Urban walkability might be one of the most important indicators of a healthy city. Taking Moscow as a case study we focused on assessing the walkability through a well-known walkability index using ...only open data sources. The application of the walkability index to Moscow required some adjustments in its calculation, however, the methodology used has brought the results that could be expected. The strong spatial heterogeneity in walkability was clearly identified within the city. Moreover, the walkability and social differentiation within the city boundaries could have the same spatial patterns. Despite the significant changes and evolution of urban environment throughout the Moscow's history, especially in recent years, historical context is still as impactful as before in terms of walkability. Green infrastructure might be an important component of the walkability index in the context of a healthy urban environment and well-being. Although Moscow could be identified as a green city, some areas cannot adequately provide green infrastructure for all of their residents, primarily due to the remoteness of large parks. According to the results of our study, the priority should be directed towards the improvement of consistency of the green infrastructure network and diversification of land-use in the most vulnerable areas of post-industrial development.
•This is the first attempt to adapt the walkability index developed in American and European contexts to the Russian city.•The strong spatial heterogeneity in Moscow’s walkability was identified.•Current walkability patterns are determined mostly by historical context.•The highest priority for improvement should be given to the residential areas in the former industrial parts of the city.
For decades, accessibility - i.e. the ease of reaching destinations - has been an important concept in transport planning, resulting in many studies trying to measure it and put it into practice. ...Also walkability, a mode-specific type of accessibility referring to how easy it is to walk (to destinations) received increased attention in the last two decades. In recent years, a new focus has been on how people perceive their accessibility as this may be a stronger predictor of travel behaviour than objective elements of accessibility (such as built environment characteristics). Perceived walkability, i.e. how walk-friendly people experience a certain area, however, has only been explored by a limited number of studies. In this review paper, we give an overview of existing studies analysing perceived walkability, which mostly have focused on its effects on walking frequency/duration, physical activity and various aspects of mental well-being. Based on this literature review, a conceptual model is created, emphasising the determinants and effects of perceived walkability and how it is related to objective walkability. We end this paper by providing avenues for further research, including the introduction of a Short Perceived Walkability Scale (SPWS) and recommendations for data collection and analysis. Doing so can create new insights into perceived walkability and links with related elements, and therefore can contribute to stimulating walking trips and improving the experience of these trips.
With the global target to promote energy saving in buildings, various studies draw attention to the role of environmentally benign building envelopes. In this regard, double-skin façades (DSFs) have ...been proposed as a promising passive building technology to enhance the energy efficiency and improve the indoor thermal comfort at the same time. A comprehensive analysis of the current design of DSFs, and their technical aspects is presented in this paper. Construction characteristics of DSFs are also reported. The impacts of DSFs on the energy efficiency and thermal performance are discussed by looking at measured and simulated performances. Findings confirm that significant benefits result from using DSFs. Finally, research opportunities are outlined for further investigation.
As buildings consume fossil fuel-based energy, they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions which raise global temperatures. Buildings will then require more energy for cooling to guarantee indoor ...thermal comfort, thus creating a positive loop between cause and effect. In the Middle East, this is particularly harmful to the environment because it increases the cooling demand in countries with an energy grid dependent on oil and natural gas. By reviewing the latest scientific contributions, this paper analyzes different passive and active design measures, gathers mitigation and adaptation strategies, and identifies the main barriers. Due to an economy based on an energy mix of low-tariff fossil fuel, Middle East countries lag in adopting clean energy systems and energy-efficient solutions. Nonetheless, there is great potential in using passive design, efficient air conditioning systems, and integrating renewable energy in buildings.
•Studies assessing passive design in the Middle East under future conditions are few.•The implementation of passive measures may reduce building cooling demand.•District cooling systems may lead to a reduction in building energy demand.•Investment in renewable energy will diversify energy sources.
This study aims to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on active mobility of men and women of Shiraz, Iran, and examine the relationship between perceived built environment factors and ...men's and women's active travel before and during the outbreak. The data were obtained during the pandemic from 747 men and 518 women living in Shiraz. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire-based survey. The multivariate regression was utilized for determining the effective factors on active travel. The results indicate that the amount of time men spend walking and cycling before and during the outbreak is more than that of women. Meanwhile, the amount of time men and women spend cycling has increased during the pandemic, which can indicate the resiliency of bikes in the crisis. A built environment with mixed, diverse, dense and accessible land uses, as well as safe and secure cycling and walking routes have major effects on citizens' active mobility in this crisis. Also, for women who have a low rate of bicycle ownership, improving bike-sharing infrastructure is essential. Therefore, it is suggested that urban planners and policymakers take action to make the environment more people-friendly to maintain citizens' mobility, especially women, during the pandemic.
Aim and Background: With respect to high depression prevalence and its risks which affects people’s individual and social life, we endeavor to identify related residential environment factors to be ...able to utilize it towards promoting residential environment using depression reduction approach. The present research has been performed aiming the review of performed studies with the relation between the characteristics of residential area and depression of settlers. Methods and Materials: In this review article to find documents related to the subject of the article, authors assessed previous published articles regularly between 2005 to 2020 about relationship between residential environment and depression and also investigated the studies on Pub Med, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Isi, MDPI, BMC, Magiran, and SID using related key words such as: relationship between built environment, physical environment, living environment, neighborhood, interiors and exteriors, natural environment, residential environment, physical environment with mental health (depression, mental disorders). Findings: Among 99 selected articles about the aforementioned subject, most of them were cross-sectional articles and approved meaningful relationship between at least one of the characteristics of residential environment and depression. From among different aspects of environment characteristics, lack of access to green areas, neighborhood, noise pollution, specifications of built environment, lighting, and walking facilities were more related to depression and this relationship showed some inconsistencies for the beauty of environment, urban environment, access to services, population density and psychological distance interference. Conclusions: Reviewing the results indicates that characteristics of residential environment in many aspects relate to depression therefore its consideration to promote mental health (depression reduction) of residents of these environments would be necessary.
We investigated the association of neighborhood walkability with accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) and examined whether objective and subjective measures of ...walkability resulted in similar findings.
PA and SB from the first 7689 Maastricht Study participants ages 40-75 from 2010 to 2017 were measured using accelerometers for 7 days. Mean daily step count, light-intensity PA, moderate- to vigorous- intensity PA (MVPA), and SB were calculated. Objective walkability was measured by the 7-component Dutch Walkability Index within 500 m Euclidean buffers around residential addresses of participants. Subjective walkability was obtained from the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale. Linear regression models analyzed the associations of walkability with PA and SB, controlling for potential confounders.
Objective walkability was negatively associated with light intensity PA in the most walkable quartile (b = -14.58, 95% CI = -20.94, -8.23). Compared to participants living in the least walkable neighborhoods, those in the most walkable quartile had statistically significantly higher SB levels (b = 11.64, 95% CI = 4.95, 18.32). For subjective walkability, mean daily step count was significantly higher in the most walkable quartile (b = 509.60, 95% CI = 243.38, 775.81). Higher subjective walkability was positively associated with MVPA (b = 4.40, 95% CI = 2.56, 6.23).
Living in a neighborhood with higher objective walkability was associated with lower levels of PA and higher SB levels while higher subjective walkability was associated with higher levels of PA. These results show discordant findings and thus, the effect of walkability on participant PA and SB within our sample is to be determined.
Improving the vitality of cities has long been considered an important goal of planning. However, people's understanding of how complex and diverse built environment factors affect urban vitality is ...still limited. In recent years, the emergence of new data provides a new perspective for the study of urban vitality. In this article, the spatio-temporal variation of urban vitality was quantitatively measured by using Baidu heat map, and the influence of built environment factors on urban vitality is further analyzed by geographically weighted regression model. The analysis was conducted at the block level, taking into account differences between weekdays and weekends. The results show that Shenzhen presents a vitality pattern of three centers and two sub-centers, and the average vitality level of weekdays is higher than that of weekends. Distance to subway station, road density, residential density, land mixed use, and compactness have significant influence on block vitality, but the influence varies from block to block, showing strong spatial heterogeneity. Commercial facility density and floor space ratio show significance only on weekends and weekdays, respectively. The findings reveal that we need to take regional differences into consideration and develop more targeted urban planning policies to facilitate block vitality.
As buildings account for approximately 40% of global energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions, their role in decarbonizing the power grid is crucial. The increased integration of ...variable energy sources, such as renewables, introduces uncertainties and unprecedented flexibilities, necessitating buildings to adapt their energy demand to enhance grid resiliency. Consequently, buildings must transition from passive energy consumers to active grid assets, providing demand flexibility and energy elasticity while maintaining occupant comfort and health. This fundamental shift demands advanced optimal control methods to manage escalating energy demand and avert power outages. Reinforcement learning (RL) emerges as a promising method to address these challenges. In this paper, we explore ten questions related to the application of RL in buildings, specifically targeting flexible energy management. We consider the growing availability of data, advancements in machine learning algorithms, open-source tools, and the practical deployment aspects associated with software and hardware requirements. Our objective is to deliver a comprehensive introduction to RL, present an overview of existing research and accomplishments, underscore the challenges and opportunities, and propose potential future research directions to expedite the adoption of RL for building energy management.
•Buildings transition from passive consumers to active grid assets for resiliency.•Reinforcement learning (RL) addresses flexible energy management challenges.•Ten critical questions on RL in buildings, considering data, tools, and deployment.•Overview of research, accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities in RL.•Future research directions to expedite RL adoption for improved energy management.
