scholarly journals The Role of Canary Island Date Palms in Physical Amenity Provisioning for Urban Landscape Settings

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Dirk H. R. Spennemann
Keyword(s):  
Canary Island ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Amenity Values ◽  
Humidity Measurements ◽  
Warm Temperate

Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) have been planted as a landscaping feature plant throughout warm, temperate, and subtropical climates. The physical amenity provisioning of this species (shade effects, microclimate amelioration, water usage, etc.) has so far not been systematically assessed. This paper reports on temperature and humidity measurements in both a suburban and a rural location in SE Australia. The study demonstrates the effects of the palm canopy as regulator of humidity and provider of shade and, thus, amenity values in urban landscape settings. Drawing on published energy savings and growth requirements of the plant, the paper argues that Canary Island date palms are landscaping plants suitable to ameliorate the microclimate in urban neighborhoods with varied socio-economic conditions.

scholarly journals The contribution of the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) to the winter diet of frugivores in novel ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk HR Spennemann
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Novel Ecosystems ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Native Foods

Abstract With the increasing expansion in urban areas, many species have adapted to utilising horticulturally used plants as alternate or augmentary food sources, in particular, during winter – when native foods are largely absent. Ornamental palms, particularly Canary Island Date Palms, fruit continuously during most of the year and thus provide a stable food supply. Based on observational, metric and bio-chemical data, this paper examines the role Canary Island Date Palms can and do play in the nutrition of frugivorous animals, in particular, for birds. It demonstrates that with its nearly year-round provisioning of drupes, the palm plays a major role as a ‘staple’ and backup food source for several species.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF UMBRELLA AGREEMENTS IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY GOALS: ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederik Dahlmann ◽  
Gareth Veal
Keyword(s):  
Energy Savings ◽  
State Building ◽  
Contractual Arrangements ◽  
Empire State Building ◽  
Efficient Delivery ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations ◽  
Tacit Assumptions

In this paper we investigate whether innovative and flexible contractual arrangements can support the process of achieving ambitious sustainability goals. We explore this question through an analysis of the role of umbrella agreements in driving energy savings in the building sector. Drawing on a case study of the iconic Empire State building, we examine the typical challenges faced by clients and contractors in devising suitable agreements that facilitate managing contractual and performance risks, as well as the sharing of responsibilities and cooperation between multiple project stakeholders. We find that the project arrangements appear to exhibit the adoption of the key characteristics commonly found in umbrella agreements which incorporate sustainability measures that maximize income through efficient delivery of outcomes. Specifically, this means that they need to enable stakeholders to manage repeated review cycles, complex perceptions and expectations, and different tacit assumptions and codes of behaviour, as well as managing and communicating in networks and obtaining agreement also from non-contractual parties. Moreover, we demonstrate that umbrella agreements can facilitate a network perspective of business relationships by emphasizing value co-creation and the embeddedness of firms within a network of interactions.

scholarly journals The role of landscape design in Smart Cities

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Skirmante Mozuriunaite
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Landscape Design ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Modern Cities ◽  
Management And Development ◽  
Design Planning

Smart cities are not a new phenomenon and it is an interdisciplinary definition that became a popular labeling for modern cities. However, there a is surprisingly little academic research in urban design and planning field that discusses this phenomenon. Smart cities definition is similar to intelligent, creative, sustainable or liveable cities which appears to be considered as a part of a play with words. In most of the technological and social science articles smart cities refer to a smart urban management and development via technologies and infrastructure. Based on the scientific literature overview, there are several factors affecting the city smartness, such as technology, people and communities, economy governance, planning and infrastructure. Overall there is a little information and research on urban design principles and tools in the smart city’s creation and contribution to its smartness. The most important thing is to clarify the urban design, planning and landscape design role importance to a smart city context and vice versa. The aim of this paper is to overview the smart cities concept from urban design perspective to find and highlight the important touch points, relation and role of urban design, planning and landscape design in smart cities creation. This would lead to the robust principles for smart European cities that would enable to achieve sustainable development, efficient urban growth and a better urban landscape.

scholarly journals Assessing the contribution of biofilm to bacterial growth during stagnation in shower hoses

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2564-2576
Author(s):  
Hongxi Peng ◽  
Ya Zhang ◽  
Ruowei Wang ◽  
Jingqing Liu ◽  
Wen-Tso Liu
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Bacterial Growth ◽  
16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Biological Water ◽  
Rrna Gene Sequencing

Abstract Stagnation occurs in building water supplies when there is little or no water usage. As a result, the number of bacteria increase, and this often leads to the deterioration of water quality. Still, the role of biofilm in stagnation remains unclear. This study used shower hoses as the model system and investigated the contribution of biofilm and microbes in fresh water to the bacterial growth in water under different stagnation times from 6 to 24 h. Bacterial counts in water were observed to increase significantly after 12 h stagnation but longer stagnation did not lead to further increase, indicating different mechanisms contributing to bacterial growth during stagnation. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Sourcetracker2 further confirmed that the contribution of fresh water to the microbial core community did not increase significantly with stagnation time, whereas the contribution of biofilm increased significantly after 24 h stagnation (53.5%) compared with 6 h stagnation (11.2%) (p < 0.05). The present results differentiated the contribution between planktonic and biofilm phase to the bacterial growth during stagnation, and provided insights into its mechanism. These findings serve as a framework for future development of strategies to manage biological water quality at the distal end of the building water supplies.

Polymer Heat Exchangers: An Enabling Technology for Water and Energy Savings

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan G. Cevallos ◽  
Frank Robinson ◽  
Avram Bar-Cohen ◽  
Hugh Bruck
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Composites ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Enabling Technology ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Thermoelectric Energy ◽  
Polymer Heat Exchangers

Polymer heat exchangers (PHXs), using thermally-enhanced composites, constitute a “disruptive” thermal technology that can lead to significant water and energy savings in the thermoelectric energy sector. This paper reviews current trends in electricity generation, water use, and the inextricable relationship between the two trends in order to identify the possible role of PHXs in seawater cooling applications. The use of once-through seawater cooling as a replacement for freshwater recirculating systems is identified as a viable way to reduce the use of freshwater and to increase power plant efficiency. The widespread use of seawater as a coolant can be made possible by the favorable qualities of thermally-enhanced polymer composites: good corrosion resistance, higher thermal conductivities, higher strengths, low embodied energy and good manufacturability. The authors use several seawater cooling case studies to explore the potential water and energy savings made possible by the use of PHX technology. The results from three case studies suggest that heat exchangers made with thermally enhanced polymer composites require less energy input over their lifetime than corrosion resistant metals, which generally have much higher embodied energy than polymers and polymers composites. Also, the use of seawater can significantly reduce the use of freshwater as a coolant, given the inordinate amounts of water required for even a 1MW heat exchanger.

Role of Water-Energy-Waste Inter-Relatedness to Drive Sustainability amid Climate Concerns

2017 ◽  
pp. 195-210
Author(s):  
Salil K. Sen ◽  
Junya Pookayaporn
Keyword(s):  
Waste Utilization ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
A Value ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Global Citizenry ◽  
Infrastructure Health

The Sustainability value parity framework is proposed to deepen the understanding of the importance of ‘inter-relatedness' of water-energy-waste with the goal of balancing water usage, aligning energy intensity and optimizing waste utilization. Generic waste that is burgeoning is a deterrent to the practice of sustainability that aligns water, energy, infrastructure, health, food, and lifestyle (Sachs, 2007). This chapter delineates the gap between globalization at the macro-level and global citizenry at the grassroots-base and posits a value bridge assessed by appropriate thresholds of water - energy - waste. The emergent need to strengthen climate resilience and to usher into the sustainable pathway of climate-proofed development needs tuning of processes, lifestyle, hazardous substances and consumption. Climate change manifests as an over-arching risk that is strewn with unpredictability, multiple dimensions, uncertainties, spikes, imbalances leading to inequity.

Role of Water-Energy-Waste Inter-Relatedness to Drive Sustainability amid Climate Concerns

2018 ◽  
pp. 614-629
Author(s):  
Salil K. Sen ◽  
Junya Pookayaporn
Keyword(s):  
Waste Utilization ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
A Value ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Global Citizenry ◽  
Infrastructure Health

The Sustainability value parity framework is proposed to deepen the understanding of the importance of ‘inter-relatedness' of water-energy-waste with the goal of balancing water usage, aligning energy intensity and optimizing waste utilization. Generic waste that is burgeoning is a deterrent to the practice of sustainability that aligns water, energy, infrastructure, health, food, and lifestyle (Sachs, 2007). This chapter delineates the gap between globalization at the macro-level and global citizenry at the grassroots-base and posits a value bridge assessed by appropriate thresholds of water - energy - waste. The emergent need to strengthen climate resilience and to usher into the sustainable pathway of climate-proofed development needs tuning of processes, lifestyle, hazardous substances and consumption. Climate change manifests as an over-arching risk that is strewn with unpredictability, multiple dimensions, uncertainties, spikes, imbalances leading to inequity.

The Role of the Built Environment in the Creation, Cultivation and Acquisition of a Knowledge-Base

2010 ◽  
pp. 211-221
Author(s):  
Kristine Peta Jerome
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Physical Design ◽  
The Creation

This chapter explores the role of the built environment in the creation, cultivation and acquisition of a knowledge base by people populating the urban landscape. It examines McDonald’s restaurants as a way to comprehend the relevance of the physical design in the diffusion of codified and tacit knowledge at an everyday level. Through an examination of space at a localised level, this chapter describes the synergies of space and the significance of this relationship in navigating the global landscape.

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