Metropolitan Housing Development in Urban Fringe Areas-A Case Study of Three Metropolitan Cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane

Purpose:The metropolitan cities of Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane play an important role in the economy of the Gauteng province in South Africa.The region constitutes to 22.4 percent of the total population of South Africa and has a strong presence and contributes in areas of manufacturing sector,financial and business services,retail and wholesale trade,etc.The rapid urban population,increase in the informal settlements and socio-economic opportunities has resulted in considerable urban sprawl in and around the urban fringe areas of these metropolitan cities.The urban fringe areas of these metros often come under the influence of rapid urbanization process and pressures.Coupled with the economical and potential land dynamics and lack of priority of spatial development guidelines,these areas attract rapid and haphazard development from communities and developers.Research Design/Methodology:This research is based on a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review that included content analysis of key documents on housing sector such as IDPs(Integrated Development Plans),Municipal Annual Reports,Growth Development Strategies,and among other sectoral documents on housing sector.Some of the key priority issues considered in the housing sector included:eradication of housing backlogs,spatial restructuring of housing,provision of choice in terms of location,tenure and housing typology.Findings:The current paper discusses the approaches of metropolitan housing development processes in three metropolitan cities of South Africa from Gauteng region,namely:Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.The paper discusses the existing housing sectoral scenario along with the fringe areas in three cities with focus on:formal and informal settlements,housing segregation and the backlogs,current institutional arrangements,role of public private participation,and scope for alternate mechanisms.The paper concludes in discussion on sustainable development options for housing development in urban fringe areas.

Industrialization,Efficiency and Social Housing:Sustainable Prefabrication for the Colombian Social and Cultural Context

This research aims to generate processes of industrialization and qualification of social housing in Colombia through prefabrication,low energy consumption and high environmental quality to reduce the current deficit and improve the quality of life in communities with fewer economic resources.Modular coordination and the use of materials with thermal behaviors,appropriate to the country’s climatic characteristics,reduce production costs,avoid waste and improve the architectural and environmental quality of social housing.Passive cooling strategies,such as controlling solar incursion and generating natural cross ventilation eliminate energy consumption and allow reaching desired standards of comfort.In a context in which traditional construction systems have still not resolved the social housing deficit in Colombia and which generate high costs for energy consumption in the search for thermal comfort,industrialized and efficient construction with high environmental quality provides solutions according to the economic,geographic,social and cultural context in Colombia.

Living in a Condominium Regime:Neighborhood Conflicts in Low-Income Housing,Tijuana,Baja California-A Secondary Publication

This paper analyzes neighborhood conflicts arising from the condominium property regime,under which social housing promoted by Mexican government institutions and private developers is acquired.This regime has facilitated access to housing for the salaried population,but it is far from contributing to the attainment of the right to housing.The research takes as case studies housing complexes located in the city of Tijuana,Baja California,Mexico.The analysis included a mixed methodology.Firstly,similar case studies were analyzed;secondly,a review of the Condominium Property Regime Law was carried out in order to understand its implications.In view of the pandemic situation,a virtual survey was applied to the inhabitants of these areas,as well as interviews with presidents of neighborhood committees of these complexes.From the above,it was found that this form of ownership generates conflicts,reflected in the dissatisfaction of the inhabitants with their housing,disagreements and controversies in their organization and coexistence.The inhabitants have to collectively solve the problems they face,related to the maintenance and use of common areas,insecurity,and cleanliness,among others.In addition,there is a lack of support from local authorities.With this,it is concluded that although the inhabitants have a space that solves their housing problem,it does not manage to be a space that adequately guarantees their right to housing.

A Triple Nexus Water-Energy-Housing (WEH) Framework Modelling towards Improved Decision-Making in Humanitarian Operations

Given the challenges facing most humanitarian operations worldwide, a change of approach is needed to ensure greater sustainability of humanitarian settlements right from the planning stage. Some studies attribute unsustainability to inadequate provision of basic resources and highlight the apparent bottlenecks that prevent access to the meaningful data needed to plan and remedy problems. Most operations have relied on an “ad hoc ism” approach, employing parallel and disconnected data processing methods, resulting in a wide range of data being collected without subsequent prioritization to optimize interconnections that could enhance performance. There have been little efforts to study the trade-offs potentially at stake. This work proposes a new framework enabling all subsystems to operate in a single system and focusing on data processing perspective. To achieve this, this paper proposes a Triple Nexus Framework as an attempt to integrate water, energy, and housing sector data derived from a specific sub-system within the overall system in the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering. Understanding the synergies between water, energy, and housing, Systems Engineering characterizes the triple nexus framework and identifies opportunities for improved decision-making in processing operational data from these sectors. Two scenarios illustrate how an integrated platform could be a gateway to access meaningful operational data in the system and a starting point for modeling integrated human settlement systems. Upon execution, the model is tested for nexus megadata processing, and the optimization simulation yielded 67% satisfactory results, demonstrating that an integrated system could improve sustainability, and that capacity building in service delivery is more than beneficial.

The Challenges in Providing Affordable Housing in Nigeria and the Adequate Sustainable Approaches for Addressing Them

Despite multiple schemes implemented by various governments around the country, affordable housing remains elusive to the average Nigerian. Because the situation is comparable to that of other developing nations, it remains a key concern in these countries’ socioeconomic development. Over 52% of Nigeria’s population has been claimed to live in shanties, squatter communities, and informal settlements. This article, therefore, reviews the challenges to the provision of affordable housing in Nigeria and the Sustainable approaches to address them. The article’s findings were based on a thorough examination of the literature. The article’s findings indicated that sustainable approaches for addressing Nigeria’s affordable housing barriers may best be examined through the economic, ecological, social, institutional, and technical factors. The paper urges the present regime, investors, lawmakers, and private developers in Nigeria to implement these approaches for affordable housing provision. The findings from this article will add to the current body of knowledge by providing important information on affordable housing provision and re-directing research interest towards affordable housing in Nigeria and other developing countries.

The Benefits of Solar Energy on the Provision of Sustainable Affordable Housing in Nigeria

Solar energy is the most abundant form of energy on Earth. Solar energy brings impactful benefits and products that are expected to make homes more reliable, sustainable, and affordable. Thanks to technological advancements like the solar cell, we can gather this energy and turn it into electricity. The construction industry has an exceptional chance of benefiting from this sustainable energy. Many recognised benefits have been spelled forth in the construction industry, such as providing homes with clean energy with no trace of ozone depleting material emission. There are many people in Nigeria who are not linked to the public electric grid, and the energy sector produces and generates less than 58% of the entire amount of energy required. As stated in the Nigeria’s National Energy General Plan, the Sustainable Energy programme aims to enhance the country’s use of solar electricity. This paper focuses on the role of solar energy in the provision of sustainable affordable housing in Nigeria. It considers the description, method, and utilisation of solar energy with a focus on residential and commercial buildings.

Assessment of Compliance to Building Energy Efficiency Strategies in the Development of Housing Estates in FCC, Abuja Nigeria

Compliance to local energy efficiency strategies can significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings and promote sustainability. However, Nigeria Building Energy Efficiency Code (BEEC) seems to be just paper work without enforcement or compliance. Assessment of Compliance to Green Building Energy Efficiency Strategies in the Development of Housing Estates in FCC, Abuja Nigeria was carried out. The compliance of estate buildings to BEEC in the study area was assessed;and the aspects of the building energy efficiency strategies with more compliance were determined. Data were mainly from primary sources such as questionnaire survey, interview with key informants and observation. The study population included all estate developers and building construction professionals. Data were gathered from one hundred and fifty (150) building professionals through questionnaire administration. Data collected were analysed using Z score and ANOVA and presented in tables. Results show that only 18% of respondents agreed that building complied with BEEC, and the Z score for positive affirmation is below average score. There is a significant difference in the integration of different energy efficient management strategies in the estates’ construction at 95% confidence level. The integration of measures such as window to wall ratio and window shading’ were significantly higher than other BEEC strategies such as roof insulation and minimal air condition unit (≤EER/COP of 2.8). Thus, the development of estates in FCC Abuja did not achieve energy efficiency.

An Assessment of Housing Market Renewal in East Lancashire

The paper analyses the impact of the Government Housing Market Renewal(HMR)programme in the UK.It focuses on Burnley,East Lancashire,and on the inner-city neighbourhood of Burnley Wood.The aim of the programme was to rebalance the housing market in places suffering shrinkage.The intention was to renew failing housing markets and reconnect them to regional markets,to improve neighbourhoods and to encourage people to live and work in these areas.One of these was East Lancashire and the author visited Burnley,one of its principal towns,in 2005,as part of a CABE study.The paper describes the Pathfinding policy,the actions being taken and the community's reaction.The author recently returned to Burnley and spoke to some of the same people reported in 2005.This paper documents what has been achieved in the past 7 years.

Identifying Spatial Heterogeneity in the Effects of High-Tech Firm Density on Housing Prices:Evidence from Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,China

Innovation capitalization is a new concept in innovation geography research.Extant research on a city scale has proven that innovation is an important factor affecting housing prices and verified that innovation has a capitalization effect.However,few studies investigate the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization.Thus,case verification at the urban agglomeration scale is needed.Therefore,this study proposes a theoretical framework for the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization at the urban agglomeration scale.Examining the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area(GHMGBA),China as a case study,the study investigated the spatial heterogeneity of the influence of high-tech firms,representing innovation,on housing prices.This work verified the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization.The study constructed a data set influencing housing prices,comprising 11 factors in 5 categories(high-tech firms,convenience of living facilities,built environment,the natural environment,and the fundamentals of the districts)for 419 subdistricts in the GHMGBA.On the global scale,the study finds that high-tech firms have a significant and positive influence on housing prices,with the housing price increasing by 0.0156%when high-tech firm density increases by 1%.Furthermore,a semi-geographically weighted regression(SGWR)analysis shows that the influence of high-tech firms on housing prices has spatial heterogeneity.The areas where high-tech firms have a significant and positive influence on housing prices are mainly in the GuangzhouFoshan metropolitan area,western Shenzhen-Dongguan,north-central Zhongshan-Nansha district,and Guangzhou—all areas with densely distributed high-tech firms.These results confirm the spatial heterogeneity of innovation capitalization and the need for further discussion of its scale and spatial limitations.The study offers implications for relevant GHMGBA administrative authorities for spatially differentiated development strategies and housing policies that consider the role of innovation in successful urban development.

Architecture as a Means of Developing Social Exchange:Learning from a Danish Case Study of Refurbishment and Urban Transformation in a Disadvantaged Housing Area

Disadvantaged housing areas from the postwar period typically consist of relatively monotonous and monofunctional multi-storey blocks and have a separate traffic system rendering the areas isolated enclaves in the urban fabric.It is argued that this spatial isolation contributes to social isolation,and current refurbishments are therefore aimed at linking the housing areas with the surrounding neighbourhoods to enable social exchange between the residents and people from the surrounding areas.Based on a case study in a Danish social housing area,this paper discusses to what extent architectural development and urban strategic transformations can contribute to enabling social exchange in disadvantaged housing areas.Do neighbours enter the disadvantaged housing area as intended?If so,how does this influence their perception of the housing area?The analysis shows that architectural development and urban transformations are interdependent in establishing a social mix in disadvantaged housing areas.It is argued that refurbishments can reduce the stigma surrounding the housing area and its residents.However,the applicability of such strategies is highly dependent on the local context of the housing area.

Characterization,identification and life prediction of acoustic emission signals of tensile damage for HSR gearbox housing material

Purpose-This study aims to ensure the operation safety of high speed trains,it is necessary to carry out nondestructive monitoring of the tensile damage of the gearbox housing material in rail time,yet the traditional tests of mechanical property can hardly meet this requirement.Design/methodology/approach-In this study the acoustic emission(AE)technology is applied in the tensile tests of the gearbox housing material of an high-speed rail(HSR)train,during which the acoustic signatures are acquired for parameter analysis.Afterward,the support vector machine(SVM)classifier is introduced to identify and classify the characteristic parameters extracted,on which basis the SVM is improved and the weighted support vector machine(WSVM)method is applied to effectively reduce the misidentification of the SVM classifier.Through the study of the law of relations between the characteristic values and the tensile life,a degradation model of the gearbox housing material amid tensile is built.Findings-The results show that the growth rate of the logarithmic hit count of AE signals and that of logarithmic amplitude can well characterize the stage of the material tensile process,and the WSVM method can improve the classification accuracy of the imbalanced data to above 94%.The degradation model built can identify the damage occurred to the HSR gearbox housing material amid the tensile process and predict the service life remains.Originality/value-The results of this study provide new concepts for the life prediction of tensile samples,and more further tests should be conducted to verify the conclusion of this research.

Probabilistic Pre-requisites Contributing to Successful Housing Association Partnering

The necessity to achieve value for money(VFM)has been paramount during the current economic climate,with reductions in investment inducing Housing Associations(HAs)to minimise waste and pursue the maximisation of value.Differing characteristics between HAs and private sector clients have a bearing on the pre-requisites associated with a successful partnering outcome.The purpose of this paper is to assist HAs maximise VFM by increasing the likelihood of a successful partnering outcome through gaining an understanding of the most important pre-requisites to be implemented into the arrangement from a HA perspective.A quantitative analysis was adopted to identify the level of importance placed by HA on the probabilistic pre-requisites that contribute to a successful partnering outcome.The results highlight the most important probabilistic pre-requisites from a HA perspective.The research concluded that the three most importantly ranked pre-requisites that contribute to a successful partnering arrangement,perceived exclusively by HAs,were mutual trust between parties;stakeholder commitment and mutual objectives.The plethora of construction partnering research is predominantly based on the construction industry generally.This research focuses on the specific needs of HAs.The findings therefore enable HAs to differentiate between the most and least important pre-requisites identified within the literature.This will increase the probability of a successful partnering arrangement through the unveiling of the pre-requisites that HAs should focus on implementing.Subsequently,the research will assist HAs maximise VFM during the challenging economic period where investment into social housing has been reduced.

Mass Customization and Design for High Density Indemnificatory Housing in China

The use of computer in architectural design shouldn’t sacrifice the pursuit of a human-oriented built environment.The technological applications should be legitimated by the objectives and motivations in multiple dimensions,but not abuse its generative power against the social and cultural interests.This article is based upon our synthetic computational design research for high density indemnificatory housing in China(Fig.1),which challenges the conventional standard design for large scale social housing in the Industrial Era,and reflects our exploration for innovative,multi-disciplinary,systematic and synthetic design in the new design paradigm of computation.It also promotes to shift the privilege of cutting-edge design techniques and avant-garde concepts from the“High(end)Architecture”to the ordinary architecture during the unprecedented built-environment development in China.Architectural design should have no discrimination between the Olympic stadiums in the capital and the social housing in the subordinate developed cities,as they both need to be innovative and meaningful.The final design research outputs address sustainable transformation initiated by the residents during the whole life span of the housing.We believe that the human factor(including stakeholders,users,designers and builders)is even more important in architectural design,city planning,urban design,landscape and interior design while technology development is accelerating.Conceptualization,imagination and systemization would become significant pacemakers which perpetuate design innovation.

‘Happy Chinese New Year'Concert China National Opera House Performs in Latvia,Uzbekistan and Austria During 2024 Chinese New Year

At the beginning of 2024,Liu Yunzhi,President of China National Opera House,and nearly 50 artists from the Opera troupe,Choir and Symphony of the Opera House held"Happy Chinese New Year"concerts in Latvia,Uzbekistan and Austria,in"the simplest and most friendly way to convey the sound of cultural exchanges",which added impetus to the cultural exchanges between China and the world.

Current Situation and Cross-Cultural Influence of Live Houses in China

Live houses emerged in China during the 1990s as the country’s rock music scene began to flourish.Today,live houses can be found in almost every major city in China and have become an essential part of the country’s music culture.The growth of live houses in China has been driven by changing consumer tastes,the expansion of the music industry,and a desire for new and innovative forms of entertainment.These venues offer a unique and intimate setting for music lovers to experience live performances,fostering a sense of community and connection between artists and audiences.The cross-cultural influence of live houses in China has been substantial,with international musicians and audiences increasingly drawn to the country’s vibrant music scene.Chinese live houses have hosted a diverse range of international artists,providing opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.As a result,live houses have become a hub for promoting Chinese culture and soft power,enhancing global cultural diversity,and increasing the visibility of Chinese artists on the international stage.

符号建构与身份认同:亚文化视域下live house传播现象研究

在媒介技术和经济的驱动下,亚文化呈多元化发展,以live house为代表的独立音乐在青年群体中迅速兴起。本文将从场景传播和圈层传播两方面对live house的走红现象进行研究,并基于伯明翰学派提出的亚文化理论对live house呈现的符号化表达和身份认同进行探究,最后分析以live house为代表的音乐亚文化在新媒体情境下的发展趋势,旨在对当前小众音乐传播形式进行阐释,从而重塑亚文化与主流音乐文化之间的关系。

The Economic Demands on the Method of Founding a Passive Brick House on Foamed Glass Granulate

The cost of acquisition of a passive house is a little higher than that of a conventional house.Proper design of a passive house should include not only thermal protection and stability of the construction,but it must also take into account the price demands on each of the proposed structures and solution of details.The paper deals with the financial comparison of the traditional method of a foundation on the foundation strips of plain concrete and the modern method of founding a passive house as brick construction on the reinforced concrete slab base with a compact subsoil layer of thermal insulation in the form of granules of foamed glass.

Application of Color Psychology in Korean Brand Identity Design-Etude House

The purpose of this analysis is to delve into the application of color psychology in the logo design of Korean cosmetic brands,using Etude House as an example for an exhaustive analysis.By examining the history of the Etude House brand,the evolution of the logo design,and the changes in color choices,we analyze the traditional concepts of color symbolism in Korean culture and the culture of color in contemporary society in order to reveal the important role of color in cosmetic brand image.Through an in-depth analysis of the use of color in Etude House’s brand identity,we further analyze the impact of color on consumer emotions and purchasing behavior,as well as the potential impact of brand identity changes on market performance.Finally,the conclusions of the analysis summarize the practical application of color psychology in Etude House’s brand logo design,suggest recommendations for other Korean cosmetic brands to draw upon in their logo design,and discuss future directions.

基于AH理念的寒冷地区工业厂房改造设计研究——以2022年Active House Award中国区竞赛获奖方案为例

在“碳中和、碳达标”的时代目标下,工业厂房改造作为城市更新的一环,绿色低碳应作为其改造原则予以重视。总结2022年第三届AHA中国区竞赛获奖作品“穿廊叠拱,绿厂新生——北京市大兴区天普东厂区改建方案设计”的设计构思,针对北京夏热冬冷的特定气候,方案以主动式建筑理念为出发点,在设计层面对其功能和空间更新解析后,从适度合理的主动性、以人为本的舒适性、高效率的能源手段和可持续的环境措施四个角度,对建筑的弹性设计、引导用户行为、自然采光与通风、太阳能多维利用、建筑的气候适应性策略等方面进行重点分析,为我国寒冷地区的工业厂房的绿色低碳改造设计提供借鉴。

手机Housing检包线平衡分析及优化设计

针对某电子企业手机Housing检包线目前存在的生产效率低下、劳动成本上升的问题,依据作业测定技术所获得的数据,结合Flexsim仿真技术分析检包线瓶颈,运用方法研究分别从作业方式和工站布置两个方面,对检包线进行平衡分析和优化设计,并通过Flexsim建立优化后的检包线仿真模型验证其有效性,采用新方案后,在成本降低的情况下,达到了平衡各工站负荷、提高生产效率的目的。研究表明,工业工程理论方法与仿真技术相结合,可使制造系统的改善更加有效。