This thesis develops quantitative indicators of environmental sustainability for Mexico City and its metropolitan zone of influence (MCMZ). These indicators of sustainability were developed by taking into account seven key variables for the urban environment: the water supply situation, air pollution, transportation and roads, energy, solid wastes, the housing supply and green areas. Based on these indicators and the history of the city's physical evolution since it was founded seven centuries ago, a desirable type of urban form is proposed, one in which there is a "decentralized concentration" which would allow Mexico City to approach sustainability in a time frame that concludes in or about the year 2030. Accordingly, the thesis proposes urban policy measures that, while addressing issues of sustainability, permit Mexico City to face the challenges of globalisation, which would entail transforming it into a "global city'' within a worldwide network of great cities. The urban policy and environmental measures that are recommended anticipate the largest economic, demographic and technological changes that will affect Mexico City, but are above all in harmony with the natural ecosystems of the elevated endorheic basin in which it lies. They do no call for a break with or the alteration of the city's natural landscape or its already constructed historical patrimony and, when possible, they presuppose a new sustainable hydraulic model, capable of restoring lakes and recharging the underground aquifer. Finally, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the recuperation of green areas in accordance with the basin's original natural vegetation. / Geography / D.Litt. et Phil. (Geography)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2125.pdf: 7879891 bytes, checksum: e80ceb14a2ac63501f1ee48b24e98926 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-26 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The city s transportation system has been a big problem in urban planning, due to constant increasing of vehicles fleet, absence of road network monitoring, air pollution, and conflicts between pedestrian and car. Therefore the development of alternatives that encourage the sustainable travel modes realization, as non-motorized modes and public transportation becomes necessary, reducing, consequently, the number of trips by car. In order to assist urban planning process on the sustainable transportation modes preference and to contribute to better urban spaces for citizens, the objective of this study is to analyze the existent relations between urban form of six traffic zones in Uberlândia city, Minas Gerais State and its urban transportation system, defining how physical features of a certain region influences people traveling behavior. Urban form variables defined as important to this study and analyzed on traffic zones level were: urban density; diversity of land use; quality of favorable places to nonmotorized transportation; availability of public transportation; routes design and connectivity; city topography. To determine the urban form influence on travel behavior different discreet choice models, multinomial logit type, were calibrated. First of all, the models were calibrated using only travelers socio-economic variables and then variables that characterize urban form were included. Results indicated that urban form variables don't have significant influence on the modal choice process in trips in the city, not being, therefore, determinant to define that transport mode must be used. Socio-economic variables, in special, the income and the trip distance were the most determinative factors for the transport mode choice. / O sistema de transporte das cidades tem se apresentado como uma grande fonte de problemas frente ao processo de planejamento urbano, devido ao crescente aumento da frota de veículos, o não acompanhamento da malha viária, a poluição do ar, e os conflitos entre pedestres e automóveis. Diante disso, se faz necessário o desenvolvimento de alternativas que incentivem a realização de viagens por modos sustentáveis, como os modos não motorizados e o transporte coletivo, diminuindo de forma conseqüente o número de viagens realizadas por automóvel. No intuito de auxiliar no processo de planejamento urbano a fim de privilegiar os modos de transporte sustentáveis e contribuir para o provimento de espaços urbanos melhores aos cidadãos, este estudo tem o objetivo de analisar as relações existentes entre a forma urbana de seis zonas de tráfego da cidade de Uberlândia/MG, e o seu sistema de transporte urbano, buscando definir como as características físicas de uma determinada região influenciam no comportamento de viagem das pessoas. As variáveis da forma urbana definidas como importantes para este estudo e analisadas em nível de zonas de tráfego foram: densidade urbana; diversidade de usos do solo; qualidade dos espaços que favoreçam o transporte não motorizado; disponibilidade de transporte coletivo; desenho e conectividade das vias; e topografia da cidade. Para determinar o grau de influência da forma urbana sobre o comportamento de viagem foram calibrados diversos modelos de escolha discreta do tipo logit multinomial. Primeiro foram calibrados modelos utilizando apenas as variáveis sócio-econômicas dos viajantes e depois se passou a incluir as variáveis que caracterizam a forma urbana. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que as variáveis da forma urbana não têm influência significativa no processo de escolha modal nas viagens realizadas dentro na cidade, não sendo determinantes para definição do modo de transporte a ser usado. As variáveis sócio-econômicas, em especial a renda, e o comprimento das viagens se mostraram como os fatores mais determinantes para a escolha do modo de transporte.

Les bâtiments représentent 40 pourcents de la consommation finale d'énergie. Ils sont ainsi le fer de lance des politiques de réduction des dépenses énergétiques. Récemment, des systèmes de modèles climatiques qui incluent un modèle atmosphérique régional et des paramétrisations urbaines sophistiquées ont été développés. Ils considèrent la complexité de l’îlot de chaleur urbain et ses interactions avec les besoins énergétiques des bâtiments. Dans quelle mesure ces systèmes constituent-ils des outils d’aide à la décision pour les autorités locales ? Cette étude menée sur le territoire de l'Eurodistrict (Strasbourg - Kehl) en 2010, puis en 2030, à l’aide du système de modèles de climat WRF/ARW-BEP+BEM a démontré que si le système de modèles estimait de manière fiable les besoins en chauffage des bâtiments, ces derniers étaient davantage sensibles aux caractéristiques intrinsèques des bâtiments qu'aux formes urbaines et à l'îlot de chaleur urbain induit par ces formes. / Buildings represent 40 percent of the end-use energy. Thus, they constitute a key point of the energy saving policies. Recently, climate modeling systems that include a mesoscale atmospheric model, sophisticated urban parameterizations have been developed to account for the complexity of the urban climate and its interactions with the building energy loads. This study aims to assess the capability of such climate modeling systems to provide climate and energy guidelines to urban planners. For this, we used the research collaborative WRF/ARW-BEP+BEM climate modeling system and performed sensitivity tests considering the territory of the Eurodistrict in 2010, and then in 2030. The results reveal that the climate modeling system achieves estimating the building energy needs over the study area, but also indicate that the building energy needs are more sensitive to the building intrinsic properties and occupant behavior than to the urban forms and their induced urban heat island.

Nombreuses sont les villes françaises à abriter des éléments d’architecture militaire (citadelles, casernes, bastions,murailles, etc.). Bien que les fonctions défensives à l’origine de ces ouvrages soient peu à peu tombées en désuétude,ceux-ci sont ancrés dans les tissus urbains des cités qui les abritent aujourd’hui encore. Ils participent des morphologiesurbaines, des schémas fonctionnels et, plus globalement, de la manière dont la notion de ville est appréhendée.Les villes font dorénavant face à de nouveaux enjeux qui poussent à renouveler les cadres au travers desquelles ellessont traditionnellement approchées. L’étalement urbain, ses conséquences, la nécessité de tendre vers un urbanismerenouvelé et plus durable amènent à porter un nouveau regard sur les fortifications urbaines. Au-delà de son aspectsymbolique, ce type d’architecture est marqué par des caractéristiques spatiales hors-normes (localisation, volumétrie,géométrie) qui engagent à l’analyser au travers des prismes méthodologiques et conceptuels que fournit la géographie.Comment l’héritage des fortifications urbaines peut-il aujourd’hui être mobilisé afin de créer un espace urbain cohérent,tant sur le plan spatial que social ou symbolique et ainsi répondre aux aspiration des villes actuelles ?La première partie de la thèse porte sur les enjeux auxquels les “villes fortes” sont aujourd’hui confrontées (modernisation,croissance étalement urbain, etc.) et la manière dont leurs “ouvrages lourds” sont affectés. La deuxième partiedu travail s’attache à caractériser le phénomène des “villes fortes” en France aujourd’hui par le biais d’approchesdescriptives, empiriques et statistiques qui permettent de formaliser et d’analyser les logiques et les règles qui régissentle devenir des anciens ouvrages défensifs. La dernière partie de la thèse étudie le potentiel d’urbanisation des zones etouvrages militaires et propose de mesurer l’impact de leur transformation en logements dans le cadre d’un scénariode renouvellement urbain compact pour la ville de Besançon. Il s’agit d’évaluer les conséquences de telles mesuressur le schéma fonctionnel des villes et les formes urbaines. L’ensemble de ces travaux montre l’intérêt du recours auxouvrages défensifs dans le cadre d’un urbanisme à la fois renouvelé, mais aussi plus “durable”, en conformité avec lesformes urbaines, les demandes contemporaines et les projets des villes. / A large number of french cities host military historical edifices (citadels, barracks, bastions, defensive walls, etc.). Although their initial defensive functions have been lost over time, these edifices remain deeply rooted in the urban fabric of their host cities. They continue exerting an impact on these cities’ urban morphology and modern-time functions as well as the way in which the concept of city is understood. Cities nowadays face some new challenges,the increasing awareness of urban sprawl and its consequences, coupled with an urge to promote a renewed and sustainable urbanism, invites us to adopt new approaches to study urban fortifications. In addition to their symbolic aspect, fortifications are characterized by their out-of-the-common spatial measure (location, volume and geometry),requiring researchers to use methodologies and geographical concepts for their academic endeavour. Against this background : how can urban fortifications be used to create urban space that is spatially, socially and symbolically coherent with their historical heritage and that also satisfies the functional need of modern cities ?The first part of this doctoral dissertation present modern-day challenges that fortified cities face (modernisation,urban expansion and sprawl, etc.), and the ways in which their “heavy buildings” are affected. The second part sheds light on the relationships between cities and their fortifications, thanks to descriptive, empirical and statistical analyses. The statistical study noticeably builds on a database to examine the rationale and rules underpinning there habilitation of ancient military edifices. The last part of the dissertation proposes an evaluation of the potential of rehabilitating ancient military edifices and spaces for modern urban usage. For this purpose the impact of transforming these fortifications into residential blocks is assessed in a fortified French city (Besançon). This assessment aims at evaluating the consequences of such urban planning measures on urban morphology and functions. Overall, the analysis provided in that doctoral dissertation demonstrates that ancient military buildings have their place in contemporary urban planning. They help to achieve a renewed and sustainable urban design in line with the urban morphology,modern social and functional requirements and the development perspectives in their host cities.

The city of Isfahan, one of the most historic urban settlements in Iran, has undergone dramatic socio-spatial transformations during the recent decades, beginning with the modernization programs of the 1920s. While the urban structure of Isfahan was the outcome of a process over centuries of incremental evolution, a new mode of place making and street patterns was imposed on the historic fabric of the city within the space of only a few decades. From a design methodological perspective, this dissertation analyzes how the socio-spatial interactions have influenced the formation of Isfahan over the course of its history. In this respect, some of the crucial periods of Isfahan’s urban development history are discussed. It is argued how the contemporary urban renewal doctrines have affected the existing socio-spatial communications of the city along its transformation path. Therefore, the essence of this study is to illustrate the mutual relations between physical transformations and social communications through the city of Isfahan. However, this research has no intention to criticize the modernization of cities, since they are often unavoidable and necessary. But it targets the rigidity of urban design strategies as were implemented in the historic cities of Iran. In this thesis, the information-rich case of Isfahan is discussed through a descriptive analysis combined with the deployment of mixed method strategies. The ultimate goal is to develop alternative ideas which can support revitalization of cities with respect to their socio-spatial communications as well as their architectural heritage. / QC 20110128

No description available.

This thesis aims to set out an urban design framework, based on pedestrian experiences and pedestrian spaces, in order to take up streets to design or enhance them as pedestrian friendly urban public places. This could also be considered as a model of approach, which assumes a normative manner. Pedestrian urban places are surveyed, then analyses are drawn that will lead to design. In that framework, the study first summarizes theoretical concepts of urbanity, urban quality and pedestrian experiences, which are necessary for examining these places. Then, it puts out how an urban place is examined with respect to the three main headings, which constitute the components of urban places: urban form, urban image and urban activity. The study area, 7th Street in Bah&ccedil / elievler, has become a secondary centre with its vitality and the diversity of activities attracting many people from other districts besides local residents. However, initially planned within a housing cooperative, the neighbourhood has lost much from its cultural and urban accumulation due to global dynamics based on consumption. What is more, 7th Street is quite inadequate in providing an easy circulation both for pedestrians and vehicles as well as providing a quality urban place with its every element. Hence, the street has been examined with the above framework. This is done first with respect to the above mentioned components, and then with the information based on maps, photographs, personal observations and questionnaires which are done in order to find out the problems and characteristics of the users as well as their perceptive qualities. The conclusions together with strengths and weaknesses, which are derived from these surveys, have been used to set specific design guidelines for the area.

Throughout time, cities have been built in different ways and city structures can look different in different places in the world. The urban planning ideal has changed and small narrow alleys in the city have today been replaced by large roads adapted for cars. Streets can function as everything from transport routes to social meeting spaces depending on the design and experience. But the street, and the street space, which is the space that forms the surface between buildings, can today often be forgotten and experienced as tedious for many. In the work towards a more sustainable society, there is a lot that can be done in urban planning, and one of these is to design more attractive, safe and lively street spaces in order to meet the challenges that a growing city brings. Södertälje is a growing municipality in Stockholm County which will face these challenges while expanding. This study therefore aims to investigate Nygatan and Järnagatan in Södertälje's city centre based on their physical design, use and experiences of citizens and officials. This is to produce a basis for the design of a policy for sustainable improvement measures in the work to create a safe, lively and attractive street environment in Södertälje. To achieve the purpose of the study, a literature study was carried out together with the creation of a theoretical framework based on the various theories of Jan Gehl, Jane Jacobs and Warm in the Winter. In the theoretical framework, a model is developed with the five categories of urban form, mobility, environment, social and enjoyment, which were the basis for the various parts of the report. A spatial analysis was performed to obtain a physical description of Nygatan and Järnagatan. In addition, a document study was carried out to investigate which goals and strategies Södertälje municipality has. Furthermore, nine actors in Södertälje municipality were interviewed and a survey was carried out to investigate how the citizens experience and use the two streets in the city centre, whereas 188 citizens participated. The results from the spatial analysis showed that Nygatan had significantly more criteria that were considered poor than Järnagatan had. The interviews indicate that the officials and actors believe that Södertälje has good potential and that the two street spaces can be developed even more, especially Nygatan. The survey showed that citizens consider Nygatan to be a dull street with too much traffic and too little social activities, restaurants/shops and greenery. Järnagatan was experienced in a more positive way, but even there the range of restaurants/shops was poor and more greenery and social activities were desired. Even though a street can fulfil the theoretical criteria that exist, the street space may lack important aspects that can be vital and act as the last piece of the puzzle to make a street safe, lively and attractive. The conclusion is that it is the whole of the street space that makes it successful and that the interaction between different factors matters. A street should both look good, function well and feel good. Finally, different solutions and methods should be tried because no street space is the same. Södertälje is well on its way to exploring the various solutions to create better street space through the projects and events they initiate. / Genom alla tider har städer byggts på olika sätt och stadens strukturer kan se annorlunda ut på olika platser i världen. Stadsplaneidealet har förändrats och små trånga gränder i staden har idag ersatts av stora vägar anpassade för bilar. Gator kan fungera som allt från transportsträckor till sociala mötesrum beroende på utformning och upplevelse. Men gatan, och gaturummet, som är det rum som utgör ytan mellan byggnader, kan idag ofta glömmas bort och upplevas som trista för många. I arbetet mot ett mer hållbart samhälle finns det en hel del som kan göras inom stadsplaneringen, och ett av dessa är att utforma mer attraktiva, trygga och levande gaturum för att kunna möta de utmaningar som en växande stad för med sig. Södertälje är en växande kommun i Stockholms län som i och med expansionen kommer stå inför dessa utmaningar.  Denna studie syftar därför till att undersöka Nygatan och Järnagatan i Södertäljes stadskärna utifrån deras fysiska utformning, användning samt upplevelser av medborgare och tjänstepersoner. Detta för att ta fram ett underlag till utformningen av en policy för hållbara förbättringsåtgärder i arbetet med att skapa en trygg, levande och attraktiv gatumiljö i Södertälje. För att uppnå syftet med studien genomfördes en litteraturstudie i samband med skapandet av ett teoretiskt ramverk baserat på Jan Gehls, Jane Jacobs och Warm in the Winters olika teorier. I det teoretiska ramverket utvecklades en modell med de fem kategorierna stadsform, mobilitet, miljö, socialt och njutning som låg till grund för studiens olika delar. En rumslig analys utfördes för att få en fysisk beskrivning av Nygatan och Järnagatan. Dessutom genomfördes en dokumentstudie för att undersöka vilka mål och strategier Södertälje kommun har. Vidare intervjuades nio aktörer i Södertälje kommun och en enkätundersökning utfördes för att undersöka hur medborgarna upplever och använder de två gatorna i stadskärnan, där 188 medborgare deltog.  Resultatet från den rumsliga analysen visade att Nygatan hade betydligt fler undermåliga kriterier än vad Järnagatan hade. Intervjuerna tyder på att tjänstepersonerna och aktörerna anser att Södertälje har god potential och att de två gaturummen kan utvecklas ännu mer, i synnerhet Nygatan. Enkäten visade att medborgarna anser att Nygatan är en trist gata med för mycket trafik och för lite sociala aktiviteter, restauranger/butiker och grönska. Järnagatan upplevdes på ett positivare sätt men även där var utbudet av restauranger/butiker dåligt och mer grönska samt sociala aktiviteter önskades.  Trots att en gata och dess gaturum kan uppfylla de teoretiska kriterier som finns så kan gaturummet sakna viktiga aspekter som kan vara avgörande och den sista pusselbiten till att göra en gata trygg, levande och attraktiv. Slutsatsen dras om att det är helheten i gaturummet som gör det lyckat och att samspelet mellan olika faktorer spelar roll. En gata bör både se bra ut, fungera bra och kännas bra. Slutligen bör olika lösningar och metoder prövas eftersom inget gaturum är det andra likt. Södertälje är på god väg i att utforska de olika lösningarna för att skapa bättre gaturum genom de projekt och evenemang som de kontinuerligt arbetar med.