Soils are under threat around the world. Erosion, pollution, salinization and acidification degrade soils irreversibly. Evidently, the rate of soil degradation greatly exceeds the rate of soil formation. In some count...Soils are under threat around the world. Erosion, pollution, salinization and acidification degrade soils irreversibly. Evidently, the rate of soil degradation greatly exceeds the rate of soil formation. In some countries, soil lost is almost 100 times faster than the rate of its formation. Therefore, soil needs to be considered as a nonrenewable resource. Incessant construction activities along with unsustainable mining operations and energy-related undertakings in recent years have accelerated the degradation of soil in Turkey. Highway travellers can witness the mindless plunder all over the land. As one travels smoothly on newly constructed highways, looming along the roads are piles of leftover destruction： heaps of broken asphalt from previous roads; newly excavated topsoil dumped into adjacent streams; eroded hillsides. In the age of global climate change, these so-called development efforts sound incomprehensible since such anthropogenic activities exacerbate the change. Clearly, climate change increases the erosion rates and reduces the soil quality. This fact alone requires each country to adopt and implement sound conservation practices to protect their soils, and hence, social stability and security. The most effective way to conserve soil is to establish and maintain ground cover vegetation. Avoiding unnecessary soil sealing also conserves soil.展开更多
The article presents a case study about thermal comfort in two public squares located in the coastal region of southeastern Brazil, within a post-occupational assessment context where it was sought to estimate the the...The article presents a case study about thermal comfort in two public squares located in the coastal region of southeastern Brazil, within a post-occupational assessment context where it was sought to estimate the thermal sensation and perception of the users generating systematized knowledge about the built environment. The objective is to instruct future interventions for improvement in the living condition where it is particularly important for the success of the activities predicted there. Surveys on thermal comfort along with goers of the squares were held on three consecutive days in April 2013 and February 2014 with microclimate monitoring of the places adopting the predictive PET （physiological equivalent temperature） index calculated based on the bioclimatic model Rayman. The obtained data set generated valuable information about the pattern of thermal comfort allowing understanding the analytical correlations between PET index, climate variables and the perception of comfort. The article seeks to contribute towards the recognition of bioclimatic specificities in the project process aimed to the improvement of the environmental and social performance of public squares and aspects that are relevant to the urban planners.展开更多
文摘Soils are under threat around the world. Erosion, pollution, salinization and acidification degrade soils irreversibly. Evidently, the rate of soil degradation greatly exceeds the rate of soil formation. In some countries, soil lost is almost 100 times faster than the rate of its formation. Therefore, soil needs to be considered as a nonrenewable resource. Incessant construction activities along with unsustainable mining operations and energy-related undertakings in recent years have accelerated the degradation of soil in Turkey. Highway travellers can witness the mindless plunder all over the land. As one travels smoothly on newly constructed highways, looming along the roads are piles of leftover destruction： heaps of broken asphalt from previous roads; newly excavated topsoil dumped into adjacent streams; eroded hillsides. In the age of global climate change, these so-called development efforts sound incomprehensible since such anthropogenic activities exacerbate the change. Clearly, climate change increases the erosion rates and reduces the soil quality. This fact alone requires each country to adopt and implement sound conservation practices to protect their soils, and hence, social stability and security. The most effective way to conserve soil is to establish and maintain ground cover vegetation. Avoiding unnecessary soil sealing also conserves soil.
文摘The article presents a case study about thermal comfort in two public squares located in the coastal region of southeastern Brazil, within a post-occupational assessment context where it was sought to estimate the thermal sensation and perception of the users generating systematized knowledge about the built environment. The objective is to instruct future interventions for improvement in the living condition where it is particularly important for the success of the activities predicted there. Surveys on thermal comfort along with goers of the squares were held on three consecutive days in April 2013 and February 2014 with microclimate monitoring of the places adopting the predictive PET （physiological equivalent temperature） index calculated based on the bioclimatic model Rayman. The obtained data set generated valuable information about the pattern of thermal comfort allowing understanding the analytical correlations between PET index, climate variables and the perception of comfort. The article seeks to contribute towards the recognition of bioclimatic specificities in the project process aimed to the improvement of the environmental and social performance of public squares and aspects that are relevant to the urban planners.
