Abstract

The ubiquitous sameness of urban greenways prompts questions on generative design grammar and syntax, whether creative, critical rethinking at that level might be lacking. However the design syntax of urban greenways is not explicitly discussed thus leaving a critical gap in knowledge. This paper begins tackling the larger question by acting on the fundamental subset of it, by operationalizing the design syntax of urban greenways. This is done through mathematics-based graph studies to analyze patterns and shapes, photography based thermal, material and morphology studies, and section analyses to make imagery-derived deductions on the design syntax. Recommendation on approaches to diversify and enrich the design syntax includes a more direct reference from ecosystem science theories such for siting and planning the urban greenways at macro- to meso-scale, a mixed-method approach, combining mathematics, photography and drawings based frames for analyses at meso-, to micro-scale, and a turtle view scale for designing at meso- to micro-scale, with an emphasis on latter.

Abstract

The paper presents means and models of city-landscape characteristic structure construction on the aspect of landscape aesthetics subjects, which is called the landscape characteristic aesthetic structure and in short as LCAS. In this paper, the steps of LCAS research are as follows: Describes the concepts of the landscape characteristic aesthetic structure (LCAS), and expounds the LCAS properties: systematic quality, temporal and spatial quality, and virtual existence. Learns from typology research methods, discusses the elements and types needed in a landscape characteristic aesthetic system, and constructs research method for LCAS pattern. As for the temporal dimension, the dynamic evolution and interaction expressed in LCAS between the “tradition” and “modernity” landscapes conflict. As for the spatial dimension, this paper explores the LCAS patterns in macroscopic scope of city group, the middle scope of single cities and the microcosmic scope of urban spaces with questionnaires and examples research. Uses pattern language to express different LCAS types in the temporal and spatial system. We develop the patterns of various LCAS types with graphical patterned representation, as well as construct the LCAS research method and theory which is based on the general peoples aesthetic standards and sensibilities to build city characteristics and urban landscapes as a guidance.

Abstract

Our digital world is increasingly visual. Mobile applications focused on digital photography such as Instagram are vehicles for the creation, manipulation and instant diffusion of images. Instagram is therefore an open window to research in Social Sciences and Digital Humanities, and an opportunity to investigate how young users of this application develop visual culture in their local environments through global visual languages. The present work analyzes the production of Instagram in Granada from a sample of 955.564 publications and 375.758 images published and geolocated over a year (between April 2017 and April 2018), with the aim of showing how the image of a city is socially constructed. The geographical, social network, and content analysis of the study sample has allowed to establish which are the main focal points of visual attraction of the city, as well as the most active neighborhoods and districts; the most relevant members of a user network that is self-constructed in a heterogeneous and open manner, with strong intermediary nodes of an “instagramist” style that connect subcommunities; as well as the widespread use of the application both for business promotion and for the development of individual creativity. All this indicates how the Instagram publications in Granada make visible the importance and incidence of tourism in the city.

Abstract

We estimate the Anderson and van Wincoop model of trade by using the data on the bilateral export flows from 26 Turkish regions to 180 countries for the years 2002 through to 2010. Regional transportation and communication infrastructure capacity, the positioning of point infrastructure in a region, and geography are explicitly accounted for. Our results highlight that land infrastructure, air transport capacity, and private maritime infrastructure presence, together with the distance of regional economies to exit nodes such as ports and airports, are important determinants of export performance. Based on our preferred regression where multilateral resistance terms are accounted for, we estimate that increases in the current land infrastructure, air transport capacity, and number of private ports of 1 per cent increases exports approximately by 0.38 per cent, 0.14 per cent, and 0.045 per cent respectively. Keywords: Infrastructure; trade; regions; transportation co Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

The downward spiral frequently experienced by transit companies when they increase fares to make up for declining demand is well known. It is characteristic of an increasing-returns-to-scale industry where consumer inputs are essential to the production process. This paper formally incorporates both agency and consumer inputs in a cost framework and explores the short- and long-run costs of bus services. In so doing it is possible to trade off both consumer and agency costs, to arrive at optimal service levels. It is these service levels, with the mode "performing at its best," that form the basis of cost comparisons between transportation alternatives. We find that off-peak frequencies should be considerably shorter than those typically prevailing on bus transit systems, and that marginal cost pricing would require a zero fare in the off-peak and a fare of up to 20 cents in the peak. This suggests that current rates might be continued in the peak and abolished in the off-peak. A subsidy to maintain this scheme would be about 10% of the average cost of service when operation is in long-run equilibrium (optimized). In the realm of cost comparisons between alternative modes, options based upon the car are found to be among the cheapest for trips to the CBD except in the peak. In terms of public modes, dial-a-ride systems seem to have some economic justification for low density neighborhoods as a feeder to linehaul buses operating on freeways, but at high densities integrated bus service appears to be far more viable. The latter is markedly cheaper than a feeder bus + rapid rail alternative. Finally, there seems to be little economic justification for the current interest in non-standard buses for transit service.

Abstract

This project has developed cost estimates and comparisons for the major urban transportation modes -- auto, bus, and rail -- using data from the San Francisco Bay Area. Intermodal cost comparison is useful for policy purposes, for it helps determine under what circumstances one mode is more efficient than another in terms of the resources it uses to provide a given service.

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the impact of travel costs, in particular toll costs, on the residential location choice of households, using a stated choice survey. Within the stated choice experiment, car drivers that frequently face traffic congestion, traded-off several trip-related (including toll costs) and house/location-related factors in their decision where to locate. If we look at the influence of different variables, toll and fuel costs seem to be important. Respondents are more sensitive to travel costs (i.e. toll and fuel costs) than to equally high (monthly) housing costs. Travel time appears to play a less important role, as indicated by a low value of time (VOT). In addition, location-related factors, such as the type of location and the number of bedrooms, turn out to be important factors as well. It can be concluded that respondents generally speaking prefer to pay higher housing costs and accept longer travel times to avoid (high) travel costs. Finally, if we look at the difference in preferences in relation to toll and fuel cost, we can conclude that toll costs are valued more negatively than fuel costs, although the differences are small. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract

Increased bicycling is of great importance for a sustainable transport system. This report is the result of a literature study concerning how different factors associated with bicycle planning influence the propensity to choose the bicycle for transportation. The literature study was carried out in the search engine GoogleScholar and only scientific papers, articles and books were included. Through this literature review, knowledge has been gathered concerning bicycleplanning, policies and other factors that influence the use of the bicycle in daily transport. Through the literature study it became evident that the attractiveness of the bicycle should be seen in relation to the car. If it is more attractive to use motorised modes of transport (e.g. through parking norms, costs, level of service) it will be hard to convince people to use the bike instead of the car. It also became clear that there are big differences in how research concerningbicycling and bicycle planning is conducted and there is e.g. no research based on before- and after studies. Despite this, the results are often very consistent. For instance, the results show that the bicycle infrastructure is of great importance. This implies that if appropriate infrastructure is build people tend to use the bicycle more often. In terms of policy, the time factor seems to be an important issue. This in turn implies, with policies and strategies being consistent over longer time intervals, the impact on the use of the bicycle increases.

Abstract

Procedural generation of urban environments is a very difficult problem to solve. Most solutions use predefined production rules which lock them into only few different variations of the result. This works well when producing new urban environments but fails when it comes to the expansion of them. Most cities are too complex to model using an approach which utilises predefined rules. By using an example based approach instead, it is possible to expand any city and still have the new street network follow the layout of the original city, regardless of complexity. This paper describes a method of extracting the necessary information from the GIS database OpenStreetMap and expanding the cities using an example based approach presented by Aliaga et al. The paper will also show how blocks, parcels and buildings can be generated to fit within the urban environment.

Abstract

This article aims to outline the key results of testing and encountered challenges of various LiDARs, radar and stereo camera in arctic weather conditions. The test session was conducted in two different urban areas in Finland in the middle of January 2019. The arctic conditions turned out to be challenging for the sensors dedicated more to areas where temperature stays relatively warm. The aim of this one-week test session was to assess performance deterioration when powdered snow, salted road, snowy ground and sun light influence reliability of the future automated driving functions. This study focuses mainly on the issues with hardware that are basic building blocks for the situation awareness software modules. Furthermore, the countermeasures such as protecting sensors and mounting positions have been proposed.The test results indicate that some sensors significantly lose performance when temperature drops to less than -10 degrees centigrade. The problem is not merely mechanical freezing of the spinning LiDAR components but properties of laser illumination may change due to temperature variation, too. Since LiDAR is an optical device, they also suffer when there is turbulent snow in front of the sensor. The turbulence looks like a noise and partially blocks the laser echoes from surrounding environment. The performance, measured by laser pulse echo count, can with some sensors drop more than 50 percent. This seriously diminishes the sensing range and furthermore, makes pattern recognition unreliable. The two other sensor types which were taken into account are stereo vision and radar. They have a role in automated driving to compensate performance degradation of LiDARs due to arctic conditions.