Urban Sustainability and Resilience of the Built Environments, Volume II

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 2313

Special Issue Editors

Building Services Engineering Faculty, Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest, Bd. Pache Protopopescu no. 66, 021412 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: passive control of jet flows; experimental fluid mechanics; thermal comfort; optical measurement techniques; laser diagnostic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Thermal Machines and Equipment , Universitatea Tehnica Cluj-Napoca, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: fluid mechanics; numerical simulation; turbulence; turbulence modeling; fluid flow; CFD simulation; turbulent flow; mechanical engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanization and urban areas are profoundly altering the relationship between society and the environment. Understanding the existing urban dynamics is aimed at responding to the challenges of creating livable urban futures. The built environment includes human-made buildings and infrastructure stocks that constitute physical, natural, economic, social and cultural capital. Even with elevated scholarly attention, strategies for bridging between research and practice remain elusive, and efforts to understand and affect change toward more sustainable and resilient urban centers in the built environment have often fallen short.

This Special Issue seeks to showcase recent developments, disruptive new concepts, validated simulations and creative applications of urban sustainability and resilience of the built environment. Submissions are expected to focus on urban governance, urban planning, sustainable development and resilience, environmental and hazard governance, climate risk adaptation and mitigation, including energy-efficient solutions, and the built environment in general.

We hope this Special Issue will bring together diverse ideas in the field of urban sustainability and resilience of the built environment, presenting exciting new practices and pointing out future directions for research and development.

Dr. Ilinca Nastase
Dr. Florin Ioan Bode
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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21 pages, 4440 KiB  
Article
Park Inclusive Design Index as a Systematic Evaluation Framework to Improve Inclusive Urban Park Uses: The Case of Hangzhou Urban Parks
by Wenwen Shi, Sharifah Salwa Syed Mahdzar and Weicong Li
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12954; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312954 - 04 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 822
Abstract
This study aims to optimize the evaluation system of inclusive design in urban parks, emphasizing the systemic nature of sensory, cognitive, and motor capacity support and exploring its role in park design practice. Based on the capability demand model, this study constructed indicators [...] Read more.
This study aims to optimize the evaluation system of inclusive design in urban parks, emphasizing the systemic nature of sensory, cognitive, and motor capacity support and exploring its role in park design practice. Based on the capability demand model, this study constructed indicators through literature collation and focus group discussion and assigned weights through hierarchical analysis to finally construct the Park Inclusive Design Index (PIDI). Then, the PIDI was utilized to assess the inclusive design performance of 48 urban parks in Hangzhou, China. The results of this study show that the overall inclusive design level of parks is relatively low (the average PIDI < 70), especially in the provision of cognitive support (cognitive-related indicator < 4). Meanwhile, comprehensive and specialized parks performed better in inclusive design compared to community parks and leisure parks. The level of inclusive design is moderatory correlated with the park renovation time and the park area, and strongly correlated with geographic location (scenic spot parks perform better; the parks in the old city perform worse). Ten indicators in the assessment scored below 2, which reveals the current status, shortcomings, and general problems with inclusive facilities in Hangzhou’s urban parks. This study integrated the needs and ability differences of people into the indicators, providing an assessment framework with broad applicability. Inclusive performance is a long-term process, and the implementation of the evaluation framework will provide a reference guide for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of urban parks across China and even around the world. Full article
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26 pages, 967 KiB  
Article
Chromatics in Urban Landscapes: Integrating Interactive Genetic Algorithms for Sustainable Color Design in Marine Cities
by Longlong Zhang and Chulsoo Kim
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(18), 10306; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810306 - 14 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1103
Abstract
Color design plays a pivotal role in determining whether marine urban landscapes meet the diverse needs of individuals, encompassing their visual, psychological, behavioral, and spiritual dimensions. In the contemporary urban environment, a host of practical challenges, including severe color pollution, the absence of [...] Read more.
Color design plays a pivotal role in determining whether marine urban landscapes meet the diverse needs of individuals, encompassing their visual, psychological, behavioral, and spiritual dimensions. In the contemporary urban environment, a host of practical challenges, including severe color pollution, the absence of regional cultural characteristics, and a lack of humanistic sensitivity in public spaces’ color schemes, necessitates a thorough exploration of the intricate relationship between color and human psychological needs within environmental contexts. This study leverages the potential of interactive genetic algorithms as a powerful tool for innovative color design solutions. Anchored in the nexus of the environment, human psychology, and color theory, this research delves into the intricate nuances of marine urban landscape color. Employing a comprehensive approach that combines questionnaires and extensive field surveys, we seek to elucidate the critical interplay between color and human well-being. Drawing upon the case study of Zhuhai Shijingshan Park, we harness the principles of interactive genetic algorithms to iteratively design marine urban color patterns. Through this experimentation, our study unveils novel design strategies that harmonize with the psychological idiosyncrasies of the human–environment interface. Specifically, the findings of our research highlight the profound impact of color selection on the emotional and behavioral responses of individuals within marine urban landscapes. Our study contributes vital insights into the art and science of marine urban color design, shedding light on the nuanced ways in which color choices can enhance the quality of urban spaces and promote human well-being. This research endeavors to bridge the gap between marine urban design and human psychology through a comprehensive exploration of color design in marine urban landscapes. By addressing the practical challenges and leveraging innovative design techniques, we strive to provide a holistic understanding of the symbiotic relationship between color and human experience, ultimately enriching the design practices that shape our urban environments. Full article
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