Freight logistics and the city Haarstad, Håvard; Rosales, Rafael; Shrestha, Subina
Urban studies,
01/2024, Volume:
61, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In this paper we argue that urban studies should consider freight logistics as an integral part of ongoing urban transformations. The movement of goods is increasingly shaping cities, and the ...implications for sustainability, liveability and justice are uncertain. Still, freight logistics has been largely overlooked in urban studies. This paper seeks to remedy this. First, we review current literature on freight logistics in cities, and find that it is broadly characterised by what has been called a ‘technical-rational model’. Second, we situate urban logistics in social and political processes of urban change. Finally, we point to key areas for urban scholars to explore at the intersections between urban logistics and urban change to better understand the role of freight logistics in urban sustainability transformations.
Residents’ willingness-to-pay for watershed conservation plays a crucial role in developing sustainable market-based ecological protection strategies. The main objective of this study was to assess ...local residents’ willingness-to-pay for the protection and conservation of the Begnas watershed ecosystem services, which was estimated using a contingent valuation method. Particularly, the study assessed the factors that affect the residents' willingness-to-pay using the Heckit model generating knowledge crucial to design watershed conservation programs and market-based protection strategies. The total willingness-to-pay was worth of $203,598.15 year
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, and the average annual willingness-to-pay of a household (US$ 33.95) indicated the high importance of Begnas watershed conservation. Likewise, the results from econometric modeling showed a positive relationship between factors, namely gender (male resident), household size, education level, occupation (tourism and agriculture), income, and landholding size with the residents' decision to pay for the watershed conservation. These findings imply that a public-funded watershed conservation program is feasible in the Begnas watershed. Further, local resident participation in the program is seen increased because of the potential improvement in watershed ecosystem services, which are directly related to their livelihoods.
Abstract Transforming urban logistics governance to become more sustainable comprises reconciling diverse actors’ rationalities. Yet, conventional market-driven solutions, which aim to optimize ...freight transport, tend to focus on operational efficiency over diverse rationalities. In this paper, we reframe the challenge of urban logistics sustainability governance as that of knowledge integration, which necessitates a transdisciplinary approach that engages with diverse rationalities. By combining data from a co-creation workshop and interviews with logistics actors, we investigate if and how urban logistics sustainability governance can benefit from unpacking these multiple rationalities. Our findings show emergent tensions in Bergen stem from the ad-hoc and fragmented nature of urban logistics planning, which obscures the diverse actor rationalities and assumptions. Actors navigated these tensions in dialogic processes and co-created a shared understanding that sustaining dialogues and using a public-space perspective could mainstream logistics into the city’s planning process. Adopting a transdisciplinary co-creation approach, we demonstrate, can reconcile the diverse rationalities in urban logistics sustainability governance. It facilitates individual and social learning in dialogic processes where actors can reflect on each other’s perspectives, agency, and expectations. We thus call for a shift in planning from an emphasis on market-driven solutions toward process-focus to navigate the innate messiness of governing urban logistics sustainability.
Climate actions are centered on either mitigation or adaptation or both. Mitigation and adaptation actions can interact with each other resulting in synergies or tradeoffs. An integrated approach ...that considers these interactions is important to harness the synergies to create win-win situations and to avoid trade-offs for no-regret decisions. In this context, this study presents a qualitative analysis of the existing national level climate policies of Nepal to identify the extent and mechanism of their mitigation-adaptation interactions based on expert survey. Four key sectors having inter-relationships between mitigation and adaptation were identified as Agriculture, Forestry and Land use (AFOLU), urban planning, energy and water. We used Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to rank and prioritize the opportunities and barriers for harnessing synergies and avoiding trade-offs of mitigation-adaptation interlinkage with these sectors in view. Our results show that such interactions in the Nepalese policy context are present mostly in the form of synergies in the order of AFOLU > Urban Planning > Energy > Water. We identified that developing an institution dedicated to climate change at the national level is the most important opportunity while inadequate institutional co-ordination is the most important barrier for harnessing these synergies.
•Climate change policies in Nepal are mostly adaptation-centric.•These policies have adaptation-mitigation interlinkages as synergies or trade-offs.•Several opportunities and possible barriers identified to harness these synergies and avoid trade-offs.•Integrated approach with institutional co-ordination important for the case of Nepal.
Background: The clavicle, modified long bone, presents morphological and bilateral variations. This may be due to genetic factors, hormones, or environmental and occupational influences. ...Anthropometric studies in clavicle of Nepalese population using radiograph has not been reported to best of our knowledge. This study, aimed to determine the sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry of clavicle in Nepalese Population using Postero-Anterior Chest X Ray.
Methods: Chest x-rays with normal and clearly visible both clavicles of 1260 Nepalese adults (591 male, 669 female), aged above 20 years were utilized. Inbuilt software “Computed Radiography Fuji Computer System 7” was used for measurements (in centimeter) of sternal head length, acromial end length, mid shaft diameter and length of clavicle. Demarcating point and identification point were calculated. Patients having history of clavicles fractures in the past were excluded.
Results: All the parameters in male is greater than female which is significant except Length/Mid Shaft Diameter. Similarly, all the parameters of right clavicle is significantly greater than left clavicle in both sexes except Sternal Head Length and Mid Shaft Diameter. Demarcating point calculated from length of the clavicle (right >16.17, left >16.10 for male and right <11.20, left <10.65 for female) and Mid Shaft Diameter (right >1.33, left >1.38 for male and right <0.66 and left <0.67 for female) are important parameters to determine sex.
Conclusions:The clavicle shows significant sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry in Nepalese population. The result of this study is helpful to anthropologist and forensic medicine.
Keywords: Anthropometry; clavicle; demarcating point; postero-Anterior chest x-rays; sexual dimorphism
Introduction: Face has priority in identification of an individual. Nose occupying the middle of face is animportant sense organ that helps in respiration. Nose and face can be classified into ...different types accordingto nasal index and facial index. The aim of this study was to analyze nose and face type and find out itsdominance in different sex of Nepalese and Indian population. Methods: This was a quantitative observationalstudy conducted on 156 medical students using simple sampling method. Data were collected then nasalindex and facial index were calculated. Descriptive statistical data i.e. mean, standard deviation, togetherwith the independent-samples t-test results for anthropometric variables of nasal and facial parameters insex and Nationality (Nepalese and Indian) were analyzed. Results: All the measurement values were morein males compared to females, but the sexual dimorphism in nasal index (male 76.25 ± 7.75, female 75.70± 8.05) and facial index (male 85.77 ± 8.1, female 82.97 ± 7.63) is not statistically significant. Chi-squaretest revealed significant difference in face type among Nepalese and Indian population. Mesorrhine wasthe most common type of nose in both the population. Nepalese had commonly euryprosopic type of facewhile Indians had hypereuryprosopic type of face. Conclusion: Sexual dimorphism was not significant inboth nasal and facial parameters while type of face was helpful in differentiation of Nepalese and Indianpopulation.
While nations have made commitments to address climate change, scholars estimate that even if these commitments are met, there remains an emissions gap between where we are and where we want to be to ...keep the globe under 1.5°C. Cities around the world are working to reduce this gap. Asian cities are large greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters and will be so over the next few decades. It is therefore urgent to identify ways in which the region’s cities can become more efficient and less polluting. This study is an APN research project that examines the GHG emissions at the sub-city level across 5 Asian cities (Tokyo, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul and Bangkok) as well as in New York City. The attempt is to identify potential strategies for low-carbon pathways. The research demonstrates that, in most cases, national and urban emissions are increasing, although the APN research teams identified stable emissions over the past few years in Beijing and Tokyo. However, the emissions profiles are different. Therefore, reducing emissions will require different strategies across the region’s cities. The study identifies some general policy priorities for cities based on the results of case studies.
Sustainable urban logistics is imperative to meet urban sustainability goals. In the European context, the European Union (EU) set an ambitious target in 2011 of essentially CO2-free urban logistics ...by 2030. However, it is unclear how effectively such EU targets for urban logistics have shaped national- and urban-level policymaking. This paper investigates whether there is evidence of localization of these supranational goals for urban logistics at the national and local levels. Drawing on the ‘steering effects’ framework, we seek such effects across four dimensions—institutional, discursive, relational and resources. Empirically, we conduct a thematic analysis of transport-related documents across three governance levels—the EU, the national level of Norway and the local level comprising four Norwegian cities. Our findings show that the EU's urban logistics goals are reflected in changing policy behaviour at the national and local levels over time. Yet this is more evident in some areas than in others: the discursive effect is most evident at both the national and local levels, whereas the institutional effects at both these levels remain fragmented and weak. Therefore, the EU's goalsetting does matter, but we have yet to see strong effects beyond the discursive.
•Sustainable urban logistics is embedded within a multi-level governance.•Thematic Analysis adapted to unpack the effects of EU's goals across time.•Localization seen in target setting, multi-stakeholder approach, and climate budgets•Discursive effects of EU goals strongly observed while other effects are weak.
Endowed with over 40,000 MW of economic hydropower potential relative to its nascent domestic demand, Nepal can export electricity to its power-deficit neighbours in the BBIN (Bhutan, Bangladesh, ...India and Nepal) region as a strategic economic opportunity. The untapped hydro potential in Nepal, coupled with BBIN's complementary seasonal demand patterns, difference in peak load timing, and rapidly growing growth of electricity demand in Bangladesh and India, are favourable for regional electricity cooperation, especially for Nepal. This study uses the SWOT-AHP-TOWS approach to identify the key barriers and opportunities for cross-border electricity trade and to provide insights on possible strategies for Nepal.
Determining the economic value of wetlands is essential while creating sustainable wetland development plans and market-based ecological protection strategies. This paper studies the value of Begnas ...Watershed System by assessing the economic values of its selective ecosystem servicees. We conducted household surveys, multiple focus group discussions, stakeholder consultation, indepth interviews and used a combination of market and non-market based valuation methods like market price method, travel cost method, revealved price method, contingent valuation method, and benefit transfer method to determine the value of ecosystem services of the Begnas Watershed System. This study discovered that the economic benefit generated from the wetland was worth US 3.91 million per year, equivalent to US 650.67 per household and US$ 799.79 per hectare. The direct non-consumptive (recreational) service was the most beneficial service holding about 85% of the total value. This research study concludes that the Begnas Watershed System is economically beneficial for the local communities living in or close to the watershed and is worth the investment in lake restoration projects. This results from this study will serve as an important tool for policymakers and stakeholders during the formulation of management plans for the wetland's sustainability.
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