European Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning

Managing the Cultural Heritage of Cities in Times of Climate Change: Case Study: Larissa, One of the Hottest Cities in Greece

2024-09-11T11:59:30+02:00

Although cultural and urban environments are often seen as separate from the natural environment in planning and development by local authorities and governments, a transdisciplinary approach to cultural heritage is necessary—or at the very least a viable alternative—in today’s context of severe global challenges such as climate change. This perspective must encompass vital aspects of intangible heritage, including the practices, knowledge, and skills that communities, groups, and individuals recognize as part of their cultural legacy, which are passed down through generations in response to their environment, interactions with nature, and historical experiences. Within this framework, traditional knowledge, skills, and practices related to climate can become subjects of preservation, supported by the existence of old buildings as records of the historical continuity of the city and effective climatic management. As climate change is likely to increase the frequency and intensity of severe heat stress events, studies are examining the relationship between urban geometry and microclimate within city centers. The conservation of built heritage in historic centers helps promote local sustainable development by preserving both the historical character and urban geometry of the area. By turning this threat into an opportunity, the climatic factor can be seen as a key area of interaction between the natural, urban, and cultural environments of a city. This perspective is crucial for the sustainable development of cities like Larissa, where the main climatic challenge—high summer temperatures—diminishes the city’s appeal to residents, visitors, and investors.

Historical Physiognomy of the City of Volos, Recognized by New Residents, First Years’ University Students

2024-09-11T07:37:00+02:00

A city can be considered to have a historical physiognomy when the collective perception of it is mainly characterized by historical elements. The main hypothesis of the survey presented in this paper is the rate that ‘The City of Volos maintains its historical physiognomy and the most characteristic elements of the city, through which it can be identified by new residents, are related to its historicity.’ To carry out the survey, a questionnaire was addressed to a random sample of first years students of the Department of Planning and Regional Development of the University of Thessaly at Volos. There was followed the wording of Professor Joseph Stefanou, and the main aim was to obtain the most characteristic elements of the city’s identity-through the frequency with which they appeared in the respondents’ answers- and the hierarchical order in which they chose to indicate the elements or in which they were recalled in their memory. Questions about the historicity of the city’s physiognomy and its association with the decision to settle in the city for studies, and those concerning the intention to recommend the city to new residents and tourists/visitors, were divisive/dichotomous. Using the SPSS Statistics program, the results of all the combinations of answers and characteristics of the respondents were investigated, and statistically significant conclusions were revealed.

Technical Study of the Concept of Permanent Housing Relocation around the Palu Koro Fault after the 28 September 2018 Disaster

2024-07-23T21:38:22+02:00

The earthquake that struck Central Sulawesi on September 28, 2018, had a significant impact on Palu City, Donggala Regency, and Sigi Regency. The impact included a tsunami along the coast of Palu Bay and liquefaction in several areas, leading to extensive damage to infrastructure. As part of the post-disaster recovery efforts, permanent shelters (HUNTAP) are being constructed for the survivors. The purpose of this research is to perform a technical assessment of residential relocation based on risk factors that could lead to future disasters. The method involves descriptive analysis, including the following stages: (1) Reviewing literature from various journals, regulations, technical provisions, and related databases, and (2) identifying variables and criteria that could lead to disasters in areas designated for permanent residential relocation. The research results reveal several influential variables, as follows: (1) Potential for flooding, including: (a) high rainfall, (b) susceptibility to air infiltration, (c) risk of flash floods, (d) erosion of river basins, (e) sedimentation, (f) availability of adequate drainage system facilities; (2) risk of landslides is significantly influenced by: (a) shear angle, (b) pore water pressure, (c) slope gradient; (3) liquefaction indicators include (a) Groundwater level less than 10 meters, (b) sandy soil thickness less than 12 meters underground, (c) increased surface earthquake activity, (d) soil density; (4) tsunami risk is associated with several influential variables: (a) Shallow epicenter with a depth of less than 33 km (b) angle and type of fault, with thrust or thrust faults being the most dominant, (c) distance from the epicenter and location in the middle of the sea, (d) characteristics such as beach shape, open beach morphology, low surface slope, and seabed depth; (5) high current voltage is indicated by the distance and type of voltage capacity; and (6) airplane trajectories are influenced by runway distance and flight path.

Sustainable Qualities of Vernacular Architecture in Quest of Sustainable Architecture in the Desert Environment: Case Study of Kesar of Timimoune

2024-04-12T09:36:13+02:00

The concept of sustainable development has won many adherents in the world, as it aims to achieve social and economic development and preserve the environment in the light of current climatic changes, which are considered one of the biggest challenges, In particular, for the desert environment in developing countries such as the Algerian desert; For decades, man has been able to survive in this nature by creating oases, It is a fragile ecosystem entirely entrusted to the care of its inhabitants. The aim of this article is to determine the qualities of sustainability in vernacular architecture of Algerian desert. Through the case study, which is the city of Timimoune, the article is divided into two parts. The first part is a morphological analysis of the Kesar of Timimoune urban pattern; the second part is to extract the sustainable qualities related to the morphological dimension of the Kesar of Timimoune, which is considered as principles and references for designing modern sustainable cities in arid environments.

Key Success Factors of Urban Infill Development: A Conceptual Framework

2024-03-07T15:23:16+01:00

Current cities, especially megacities, are going through a continuous increase in population size because the city extends beyond its urban borders, causing what is called urban sprawl, which constitutes the real problem for cities at present. Also, these megacities have many informal areas and urban dilapidated areas because of the ancient period since their establishment, from which the city has suffered greatly. Hence, the need to determine development methods that should be within the city instead of expanding outside its borders, and many methods have been reached that can be used to solve this problem, the most important of which is infill development. The research methodology focused on reviewing the literature of the study and discussing the best international practices to arrive at a first draft of a list of key success factors for infill development projects and reviewing it with a group of experts who developed it until the final approved version was reached. The result of these procedures was to arrive at a conceptual framework for the key success factors for infill development. This conceptual framework applies to any city to ensure that infill development projects are successful with the highest possible quality and reflect positively on the city and its residents.