The Trackless Tram: Is It the Transit and City Shaping Catalyst We Have Been Waiting for?

Recent innovations in transport technology are now providing mobility that is cheaper, autonomous, electric, and with improved ride quality. While much of the world’s attention has been on how this can be applied to cars, there have been rapid adoption of these and other technologies in High Speed Rail and Metro Rail systems that run between and across cities. This paper shows how such innovations have now been applied to create the next generation of urban transit system called a Trackless Tram. Trackless Trams are effectively the same as traditional light rail except they run on rubber tyres avoiding disruption from construction for Light Rail, but they retain the electric propulsion (with batteries) and have high ride quality due to rail-type bogies, stabilization technologies and precision tracking from the autonomous optical guidance systems—with infrastructure costs reduced to as low as one tenth of a Light Rail system. As with Light Rail, a Trackless Tram System provides a rapid transit option that can harness the fixed route assurance necessary to unlock new land value appreciation that can be leveraged to contribute to construction and running costs whilst creating urban regeneration. The paper considers the niche for Trackless Trams in cities along with its potential for city shaping through the creation of urban re-development along corridors. The paper suggests that the adoption of Trackless Tram Systems is likely to grow rapidly as a genuine alternative to car and bus systems, supplementing and extending the niche occupied by Light Rail Transit (LRT). This appears to be feasible in any medium-sized or larger city, especially in emerging and developing economies, and case studies are outlined for Perth and Thimpu to illustrate its potential.

Planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area(city of over 5 million people):Contributions of China’s geologists and urban geology

China established Xiong’an New Area in Hebei Province in 2017,which is planned to accommodate about 5 million people,aiming to relieve Beijing City of the functions non-essential to its role as China’s capital and to expedite the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.From 2017 to 2021,the China Geological Survey(CGS)took the lead in multi-factor urban geological surveys involving space,resources,environments,and disasters according to the general requirements of“global vision,international standards,distinctive Chinese features,and future-oriented goals”in Xiong’an New Area,identifying the engineering geologic conditions and geologic environmental challenges of this area.The achievements also include a 3D engineering geological structure model for the whole area,along with“one city proper and five clusters”,insights into the ecology and the background endowment of natural resources like land,geothermal resources,groundwater,and wetland of the area before engineering construction,a comprehensive monitoring network of resources and environments in the area,and the“Transparent Xiong’an”geological information platform that is open,shared,dynamically updated,and three-dimensionally visualized.China’s geologists and urban geology have played a significant role in the urban planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area,providing whole-process geological solutions for urban planning,construction,operation and management.The future urban construction of Xiong’an New Area will necessitate the theoretical and technical support of earth system science(ESS)from various aspects,and the purpose is to enhance the resilience of the new type of city and to provide support for the green,low-carbon,and sustainable development of this area.

Metropolis or City?Metropoles and Cities with Their Citizens

Through the specific examples of two very different metropoles,not compared but evoked,New York City and Bordeaux Métropole,since globalization from mid-19th and to the beginning of the 21st century,we can observe how metropolitan flows acceleration change cities and citizens heritages.How can we achieve metropolization and globalization of our cities?

A Toxicological Assessment of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Found in the BMW (Border, Midland and Western) Region of Ireland

A battery of tests was established to determine the oestrogenic, mutagenic and genotoxic potential of two categories of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), phthalates and alkylphenols. Diisononylphthalate (DINP), diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), dibutylphthalate (DBP), diisododecylphthalate (DIDP) and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) were oestrogenic in the yeast estrogen screen (YES) assay and potently oestrogenic in the MVLN and E-SCREEN assays at environmentally relevant concentrations. DINP and 4-NP were mutagenic in the Ames assay and also induced significant levels of unscheduled DNA synthesis and DNA strand breakage. Significant induction in the percentage of cells containing micronuclei was observed after treatment with DINP, DEHP and 4-NP. In addition, sewage effluents from sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region of Ireland were significantly oestrogenic in the YES assay. Moreover, analysis of levels of phthalates and alkylphenol identified in Irish rivers receiving treated effluent showed potent oestrogenicity in the YES assay. The proliferative and genotoxic ability of the phthalates and alkylphenol, and the oestrogenicity of the treated effluents reported here, is significant as these EDCs and EDCs within the effluent may play a role in the etiology of human abnormalities.

Study on Conceptual Planning of Group Landscapes in Urban Core Areas—A Case Study of Conceptual Landscape Planning of the Core Area in Shuangsong Group,Wanzhou District of Chongqing City,China

The planning site was divided into a spatial structure of"one center,one corridor,two axes,two belts and three communities"and traffic system designed to a 3-grade road system of"artery,secondary artery and by-pass".Meanwhile,a 3-ring structure of the planning site was constructed:diffusion waterfront landscape belt,waterfront pathway and core eco-green island.Finally,the planning concepts for major ecological constructions were given.This study tried to explore the group eco-landscape pattern in urban core areas so as to provide a strategic instruction for the regional sustainable development.

Analysis of Micro Organic Compound Pollution in Major City River Reaches of the Main Stem of the Changjiang River

It has become general for surface waters being polluted by micro organic compounds. In order to know the current pollution situation and the properties of micro organic compounds in the Changjiang River, a test was performed on micro organic compounds in the water, bottom material and fish bodies which were sampled from major city river reaches of the Changjiang River. Based on the test result, researchers described and analyzed the sorts, concentration level and distribution features of micro organic compounds. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted by adopting the method of MEG (Multimedia Environmental Goals). The study indicated that ① the water body of major city river reaches of the Changjiang River has been generally polluted. In the test, totally 12 types with 308 kinds of organic compounds were detected. The main pollutants were paraffins, PAHs and lipids; and ② micro organic pollutant content in fish bodies was generally higher than that in bottom material which is in turn higher than that in water; and ③ pollution is relatively severe in the river reaches of mid-to-large comprehensive industrial cities with fairly great TAS (Total Ambient Severity) of public health and ecological system.

Estimation of maximum mass velocity from macroseismic data: A new method and application to archeoseismological data

An important task in seismic hazard assessment is the estimation of intensity and frequency of rare strong seismic shaking, in particular, the long-term peak ground velocity values(PGVs). A recently proposed method is suitable for simply estimating PGVs based on the examination of the magnitude of displacements of rock blocks. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by results of studies on the source zones of two large earthquakes and a vicinity of one strong explosion. In this study, the method is applied to the examination of archeoseismological data from the ancient Rehovot-ba-Negev city and other ancient cities from the Negev desert(in Southern Israel) where numerous evidences of presumable seismic damage were found earlier. The cities and also a sophisticated irrigation system within the region, which existed in the Negev desert, were abandoned however in the middle of the seventh century. The abandonment could be caused by a combined effect, from not only the cessation of the state support from Byzantium as a result of the Arab conquest but also the severe destruction from the strong earthquake that hit the area at that time. The intensities of the seismic events that hit the cities were estimated earlier, which are within the range of 8 e9. Our estimates indicate that the PGV values are about 1.5 m/s. Hence, the magnitude of the causative earthquake could be in the range M z 6.5 e7.5, and the location of the epicenter might be at a distance of a few dozens of kilometers from the ancient Rehovot-ba-Negev city, while the other variants associated with the earthquake seem to be less probable.

Ecological Restoration Technology and Benefit Assessment of Karst Rocky Desertification Mountains in Xixiu District of Anshun City

Ecological restoration refers to the containment of soil erosion,restoration of water conservation,climate regulation,maintenance of ecological functions of biodiversity,and improvement of ecological environment and landscape pattern based on self-repairing capacity of the nature and combined with appropriate artificial measures. Since the natural restoration process of karst desertification mountain is very long,it needs to be supplemented by artificial vegetation restoration. This paper introduced the ecological restoration technologies implemented in karst rocky desertification mountains in Xixiu District,Anshun City of Guizhou Province,and also introduced the afforestation tending management measures. It assessed the ecological benefits of the ecological restoration project from five aspects: mountain community characteristics,vegetation coverage,species diversity,afforestation survival rate and landscape effect.

Bearing Capacity Map for An-Najaf and Kufa Cities Using GIS

An-Najaf province is situated in south-western part of Iraq. It is 70 meters above the sea level in the dry desert environment. The city is considered as one of the most important cities in Iraq, facing a fast population growth and continuous development in constructions such as residential complexes, hotels, bridges and shopping malls. Soil investigation data for An-Najaf Province (An-Najaf and Kufa cities) from 464 boreholes drilled by the Na-tional Centre for Construction Laboratories & Researches (NCCLR)/Babylon laboratory were used in this research. The data were analysed and possessed using Excel program then represented on the Geographical Information System (GIS) program by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) tool to create an allowable bearing capacity map for the soil at depths 0 - 2 meters. The allowable bearing capacity is one of the most important soil characteristics to be considered when making a database for An-Najaf city soil. Geographical Information System GIS program enables to create reliable database for any characteristic and it is one of the best programs to produce an accurate map and allow ease in dealing with it. Those maps cover all the studied areas and by using contour lines, approximate values for no-data areas can be obtained. The results show that the allowable bearing capacity range is 5 - 20 Ton/m2 for both An-Najaf and Kufa cities. Kufa city has the range 5 - 9 Ton/m2. An-Najaf city has the range 7 - 18 at the center, 8 - 10 Ton/m2 at the north eastern part, 7 - 14 Ton/m2 for the north western part, 6 - 12 Ton/m2 at the south eastern and 12 - 19 Ton/m2 at the south western.

Characteristic Innovation of City Square at Guangxi Minority Nationality Regions

After description of the concept of urban feature with Nanning and Liuzhou City as example,the paper illustrated regional characteristics of Guangxi City and highlighted its cultural atmosphere of minority nationalities.It emphasized that only when regional urban feature was further enhanced could city development be promoted,and that only when urban feature was clearly identified could city square was characteristic.As for site selection of city square,it should follow principles of people-orientation,integrity,landscape,economy,ecology and geomancy.As for construction of city square,it should pay attention to integrate urban cultural feature based on relevant principles,and both inherit local historical culture and highlight local natural characteristic.In addition,folk artistic elements could be applied in city square,and folk artistic elements of nonmaterial culture could be integrated into the theme of city square.Material artistic elements could be also extracted and concluded as a kind of aesthetic art,reflected in concrete architectural forms.Characteristic innovation of city square should respect planning,start from city actuality,be based on self characteristics,consider citizens' willingness,and draw on local resources,so as to manifest regional cultural characteristic and promote city influence and competitiveness.

中国城市老年人日常购物行为的空间特征——以北京、深圳和上海为例

以中国城市老年人日常消费行为状况的问卷调查为基础,主要运用经验行为主义方法,从宏观层面揭示出中国城市老年人日常购物行为的空间特征,通过对北京、深圳和上海三个城市的老年人购物空间圈层结构的比较研究,发现北京市老年人购物活动随距离衰减的规律比较规则;深圳老年人购物行为空间则随距离增加而波动式衰减;上海老年人购物活动空间的收敛性最强。进一步从微观和实证的角度分析了居住区位因素对老年人购物空间的影响,得出小区级商业设施的完善程度和可达性直接决定了老年人购物空间的收敛程度的结论。

长江城市岸线资源港口开发适宜性分析与合理利用——以南京市为例

城市岸线地区是城市中具有巨大发展潜力的空间领域,在城市发展的不同时期承担着不同的功能。农业社会对岸线的利用规模小,工业革命以后,城市岸线地区成为主要的港口(含公用港口和工业用港口)集聚地段之一。随着经济的发展和生活水平的提高,人们赋予城市岸线的利用功能不断增加。仅从岸线自然条件及岸线集疏运、城市依托等人文因素出发讨论岸线港口开发适宜性的做法已无法适应发展的需要。只有统筹考虑岸线承担的多种功能,才能实现岸线地区经济和生态的双赢。以长江南京段岸线为例,从岸线自然条件和岸线承担的多种功能角度,分析了岸线资源港口开发的适宜性状况,指出岸线利用存在的主要问题,在此基础上提出城市岸线资源合理开发利用和保护的对策建议。

高密度开发城市交通系统对土地利用的影响作用研究——以广州为例

在评述国内外城市交通系统对土地利用影响作用研究的基础上,以广州为案例,利用有关政府部门资料、统计资料和实地调查资料,引入定量分析和GIS、RS空间分析技术,系统全面地研究了我国高密度开发城市交通系统对土地利用的影响作用。首先论述了城市交通系统发展对城市空间格局演化的引导作用;接着应用GIS和RS技术分析论证了城市交通系统建设对土地利用开发的刺激作用;然后应用GIS技术和多元统计分析方法探讨了城市交通系统对土地利用价格的影响作用;最后阐明了城市交通系统对广州各类用地布局的影响。

食物诱导长爪沙鼠集群贮食的野外实验设计及其在社群研究中的应用

爪沙鼠为典型的群居性鼠类。在自然条件下该鼠的集群贮食活动随时可为人工投放的种子食物所导引。本文依据组群个体合作贮食的习性,并结合剪趾和染毛双重标记的重捕跟踪方法设计了着重观测社群结构、群内个体序位、领域边界及相关社群行为的野外实验。据2 0 0 2年5月对4个相邻洞群的观测结果分析表明,应用此法便于在复杂的社群环境中直接确认组群成员及其属性,亦便于分辨同一组群或不同组群成员之间发生的行为事件及相关过程,且能在重复实验中得以验证。

定西市经济与生态环境互动机理研究

基于长时间序列数据,建立了甘肃省定西市生态环境脆弱性和贫困度测度指标体系,通过引入生态环境脆弱性和贫困度耦合关系判别函数,研究了该区生态环境脆弱性与贫困性耦合关系和驱动因子时间演进轨迹及其分异规律,揭示出了贫困地区经济与生态环境互动机理,即经济与生态环境矛盾更尖锐突出地表现为贫困地区生态环境脆弱性与贫困性的矛盾;贫困地区“脆弱—贫困”恶性循环是自然与人为共同作用的结果,而以人为作用为主。从总的时间演进轨迹看,定西市生态环境脆弱性与贫困性耦合关系表现为正在由不协调型向协调型演进的趋势,即贫困性逐步减小,生态环境逐步改善。从政策上分析,贫困地区生存方式可选择余地与其生态环境脆弱性密切相关,中国政府在贫困地区实施的一系列可持续发展政策,是贫困地区脱贫致富有效途径和有效缓解贫困地区生态环境脆弱性的重大举措。

地面灌溉水流特性及水分利用率的数学模拟

在内蒙古风沙区一种砂土和壤质砂土的春小麦生育期内进行了畦田规格和灌水技术要素对水流推进和消退过程、田间水利用系数、灌水效率及灌水均匀系数影响的田间试验。并用SRFR406软件对畦灌条件下的水流特性及水分利用率进行了数学模拟。结果表明,运用SRFR模型能较好地模拟地面灌溉的水流推进及消退过程,尤其是推进过程模拟求得的结果与实测结果基本吻合。畦田的微地形对灌水效率的影响较大,尤其是畦田尾部反坡对灌水效率及水流推进与消退都有较大影响。为提高灌水效率,应加强耕作管理,消除反坡。畦田规格对灌水效率也有一定的影响,从获得较高灌水效率的角度来说,以畦宽2～3m、畦长50～60m较为适宜。

“战略转折点”与中小城市的发展战略研究——以济南章丘战略研究为实证

对大城市周边中小城市的发展轨迹、规律和机制进行了多角度的剖析,发现东部发达地区大城市周边中小城市的崛起规律和机制:(1)发达地区大城市周边中小城市的兴起主要取决于外部环境所提供的机遇和机会——战略转折点。(2)从空间关系来看,这些中小城市利用其自身的相对独立的行政主权、经济因子的不均衡(优越的交通条件、经济基础发达等)和非均质的自然条件(山水环境、土地资源广阔等)一定程度上“改变”了大城市的“圈层”空间结构,使其直接享受这些大城市的功能辐射。在实证研究中,选取东部胶济城市连绵区上、济南大都市圈内的中小城市——章丘作为战略研究的研究对象,首先对章丘发展所面临的战略转折点,从城市竞争的外部环境和内部条件两方面进行了剖析和“捕捉”,确定了城市发展的理念和目标,进而据此选择了城市发展的战略场所,最后对战略场所进行了规划结构和规划布局的构思。

山东蓬莱旅游业发展的资源基础与战略构想

蓬莱市位于山东半岛北端,是中国古代四大港口和近代四大对外通商口岸之一,其历史悠久,知名度高,独特性强,文化积淀丰厚,高品位资源分布集中,具有丰富的人文旅游资源。本文全面分析了蓬莱旅游资源特征;并基于该市旅游产业发展现状及其在发展中存在的经济基础相对薄弱,产业结构偏低,市政建设欠缺等问题,提出了切实可行的客源分级策略、旅游资源深度开发策略、旅游文化开发策略;同时提出了相应的发展措施,建议把发展旅游业纳入政府工作议程,将旅游业作为蓬莱市经济发展的战略性产业,并在加强旅游环保和环保旅游的同时,实行联合促销,强化旅游宣传,促进旅游业的全面和健康的发展。

Childhood Obesity in Primary School Children of Middle and Upper-Middle Income Group in the Capital City of Bangladesh

Background: No published information is available on the status of childhood obesity in Bangladeshi primary school children of urban middle and upper-middle income group. The aim of the study was to explore the proportion of childhood obesity in the primary school children of middle and upper-middle income group in capital city and to gather information on their dietary pattern and physical activity. Methods: One hundred and fifty children (age 9 ± 1 years, height (ht) 118 ± 20 cm, weight (wt) 36 ± 8 kg, wt/ht% 126 ± 24, mean ± SD) were selected purposively from the primary schools of Dhaka city. On the basis of predefined scoring, subjects were classified as underweight, normal, overweight and obese if their weight-for-height values were 120% of median values for Bangladeshi children respectively. Dietary intake and energy expenditure of the study subjects were calculated by standard techniques. Results: The proportion of childhood overweight and obesity was 52% and 20%. The proportion of overweight and obesity was higher (78%) among girls compared to boys (54%). Similarly, height, weight and other anthropometrics indices were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in girls compared to boys. The daily intake of carbohydrate and protein was significantly (p < 0.05) higher among obese group. Total energy balance was significantly correlated with weight-for-height% (r = 0.541, p = 0.0001). Conclusions: A higher proportion of overweight and obesity had been found in girls’ children than their counter parts in this study. Positive energy balance with higher energy intake from carbohydrate and fast/processed food culture habit were found among primary school children of middle and upper-middle income group in the capital city of Bangladesh.

Development of a Low Carbon Economy in Wuxi City

The development of a Low Carbon Economy is a vital instrument to encounter climate change and take into account the growing challenges of an increasing urbanization in China. Wuxi City in East China’s Jiangsu Province is starting to implement a Low Carbon City Plan for safeguarding a sustainable development of the city until 2020 and beyond. This paper aims at estimating the impact of the Low Carbon City plan for Wuxi’s energy demand and CO2-emissions until 2050. Using an econometric energy supply and demand model to estimate and forecast the Wuxi energy and CO2-balance aggregates until 2050, it compares a scenario without specific Low Carbon City measures to reduce sectoral CO2-intensities to a Low Carbon scenario implementing these measures according to the Low Carbon City Plan until 2020 and beyond. The decomposition of the Kaya-identity reveals that the increase of per capita income has the largest impact on the growth of CO2-emissions and the decrease of energy intensity of Gross Value Added the largest impact on the reduction of CO2-emissions in Wuxi. A decrease of population and CO2-intensity of Primary energy supply only have average contributions. The decrease of energy intensity of Gross Value Added is due to energy efficiency gains in the single economic sectors, but to a large extent due to structural changes of the economy away from energy intensive sectors such as iron and steel, chemical industry or cement industry towards the energy extensive service sectors. A growing residential sector also reduces the industrial share of energy demand. Only following the assumed national trend with a shift from CO2-intensive industries to a CO2-extensive service economy, the Low Carbon goal of a 50% reduction of CO2-intensity of Gross Value Added compared to 2005 cannot be reached in Wuxi. Specific sectoral CO2 -intensity goals have to be successfully observed by the economic sectors in Wuxi, especially by the industry. The promotion of combined heat and power generation also has to contribute to the specific activities in Wuxi.