amazing facts about the metropolis and its culture.1. Geographical Importance 2. History of The City: 3. Exploring Kyoto and its Cultural aspects 4. Delightful Cuisine of Kyoto 5. Strong Economy of The City 6. Progress in Sports & Events
“THE FUTURE” Water London dissertation discusses on the future of London city by uncovering the past-present-future through aquatic landscape. Future shall not been seen as a separate time or space, this dissertation explores on engaging the future of London as a Design Anthropologist through multiplicity of ideas, critiques and potentialities that are embeded in the narratives, history and practices of daily lives. It can be stated that futures are always already here as part of continuously unfolding present and past.
Daylighting the Amorsolo Creek - Participatory Design and the Revival of an U...Rodelon Ramos
Daylighting the Amorsolo Creek - Participatory Design and the Revival of an Urban Waterway in Makati CBD
Author: Rodelon Ramos, Master of Architecture, University of the Philippines Diliman
Kyoto – City with Dominant History and Culture : 6 Amazing FactsTheEnterpriseWorld
Let’s travel to Kyoto with knowing amazing facts about the metropolis and its culture.1. Geographical Importance 2. History of The City: 3. Exploring Kyoto and its Cultural aspects 4. Delightful Cuisine of Kyoto 5. Strong Economy of The City 6. Progress in Sports & Events
“THE FUTURE” Water London dissertation discusses on the future of London city by uncovering the past-present-future through aquatic landscape. Future shall not been seen as a separate time or space, this dissertation explores on engaging the future of London as a Design Anthropologist through multiplicity of ideas, critiques and potentialities that are embeded in the narratives, history and practices of daily lives. It can be stated that futures are always already here as part of continuously unfolding present and past.
Smithsonian Urban Waterways Newsletter: Urban Waterways and the Impact of His...Michael Galvin
The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Urban Waterways Project is a long-term research and educational initiative based upon research on the Anacostia River and local
communities, as well as research examining urban waterways in communities in other cities. The project raises public awareness about human-biosphere interaction, engenders
appreciation for rivers and their role in sustainable urban development, and fosters civic responsibility and advocacy for waterways. It is particularly focused on working with communities on the frontline and most affected by development and environmental impacts.
This project requires students to write a comparative analysis essay based on findings from a case study and local site research in Kajang Old Town. Students are to examine similarities and dissimilarities based on the patterns of social activities, types of ‘contact points’. And the varying degrees of contact intensity between the two cities. A comparative analysis essay is a commonly used type of writing assignment where students are require to critically analyze any two subjects, finding and pointing out their similarities and/or dissimilarities. Students are expected to research for information from publications, internet and other relevant sources. For local site, students are expected to conduct own site observation (Studio). Essay is to be supported with images and diagrams relevant to support and interpret analysis of the site and its qualities.
Cultural Landscapes Preservation at the Interface Of Urban Planning and SprawlIEREK Press
From ancient times, the sea has played a key role in shaping and generating settlements and cities. Thehistoryof civilizations has been marked by the cultural development of human societiesalong coastlines.Accordingly,these territories are harbor of animportantcoastal heritage;that plays a pivotal rolein maintaining the link between the past and the future. In fact, while cities grow and their populations increase, their planning becomes a challenge for sustainable development.Through different forms and mechanisms, coastal sprawlis materialized, by the massive occupation of populations and industrial activities along coastlines. In this vein, coastlines endure many conflicts, which lead to the degradation of cultural and natural resources and may result in loss of cultural identity associated with the presence of cultural landscapes. The paper aims, to discuss planning approaches and challenges related to managing cultural and coastal landscapes, facing the impact of coastal sprawl. The paper is based on a landscape analysis; it interviews the urban, social, juridical and morphological frame.An understanding of urban sprawl throughthe lens of Annaba’s coastline is required for its implicationas a social support of the identity and the history of the city.The paper also examines how the coastalization affects the cultural heritage based on the monograph of one of the valuable French colonial constructions in Algeria. Lastly, the study demonstrates, some keyopportunities for advancing future adjustments, and coastal management approaches.For instance, new tools and more appropriate methodologies that combinethe preservation ofthe coastline and the preservationof the cultural heritage.
This is a project we undertook on behalf of the cultural Buganda government to conserve its 1600 year old natural resource cultural/ natural resource foundation revealed by the King's lake
Brownfield Sites as Catalysts for Sustainable Urban Regenerationand the Deman...IEREK Press
Almost two decades today, the topic of brownfields has extensively been researched in urban sociology, urban planning, and human geography, and numerous Western-Centric studies have linked the redevelopment of the abandoned, contaminated, vacant or derelict sites to sustainable urban regeneration and achieving smart cities and sustainability goals in general. Yet, until this day, the concept has received little academic and practical attention in Middle Eastern contexts. Western contexts on the other hand including Europe, UK and USA continue to offer unique perspectives on approaching brownfields in ways that reduce the alarming spatial cluttering and address socio-spatial disparities and spatial segregation in addition to achieving economic and environmental goals, and similar to the global scene, brownfield sites make a large portion of the post-industrial city of Amman, the capital of Jordan. However, with the lack of a systematic definition for the urban phenomenon objectives, methods to identifying potential brownfield sites and evaluating the prioritisation of their redevelopment that takes into consideration context particularities, and with the absence of participative approaches that include the local community in the decision-making regarding these spaces, city planners fail to include the increasingly growing number of brownfield site that proliferate their cities in the urban planning practice. Through the examination of literature discussions on objectives, approaches, classification systems, methodologies, assessment and evaluation tools for the support of design and prioritising decisions for brownfield regeneration indifferent contexts, and through looking at the numerous potential alternatives for brownfield sites regeneration these contexts highlight, this paper bids to emphasise the importance of developing context specific, localised tools tailored for the Middle Eastern case. Building on the above, this paper identifies five potential brownfield typologies in the context of Amman; (1)residual planning outcomes; (2) discontinued mines and quarries; (3) unfinished mega-projects; (4) contaminated and hazardous sites, and; (5) miscellaneous abandoned sites and buildings, and ends on the note that looking at the increasing demand to meeting smart growth and sustainability needs, these urban landscapes may function as catalysts for achieving comprehensive sustainable urban regeneration.
Urban Public Space Axis Rector of Green Infrastructure in the Current City of...IEREK Press
The current city calls for the reconsideration of a close relationship between gray infrastructure and public spaces, understanding the infrastructure as a set of items, equipment, or services required for the functioning of a country, a City. Ambato, Ecuador, is a current intermediate city, has less than 1% of the urban surface with use of public green spaces, which represents a figure below the 9m2/ hab., recommended by OMS. The aim of this paper was to identify urban public spaces that switches of green infrastructure in the city today, applying a methodology of qualitative studies. With an exploratory descriptive level analysis, in three stages, stage of theoretical foundation product of a review of the existing literature, which is the theoretical support of the relationship gray infrastructure public spaces equal to green infrastructure. Subsequent to this case study, discussed with criteria aimed at green infrastructure and in the public spaces of the study area. Finally, after processing and analysis of the results, we provide conclusions for urban public space as a definition of the green infrastructure of the current city of Latin America; in the latter, the focus is to support this article.
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Smithsonian Urban Waterways Newsletter: Urban Waterways and the Impact of His...Michael Galvin
The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Urban Waterways Project is a long-term research and educational initiative based upon research on the Anacostia River and local
communities, as well as research examining urban waterways in communities in other cities. The project raises public awareness about human-biosphere interaction, engenders
appreciation for rivers and their role in sustainable urban development, and fosters civic responsibility and advocacy for waterways. It is particularly focused on working with communities on the frontline and most affected by development and environmental impacts.
This project requires students to write a comparative analysis essay based on findings from a case study and local site research in Kajang Old Town. Students are to examine similarities and dissimilarities based on the patterns of social activities, types of ‘contact points’. And the varying degrees of contact intensity between the two cities. A comparative analysis essay is a commonly used type of writing assignment where students are require to critically analyze any two subjects, finding and pointing out their similarities and/or dissimilarities. Students are expected to research for information from publications, internet and other relevant sources. For local site, students are expected to conduct own site observation (Studio). Essay is to be supported with images and diagrams relevant to support and interpret analysis of the site and its qualities.
Cultural Landscapes Preservation at the Interface Of Urban Planning and SprawlIEREK Press
From ancient times, the sea has played a key role in shaping and generating settlements and cities. Thehistoryof civilizations has been marked by the cultural development of human societiesalong coastlines.Accordingly,these territories are harbor of animportantcoastal heritage;that plays a pivotal rolein maintaining the link between the past and the future. In fact, while cities grow and their populations increase, their planning becomes a challenge for sustainable development.Through different forms and mechanisms, coastal sprawlis materialized, by the massive occupation of populations and industrial activities along coastlines. In this vein, coastlines endure many conflicts, which lead to the degradation of cultural and natural resources and may result in loss of cultural identity associated with the presence of cultural landscapes. The paper aims, to discuss planning approaches and challenges related to managing cultural and coastal landscapes, facing the impact of coastal sprawl. The paper is based on a landscape analysis; it interviews the urban, social, juridical and morphological frame.An understanding of urban sprawl throughthe lens of Annaba’s coastline is required for its implicationas a social support of the identity and the history of the city.The paper also examines how the coastalization affects the cultural heritage based on the monograph of one of the valuable French colonial constructions in Algeria. Lastly, the study demonstrates, some keyopportunities for advancing future adjustments, and coastal management approaches.For instance, new tools and more appropriate methodologies that combinethe preservation ofthe coastline and the preservationof the cultural heritage.
This is a project we undertook on behalf of the cultural Buganda government to conserve its 1600 year old natural resource cultural/ natural resource foundation revealed by the King's lake
Brownfield Sites as Catalysts for Sustainable Urban Regenerationand the Deman...IEREK Press
Almost two decades today, the topic of brownfields has extensively been researched in urban sociology, urban planning, and human geography, and numerous Western-Centric studies have linked the redevelopment of the abandoned, contaminated, vacant or derelict sites to sustainable urban regeneration and achieving smart cities and sustainability goals in general. Yet, until this day, the concept has received little academic and practical attention in Middle Eastern contexts. Western contexts on the other hand including Europe, UK and USA continue to offer unique perspectives on approaching brownfields in ways that reduce the alarming spatial cluttering and address socio-spatial disparities and spatial segregation in addition to achieving economic and environmental goals, and similar to the global scene, brownfield sites make a large portion of the post-industrial city of Amman, the capital of Jordan. However, with the lack of a systematic definition for the urban phenomenon objectives, methods to identifying potential brownfield sites and evaluating the prioritisation of their redevelopment that takes into consideration context particularities, and with the absence of participative approaches that include the local community in the decision-making regarding these spaces, city planners fail to include the increasingly growing number of brownfield site that proliferate their cities in the urban planning practice. Through the examination of literature discussions on objectives, approaches, classification systems, methodologies, assessment and evaluation tools for the support of design and prioritising decisions for brownfield regeneration indifferent contexts, and through looking at the numerous potential alternatives for brownfield sites regeneration these contexts highlight, this paper bids to emphasise the importance of developing context specific, localised tools tailored for the Middle Eastern case. Building on the above, this paper identifies five potential brownfield typologies in the context of Amman; (1)residual planning outcomes; (2) discontinued mines and quarries; (3) unfinished mega-projects; (4) contaminated and hazardous sites, and; (5) miscellaneous abandoned sites and buildings, and ends on the note that looking at the increasing demand to meeting smart growth and sustainability needs, these urban landscapes may function as catalysts for achieving comprehensive sustainable urban regeneration.
Urban Public Space Axis Rector of Green Infrastructure in the Current City of...IEREK Press
The current city calls for the reconsideration of a close relationship between gray infrastructure and public spaces, understanding the infrastructure as a set of items, equipment, or services required for the functioning of a country, a City. Ambato, Ecuador, is a current intermediate city, has less than 1% of the urban surface with use of public green spaces, which represents a figure below the 9m2/ hab., recommended by OMS. The aim of this paper was to identify urban public spaces that switches of green infrastructure in the city today, applying a methodology of qualitative studies. With an exploratory descriptive level analysis, in three stages, stage of theoretical foundation product of a review of the existing literature, which is the theoretical support of the relationship gray infrastructure public spaces equal to green infrastructure. Subsequent to this case study, discussed with criteria aimed at green infrastructure and in the public spaces of the study area. Finally, after processing and analysis of the results, we provide conclusions for urban public space as a definition of the green infrastructure of the current city of Latin America; in the latter, the focus is to support this article.
Revitalization Strategy for Historic Core of AhmedabadIEREK Press
In India, dense historic urban settlements were developed with the intention of provision of spaces for adequate engagement of the people. Public squares and streets became important places of interaction. ‘Historic core,’ especially had public spaces meant for various socioeconomic groups. Ahmedabad city is a blend of a harmonious past and a vivacious present. Number of historical and architecturally important buildings were built during Muslim and Moghul rules. One of the first built structures within the walled city is the Bhadra fort, a citadel founded by sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 with a huge public square in front, developed for purpose of procession and gathering. This Bhadra precinct went through various layers of transformation in different eras and now have become vulnerable due to congestion and encroachment. Though, a need for intervention was felt to bring back the lost vitality of the Bhadra precinct, it was realized that a comprehensive approach would be the necessity. Conservation and sensitive development approach was taken to tackle this problem through pedestrianization of the Bhadra precinct, rerouting of traffic and restoration of Bhadra fort. Larger level traffic and parking issues were also considered be-yond the site. Alternative use of Bhadra fort as tourist information center was considered. Urban design guidelines were proposed for harmonious development in the surrounding area. This proposal was considered for funding under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JnNURM)and was implemented. Many issues were faced during implementation of Bhadra project due to contextualization of informal commercial, religious and other cultural activities. Political, social and administrative factors also played immense role in implementation of proposal. Now since Ahmedabad has achieved the status of World Heritage City through UNESCO certification further implementation of this project will be relatively easy due to envisaged strong political and administrative support.
Unlocking the Potentials of Urban Architecture in Enhancing theQuality of Urb...IEREK Press
Currently more than half of world population are living in cities, while world is witnessing a rapid urbanization process particularly in cities of the developing and emerging countries, where urban poverty areas (UPA) with low quality of urban life (QUL) and lack of the usual urban spaces are the most significant urban phenomena that characterized those cities. In such an urban context there is a need for an efficient tool that contributes positively to the enhancement of the QUL, meanwhile to provide the best use of the rare vacant lands. This study argues that urban architecture as a design field offers a distinctive approach to a special type of buildings made for an urban setting, thus it can enhance the QUL in UPA through community projects. The study is based on an analytical study of selected cases of community projects in UPA that represents examples of how urban architecture through its potentials has a positive impact on its urban context, notably through community projects that strongly linked to real community needs. The results showed that urban architecture as a design approach for community projects have multiple roles that boost the socio-economic daily life, as well it supports various environmental issues towards better QUL.
The Sinkhole Occurrence Risk Mitigation in Urban Areas for the Historic Salt ...IEREK Press
The present research focuses on the definition of a novel methodology for sinkhole risk assessment above shallow salt mines. The research were carried out on the area above the Wieliczka salt mine, a World Heritage site. The study of vertical stresses on the basis of a theoretical state of rock mass deformation in the area of test chambers was performed. Furthermore, the risk of chamber collapse due to ventricular stress exceeding the limit specified in the zone were calculated based on the arch pressure theory. The final stage of the research consists of spatial analysis that leading to the identification of chambers potentially influenced by other risk factors. The research shown in the article strongly suggests that combined spatial analysis with geotechnical analysis may lead to reliable sinkhole risk assessment methodology.
In Search of a Tool to Support Planning Inside Large Cities: the SustaIn-LED ...IEREK Press
The aim of the present study is to investigate the linkages between local economic development, innovation, and environmental sustainability inside urban areas. Can innovation affect the improvement of the quality of life inside urban areas? This research question comes from the consideration that usually innovation and growth in general are considered sources of conflict in affecting the livability of large cities. The objective of the paper is to design a model — the “SustaIn-Led” - to connect levels of environmental sustainability, quality of life, and economic development inside metropolitan areas, taking into account also innovation processes, activated by the innovation policies and by the knowledge economy. The study takes in consideration the 53 largest United States metropolitan areas with a population over 1 million, with a time series from the years 2000 through 2015.This has been done because of a two-fold reason: (1) the US among high-income countries is the one with the highest number of universities, patents, and citations; (2) several studies have shown that innovation occurs in large cities. The first part of the present study has carried out the identification of the variables to represent and significantly explain the phenomena – local economic development, innovation, and environmental sustainability – linked to the design of the SustaIn-LED model. Environmental sustainability in urban areas in this paper is represented by means of the Air Quality Index (AQI),while the number of workers synthetically quantifies local economic development. Correlation and multiple regression analyses are conducted in order to examine the relationship between the three main indicators. The multiple regressions for the year 2015 produced a low p-value, indicating that the predictors are significant in the regression analysis. Similar results of p-value are shown in all the years from 2000 to 2013. For 2015, the results showed that part of the variance in the measure of total workers of the metropolitan areas could be predicted by measures of innovation and air quality. Higher R2values have been registered for the years from 2000 through2013.The development of the SustaIn-LED model could be utilized in urban regeneration processes to help in the design of new urban planning policies inside large cities by means of a better comprehension of environmental and economic implications caused by the implementation of innovation policies.
Estimation of Coating Materials Contribution to the TVOCsEmissions of Wood Fl...IEREK Press
Based on the increasing concern about the exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor finishing materials, industrial companies are called to meet the growing demand for more sustainable products. Recently, most designers and consumers have more environmental considerations while selecting the finishing materials. These considerations are related to the VOCs content of the finishing material itself regardless of its coating layers. Nowadays, interior wood coatings are commonly applied to large surfaces (ceilings, walls, floors) and many types of furnishing, leading to a high loading factor (surface-to-volume ratio). These coatings might contribute significantly to the VOCs emissions due to repeatedly and periodically use during maintenance, remodeling, and renovation of interior spaces. The aim of this study is to estimate the wood coating materials contribution to the TVOCs emissions of wood product in the indoor environment to shed light on the importance of comprehensive analysis of wood material with all treatment coatings. So, a small interior space with controlled temperature, relative humidity, and air exchange rate was simulated using IA-Quest program to investigate the influence of three wood coating materials; stain, wax, and varnish which were applied to an area of natural hardwood Oak floor. The TVOCs emission data resulted from the different coated wood floor was compared with VOCs emissions caused by the natural wood floor to find out the coating material contribution in TVOCs emissions of a wood flooring material
Sustainable Park Landscaping as an Approach for theDevelopment of the Built E...IEREK Press
Implementing sustainable principles when landscaping parks is vital for the development of the built environment, and should take into account environmental, social, economic, and cultural aspects, in order to eliminate conflict between developmental requirements, and the need to preserve cultural and natural resources. This paper reviews the guidelines that should be considered for current and future sustainable parks in regions with a moderate climate, in order to ensure that they incorporate ecotourism, cost effective operation and maintenance, a clean environment, the promotion of renewable energy, and resource preservation. A number of parks, located in moderate climate zones, are studied in terms of aspects such as their location, topography, operation, and landscaping characteristics, to demonstrate the prevailing normative values that can be applied to sustainable park design. Prince Meshari Park, in Al-Baha city, Saudi Arabia, is employed as a case study for applying all of the guidelines proposed in this investigation, and to highlight some of their merits and limitations in terms of the current situation of the park.
Load Shifting Assessment of Residential Heat Pump System in JapanIEREK Press
With the economic growth and increasing requirement of indoor thermal comfort, the load of building sector presents a greater variability. This paper aims at analyzing the energy consumption characteristics and influencing factors of the residential heat pump system. Firstly, we selected residential households as investigated objective in Kitakyushu, Japan, and compared the energy saving performances of heat supply systems between heat pump and natural gas boiler. The results were based on real measured residential load during winter period, and calculated the cost saving performance of residential heat pump system compared with traditional natural gas boiler. We also did a survey of residential occupation behavior for the 12 selected residential customers. The result indicated that there was low relationship between power consumption and occupation hours, and the number of family members had a significant impact on the power consumption. The results indicate that residential heat pump system presented promising energy saving and cost reduction potential
A Model Proposed for the Prediction of Future Sustainable Residence Specifica...IEREK Press
In Egypt, people are unable to determine the qualities of appropriate residence that achieves quality and occupant satisfaction, and contributes to sustainability of residential conglomerations. In general, developing countries lack housing information which can be used to enhance quality of residence. Also, the methods of assessing and identifying the appropriate criteria for future residence quality remain traditional ones that cannot address the multiple, conflicting, overlapping aspects to reach a good decision. This calls for using the Analytical Network Process (ANP), an effective tool for specifying the relative importance of all factors impacting a specific issue for making an appropriate residential decision. In addition, this method provides results for the decision element impacts network within the decision structure; thus contributing to more understanding of the mechanisms and requirements of residence selection. The proposed decision structure comprises a two-level network: main clusters, main elements, and sub-elements included in the demographic characteristics group, the residence criteria group, the demand parameters group, the supply parameters group, the residence specifications group, and the alternatives group which representing, in total, the decision and specifying the percentage needed for each housing level. Results of the model showed complete capacity in smoothly addressing complexities and overlapping in the decision structure. The decision structure showed that 52% chose luxury residence, 28% chose middle-class residence, and 19.5% chose the economic residence. Mechanisms of decision making were analyzed; particularly in terms of relationship to demographic characteristics and residence specifications. Also, the importance and impact of demand / supply parameters in reaching decision were analyzed
Development of an Open-Source Water Consumption Meter for HousingIEREK Press
This article reports on the project "Design and development of water and gas P.L. measurement devices in the housing: an approach to sustainable consumption in Mexico", prepared at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in the Department of the Environment, whose objective was to develop a device to measure water consumption in the housing, which allows users to know their spending and can make decisions in favor of efficiency through the reduction of water use in household activities. The meter is made up of open source, programmable or reconfigurable software, which receives the signal from a water flow sensor and a casing designed to contain the hardware and facilitate the user's installation. Both the hardware and the casing can be purchased, downloaded, manufactured and assembled at home (Do It Yourself). As specific results were obtained: hardware programming and housing design and as a final result: the assembly of the functional prototype with which measurements of water consumption were made in a housing in Mexico. With this work we conclude that through the development of new accessible and common measurement technologies for the users of a house, it will be possible to promote efficiency in the use of natural resources in cities, increasing availability and promoting a more sustainable urban development.
Multi-Scale Assessment of Urban Gardens as Constructed Habitats for Biodivers...IEREK Press
Biodiversity in arid urban environments depends upon habitat formation that balances both bioclimatic and biophysical environment needs. There is the potential for urban gardens to establish symbiotic ecosystem services from microhabitat formation that collectively form an assemblage of ecological patches to connect a diverse range of flora and fauna, and establish community driven nursery and seed collection initiatives. This study of urban garden habitats situated within a new urban district of Jeddah Saudi. The analysis concentrates on the ability of garden spatial formations to construct a heterogeneous spatial morphology of sub-patch within the larger urban landscape patch. Patch and subpatch formations are examined based on the criteria of (I) assemblage of the spatial habitat (characterized by shape and spatial organization); (II) integration of spatial, functional and vegetation plantation patterns; (III) connectivity. Findings reveal that garden layout is structured by the integration and layering of plant types to generate cool understory habitat with seedling establishment, and water conservation. Designed layout of the garden as a spatial pattern is augmented with a range of microclimate mediators to dim solar exposure within the plantation habitat. A strong heterogeneity in plant formations and combinations is seen to dominant the garden formations.
Architectural Education for Sustainable Urban RegenerationIEREK Press
Urban regeneration is one of the important agendas of Turkey as a developing country. Rapid urbanization problems have been causing vital social and economic problems together with physical and spatial ones especially in big cities of Turkey. Thus, national and local governments handled urban regeneration as a practical method for solution of these problems. However, they unfortunately don’t implement urban regeneration according to its real requirements. Instead, this multi-dimensional and complex process is seen as a pull down and built up operation. Considering this situation and being in awareness of the responsibilities of architects throughout urban regeneration process, the authors think that urban regeneration should be discussed in the scope of architectural education. This paper presents the purpose, the process and the products of an undergraduate architectural design studio that was undertaken at Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Architecture. The architectural and urban design projects of the students of which aim was to offer a livable and sustainable mixed used living environments are discussed together with their conceptual backgrounds. Putting stress on the differences between theory and practice, the conclusion introduces a critical evaluation of urban regeneration and sustainable housing concepts in Turkey.
Typology and Solar Gain Analysis: Vernacular Courtyard Houses of Tabriz, IranIEREK Press
The study presents the results of typological analysis and simulation modeling analysis of traditional courtyard residential houses in the cold semi-arid climate of Iran. The purpose of the research has been to analyze and evaluate traditional passive environmental strategies and their elements to provide implications for the design of sustainable residential buildings in contemporary time. Five existing traditional courtyard houses in the city of Tabriz, Iran, are used as case-studies to analyze the typology and the solar zoning conditions and to develop simulation models. The Ecotect simulation program is used to calculate the solar gains of the buildings and to analyze the effectiveness of the natural passive systems along with native design strategies in terms of potential solar gains of main and secondary living spaces. However, in the vernacular, not only the awareness of the climatic and topological considerations is important, but also the values, rituals, and beliefs that shape the design of the dwellings need to be considered. The research is based on the hypothesis that vernacular buildings (courtyard houses) of Iran have been environmentally sustainable structures. However, an important challenge of the study has been to avoid the technological bias and to consider the cultural and social aspects and embodiment of the studied houses, as well. The study also addresses the potential short comings that limit the reliability of Iranian vernacular architecture at present in order to arrive at a more holistic understanding of the sustainability of the vernacular architecture in the country.
Lessons Learned from the First Passivhaus Building in QatarIEREK Press
Energy efficient models have become the path to reduce energy consumption and Greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment in many developed countries. According to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), new buildings constructed within the European Union (EU) countries are expected to be nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) by 2020, while new public buildings are expected to adhere to this target by 2018. The Passivhaus approach has been identified by several researchers as a possible roadmap to achieve nZEBs. The meticulous engineering and high standards of the Passivhaus building fabric, in addition to the high comfort levels, are the main reasons behind the success and widespread of the standard. Recently, in 2013 the Passivhaus principles have been applied to an experimental residential project in the hot and arid climate of Qatar. The project is composed of two identical buildings, one built according to the Passivhaus standard and the other according to normal practices in the country. The thermal performance and comfort levels of both buildings were assessed through dynamic simulation and on-site measurements. Results indicated that at least 50% reduction in annual operational energy, water consumption, and CO2 emissions were achieved in the Passivhaus model in comparison to the standard model. This paper aims to highlight the lessons learned through the Passivhaus project; first by exhibiting the Passivhaus criteria that have been met, second by showcasing the outcomes of the project, and third by displaying the barriers and difficulties that have been associated with building according to the standard in Qatar. Finally, recommendations and general guidelines are suggested towards a possible adoption of the Passivhaus standard in Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries
Optimal Sizing and Design of Isolated Micro-Grid systemsIEREK Press
Micro-grid and standalone schemes are emerging as a viable mixed source of electricity due to interconnected costly central power plants and associated faults as well as brownouts and blackouts in additions to costly fuels. Micro-Grid (MG) is gaining very importance to avoid or decrease these problems. The objective of this paper is to design an optimal sizing and energy management scheme of an isolated MG. The MG is suggested to supply load located in El-shorouk Academy, Egypt between 30.119 latitudes and 31.605 longitudes. The components of the MG are selected and designed for achieving minimum Total Investment Cost (TIC) with CO2 emissions limitations. This is accomplished by a search and optimization MATLAB code used with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) techniques. The use of Diesel Generators (DGs) is minimized by limiting the gaseous CO2 emissions as per targeted allowable amount. A comparison is accomplished for investigating the CO2 emissions constraints effects on the TIC in $/year and annual cost of energy in $/kWh. The obtained results verified and demonstrated that the designed MG configuration scheme is able to feed the energy entailed by the suggested load cost effectively and environmental friendly.
Regenerative Mobility: Disruption and Urban EvolutionIEREK Press
Mobility plays an important role in the cities by enabling people to carry out the most varied activities across the territory, as well as to ensure the city fully function. In addition, analogies to the human organism can be made by this urban dynamic, looking for solutions to specific issues. Moreover, this paper has been based by the premise that phenomena and urban elements could be conceptualized, explained and transformed from contemporary and innovative approaches applied in the medical field. For this reason, this paper aims to develop and present a new concept associated with urban mobility, based on the principles of regenerative medicine: the Regenerative Mobility, a concept with disruptive and evolutionary purposes. Furthermore, the structure of this paper is summarized by the introduction which contextualizes the theme, presents and characterizes the techniques used in the research. Additionally, the following chapters explore essential aspects of the city, explaining why it needs a mobility change and new concepts. Therefore, the concept of Regenerative Mobility is presented as a potential of mobility and cities improvement, followed by pragmatic cases, capable of illustrating some of its principles.
Unlocking the Potentials of Urban Architecture in Enhancing the Quality of Ur...IEREK Press
Currently more than half of world population are living in cities, while world is witnessing a rapid urbanization process particularly in cities of the developing and emerging countries, where urban poverty areas (UPA) with low quality of urban life (QUL) and lack of the usual urban spaces are the most significant urban phenomena that characterized those cities. In such an urban context there is a need for an efficient tool that contributes positively to the enhancement of the QUL, meanwhile to provide the best use of the rare vacant lands. This study argues that urban architecture as a design field offers a distinctive approach to a special type of buildings made for an urban setting, thus it can enhance the QUL in UPA through community projects. The study is based on an analytical study of selected cases of community projects in UPA that represents examples of how urban architecture through its potentials has a positive impact on its urban context, notably through community projects that strongly linked to real community needs. The results showed that urban architecture as a design approach for community projects have multiple roles that boost the socio-economic daily life, as well it supports various environmental issues towards better QUL.
Urban Public Space Axis Rector of Green Infrastructure in the Current City of...IEREK Press
The current city calls for the reconsideration of a close relationship between gray infrastructure and public spaces, understanding the infrastructure as a set of items, equipment, or services required for the functioning of a country, a City. Ambato, Ecuador, is a current intermediate city, has less than 1% of the urban surface with use of public green spaces, which represents a figure below the 9m2/ hab., recommended by OMS. The aim of this paper was to identify urban public spaces that switches of green infrastructure in the city today, applying a methodology of qualitative studies. With an exploratory descriptive level analysis, in three stages, stage of theoretical foundation product of a review of the existing literature, which is the theoretical support of the relationship gray infrastructure public spaces equal to green infrastructure. Subsequent to this case study, discussed with criteria aimed at green infrastructure and in the public spaces of the study area. Finally, after processing and analysis of the results, we provide conclusions for urban public space as a definition of the green infrastructure of the current city of Latin America; in the latter, the focus is to support this article.
The Sinkhole Occurrence Risk Mitigation in Urban Areas for the Historic Salt ...IEREK Press
The present research focuses on the definition of a novel methodology for sinkhole risk assessment above shallow salt mines. The research were carried out on the area above the Wieliczka salt mine, a World Heritage site. The study of vertical stresses on the basis of a theoretical state of rock mass deformation in the area of test chambers was performed. Furthermore, the risk of chamber collapse due to ventricular stress exceeding the limit specified in the zone were calculated based on the arch pressure theory. The final stage of the research consists of spatial analysis that leading to the identification of chambers potentially influenced by other risk factors. The research shown in the article strongly suggests that combined spatial analysis with geotechnical analysis may lead to reliable sinkhole risk assessment methodology.
Online aptitude test management system project report.pdfKamal Acharya
The purpose of on-line aptitude test system is to take online test in an efficient manner and no time wasting for checking the paper. The main objective of on-line aptitude test system is to efficiently evaluate the candidate thoroughly through a fully automated system that not only saves lot of time but also gives fast results. For students they give papers according to their convenience and time and there is no need of using extra thing like paper, pen etc. This can be used in educational institutions as well as in corporate world. Can be used anywhere any time as it is a web based application (user Location doesn’t matter). No restriction that examiner has to be present when the candidate takes the test.
Every time when lecturers/professors need to conduct examinations they have to sit down think about the questions and then create a whole new set of questions for each and every exam. In some cases the professor may want to give an open book online exam that is the student can take the exam any time anywhere, but the student might have to answer the questions in a limited time period. The professor may want to change the sequence of questions for every student. The problem that a student has is whenever a date for the exam is declared the student has to take it and there is no way he can take it at some other time. This project will create an interface for the examiner to create and store questions in a repository. It will also create an interface for the student to take examinations at his convenience and the questions and/or exams may be timed. Thereby creating an application which can be used by examiners and examinee’s simultaneously.
Examination System is very useful for Teachers/Professors. As in the teaching profession, you are responsible for writing question papers. In the conventional method, you write the question paper on paper, keep question papers separate from answers and all this information you have to keep in a locker to avoid unauthorized access. Using the Examination System you can create a question paper and everything will be written to a single exam file in encrypted format. You can set the General and Administrator password to avoid unauthorized access to your question paper. Every time you start the examination, the program shuffles all the questions and selects them randomly from the database, which reduces the chances of memorizing the questions.
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A review on techniques and modelling methodologies used for checking electrom...nooriasukmaningtyas
The proper function of the integrated circuit (IC) in an inhibiting electromagnetic environment has always been a serious concern throughout the decades of revolution in the world of electronics, from disjunct devices to today’s integrated circuit technology, where billions of transistors are combined on a single chip. The automotive industry and smart vehicles in particular, are confronting design issues such as being prone to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Electronic control devices calculate incorrect outputs because of EMI and sensors give misleading values which can prove fatal in case of automotives. In this paper, the authors have non exhaustively tried to review research work concerned with the investigation of EMI in ICs and prediction of this EMI using various modelling methodologies and measurement setups.
Water billing management system project report.pdfKamal Acharya
Our project entitled “Water Billing Management System” aims is to generate Water bill with all the charges and penalty. Manual system that is employed is extremely laborious and quite inadequate. It only makes the process more difficult and hard.
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We used HTML/PHP as front end and MYSQL as back end for developing our project. HTML is primarily a visual design environment. We can create a android application by designing the form and that make up the user interface. Adding android application code to the form and the objects such as buttons and text boxes on them and adding any required support code in additional modular.
MySQL is free open source database that facilitates the effective management of the databases by connecting them to the software. It is a stable ,reliable and the powerful solution with the advanced features and advantages which are as follows: Data Security.MySQL is free open source database that facilitates the effective management of the databases by connecting them to the software.
2. Santini / Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, ESSD
of the city, the Kyomizudera (Pure Water temple), still carries the legend of the cleansing and wishing granting
powers of the streams that run through its precincts, attracting tourists and locals in search of a change of luck.
Once a year, during the renowned celebration Gion Matsuri, the portable shrines of the procession are purified with
the waters of the city´s main river, the Kamo River (or River of the ducks).
As in many other cities, commercial and industrial activities gathered around water sources that were essential for
the life and economy of the city, and this way, many of Kyoto´s waterways became intrinsically linked with urban
areas of historic relevance. Rivers provided water for households, industries, and agriculture, as well as serving
as transportation routes. However, contrary to most European urban rivers, the shallow banks and irregular flow
of Kyoto´s watercourses were not suitable for transportation in their natural state. This situation, together with
the frequent floods, prompted the early engineering and modification of river courses and the creation of channels
since its early history. For example, the Horikawa canal was dug during the 9th century with the main purpose of
carrying goods along the city, and eventually, to Osaka through the Yodo River (Kyoto City Municipality, 2010).
The canal was also used as means of flood control of its tributaries, to create the moat of the city´s castle (Nijo),
to feed the ponds of the gardens of shrines and temples of the area, and as water supply for the renowned textile
industry of Nishijin district.
In 1868 the capital of Japan was transfer to Tokyo, and Kyoto, the old imperial capital, started to suffer an economic
decline. Renovation and modernization measures were taken to confront this issue. One of the most important
renovation works was the Lake Biwa Canal. This unprecedented project, carried out by Tanabe Sakuro, became
internationally renowned for its ingenuity and engineering prowess. The twenty kilometer canal provided running
and irrigation water for Kyoto city and its surrounding areas, and it fed the turbines of the first public hydroelectric
generator that powered Kyoto´s flourishing industries, its street lights, and the first electric trams of Japan. The
Canal also brought new waterfront landscapes to the city along its main branch, heart of the Okazaki district, and
along its secondary branches that created new public spaces, as the promenade of the Philosopher’s Path.
The rapid modernization that Japan experienced at the end of 19th century radically changed many of its cityscapes.
However, the natural and historic values of Kyoto helped defined the city´s character as the keeper of traditional
culture. Although the economic pressures of development have been a constant challenge for the preservation of
both natural and built heritage, the protection of these values was always important for the city managers who were
aware of the importance of the touristic industry for the city´s economy. In 1898, Naiki Jinzaburo, the first major
of Kyoto, established the urban priorities that would define the city´s later development: gather the commercial
activities in the south, maintain the historical districts and its traditional industries (as the textile industry or the
production of sake), and preserve the natural landscapes of the east of the city.
However, the natural areas protected were mostly those associated to historic places, and the protection of isolated
natural features as rivers and canals was not considered. By mid-20th century the condition of urban streams and
canals in non-historic areas gradually declined because the loss of their original functions and the effects of urban
growth. In the suburbs, several water courses were buried or just disappeared. Several of Kyoto’s rivers were piped
during the city’s modernization as a measure against floods, and following the industrial growth, a severe water
pollution anticipated the environmental crisis of the 1960s. As a result of the ‘Urban Stream Syndrome’ (Walsh, et
al., 2005) experienced by Kyoto’s rivers, citizens turned their backs on the deteriorated streams. It was not until the
1970s and 1980s when the application of strict national and regional regulations led to an improvement the water
quality of Kyoto’s urban streams, and contemporary shifts in values are increasing the awareness of the potential
of urban watercourses.
In the following sections, some aspects Kyoto’s management of nature and waterways as natural heritage will be
discussed, considering how the preservation of historic landscapes affected the protection of urban rivers, the rela-
tionship between sustainability and heritage, and the new environmentally aware approaches to river improvement.
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2. Aesthetic landscapes, tradition, and sustainability
Files The preservation of natural areas has a long tradition in Kyoto. The first measures for the preservation of
natural areas in and around the city begun in 1930 with the designation of the Scenic Landscape Districts. This
first measure considered mainly the natural areas located at the limits of the city near the surrounding mountains
and some patches of green areas within the urban fabric. All the protected green areas were related to places
of historic importance as palaces or temples, as the Kiyomizudera located in the Eastern mountains (Kyoto City
Bureau, 2016). Among the few protected green areas of Kyoto that were not associated with built heritage were
the banks of Kamo River, the main river of Kyoto that has been for long one the city´s most popular public areas.
The extraordinary growth of the city after World War 2 put under test Kyoto´s preservation measures, but a number
of new policies helped confront the situation. In 1964, what began as a dispute over the conservation of the forests
of Kamakura city near Tokyo —the Oyatsu Dispute— ended in the Ancient Capitals Preservation Law of 1966,
which provided Kyoto’s municipality with more legal tools to protect the historic landscapes from the growing
urbanization (Asano, 1999).
Preservation measures could not always be applied efficiently, and because of the pressure of land development they
needed constant updates. In the following years, several amendments and new policies were created to improve the
protection legislation, as, among others, the Act on Urban Green Space Conservation (created in 1973 to be valid
in all Kansai region) created to protect suburban greenery, the Kyoto City Ordinance on Conservation of Natural
Landscape (enacted in 1995) to protect the view of the mountain ranges from the city, and special regulations for
specific areas as the Riverside Aesthetic Landscape District (2005) made to control the development the areas near
the margins of urban and suburban rivers.
Although today the preservation of urban natures makes emphasis on sustainability and on the benefits of nature
for the citizens, the protection of Kyoto’s urban natures has been traditionally related to cultural and aesthetic
interests. It is for that reason that one of the most important conservation tools was, and still is, the protection of
views (or vistas). The protection of urban and natural views is certainly not unique to Kyoto or Japan. Vancouver
for example has protected view cones to guard the mountain landscape as appreciated from the city, while in
London, protected views corridors were established since the 1930s to protect the views of important landmarks
as the St. Paul’s Cathedral (Karaga, 2015). In Kyoto, there are thirty-eight officially recognized vistas under the
Vistaed View Creation Ordinance (all of which include natural features) that were selected out of 597 options taken
from literature and citizens choices (Kyoto City Bureau, 2007). Despite the predominantly aesthetic emphasis of
this approach, the city’s rivers and its waterfronts have nonetheless greatly benefited from these measures that have
protected the green areas along the main urban rivers. The new ordinance includes the category of Views from
Waterfronts, which includes the Hori River, the Uji River, and the Lake Biwa Canal Sluice, as well as the ‘pleasant
views’ of the Kamo River from its Bridges (Kyoto City Bureau, 2007).
In Japan, the protection of views is associated with the traditional gardening design concept of borrowed landscape
or shakkei (Taylor, 2006). When applying this concept, the distant natural background is used in combination with
the nearer features of the landscape to create the illusion of continuity. Unlike the protection of the landscape as
the object to be appreciated, shakkei focuses in the interaction of the different layers of the landscape. In Kyoto,
the intrusion of unwanted objects in borrowed landscapes is considered a major loss, as in the case of the garden
of the Entsu-ji Temple, which is said to be now ruined by the construction of housing buildings that interrupt the
illusion of a continuous nature. To prevent this from happening elsewhere, there are strict height restrictions in the
areas surrounding buildings of historical importance, as the Kamigamo Shrine in the North of the city and in the
traditional district of Gion near the city center (Figure 1). At several points along the Kamo River for example, the
protected views have helped maintain the illusion of a surrounding nature that hides the city behind the greenery
(Figure 2).
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Figure 1. Heights limitation to protect mountain views Source: Kyoto Landscape.Kyoto City Bureau
Figure 2. View of Kyoto from the Kamo River Source: Taken by author, 2018
Due to the abundance of natural values in Kyoto and its close relation to built heritage, the preservation policies of
the city are in close agreement with the Historic Urban Landscape, which as defined by the UNESCO, is the result-
ing landscape of the historic layering of cultural and natural values and attributes. In the 2011 recommendations
for Historic Urban Landscapes, the UNESCO suggested that heritage conservation should be integrating into the
broader management goals of the city, including sustainability. Preserving existing resources is an essential part
of sustainability, and therefore, the conservation of natural and built heritage is now considered a necessary task of
sustainable urban management.
But the relation between sustainability and heritage is not restricted to the preservation of resources. The compat-
ibility of traditional practices and sustainability is a well-recognized fact in practices as varied as food production
or architecture (Parham, 2017; Moor, 2017), and this agreement has also proven to be manifest in urban planning.
In the case of Kyoto, a good example in this respect are the measures taken in the historic Togetsukyo Bridge, that
crosses the Katsura River in the protected area of Arashiyama. The current bridge was built in 1934, before the
enforcement of laws promoting the use of lighting equipment, and therefore lights in the bridge were banned once
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the bridge reached the heritage status. However, after long negotiations, the installation of lighting on the historic
bridge was finally accepted after proposing a sustainable solution that included a small hydraulic power generator
powered by the flow of Katsura River (National Small-hydro Council, 2015). The installation began in 2005, and
it became the first micro-hydropower system to be installed in one of the major rivers of Japan, illustrating the
promising potential for the application of environmentally friendly strategies in historical areas.
On the other hand, the increasing environmental awareness has also led to the modification of some of Kyoto´s
traditions, as in the case of the practice of ‘Yuzen Nagashi’. This old tradition was the final stage of the dyeing
process of fabrics, in which silk stripes were placed along the rivers of Kyoto to clear them of excessive glue
and dye, creating the effect of a multi-coloured water. In the 1940s, because of the growing concerns with water
pollution, this practice was gradually discouraged until it was eliminated under the Water Pollution Control Law
of 1974 (Diet Library Database, 2010). Today, a modified version of this practice is recreated for special festivals
during the summer, using non-polluting colorful fabrics placed along some of the rivers and canals of the city.
Since the protection Kyoto’s rivers and their environments has been driven mainly by their association to historical
heritage and aesthetic values, the waterways that have received more attention over the years have been the Kamo
River and its margins, the Takano River in the North of the city, the Shirakawa River, particularly the section that
runs along the historic protected area of Gion, and the Lake Biwa Canal. However, for most of the 20th century,
minor rivers and streams without an apparent scenic value that could justify its protection have disappeared or
deteriorated.
For example, the Horikawa canal, which once had a tremendous importance for the activities of the West of the
city, once it lost it original functions it was gradually covered in most of its course and, as a measure of flood
prevention, its water source was cut soon after the Second World War. It was not until 1985 that a group of citizens
formed the Horikawa beautification group to try to restore some of its former aesthetic qualities. After years of
negotiations, a restoration plan was presented in 1995, and the canal that had been buried and dried for fifty five
years was brought to new life with a plan that combines flood prevention, amenity, and recovered heritage (Kyoto
City Municipality, 2010)(Figures 3 and 4). This change of attitude towards urban watercourses is the reflection of
a worldwide trend of renewed environmental awareness that leads contemporary citizens to increase the demands
for the improvement of the natural infrastructure of cities, which is helping to build a more diversified approach to
the management of urban natures.
Figure 3. Horikawa canal during the early 1990s Source: Kyoto City Official Website
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Figure 4. Horikawa canal in 2013 Source: Biglobe News 2013/04/23
3. New approaches to the management of natural heritage
Besides the protections of rivers through the preservation of the natural urban landscapes, national and regional
legislation for the management of rivers. However, the goal of these legal measures has traditionally been the
control of floods, which is a priority of Kyoto’s municipality. Historically, floods have cause great damage to the
city and its surrounding, specially along the courses of the Kamo, the Katsura, and the Uji Rivers, where many
historic protected areas are located (Figures 5 and 6). Measures against floods started as early as the 9th century,
but the changing conditions of factors affecting the flow of rivers, as the construction of dams, forestation or the
surrounding mountains, and weather conditions, keep testing the improvements made in flood prevention. For
example, the heavier rains occurring during the last years have caused serious problems since the infrastructure
was not fit to bear the new precipitation levels. During the typhoon Man-yi of 2013, more rain fell in one day than
in the average of the month (Masaki & Kono, 2015), prompting the flood of the Hozu-Katsura River in the historic
area of Arashiyama, and causing considerable harm to the area. In 2018, the effects of the Typhoon Prapiroon
forced the evacuation of hundreds of Kyoto citizens living near the major rivers while the currents wrecked the
city´s riparian infrastructure. Improved flood prevention measures have greatly improved safety, and, since the risk
of flood is cannot be completely eradicated because of the mutable nature of rivers, policies are focus on reducing
flood damage (Waley, 2000).
Figure 5. Traditional street Pontocho, 1936 flood. Source: 1936, Flood Report, Kyoto City Hall
pg. 100
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Figure 6. Togetsukyo bridge, Arashiyama, 2013 flood Source: Asahi Journal News Portal, 19/01/2018
Although flood prevention is still one of the main priorities of national and regional river administration, the
approach of the River Law amended in 1997, has added water use and river environment protection as equally
important purposes of river administration (Ikeuchi and Kanao, 2003). The full ecological potential of urban rivers
is being explored and exploited only recently. A previous measure from 1990 from the Ministry of Land, Infras-
tructure, Transport and Tourism established a policy called Nature Oriented River Works, and with the amendment
of the River Law this measure took new force and nowadays is slowly reaching urban rivers minor urban streams.
In addition to the increasing attention paid to river environment quality in legal measures and official administra-
tion, contemporary awareness on environmental issues has led to a growing influence of the Japanese preservation
movements, which are now reaching urban grounds. Traditionally, the efforts of environmental activists manly
targeted the wild and hard-to-find nature, located as a rule in areas distant from urban centers (Asano, 2007).
However, the interest in smaller ecosystems, as the ones that might exists within cities, is gradually increasing.
The interest in the creation and preservation natural areas within urban contexts is broadening the approach to
the management of water environments, expanding the initial safety and aesthetic concerns into a more systemic
view that considers its ecological aspects. Until recently, the way in which the manmade natural riverbanks were
conceived tended to be uni-layered, focusing mainly in visual aspects, and therefore created meagre environments
for biodiversity. Today it is understood that the natural areas along urban rivers can be managed as ‘bio-highways’
(Taylor & Patrick, 2006), since they are the most propitious areas within urban environments to promote rich and
complex ecosystems.
It has to be noted that, when it comes to Japanese urban watercourses, the categories of man made and original
natures are extremely blurred. As pointed out before, Kyoto’s rivers have been tamed since its foundation in the
8th century for purposes of irrigation, transportation, or flood protection, and countless canals have been created,
rearranged, and removed. Within the contemporary Landscape Plan of the city of Kyoto, the Riverside category of
the Aesthetic Landscape Districts includes mainly engineered rivers and man-made canals as the Takase River, a
transportation canal dug in the 17th century, or the famous Biwa Lake Canal, which was designated as Moderniza-
tion Heritage in 2007 because of its importance for the history of Kyoto. The urbanized riversides of these canals
might contrast with some sections of the landscaped margins of the Kamo River designed to look natural, but it
has to be considered that both of these contexts are equally planned and deliberately crafted (Figures 7 and 8).
The category of historic urban landscape includes built heritage as well as natural heritage in its border sense
(without considering the level of human intervention), but when dealing with environmental issues the distinction
between of original and modified nature (as in a natural stream or a designed canal) becomes more complicated
because of the association with the debates on which natures should be preserved and how (Baldwin, De Luce, &
Pletsch, 1994).
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Without attempting to address the ethical or philosophical implications of the debates regarding original and mod-
ified environments, some basic facts of nature within urban contexts need to be clarified. First, what is generally
classified as natural in urban planning differs from the definitions used in environmental discussions dealing with
wilderness, and considerations about original states of nature or rewilding approaches are not always suitable for
the urban contexts. Urban natures refer for the most part to areas where the majority of the integrating elements are
living natural features, category which includes from relatively untamed urban forests to the most cultured versions
of nature as parks or gardens. Secondly, the action of preserving or creating natural environments within cities has
usually a different purpose than the protection of nature in areas uninhabited by humans. Within urban contexts,
the role of nature as an amenity usually takes priority over the concerns on ecosystems, which is a relatively new
concept that is only beginning to be included in the discussions of urban nature.
Figure 7. Lake Biwa Canal, Okazaki district Source: Taken bythe author, 2015
Figure 8. Kamo River landscaping, Kita guard Source: Taken by the author, 2015
The expansion of the approach to river protection in Kyoto is being achieved through the integration of the civil
society into the management process, while also considering the local history and traditions, measures which
are also in line with the suggestions of UNESCO for the preservation of Historic Urban Landscapes from 2011.
Within Japanese urban planning, the national and regional governments were traditionally seen as mere managers
of infrastructure (Sorensen & Funk, 2007), without real engagement with the improvement of the urban quality of
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9. Santini / Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, ESSD
life. According the Japanese scholar Shun-Ichi J. Watanabe (2007), a new urban environmental administration with
a bottom-up style of planning is currently growing in Japan thanks to the Machi-zukuri movements (which literally
translates as City Making). These civic associations grew out of the combination of the traditional neighborhood
associations and the environmental movements of the 1960s and 1970s that confronted government strategies that
favored economic growth over quality of life. Since the collapse of the bubble economy in the 1990s, there have
been important political readjustments, and local groups have been increasingly involved in the governance of
urban space (Sorensen & Funk, 2007).
The current River Improvement Policy of the city of Kyoto has integrated the concept of River making (Kawa-
zukuri) and Waterfront making (Mizube-zukuri) into its measures to manage the city’s watercourses. In Japan,
these concepts have been applied since 1990s as pilot projects promoted by the Ministry of Construction´s River
Bureau to approach the re-landscaping or rivers with natural materials, minimizing when possible the use of con-
crete, which was for many decades the predominant material used to in the river interventions (Waley, 2000).
The idea behind the integration of civil movements with municipal activities in the particular case of Kyoto is to
complement the complex tasks of flood prevention, which need to be carried out by the government, with other
responsibilities that can be executed by citizens and local businesses, as landscaping, cleaning, and maintenance
of riversides (Kyoto City Bureau, 2012).With the integration of River making programs, smaller rivers of areas
that were not considered significant from the perspective of Kyoto’s official history are being renovated with a
systemic approach. Many of these projects are part of an effort to merge existing watercourses and flood control,
but contrary to the infrastructural projects of the previous decades, current developments consider the cultural
and ecological context, as well as the aesthetic factor. Some examples of these projects are the improvements of
the Arizu River, or the Nanase River, where a layered project placed the flood prevention measures underground
liberating the surface to create a landscaped park (made by Tanaka Survey and Design Office, Figures 9 and 10).
A significant aspect emphasized in the River Improvement Policy is the importance of recognizing the history and
cultural meanings associated with the water course. The policy points out that the original scenery of the river and
its margins should be considered in the renovation projects (Kyoto City Bureau, 2012). It has to be noted that in
the case of Kyoto, as elsewhere in Japan, references to the original state of the river as in its natural state or to the
way the river environment was before human intervention, are not as common as references to the condition of the
river before the late 19th century modernization. Many renovation and re-landscaping projects in Kyoto and other
cities place educational images of past epochs (mainly Edo period) showing the local traditions, industries, and
activities that took place in and around urban rivers.
The new approach recognizes the social relevance of watercourses of all sizes, acknowledging that rivers are an
integral part of the material fabric of the city, and of Kyoto’s local cultures. In the new policy, it is argued that
the loss of contact with the water has caused the loss of the common wisdom on how to control flooding and
manage watercourses, and the improvement plans include measures to restore the familiarity of the society with
the rivers, a concept called shinsui, that even considers the consciousness to ‘fear’ water (Kyoto City Bureau, 2012,
p. 20). Many restoration projects are using the concept of shinsui park, and create designs that allow the public
to approach and interact with the water instead of creating an environment that only allows to see the watercourse
from the distance, and also include many features of traditional Japanese gardens as waterfalls, bridges, and the
creation of little islands (Walley, 2000). Although there are some critics of this landscaping concept in Japan,
shinsui parks in Kyoto, as the one designed for the renovation of Horikawa canal, have proven to be extremely
popular, particularly for children.
River making associations come in many shapes and administration styles (Kusakabe, 2013). The participation of
civil societies in city planning is not always easy, and there is it is concern that the alleged participation could be
reduce to a mere supply of information on the official plans. Still, the involvement of non-governmental entities
as the Kyoto Environmental Activities Association (KEAA) that promotes the public interest in the environment,
the volunteer groups that clean the riverfronts, or the association of Kyoto Hotaru (fireflies) dedicated to study of
these popular insects, has propitiated a more comprehensive approach to the urban river management.
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Figure 9. Nanase River, before intervention Source: Kyoto City Official Website
Figure 10. Nanase River, Layered plan Source: Kyoto City Official Website
4. Final considerations
Although environmental concerns have entered the legal framework of river management relatively recently, Ky-
oto’s interest on the preservation of the natural values of the city, particularly the interest on landscapes and vistas,
have aided the protection of the city´s watercourses and its environments. Unfortunately, the emphasis placed on
historic relevance and aesthetic values to determine the landscapes to preserve led to the neglect and deterioration
of most secondary streams and canals of the city, dedicating all the protection efforts to a few privileged examples
as the Kamo River or the Biwa Canal. There is still much room for improvement, however, recognizing the histor-
ical and cultural dimension of the natural and engineered urban streams, even when they have no touristic value,
has helped Kyoto’s municipality to improve the urban landscape while generating new and valuable ecosystems.
The contemporary awareness on the importance of the protection of the environment by citizens and officials, have
made sustainability a concept as valued as tradition in the management of Kyoto’s heritage, as shown in the case
of the Togetsukyo bridge where new sustainable solutions coexists with age-old heritage. At the same time, this
new consciousness of the importance of the environment has created a new sensibility towards nature that led to
the reexamination of past solutions for flood control, and the concrete casements of urban streams are gradually
being remodeled into landscaped urban parks.
The current tendency in Kyoto’s management of rivers is to create fine grained policies, each one adapted to the
local characteristics and circumstances. Despite the skepticism about the real power gained by civil society in the
decision-making process of urban planning, the advantages of sharing efforts have been so far a positive experience.
The evolution of the protection and management of Kyoto’s urban rivers reflects the changing attitudes of society
towards the natural environment. Civil movements and researchers are addressing countless dimensions of the
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11. Santini / Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, ESSD
complex environment of urban rivers —as the influence of sound and light pollution, or the user’s interactions
with the local flora and fauna— that could further enrich current practices. The citizen’s interest in environmental
issues, together with the public acceptance of sustainable measures as a suitable complement of traditional settings
has potential that is worthy of exploration.
5. Acknowledgments
This research is part of a larger investigation in Kyoto’s waterways supported by Japan Foundation
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