Evaluation Index of Urban Public Bus Stops:Case Study of Passo Fundo/RS-Brazil

Bus stops are key elements of public transport system performance and in attending the population.The general objective of this article is to evaluate the physical conditions of public bus stops in the city of Passo Fundo/RS.Methodologically,statistical analysis of linear regression was used to elaborate the index of functionality of the bus stops,using the city of Passo Fundo/RS as a case study.Results report the conditions of urban public bus stops and discuss assessment and subsidy parameters for public policies for urban restructuring,aiming at improving the quality of public transport in medium-sized cities on a national and international scale.

Public Initiatives Aiming at the Cycling System in a City in Southern Brazil

The discussion about the use of the bicycle as a means of transport has been gaining importance on a global scale,although countries like Brazil still have urban mobility difficulties caused by how urban densification occurs,the growing number of motor vehicles and the lack of space for the construction of cycle paths in cities.The general objective of this manuscript is to analyze the result of public policies aimed at the implementation of bicycle paths,with the“Passo Fundo Vai de Bici”Program created to investigate the variations in intensity in relation to the areas served by the current incentive for active cycling mobility in the city of Passo Fundo(South of Brazil).Methodologically,Google Earth Pro satellite images were used to map the existing bike paths in the city.Subsequently,geographic coordinate points and altitudes of specific locations on the bike paths and bike sharing stations were collected,generating a database,transferred to the Qgis 3.10 software for the preparation of heat maps.The results showed the lack of integration between the cycling systems analyzed by the distance factor,needing to encourage discussions about its expansion and functionality,consolidating it as an urban public policy of local functionality to foster sustainable transport.

Economic Feasibility Evaluation of the Use of Wind Microgenerator in Multifamily Building in Southern Brazil

There is a growing worldwide interest in the potential of using existing buildings to generate their own energy as a way to alleviate problems related to the exhaustion of energy resources,environmental degradation and the constant increase in energy-related prices.Among the distributed electricity generation solutions on the market today,wind energy can be a solution for many existing city buildings worldwide.Thus,the objective of this article is to investigate the economic viability of generating wind energy in a multifamily building located in Southern Brazil,(city of Passo Fundo),seeking to supply the condominium electric energy for the period of one year of consumption with a renewable source.To this end,the energy demand of the condominium and the energy generation of the wind turbine were taken into account to calculate the economic viability of the system.The results showed a positive NPV(net present value)demonstrating the economic feasibility of carrying out such an investment.The IRR(internal rate of return)was 15.22%and the return on investment(payback)occurs in 7.88 years.

Life Cycle Assessment:Embedded and Maintenance Environmental Impacts of Social Interest Housing Construction Systems

Characterized by high consumption of natural resources and great generation of environmental impacts,civil construction becomes an important ally to the development of strategies for a more sustainable built environment.In this context,this article aims to evaluate construction systems of social interest housing and point out their participation in relation to total impacts,in addition to indicating the environmental impacts embedded in the construction materials present in these systems.To this end,a case study was selected to apply Life Cycle Assessment(LCA)methodology and assess impacts of the building materials used in a house of a social housing complex.LCA was applied to masonry,roof,coatings and floor systems.The scope adopted assesses impacts incorporated in construction materials,analyzing the stages of raw material extraction,materials production,transport to construction site,maintenance and materials replacement.Concerning life cycle inventory,Ecoinvent 3.6 database was used and environmental impacts were calculated using CML method with the aid of OpenLCA 1.9 software.In general,results showed that the maintenance phase has the greatest environmental impact participation related to analyzed systems.Furthermore,it was possible to conclude that coatings and masonry systems were the ones that most added to total environmental impacts.

Energy Efficiency in Social Interest Housing:NZEB Building Analysis for Southern Brazil

This article aims to investigate the potential for energy savings and impact on greenhouse gas(GHG)generation of social housing in southern Brazil.Thermal and energy analysis of two architectural projects was carried out,one of them being a social interest housing unit and an optimized version of this unit characterized as Nearly Zero Energy Building(NZEB).At the end of the study,a cost analysis was carried out taking into account the building construction and local electricity generation through the installation of a photovoltaic(PV)system.Regarding the methods,software SketchUp Make and EnergyPlus was used for computer simulation,after which the PV power generation system for both buildings was dimensioned using the PvSol software.Subsequently,the percentage of adaptive comfort of ASHRAE 55 was calculated,as well as financial analysis for the building construction and PV modules installation.It is concluded that it is possible to reduce energy consumption of this social interest housing by 52%and the heating consumption by 72%with passive strategies and envelope insulation.Investing in an efficient building results in a 29%increase in building costs and promotes savings of 39.5 tCO_(2)over the life of the building.The study demonstrates the importance of making NZEB buildings economically viable.