Search Results (32)

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are vital in enhancing environmental quality, social well-being, and climate resilience, yet their distribution and accessibility remain uneven in many rapidly urbanizing cities. The 3–30–300 rule offers a structured guideline with which to assess urban greenness, emphasizing tree visibility, canopy cover, and green space proximity. However, its applicability in dense and resource-constrained urban environments has not been sufficiently examined. This study evaluates the feasibility of the 3–30–300 rule in Nagpur, India, using survey-based visibility assessments, NDVI-derived vegetation cover analysis, and QGIS-based accessibility evaluation. The study also introduces the Urban Greenness Exposure Index (UGEI), a composite metric that refines greenness assessment by capturing intra-zone variations beyond broad classifications. The findings reveal significant variations in urban greenness exposure across Nagpur’s ten municipal zones. Low-greenness zones report the highest tree visibility deprivation (below two trees), limited canopy cover (~7%), and restricted green space access (over 80% of residents lacking access within 300 m). The correlation analysis shows that higher canopy cover does not necessarily correspond to better visibility or accessibility, highlighting the need for integrated planning strategies. The study concludes that applying the 3–30–300 rule in high-density Indian cities requires localized adaptations, such as incentivizing street tree planting, integrating vertical greenery, and repurposing vacant lots for public parks. The UGEI framework offers a practical tool for identifying priority zones and guiding equitable greening interventions, based on insights drawn from the Nagpur case study. Full article

At the beginning of human history, surface water, especially from rivers and springs, was the most frequent water supply source. Groundwater was used in arid and semi-arid regions, e.g., eastern Crete (Greece). As the population increased, periodic water shortages occurred, which led to the development of sophisticated hydraulic structures for water transfer and for the collection and storage of rainwater, as seen, for example, in Early Minoan times (ca 3200–2100 BC). Water supply and urban planning had always been essentially related: the urban water supply systems that existed in Greece since the Bronze Age (ca 3200–1100 BC) were notably advanced, well organized, and operable. Water supply systems evolved considerably during the Classical and Hellenistic periods (ca 480–31 BC) and during the Roman period (ca 31 BC–480 AD). Also, early Indian society was an amazing vanguard of technology, planning, and vision, which significantly impacted India’s architectural and cultural heritage, thus laying the foundation for sustainable urban living and water resource management. In ancient Egypt, the main source of freshwater was the Nile River; Nile water was conveyed by open and closed canals to supply water to cities, temples, and fields. Underground stone-built aqueducts supplied Nile water to so-called Nile chambers in temples. The evolution of water supply and urban planning approaches from ancient simple systems to complex modern networks demonstrates the ingenuity and resilience of human communities. Many lessons can be learned from studying traditional water supply systems, which could be re-considered for today’s urban sustainable development. By digging into history, measures for overcoming modern problems can be found. Rainwater harvesting, establishing settlements in proximity of water sources to facilitate access to water, planning, and adequate drainage facilities were the characteristics of ancient civilizations since the ancient Egyptian, Minoan, Mohenjo-Daro, Mesopotamian, and Roman eras, which can still be adopted for sustainability. This paper presents significant lessons on water supply around the world from ancient times to the present. This diachronic survey attempts to provide hydro-technology governance for the present and future. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) significantly shape the evolution of 5G and 6G technologies in India, particularly in reconfiguring communication networks. Through their deployment as base stations or relays, these aerial vehicles substantially enhance communication performance and extend network coverage in areas characterized by high demand and challenging topographies. Accurate modelling of the UAV-to-ground channel is imperative for gaining valuable insights into UAV-assisted communication systems, particularly within India’s rapidly expanding metropolitan cities and their diverse topographical complexities. This study proposes an approach to model low-altitude channels in urban areas, offering specific scenarios and tailored solutions to facilitate radio frequency (RF) planning for Indian metropolitan cities. The proposed model leverages the International Telecommunication Union recommendation (ITU-R) for city mapping and utilizes frequency ranges from 1.8 to 6 GHz and altitudes up to 500 m to comprehensively model both line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS) communications. It employs the uniform theory of diffraction to calculate the additional path loss for non-line-of-sight (NLoS) communication for both vertical and horizontal polarizations. The normal distribution for additional shadowing loss is discerned from simulation results. This study outlined the approach to derive a comprehensive statistical channel model based on the elevation angle and evaluate model parameters at various frequencies and altitudes for both vertical and horizontal polarization. The model was subsequently compared with existing models for validation, showing close alignment. The ease of implementation and practical application of this proposed model render it an invaluable tool for planning and simulating mobile networks in urban areas, thus facilitating the seamless integration of advanced communication technologies in India. Full article

Road transport plays a crucial role in sustaining all the personal and freight movement needs of residential, commercial, and industrial activities, and in Indian cities, big and small, vehicle exhaust emissions and dust from vehicle movement on the roads contribute to as much as 50% of particulate matter pollution in a year. Therefore, effective management of vehicle exhaust emissions is vital not only for improving current air quality but also for ensuring the long-term benefits from efforts to reduce air pollution. In the approved clean air action plans for 131 cities under the national clean air program (NCAP), more than 50% of the implementable actions are transport-centric. Having a reliable and replicable vehicle exhaust emissions inventory is essential for effective planning, which can help establish a baseline, support scenario analysis, and allow for tracking progress in the sector. This process begins with accessing accurate vehicle stock numbers, typically obtained from vehicle registration databases, traffic surveys, and other governmental records. Often, in low- and middle-income countries like India, these numbers require extensive data cleaning before they can be used for emissions and pollution analysis. This paper presents a cleaned, open-access vehicle stock database for India and outlines a methodology to build and maintain an in-use vehicle age-mix database for future years. The database covers the years 1993 to 2018 for the entire country and individual states, along with estimates of the age distribution of vehicles using survival functions. By offering a comprehensive and reliable data source, this paper aims to support sustainable national and urban air quality management efforts, helping policymakers and stakeholders make informed decisions to improve air quality and public health. Full article

This study provides a detailed analysis of land use and land cover (LULC) changes at the district level within the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) from 2001 to 2021. Using the Indian Meteorological Department’s sub-divisional framework and MODIS data across seven primary LULC classes, the analysis is instrumental in informing infrastructure planning for existing and future smart cities and industrial clusters within the DMIC. The key findings reveal a yearly increase of 3031.40 sq. km. per year in agricultural land, with decreases in shrubland, grassland, and bareland of −1774.72 sq. km. per year, −1119.62 sq. km. per year, and −203.76 sq. km. per year, respectively. On the other hand, forests grew by a modest 148.14 sq. km. per year, while waterbodies and built-up lands saw minor increases of 55.73 sq. km. and 21.48 sq. km. per year. Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) were evaluated for LULC changes. The smart cities of Pune and Thane serve as excellent examples of balanced urban development and natural growth management. However, the study also highlights the need for further research to investigate LULC impacts on climatic variables, advocating for a regional planning approach in the DMIC. Full article

In rapidly growing urban contexts, water plays a pivotal role in the transitions the urban environment goes through to sustain the quality of life of its population. Spatial planning and design are essential for the facilitation and manifestation of such transitions. Focusing on Bhuj, a rapidly growing Indian city in a hot arid desert climate, its crucial yet changing sensitivity to urban water flows over time is assessed. The concept of water sensitivity is coined as a goal to pursue by the Water-Sensitive Urban Design approach. In India, however, much of the urban design and development processes are of an unplanned and informal nature, seemingly inhibiting the water sensitivity of urban transitions. Reviewing spatial planning paradigms and their manifestation in space in Bhuj over time, however, brings to light a pre-existing water sensitivity. Yet it also shows a shift from the supply security-oriented ingenious watershed expansion to catastrophe-steered and urban expansion-driven water system negligence. Review and discussion of past and present urban water transitions and management points out drivers, barriers, and their interrelationships, to enable and advance water-sensitive urban development tied to local history, traditional knowledge, and context specificities. Full article

In rapidly expanding Indian cities, the current provisions for public urban green spaces (PUGS) falls below the minimum standards recommended by the WHO, linked with the well-being of urban dwellers. The local authorities are struggling to fulfill the supply side gap, with a disparity in PUGS provisions. Currently, the provisions focus on fulfilling the prerequisites identified by the planning agencies and do not appropriately address the urban greenspace demands. However, effective planning has been emphasized as a way to respond to the diverse, competing and changing demands of PUGS, allowing the incorporation of the needs and preferences of urban dwellers in the planning and management of PUGS to help determine their multifunctionality, usefulness, and popularity. In response, this study attempts to capture the demands of urban dwellers through local social data for neighborhood PUGS of the fast-urbanizing Nagpur. We attempt to assist local authorities in better understanding the provisions for planning and managing PUGS that can fulfil the growing PUGS needs of urban dwellers. Via a social survey of users and residents, we capture visitations, usage, activities, motives of visits, and perceptions about neighborhood PUGS characteristics. The findings highlight the determinants that influence the usage and favored activities. Urban dwellers have a strong tendency to use neighborhood “parks and gardens” due to their convenient proximity, emphasizing how crucial their location is in shaping urban residents’ engagement with these spaces. The socio-demographics shape the preference, and the locals hold negative perceptions about size, vegetation, amenities, as well as maintenance. The identified determinants (access and availability), influencing factors (socio-demographic), and the barrier to usage (negative perceptions) need prioritized attention from the local authorities to accommodate the diverse and competing demands of different sub-groups of the urban dwellers. Full article

Neighborhood sustainability assessment systems support the planning of sustainable and resilient cities. This research analyses, compares, and evaluates three neighborhood sustainability assessment systems (NSA) of (i) the German Sustainable Building Council for Urban Districts (DGNB–UD), (ii) the USA Leadership in energy and environmental design for Neighborhood Development (LEED–ND), and (iii) the Indian Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment for Large Developments (GRIHA–LD). The theoretical background, certification types, process, and evaluation methods of the three NSAs are discussed. The qualitative and quantitative comparative analysis and evaluation methods of the NSAs included identifying and assessing ten weighted essential urban sustainability themes. Indicators under each theme were identified and compared in the NSAs. The comparison showed the importance of particular themes based on assigned weights. LEED–ND focuses on “transportation” and “site planning”, while DGNB–UD addresses all dimensions of sustainability in a balanced manner. GRIHA–LD has limitations concerning social, economic, and governance concerns. The research results define differences and similarities in international neighborhood sustainability assessment and illustrate the quality and quantity differences of sustainability and resilience aspects addressed by the three existing NSA systems as a starting basis for the future improvement of existing and development of new land sustainability and resilience assessment systems. Full article

With the considerable growth in the information and communication technology (ICT), several smartphone-based mobility platforms have already sprung up and they have the potential of transforming the mobility ecosystem completely. However, there is close to no knowledge available about how ICT-based smartphone apps meant for day-to-day trip planning tasks are being used across various user groups and how they influence travel outcomes, especially in Indian cities. Therefore, this study is an effort to close this gap by gathering data from the city of Bhopal and carrying out an exploratory statistical analysis on the usage of smartphone apps for different types of trip planning purposes, as well as their influence on travel outcomes. The study provides empirical evidence of relationships between smartphone app usage for trip planning (such as departure time, destination selection, mode selection, route selection, communicating and coordinating trips, and performing tasks online rather than visiting) and the resulting travel outcomes, such as kilometres travelled by vehicle (for purposes, such as work/education, shopping, and recreation), social gatherings, new destinations, and group trips. The chi-square test has been used to test and interpret several socioeconomic variables that could influence this relationship, such as gender, age, income, etc. The study’s findings provide important behavioural insights that may be useful in policy discussions. Full article

In this research, expert opinions on universal mobility in the footpaths of urban India have been critically appraised. Universal mobility (as a component of universal design) is still a largely ignored urban parameter in India despite an increase of 732.20% in the specially-abled and 105.25% in the elderly between 1911 and 2011. A total of 257 experts from the field of architecture and planning hailing from 66 cities in India were interviewed for this research. It was found that despite nationally implemented universal design guidelines, footpaths in 42.8% of the cities do not have universal mobility. In total, 74.7% of the respondents identify the dimension of the footpath as the most important factor for implementing universal mobility. The results of this study indicate the importance of universal design in improving the quality of life in Indian cities, and how urban local bodies can play a significant role in the process by using Public Private Partnership (hereafter, PPP) models and a new accessibility audit checklist. Full article

In fast urbanizing cities, fragmentation of urban green infrastructure (UGI) commonly arises due to lack of efficient planning to maintain the quantity and improve their quality. As ecological processes and landscape patterns are closely intertwined, it is a prerequisite to investigate landscape structure when aiming at better provision of ecosystem services. This study integrates remote sensing, geographic information system, combination of landscape metrics, and multi-variated statistics to delineate structural attributes influencing UGI Quality (UGIQ). We exemplify our methodology in three capital cities of Indian Himalayan states at administrative ward level. The UGIQ is derived by comparing landscape characters defined by nine metrics denoting area, shape, and aggregation attributes. By employing principal component analysis (PCA) and multi-collinearity diagnosis, a set of quality defining metrics are obtained for each city. Further, to gain insightful spatial basis for improving connectivity, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) is used to visualize and classify patches into seven morphological classes. Landscape characterization highlights a pattern of low-quality wards having a limited number and area of UGI patches in urban centers, and high-quality wards with complex and aggregated patches towards fringes. PCA identifies the positive influence of area (LPI, AREA_MN) and shape (LSI, FRAC_AM, CONTIG) metrics and negative influence of patch distance (ENN_MN) and fragmentation (PD) on UGIQ in different combinations across the cities. Higher shares of morphological core and edge classes are recognized for overall UGIQ improvement. The results provide quantitative measures to develop integrated spatial planning strategies. Full article

The Western Himalaya are experiencing and epitomizing growing urbanization trends due to rapid population and tourism rise across the Indian Himalayan region. The pace and process of urban development in these regions are largely unplanned and unregulated; consequently, the altered landscape composition and configuration are influencing key ecological processes and functions supporting human wellbeing. Existing urbanization research addressing this issue has mainly focused on large urban centers, underrepresenting the potential role of medium-sized cities in sustainable landscape planning. Thus, this study attempted to quantify land use/land cover and landscape pattern dynamics in response to urban growth and expansion in and around two emerging urban centers—Dharamsala and Pithoragarh, Western Himalaya, over the past two decades. The study was split into three temporal periods, and intensity analysis was used to characterize transformational patterns in the city and outer zone of each landscape. The results indicate that, during the T2 and T3 period, the overall LULC dynamics was highest in Dharamsala and Pithoragarh, respectively. The urban development in Dharamsala occurred at the expense of cropland followed by vegetation and forest, while, in Pithoragarh, it occurred at the expense of cropland followed by vegetation loss dominated. Furthermore, the landscape pattern results highlighted the aggregation and homogenization at the city level, with a higher degree of disaggregation, fragmentation, and heterogeneity in outer zone. This paper highlights the importance of transformational patterns based on intensity analysis and landscape patterns to sustainable landscape development and planning. In addition, considering the past to present urban development trajectories, this study purposes a framework for sustainable landscape development in Himalaya for urban planners and policymakers. Full article

Rapid urbanization and haphazard development derive the changes in land uses and affect the naturally available resources which are essential for human development and other lives. Land use changes can undermine the environment and ecology of an urban area. Although many studies on the land use changes, trends, status, directions, and the relationship between them have been conducted for Chinese cities, none of them have been completed for Indian cities and also not for NCT Delhi. The aim of the study is to analyze the impact of land use changes on surface water resources. So, this study aims to analyze the effects of land use changes on surface water resources in NCT Delhi, one water-stressed city in India. The analysis is comprised of changes, trends, status, and directions for surface water resources and other types of land use for showing the effects. Comprehensive tools such as remote sensing, GIS, and the cross-tabulation method are used for the assessment of land use changes, trends, and status. Four decadal (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020) satellite maps have been used to study the temporal-spatial data of several land uses and to calculate the index of land use changes for investigating the trends and status. In the form of results, the comprehensive net change (18.28%) and total change (49.28%) with a trend value of 0.37 show the quasi-balanced, two-way transition and positive changes in the whole area. This metrics-based study shows that surface water resources land use type is decreasing, and built-up land use type is increasing since 1990. Population growth, economic and industrial development were the major factors for the variations in built-up, green, and other land uses. This metrics-based analysis study is an important perspective for protecting urban water bodies from effects of land use changes. These understandings on land use changes and temporal-spatial relationships are important for present and future land use development and surface water resource planning. This study will help the Delhi Government’s initiatives for the rejuvenation of urban water bodies by endorsing the land use regulations on surrounding land uses. Full article

High ambient temperature is a key public health problem, as it is linked to high heat-related morbidity and mortality. We intended to recognize the characteristics connected to heat vulnerability and the coping practices among Indian urbanites of Angul and Kolkata. In 2020, a cross-sectional design was applied to 500 households (HHs) each in Angul and Kolkata. Information was gathered on various characteristics including sociodemographics, household, exposure, sensitivity, and coping practices regarding heat and summer heat illness history, and these characteristics led to the computation of a heat vulnerability index (HVI). Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used with HVI as the outcome variable to identify the determinants of high vulnerability to heat. The results show that some common and some different factors are responsible for determining the heat vulnerability of a household across different cities. For Angul, the factors that influence vulnerability are a greater number of rooms in houses, the use of cooling methods such as air conditioning, having comorbid conditions, the gender of the household head, and distance from nearby a primary health centre (PHC). For Kolkata, the factors are unemployment, income, the number of rooms, sleeping patterns, avoidance of nonvegetarian food, sources of water, comorbidities, and distance from a PHC. The study shows that every city has a different set of variables that influences vulnerability, and each factor should be considered in design plans to mitigate vulnerability to extreme heat. Full article

Drought is a meteorological and hydrological phenomenon affecting the environment, agriculture, and socioeconomic conditions, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. A better understanding of drought characteristics over short and long timescales is therefore crucial for drought mitigation and long-term strategies. For the first time, this study evaluates the occurrence, duration, and intensity of drought over the Republic of Djibouti by using a long-term (1961–2021) rainfall time series at Djibouti Airport, completed by the CHIRPS precipitation product and local records from 35 weather stations. The drought is examined based on the Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 24-month timescales, so as to document short-, medium-, and long-duration events. The SPEI and SPI showed a significant drying tendency for the indices computed over 12 and 24 months at Djibouti Airport. The eastern coastal region of the Republic of Djibouti was the most affected by the increased drought incidence in recent decades, with more than 80% of the extremely and severely dry events occurring within the period 2007–2017. In contrast, the western regions recorded a positive trend in their SPIs during the period 1981–2021, due to the dominance of the June–September (JJAS) rains, which tend to increase. However, in the last few decades, the whole country experienced the droughts of 2006/2007 and 2010/2011, which were the longest and most intense on record. Large-scale climate variability in the Indo-Pacific region partially affects drought in Djibouti. The SPI and SPEI are significantly positively correlated with the Indian Ocean Dipole during October–December (OND), while for JJAS the SPI and SPEI are negatively correlated with Nino3.4. The wet event in 2019 (OND) causing devastating floods in Djibouti city was linked with a positive IOD anomaly. This study provides essential information on the characteristics of drought in the Republic of Djibouti for decision-makers to better plan appropriate strategies for early warning systems to adapt and mitigate recurrent droughts that put the country’s agro-pastoral populations in a precarious situation. Full article