Antibiotics, such as sulfonamides (SAs), have recently raised concern as wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) partly remove them, and thus, SAs continuously enter the aquifers. In this context, the ...aims of this work are to (1) investigate the temporal evolution of SAs and metabolites in an urban aquifer recharged by a polluted river; (2) identify the potential geochemical processes that might affect SAs in the river-groundwater interface and (3) evaluate the ecological and human health risk assessment of SAs. To this end, 14 SAs and 4 metabolites were analyzed in river and urban groundwater from the metropolitan area of Barcelona (NE, Spain) in three different sampling campaigns. These substances had a distinct behavior when river water, which is the main recharge source, infiltrates the aquifer. Mixing of the river water recharge into the aquifer drives several redox reactions such as aerobic respiration and denitrification. This reducing character of the aquifer seemed to favor the natural attenuation of some SAs as sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine, and sulfamethizole. However, most of the SAs detected were not likely to undergo degradation and adsorption because their concentrations were constant along groundwater flow path. In fact, the intensity of SAs adsorption is low as the retardation factors are close to 1 at average groundwater pH of 7.2 for most SAs.
Finally, risk quotients (RQs) are used to evaluate the ecological and human health risks posed by single and mixture of SAs in river water and groundwater, respectively. Life-stage RQs of the SAs detected in groundwater for the 8 age intervals were low, indicating that SAs and their mixture do not pose any risk to human beings. Concerning the environmental risk assessment, SAs do not pose any risk for algae, fish and crustaceans as the RQs evaluated are further lower than 0.1.
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•14 sulfonamides (SAs) and 4 metabolites are analyzed in river and urban groundwater.•SAs present distinct behavior when river water infiltrates the aquifer.•Some SAs are naturally removed under the nitrate reducing groundwater conditions.•Other SAs are persistent as their concentrations remain constant along the flow path.•SAs pose no ecological and human health risks at detected concentrations.
Sulfonamide antibiotics and their metabolites do not pose any risk to human health in an urban aquifer that is a potential source of water supply.
As immigrants settle in new places, they are faced with endless uncertainties that prevent them from feeling that they belong. From language barriers, to differing social norms, to legal boundaries ...separating them from established residents, they are constantly navigating shifting and contradictory expectations both to assimilate to their new culture and to honor their native one. In A Place to Call Home, Ernesto Castañeda offers a uniquely comparative portrait of immigrant expectations and experiences. Drawing on fourteen years of ethnographic observation and hundreds of interviews with documented and undocumented immigrants and their children, Castañeda sets out to determine how different locations can aid or disrupt the process of immigrant integration. Focusing on New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—immigration hubs in their respective countries—he compares the experiences of both Latino and North African migrants, and finds that subjective understandings, local contexts, national and regional history, and religious institutions are all factors that profoundly impact the personal journey to belonging.
ABSTRACT
In this last decade, Spanish urban areas have received large amounts of international immigrants, modifying (sub)urban dynamics. The paper specifically explores the metropolitan region of ...Barcelona (RMB), where, between 1998 and 2009, foreign nationality residents rose from 1.8 to 14.9 per cent of total population. Research focuses on the impact of foreign immigration on three specific dynamics: population growth and distribution/segregation of both Spanish and foreign populations within the metropolitan area; their respective residential mobility patterns; and consequences on their age and sex structure. Results show that there are remarkable differences between the two populations: foreign immigrants have preferably settled in the core city's least affluent neighbourhoods and, in a second phase, in inner ring municipalities, while the Spanish population continues to move to suburban municipalities.
Barcelona's redevelopment has been widely celebrated for its apparently successful combination of cultural strategies with urban regeneration to address social problems. The ‘Barcelona model’ has ...evolved, however, with changing relationships between urban regeneration, the use of culture and modes of governance. The role of cultural strategy has shifted from being part of a cultural vernacular with social and political citizenship at its core to become a functional tool for ensuring social cohesion and marketing the city's brand. This is linked to a gradual dilution of bottom‐up participatory democracy in governance. Pressures for international competitiveness are challenging the sustainability of the ‘Barcelona model’, while local actors are trying to ensure social justice at home.
Résumé
Le réaménagement de Barcelone a été salué pour son alliance apparemment réussie de stratégies culturelles et de régénération urbaine destinée à remédier aux problèmes sociaux. Cependant, le ‘modèle de Barcelone’ a évolué avec les nouveaux rapports entre régénération urbaine, utilisation de la culture et modes de gouvernance. La stratégie culturelle a changé de rôle : de style local culturel nourrissant une citoyenneté sociale et politique, elle est devenue un outil fonctionnel visant à assurer la cohésion sociale et à commercialiser la marque de la ville. Cette situation est liée à un déclin progressif de la démocratie participative ascendante dans la gouvernance. Les tensions créées par la concurrence internationale remettent en question la pérennité du ‘modèle de Barcelone’, tandis que les acteurs locaux tentent de garantir la justice sociale sur place.
Satellite data is increasingly used to characterize green space for health outcome studies. Literature suggests that green space within 500 m of home is often used to represent neighborhood suitable ...for walking, air pollution and noise reduction, and natural healing. In this paper, we used satellite data of different spatial resolutions to derive normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), an indicator of surface greenness, at buffer distances of 50, 100, 250 and 500 m. Data included those of 2 m spatial resolution from WorldView2, 5 m resolution from RapidEye and 30 m resolution from Landsat. We found that, after radiometric calibrations, the RapidEye and WorldView2 sensors had similar NDVI values, while Landsat imagery tended to have greater NDVI; however, these sensors showed similar vegetation distribution: locations high in vegetation cover being high in NDVI, and vice versa. We linked the green space estimates to a health survey, and identified that higher NDVI values were significantly associated with better health outcomes. We further investigated the impacts of buffer size and sensor spatial resolution on identified associations between NDVI and health outcomes. Overall, the identified health outcomes were similar across sensors of different spatial resolutions, but a mean trend was identified in bigger buffer size being associated with greater health outcome.
•Coarser spatial resolution in Landsat data tended to over-estimate green cover•Higher vegetation index was associated with better perceived health, better mental health and greater physical activity•Satellite sensor spatial resolution did not impact identified associations between green space metrics and health outcomes•Green space metrics from larger buffer sizes showed stronger associations with health outcomes
This study evaluates the performance of urban schemes integrated in the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) using Local Climate Zones (LCZ) as land use classification. We applied two ...multi-layer urban schemes: 1) Building Effect Parameterization (BEP) and 2) Building Energy Model coupled with BEP (BEP + BEM), over the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (MAB) at 1km2 horizontal resolution for July 2016. These two simulations were compared with observations and a standard WRF simulation (BULK approach). Corine Land Cover 2012 provides background information for the entire simulation domain, while the LCZ covers MAB classifying the land cover into 10 classes according to urban morphology and thermal properties.
BULK and multi-layer urban scheme experiments present a similar general error trend: overestimation of relative humidity and planetary boundary layer height and underestimation of temperature. Although BEP has the best correlation with observations, this is the scheme with the highest value of bias and RMSE for temperature and relative humidity, in particular during the night/morning. On the other hand, BEP + BEM performed with the minimum RMSE associated for temperature and relative humidity in the entire domain. BEP + BEM has shown to be more sensitive than the other schemes over locations where the land use in the model grid differs to the real one, which is a common consequent limitation of horizontal model resolution. This study also suggests that depending on the synoptic condition the scheme accuracy on determining PBLH might change considerably.
•Multi-layer urban schemes (BEP and BEP+BEM) are applied over Barcelona at high-resolution.•Local climate zones database is used to characterize urban area in terms of land use, buildings and streets geometry, as well as physic properties of surfaces.•The use of urban schemes revealed to be fundamental to generate improved meteorological fields in urban areas.
Formalismo monumental Jorge Borondo Pérez-Gómez
VAD : veredes, arquitectura y divulgación,
12/2022
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
La convocatoria del concurso para el ensanche de Barcelona, que acababa de perder sus murallas en la década de 1850, otorgó el primer premio al arquitecto Antoni Rovira i Trias y a su propuesta ...monumental y jerarquizada en torno a un punto de referencia clave: el valor del suelo. Sin embargo, desde el Ministerio de Fomento se ordenó la aplicación del Plan Cerdá, de mayor flexibilidad social.
•Urban gardens provide manifold ecosystem services.•Cultural ecosystem services are most important in urban gardens.•Urban gardens enhance social cohesion, integration and healthy lifestyles.•Urban ...gardens provide nature-based solutions for urban policy challenges.•Urban planning can enhance ecosystem services by offering vacant land for gardening.
In many European cities, urban gardens are seen as increasingly important components of urban green space networks. We adopt an ecosystem services framework to assess contributions of urban gardens to the quality of of their users. First, we identify and characterize ecosystem services provided by urban gardens. Secondly, we assess the demographic and socioeconomic profile of its beneficiaries and the relative importance they attribute to different ecosystem services. Next we discuss the relevance of our results in relation to critical policy challenges, such as the promotion of societal cohesion and healthy lifestyles. Data were collected through 44 semi-structured interviews and a survey among 201 users of 27 urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain, as well as from consultation meetings with local planners. We identified 20 ecosystem services, ranging from food production over pollination to social cohesion and environmental learning. Among them, cultural ecosystem services (non-material benefits people derive from their interaction with nature) stand out as the most widely perceived and as the most highly valued. The main beneficiaries of ecosystem services from urban gardens are elder, low-middle income, and migrant people. Our results about the societal importance of urban gardens were deemed highly relevant by the interviewed green space planners in Barcelona, who noted that our data can provide basis to support or expand existing gardening programs in the city. Our research further suggests that ecosystem services from urban gardens can play an important role in addressing several urban policy challenges in cities, such as promoting stewardship of urban ecosystems, providing opportunities for recreation and healthy lifestyles, and promoting social cohesion. We conclude that urban gardens and associated ecosystem services can play an important in urban policies aimed at enhancing quality of life in cities, particularly if access to their benefits is expanded to larger segments of the population.
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