0000000000059026
AUTHOR
M. La Gennusa
A general model for predicting the environmental impact of urban transportation
In this paper a generalised model is described for the analysis of the pollutant substances released in the atmosphere by urban transportation means. It essentially requires data referring to the running transportation fleet, year by year, that are generally on disposal of the local administrators through official data-bases. Pollutant emissions are here taken into account by means of the algorithms provided by the COPERT methodology, that applies to many European countries. The method, by means of a suitable statistical analysis of data concerning the running car fleet, allows also the definition of an useful indicator, that is the “yearly average vehicle”, that can be assumed as represent…
First proposal of a methodology for a preventive assessment of the acoustic impact of advanced landfills
In this paper, the results of a preliminary study on the environmental noise pollution of a technologically advanced landfill to be realized in Sicily (Italy) are presented. The investigation has been carried out analysing, at the beginning, a simulating model suggested by the European Community. The method makes reference to the ISO 9613-2:1996 standard, which suggests a general method of calculation to assess the attenuation of sound during propagation outdoors. The simulation has pointed out the troubles in carrying out the noise pollution assessment of an advanced landfill, where several and different kinds of sound sources are present at the same time; it isn’t always possible, for exa…
Assessing Urban Environmental Sustainability by Means of Indicators: The Case of the Heritage Buildings
Man in developed countries is looking for new and more suitable paradigms of a correct evolution, founded on an improved level of quality of life, on a pollution-free environment and on the availability of rising amount of time to be spent in pleasure and cultural activities.
University campuses as small-scale models of cities: Quantitative assessment of a low carbon transition path
Abstract The energy efficiency interventions and rehabilitation actions regarding university campuses are characterized by an emblematic impact, representing significant examples of good practices that a given community could adopt, even at the city level. Starting from the idea that campuses may be regarded as small scale models of cities, a quantitative method for estimating to which extent the adoption of a given set of interventions by a municipality could contribute to make such city close to a nearly zero energy profile is proposed. To accomplish this task, the study considers the low carbon transition path of the campus of the University of Palermo and applies a simple method that, i…
Radiative heat exchanges of people in complex geometry buildings: An experimentally based algorithm for computing angle factors
Thermal comfort of people working or living in confined spaces depends, to a large extent, on the radiative thermal exchanges. These contributions are expressed, among other things, as a function of the mean radiant temperature that, in the general cases where there is a presence of high intensity sources, must be expressed as a function of the angle factors between subjects and the surrounding surfaces of enclosures. Angle factors, in turn, depend on the projected area factors. Despite this evidence, at the present there is a lack in the availability of simple and reliable methods capable of computing angle factors of people in assigned postures with respect to complex geometry buildings. …
An integrated and shared approach to sea of the regional town master plan of Sicily
The work addresses one of the most important problems in contemporary environmental land planning. Already existing procedures, in fact, must now conform to the new requirements imposed by the recent national and international regulations and standards that call for a more conscious approach to the use of natural resources. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), for example, takes into account, the different effects of a plan in various fields such as the environment, the economy and the development. This obviously calls for global analysis tools that could help administrators, stakeholders and technicians in the decision-making process of such complex systems. SEA of the Town Master Pla…
Greening MSW management systems by saving footprint: The contribution of the waste transportation.
Abstract Municipal solid waste (MSW) management constitutes a highly challenging issue to cope with in order of moving towards more sustainable urban policies. Despite new Standards call for recycling and reusing materials contained in the urban waste, several municipalities still use landfilling as a waste disposal method. Other than the environmental pressure exerted by these plants, waste transportation from the collection points to the landfill needs a specific attention to correctly assess the whole burden of the waste management systems. In this paper, the Ecological Footprint (EF) indicator is applied to the actual MSW of the city of Palermo (Sicily). Results show that the effects pr…