A novel spatial index using spatial analyses and hierarchical fuzzy expert system for obtaining green TOD: a case study in Tehran city

Sustainable development is a vital and challenging factor for managing urban growth smartly. This factor contains three main components, namely economic growth, ecological protection and social justice. Green Transit-Oriented Development (GTOD) is a consummate planning approach in line with those components. Implementation of GTOD in an urban area is underpinned by its quantification. Therefore, a quantitative spatial index based on several indicators related to TOD and Green urbanism concepts should be developed. In this study, Geo-spatial Information Science and hierarchical fuzzy inference system (HFIS) were employed to calculate the indicators and aggregate them, respectively. In order to showcase the feasibility of the proposed method, it was implemented in a case study area in the City of Tehran, Iran. The result of this method is an integrated spatial GTOD index, which measures the neighbourhoods’ GTOD levels. These measurements specify weaknesses and strengths of neighbourhoods’ factors. Therefore, this index helps decision-makers to plan neighbourhoods based on land use and public transit views. Additionally, the HFIS method helps decision-makers to consider criteria and indicators with their inherent uncertainties and aggregate them with much fewer rules. For evaluating the results, the developed GTOD index was assessed with municipal action planning and attraction maps. According to the outcomes of the assessment, it is concluded that the proposed method is adequately robust and efficient for smart and sustainable urban planning.     

Urban planning construction land standard and its revision based on climate and topography in China

Urban planning construction land standard is the technical specification for scientifically allocating various types of urban construction land, and it is the basis for drawing up and revising the overall urban planning scheme. Considering China's current urban planning construction land standard, many problems exist, such as the gap in the land use control threshold, the lack of regional differences in the climate revision, and failing to consider the topographic factors. To resolve these problems, this study proposed a step-by-step process framework and quantitative calculation method for the establishment and revision of standards in accordance with the principle of Total-Structure control. By setting the conditions, a universal basic standard for construction land was established. Quantitative analysis was then conducted on the relationship between the basic standard and the selected key indicators, such as urban population size, sunshine spacing coefficient, the width of river valleys or inter-montane basins, and terrain slope, among others. Finally, revised standards were formed for climate conditions, topography, and geomorphologic conditions, which were matched with the basic standards. The key results are three-fold:(1) The per capita construction land standard of 95 m~2/person can be used as the total indicator of China's urban planning basic standard, and the corresponding per capita single construction land comprises 32.50% of residential land, 7.42% of public management and public service land, 22.50% of industrial land, 17.50% of transportation facilities, 12.50% of green space, and 7.58% of other land-use types. The results of the revision of the urban population size indicate that the difference in population size has little effect on the total amount of per capita construction land.(2) The climate revision results of per capita residential land and per capita construction land in major cities reveal that the revised climate value varies greatly between north and south China. The revised climate values of the per capita area of construction land vary by latitude as follows: the value at 20°N is 93 m~2/person, the value at 30°N is 97 m~2/person, the value at 40°N is 103 m~2/person, and the value at 50°N is 115 m~2/person. The basic standard land value of 95 m~2/person is generally distributed across the Xiamen-Guilin-Kunming line.(3) The cities located in mountainous areas, hilly valleys, or inter-montane basins can reduce the allocation of community parks and comprehensive parks when the average width of an existing river valley or inter-montane basin is less than 2 km. When the average width of the valley or inter-montane basin is between 2 km to 4 km, the allocation of the comprehensive parks can be reduced. The revised results of per capita sloping construction land reveal that the terrain slope greatly affects the revised value of per capita construction land. Specifically, the revised value at 3° is 3.68% higher than the basic standard value, and the increase rates at 8°, 15°, and 25° are 11.25%, 26.49%, and 68.47%, respectively.     

Marine spatial planning from the perspective of a small seaside community in Ireland

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is advocated as a means of managing human uses of the sea in a manner that is consistent with the maintenance of the ecological goods and services of the marine environment. Support for the process is evident at international and national levels but the degree to which it is acceptable to local level stakeholders is not clear. An Daingean (formely Dingle) is a small sea-oriented town situated on the southwest coast of Ireland in which marine-based tourism and other relatively new uses of the sea are pursued along side traditional fishing activities. Stakeholders in An Daingean are found to be positively disposed to a local process of MSP that incorporates meaningful local involvement.     

The Marine Planning Framework for South Australia: A new ecosystem-based zoning policy for marine management

The Marine Planning Framework for South Australia is a new large-scale, ecosystem-based zoning policy for management of development and use in the marine environment. Utilising the Geographic Information System (GIS), the model establishes four ecologically rated zones, derived from known ecological criteria. A series of goals, objectives and strategies represent the desired outcomes for each of the ecologically rated zones. A Performance Assessment System (PAS) will subsequently evaluate the success of the marine plans. Implementation will be supported by a collaborative whole-of-government approach. Marine plans will facilitate the delivery of long-term protection to the marine environment as a whole ecosystem, whilst enabling a broad range of activities to occur in a sustainable manner.     

The international legal framework for marine spatial planning

Increasing demand for ocean resources, both living and non-living, have already lead to loss of biodiversity, habitat depletion and irreversible damage to the marine environment. Furthermore, introduction of new kinds of sea uses, spatial extension of ongoing sea uses and the need to better protect and conserve the marine biological diversity will result in increasing conflicts among the various users, as well as between the users and the environment. Marine spatial planning as a process to allocate space for specific uses can help to avoid user conflicts, to improve the management of marine spatial claims, and to sustain an ecosystem-based management of ocean and seas. This article explores the rights and duties towards exploitation and protection of the marine environment under the jurisdiction of coastal states as reflected in two important global conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Both Conventions provide the main legal framework for marine spatial planning that have to be taken into account in planning at the regional and national level.     

Conclusions: Benefits, lessons learned, and future challenges of marine spatial planning

This article summarizes briefly the principal conclusions from papers presented in this special issue on marine spatial planning. It identifies potential economic, ecological, and administrative benefits (and costs) that might be realized from the implementation of MSP. Finally, the article summarize lessons learned and identifies future challenges and directions for MSP, including the development of international guidelines for its implementation.     

Developing a building policy for the erosion zone: Solutions to some key (Dutch) questions

In those coastal communities where the most seaward strip of mainland consists of dunes, these dunes often serve as a flexible sea defence. In addition, this strip offers large potential for housing and commercial enterprises. Unfortunately, due to severe storm surges part of this strip (the erosion zone) is subject to erosion, and as a result of which any buildings or infrastructure located here, are destroyed. Therefore, as we will illustrate in this paper, a building policy for this zone should reflect a compromise between two opposite interests: exploitation of the existing potential and, prevention of an unacceptable high risk due to erosion. Accordingly, the authors have developed a framework for such a building policy on the basis of which the desirability of various different types of investments and the location within the erosion zone of such investments can be determined. The examples that are used to illustrate this framework in this paper are limited to experiences in The Netherlands as relevant data and experiences are available and relatively easy accessible here. Nevertheless, the approach as is described is generic and applicable worldwide suggesting that the discovered unused potential for exploitation is not just limited to The Netherlands.     

浙江省海洋旅游资源开发研究的若干建议

21世纪被称为海洋经济时代,人们越来越关注沿海地区的发展及其资源的合理利用程度.以浙江省为例,着重探讨了海洋旅游的不同类型与特点,海洋旅游资源的开发要点.在日本和浙江相近沿海地区资源的比较与研究基础之上,分析了沿海地区的旅游规划与发展所面临的问题以及挑战,论述了浙江沿海地区旅游资源的开发和管理的可持续发展模式,并对浙江海洋资源开发的多样化发展提出了若干具体的建议.     

武汉市城乡规划动态监管信息系统的设计与开发

介绍了武汉市城乡动态监管信息系统建设的基本思路和技术构架,分析了系统功能划分、数据库设计、网络与安全体系建设等问题,对遥感技术、GPS技术以及信息资源整合技术在项目建设中的应用进行了讨论。