• Title/Summary/Keyword: Urban Landscapes

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Refashioning Cities in the Middle East: The Case of Dubai

  • Kheir Al-Kodmany
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.11-32
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    • 2024
  • In recent years, urban landscapes across the globe have undergone a remarkable transformation marked by a substantial surge in skyscraper development. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the contemporary evolution of tall buildings, with a particular emphasis on the Middle East. It surveys tall building development in the ten "tallest cities" across the Middle East, including Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Riyadh, Manama, Tel Aviv, Kuwait, Mecca, and Jeddah, while listing the tallest ten buildings in each city. The focus sharpens on Dubai, UAE, serving as a compelling case study that vividly illustrates the city's swift metamorphosis from a low-rise to a high-rise urban center. Through meticulous examination, the study aims to unveil the key drivers propelling the construction of the world's tallest buildings, asserting that globalization factors play a pivotal role in fostering this transformative shift. The impetus behind this surge is rooted in the aspiration to project a modern and progressive image on the global stage. With Dubai at the forefront, cities in the Middle East strategically endeavor to reshape their international image and reclaim historical grandeur through ambitious skyscraper projects.

Urbanization and Quality of Stormwater Runoff: Remote Sensing Measurements of Land Cover in an Arid City

  • Kang, Min Jo;Mesev, Victor;Myint, Soe W.
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.399-415
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    • 2014
  • The intensity of stormwater runoff is particularly acute across cities located in arid climates. During flash floods loose sediment and pollutants are typically transported across sun-hardened surfaces contributing to widespread degradation of water quality. Rapid, dense urbanization exacerbates the problem by creating continuous areas of impervious surfaces, perforated only by a few green patches. Our work demonstrates how the latest techniques in remote sensing can be used to routinely measure urban land cover types, impervious cover, and vegetated areas. In addition, multiple regression models can then infer relationships between urban land use and land cover types with stormwater quality data, initially sampled at discrete monitoring sites, and then extrapolated annually across an arid city; in our case, the city of Phoenix in Arizona, USA. Results reveal that from 30 storm event samples, solids and heavy metal pollutants were found to be highly related with general impervious surfaces; in particular, with industrial and commercial land use types. Repercussions stemming from this work include support for public policies that advocate environmental sustainability and the more recent focus on urban livability. Also, advocacy for new urban construction and re-development that both steer away from vast unbroken impervious surfaces, in place of more fragmented landscapes that harmonize built and green spaces.

Acoustic Amenity Factor of Urban Environmental Sound for the Ecological Soundscape (도시 환경음의 쾌적성 평가요인에 관한 연구)

  • Kook, Chan;Song, Min-Jeong;Shin, Hoon;Jang, Gil-Soo
    • Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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    • v.16 no.4 s.109
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    • pp.428-436
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    • 2006
  • The assessment of an urban site depends on the way whether it responds to multiple needs such as functionality, aesthetic and complex comfort of acoustic, thermal, lighting and air quality etc. This study aims to investigate the assessment of various urban soundscapes in the sense of acoustic amenity by the questionnaires. As a result, acoustic amenity assessment was influenced by the non-acoustic factors such as environment assessment of visual, thermal, air quality etc. In the sense of sound quality, urban environmental sound was interpreted as 3 factors of strength, evolution of time, spacial localization. So these factors would be considered in the new assessment method for acoustic amenity. And it was shown that the subjects tend to perceive the noise level less than $3{\sim}5dB\;L_{eqA}$ according to the urban landscapes under the similar noise exposure level.

Carbon Uptake and Emissions in Urban Landscape, and the Role of Urban Greenspace for several Cities in Kangwon Province (강원도 일부도시의 경관내 탄소흡수 및 배출과 도시녹지의 역할)

  • 조현길
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.39-53
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    • 1999
  • This study quantified carbon uptake and emissions in urban landscape, and the role of urban greenspace in atmospheric carbon reduction for several cities of Chuncheon and Kangleung in Kangwon province. Mean carbon storage by trees and shrubs was 26.0 t (mertric tons)/ha in Chuncheon and 46.7 t/ha in Kangleung for natural lands, and ranged from 4.7 to 6.3 t/ha for urban lands (all land use types except natural and agricultural lands) in both cities. Mean annual carbon uptake by trees and shrubs ranged from 1.60 to 1.71 t/ha/yr for natural lands, and from 0.56 to 0.71 t/ha/yr for urban lands. There was no significant difference (95% confidence level) between the two cities in the carbon storage and annual carbon uptake per ha, except the carbon storage for natural lands. Organic carbon storage in soils (to a depth of 60 cm) of Chuncheon average 24.8 t/ha for urban lands and 31.6 t/ha for natural lands, 1.3 times greater than for urban lands. Annual carbon accumulation in soils was 1.3 t/hr/yr for natural lands of the study cities. Annual per capita carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption were 1.3 t/yr in Chunceon and 1.8 t/yr in Kangleung. The principal carbon release in urban landscapes was from transport and industry. Total carbon storage by urban greenspace (trees, shrubs, and soils) equaled 66% of total carbon emissions in Chuncheon and 101% in Kangleung. Carbon uptake by urban greenspace annually offset total carbon emissions by approximately 4% in the study cities. Thus, urban greenspace played a partial important role in reducing atmospheric $CO_2$ concentrations. To increase $CO_2$ uptake and storage by urban greenspace, suggested are conservation of natural lands, minimization of hard surfaces and more plantings, selection of tree species with high growth rate, and proper management for longer healthy tree growth.

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한국의 농촌 환경 정비

  • 신상혁
    • Proceedings of the Korean Professional Engineer Association Conference
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    • 1995.10a
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    • pp.135-143
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    • 1995
  • As a result of impressive economic growth for e past 3 decades Korean rural community saw improvement in road, houses etc. whereas movement of rural population to great urban centers, water pollutions, generation of wastes and damage to rural environment and landscapes emerged as a serious issue. In this treatise the writer reviewed the process of development of rural community under the government initiative and introduced the project for arrangement and restucturing of rural environment and discussed on the directions and requirements for future development.

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Soil sealing in the European Union (긴급제언 - 유럽연합의 토양포장)

  • Lee, Yeong Heui
    • Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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    • v.45 no.6
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    • pp.37-43
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    • 2012
  • Every year in Europe, soils covering an area larger than the city of Berlin are lost to urban sprawl and transport infrastructure. Soil sealing causes an irreversible loss of the biological functions of soil. As water can neither infiltrate nor evaporate, water runoff increases, sometimes leading to catastrophic floods. Landscapes are fragmented and habitats become too small or too isolated to support certain species. In addition, the food production potential of land is lost forever. There is an urgent need to use this valuable resource more wisely, in order to secure its many vital services for future generations. The EU faces new territorial challenges.

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An Interpretation of Dualistic Relationships in an Urban Renewal Landscape Based on the Iching Theory - the Case of Gongpyeong District in Seoul - (괘상원리에 기초한 도심재개발 경관의 이원관계의 해석 - 서울 공평구역을 사례로 -)

  • 홍윤순
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.30 no.5
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    • pp.16-30
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    • 2002
  • This study tried to understand an ambiguous urban landscape through a relational context. Gongpyeong district, an urban renewal area in Seoul, was selected as the site of the case study because traditional and modern styles coexist in this district. The research method and processes are summarized as follows. First, the district, which has both a redeveloped environment and an inherent environment, was divided into Yin & Yang structures. Next, an effort was made to grasp the fundamental relational characteristics(external relationships) of each type through three aspects: physical environment, activities, and meaning. As a result, Yin characteristics were found in the redeveloped environment which has predominantly Yang characteristics. In many cases, advertising, which is a Yang element, was missing in the redeveloped area. On the other hand, in the inherent environment which has Yin characteristics in general, shabby appearances were evident in aspects beyond advertising, and Yang elements, were found from the viewpoint of the theory of place. On the basis of these results, new dualistic frameworks with respect to the functions were re-structured, and complementary characteristics (internal relationship) based on topological aspects were analyzed. Unlike the monotonous appearances found in large scale environments, a variety of spatial characteristics were found in the various small scale environments. This explains that the dualistic coexistence has made a contribution to the complementary attributes of urban landscape. This study has the following ramifications. Much research of urban landscapes that has used western methodology which employs analytic aspects. As a methodology of urban landscape research this study introduced Iching, which tries to understand phenomena in a relational context. In addition, this study expects that the profound understanding of urban environments and the detailed relationship through this framework will suggest a new approach to urban planning, design and management related to future urban environments.

A study on the Applying Landscape Planning Elements Through Urban Regeneration Cases in Local Cities (지방도시 도시재생 사례를 통해 본 경관계획 요소의 적용에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Seongho;Shin, Byeonguk;Lee, Woonggu
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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    • v.22 no.4
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    • pp.51-62
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    • 2020
  • Article 6 of the Landscape Act stipulates that "the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport establishes a basic landscape policy plan every five years in order to create a beautiful and pleasant landscape, discover and support excellent landscapes." This is a comprehensive plan for landscape policy, a national plan that presents basic directions and strategies for the formation and continuous management of excellent national landscape. The basic landscape policy plan is a plan established every five years. It is an action plan that establishes a medium-term strategy for landscape policy and proposes specific implementation plans. Landscape-related policies are established in various fields, such as the central and local governments, and the private sector, and are based on mutual cooperation. Local cities voluntarily establish basic landscape plans, but in terms of integration, there are few cases in connection with urban regeneration. However, when the existing city establishes the basic landscape plan, the effect will be doubled if a new city is comprehensively constructed in relation to urban regeneration from the overall aspect of the city. Therefore, this study aims to provide data so that a master landscape plan can be established by analyzing and synthesizing the problems of the existing city centering on Jeonju, a representative local city.

Determination of Pollutant Unit Loads from Various Transportation Landuses (교통관련 포장지역 비점오염원에서의 오염물질 유출원단위 산정)

  • Lee, So-Young;Lee, Eunju;Maniquiz, Marla C.;Kim, Lee-Hyung
    • Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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    • v.24 no.5
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    • pp.543-549
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    • 2008
  • Human activities and land-use practices are intensely widening the urban areas. High impervious surface areas cover much of urban landscapes and are the primary pollutant sources which can lead to water quality and habitat degradation in its watershed. As the urban areas expand, transportation land-use such as parking lots, roads, service areas, toll-gates in highways and bridges also increase. These land-uses are significant in urban pollution due to high imperviousness rate and vehicular activities. To regulate the environmental impacts and to improve the water quality of rivers and lakes, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Korea developed the Total Pollution Load Management System (TPLMS) program. The main objective is to lead the watershed for a low impact development. On a local scale, some urban land surfaces can be emitting more pollution than others. Consequently, in urban areas, the unit loads are commonly employed to estimate total pollutant loadings emitted from various land-uses including residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, open lands such as parks and golf courses, and other developed land like parking areas as a result of development. In this research, unit pollutant loads derived specifically from transportation land-uses (i.e. branched out from urban areas) will be provided. Monitoring was conducted over 56 storm events at nine monitoring locations during three years. Results for the unit pollutant loads of transportation land-use are determined to be $399.5kg/km^2-day$ for TSS, $12.3kg/km^2-day$ for TN and $2.46kg/km^2-day$ for TP. The values are higher than those of urban areas in Korean MOE and US highways. These results can be used by MOE to separate the pollutant unit load of transportation landuses from urban areas.

A Study of Landscape Management Techniques based on Viewing Characteristics of Mountain Landscape - Focused on the Surrounding Areas of Bukhansan Mountain -

  • Park, Moon-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.38 no.5_2
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    • pp.163-175
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    • 2010
  • This study is based on the viewing characteristics of mountain landscapes. It investigates whether the current landscape management-related regulations are efficient in terms of the viewing characteristics of the mountain landscape against Bukhansan Mountain in which the conventional landscape management techniques were used. In addition, some viewing characteristics of mountain landscapes, such as distance from the view point to the target mountain, angle of elevation, altitude, gradient, have been analyzed and 3 cases of viewing condition have been simulated. The following results were obtained: i) Mountain landscapes can be managed up to 7~8 times of the mountain height with a $5{\sim}9^{\circ}$ of elevation angle. ii) In the Natural Landscape District which is situated on the hillside, it is reasonable to include altitude, gradient as criteria for regulation. iii) According to a simulation of the construction permit height by viewing distance, it was confirmed that buildings can be constructed up to 111.55m when viewing the 20% ridge, 150.75m when viewing the 50% ridge and 189.05m when viewing the 70% ridge. iv) The construction permit height varies depending on the landscape analysis method that is used and the application conditions. It is therefore unfair to apply height limit regulations to all buildings without considering the geographical features or viewing characteristics. v) It is unreasonable to apply 2~3 management techniques to the same area for landscape management. Therefore, we recommend the Focused Landscape Management Area based on the landscape master plan as a integrating mountain landscape management techniques.