Search Results (4)

Green roofs and photovoltaic (PV) roofs are important forms of roof retrofitting, and unused rural roofs provide favorable conditions for the development of green roofs and PV roofs. Here, this study proposes a new method for assessing the potential of multifunctional retrofitting of rural roofs. Firstly, rural roof types were classified into three categories based on GF-2 imagery: flat roofs, east–west pitched roofs, and north–south pitched roofs. The roof types were extracted based on the revised U-Net model, which aims to enhance the extracted features of the buildings and improve the perception of the buildings. Secondly, three types of retrofits—PV roofs, green roofs, and PV-green roofs—were designed taking into account the type, orientation, and area of the roofs. Finally, the potential electricity and carbon benefits of the different retrofit types of roofs were calculated separately, with the aim of realizing an assessment of the potential for roof retrofitting in the rural areas of Mentougou, Beijing. The results of the study showed that 35,407 (281.97 ha) roofs could be used for multifunctional retrofitting. If rural roofs are retrofitted with multifunctionality according to the methodology of this paper, they can absorb an additional 4.66 × 10⁴ kg/yr of CO₂ and increase biomass production by 0.99 × 10⁴ kg/yr compared to retrofitting only PV roofs, and they can generate an additional 34.1 GWh/yr of electricity and reduce CO₂ emissions by an additional 3.3 × 10⁷ kg/yr compared to retrofitting to both PV roofs and green roofs. The assessment methodology of this study provides decision makers with data references on the multifunctional potential of rural rooftops for retrofitting, which can optimize the use of rural rooftops, and at the same time is important for promoting the energy transition in rural areas. Full article

There are still gaps in the legislation on the protection of rural areas in Turkey. Despite these gaps, rural settlements and the cultural heritage in these settlements are attracting attention with the increasing demand for places with high ecotourism potential, which has become more popular with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many rural areas, especially those with unused vernacular architectural elements, have been rehabilitated and made available for ecotourism use by local people and tourists. One such area is the (former) village of Beydilli in the Sütçüler district of Isparta province, Turkey. The people of the village have abandoned this area, which has a history of about 250 years, due to the lack of transport and other facilities, and only a few building owners visit the village for transhumance in the summer, but even these users use the houses as warehouses. In order to achieve this objective, the present study employed a range of methods, including on-site observation, laser measurement (surveying), utilisation of oral sources, texture analysis, typological comparison, and SWOT analysis. These methods were selected for their suitability for the protection of rural architecture in a context of ecotourism. In order to develop rural tourism in a manner that preserves the cultural heritage, a series of solution proposals have been developed under a number of different headings, including transportation, accessibility, the physical condition of buildings, socio-economic factors, and the tourism sector. In making decisions, consideration was given to the potential for ecotourism in the Sütçüler district, to which Beydili is connected. The principal objective of this research is to present the findings of the study, which focuses on cultural heritage and its conservation in order to ensure the sustainability of ecotourism planning in rural areas, with a specific case study of Beydilli Village in the Sütçüler District of Isparta. Furthermore, this study aims to highlight the significance of safeguarding cultural heritage, which constitutes a vital component of rural tourism in Turkey. Despite the existence of inadequate rural protection legislation, this study seeks to document the conservation status of Beydilli Village, which has not undergone any conservation work to date. Full article

Currently, access to electricity in the cities of the Global South is so limited that electrification remains low in rural areas. Unless properly tackled, one-third of the world’s cities will suffer from energy scarcity. The emergence of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology accelerates the deployment of decentralized and sustainable energy solutions that can address the looming energy shortage. This review consolidates scattered knowledge into one article about the performance of MFC in optimizing electricity generation from phosphorus (P)-laden wastewater, while removing the target nutrient from wastewater simultaneously. It is obvious from a literature survey of 108 published articles (1999–2022) that the applications of MFC for building a self-powered municipal water treatment system represents an important breakthrough, as this enables water treatment operators to generate electricity without affecting the atmospheric balance of CO₂. Using a pyrite-based wetland MFC, about 91% of P was removed after operating 180 days, while generating power output of 48 A/m². Unlike other techniques, MFCs utilize bacteria that act as micro-reactors and allow substrates to be oxidized completely. The Earth’s tiniest inhabitants can efficiently transform the chemical energy of organic matter in unused wastewater either into hydrogen gas or electricity. This facilitates wastewater treatment plants powering themselves in daily operation or selling electricity on the market. This MFC technology radically changes how to treat wastewater universally. By exploring this direction along the water–energy–food nexus, MFC technology could transform wastewater treatment plants into a key sustainability tool in the energy sector. This suggests that MFCs provide a practical solution that addresses the need of global society for clean water and electricity simultaneously. Full article

Knowledge of the environment and its weaknesses is the first step in addressing urban development in a more sustainable direction, seeking, for example, to limit the occupation of new land. This research presents a methodology for identifying unused buildings in rural areas and providing strategies for the recovery and reuse of building heritage. The reuse of idle buildings, which are numerous and widespread in Italian agricultural areas, represents a valid opportunity to contain land occupation, redevelop unused areas (often degraded) and develop employment opportunities and social dynamics (as in the case of nonresidential use). The paper defines an expeditious methodology for the identification and subsequent mapping, on a municipal scale, of the unused building heritage that is external to the consolidated urban fabric. The initial data from a case study for the municipality of Chiari (in Italy) are significant: more than 370 unused real estate structures were identified. A successive analysis identified the individual buildings that were completely unused and proposes an assessment of their potential recovery value. This methodology can be useful for directing municipal urban planning strategies and regulations for the recovery of buildings in rural areas and for environmentally acceptable land utilization. Full article