Floating urbanization is a promising solution to reduce the vulnerability of cities against climate change, population growth or land scarcity. Although this type of construction introduces changes to aquatic systems, there is a lack of research studies addressing potential impacts. Water quality data collected under/near floating structures were compared with the corresponding parameters measured at the same depth at open water locations by (i) performing scans with underwater drones equipped with in situ sensors and video cameras and (ii) fixing two sets of continuous measuring in situ sensors for a period of several days/months at both positions. A total of 18 locations with different types of floating structures were considered in this study. Results show small differences in the measured parameters, such as lower dissolved oxygen concentrations or higher temperature measured underneath the floating structures. The magnitudes of these differences seem to be linked with the characteristics and type of water system. Given the wide variety and types of water bodies considered in this study, results suggest that water quality is not critically affected by the presence of the floating houses. Underwater images of biofouling and filter feeders illustrate the lively ecosystems that can emerge shortly after the construction of floating buildings.
This research aims to investigate the impacts of Covid -19 on Bethlehem and examine the potential recovery strategies for the tourism sector during and after the pandemic. This research contributes in fulfilling intriguing gaps in literature on the impacts of Covid-19 on Bethlehem. All data collected were in the period of August and September 2020. This study is exploratory in nature applying qualitative and quantitative methods. Open-ended questions used in the interviews and the interviews were analysed. In addition, open and closed-ended questions carried out with fifty-two respondents from tourism business owners and key player stakeholders in Bethlehem’s tourism sector. The findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in that all Bethlehem’s tourism sector and sub-sectors suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the worst affected sub-sectors are souvenir stores and accommodation, while the least affected industry in the tourist restaurants sub-sector. The pandemic has resulted in massive job losses in Bethlehem. Bethlehem’s tourism sector has implemented pay cuts and laying off workers as a way of mitigating loss of revenue resulting from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, this research provides academic as well as managerial implications.
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The following paper explores socio-cultural impacts of large-scale cruise liner tourism on the traditional bazaar (souq) in the district of Mutrah. The souq is located opposite the port in the Omani capital Muscat. Large-scale cruise tourism in Muscat started only in 2004 and has increased in scale and numbers in the past years. 24 cruise vessels with around 7600 passengers arrived in Muscat in 2005. Seven years later 135 cruise liners carrying 257,000 tourists docked in Muscat. Due to this dramatic rise of international cruise ships, the socio-cultural impacts have increased for local residents, shop vendors/owners and tourists alike. To capture those socio-cultural impacts on Souq Mutrah, a survey of cruise tourists was conducted by a questionnaire. In addition, the researcher used participatory observation, counting, and in-depth interviews with different stakeholders of the local community and different types of tourists during the cruise seasons 2012/13 and 2013/14. Moreover, content analysis of statistics and local media publications were used. Results indicate that the souq has become "the core of a tourist bubble", where crowding is a major problem and local residents avoid the place. The social carrying capacity of the souq has been reached. Omani vendors are leaving their businesses and renting their shops out to expatriates. Since contemporary cruise tourists are low spenders, expatriate shop sellers have become more aggressive.
Due to societal developments, like the introduction of the ‘civil society’, policy stimulating longer living at home and the separation of housing and care, the housing situation of older citizens is a relevant and pressing issue for housing-, governance- and care organizations. The current situation of living with care already benefits from technological advancement. The wide application of technology especially in care homes brings the emergence of a new source of information that becomes invaluable in order to understand how the smart urban environment affects the health of older people. The goal of this proposal is to develop an approach for designing smart neighborhoods, in order to assist and engage older adults living there. This approach will be applied to a neighborhood in Aalst-Waalre which will be developed into a living lab. The research will involve: (1) Insight into social-spatial factors underlying a smart neighborhood; (2) Identifying governance and organizational context; (3) Identifying needs and preferences of the (future) inhabitant; (4) Matching needs & preferences to potential socio-techno-spatial solutions. A mixed methods approach fusing quantitative and qualitative methods towards understanding the impacts of smart environment will be investigated. After 12 months, employing several concepts of urban computing, such as pattern recognition and predictive modelling , using the focus groups from the different organizations as well as primary end-users, and exploring how physiological data can be embedded in data-driven strategies for the enhancement of active ageing in this neighborhood will result in design solutions and strategies for a more care-friendly neighborhood.
Currently, many novel innovative materials and manufacturing methods are developed in order to help businesses for improving their performance, developing new products, and also implement more sustainability into their current processes. For this purpose, additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been very successful in the fabrication of complex shape products, that cannot be manufactured by conventional approaches, and also using novel high-performance materials with more sustainable aspects. The application of bioplastics and biopolymers is growing fast in the 3D printing industry. Since they are good alternatives to petrochemical products that have negative impacts on environments, therefore, many research studies have been exploring and developing new biopolymers and 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of fully biobased products. In particular, 3D printing of smart biopolymers has attracted much attention due to the specific functionalities of the fabricated products. They have a unique ability to recover their original shape from a significant plastic deformation when a particular stimulus, like temperature, is applied. Therefore, the application of smart biopolymers in the 3D printing process gives an additional dimension (time) to this technology, called four-dimensional (4D) printing, and it highlights the promise for further development of 4D printing in the design and fabrication of smart structures and products. This performance in combination with specific complex designs, such as sandwich structures, allows the production of for example impact-resistant, stress-absorber panels, lightweight products for sporting goods, automotive, or many other applications. In this study, an experimental approach will be applied to fabricate a suitable biopolymer with a shape memory behavior and also investigate the impact of design and operational parameters on the functionality of 4D printed sandwich structures, especially, stress absorption rate and shape recovery behavior.
Hoe kunnen bestemmingen de regie pakken over hun duurzame toeristische ontwikkeling? Hoe zorgen bestemmingen voor de juiste balans tussen wonen, werken en recreëren? Wat is de positie van bedrijven? En welke rollen zijn er voor welke partijen weggelegd?Met de Agenda Bewuste Bestemmingen ontwikkelt CELTH een overkoepelend raamwerk voor de ontwikkeling van een bewuste bestemming. In dit raamwerk onderscheiden we vijf thema's.- Human Capital- Vrijetijdsaanbod- Maatschappelijke infrastructuur- Organiserend vermogen- SmartnessOmdat nog niet alle kennis aanwezig is, leidt de Agenda Bewuste Bestemmingen tot een onderzoeksagenda op de thema’s. Samen met partners ontwikkelen we onderzoeken om antwoord te geven op vragen als:Hoe meet je de juiste balans tussen wonen, werken en recreëren? Met welk instrumentarium kunnen overheden sturen op de gewenste kwantitatieve en kwalitatieve ontwikkeling van vrijetijdsaanbod? Denk hierbij aan de vestiging van hotels en Airbnb of verduurzaming van industrie. Hoe kunnen we de samenwerking vormgeven?
