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Historically as a city situated in a low-lying area a Ho Chi Minh City has been exposed to floods. Ho Chi Minh City is a megacity with uncontrollable urbanization and dynam-ic economies. In recent years, flood has become a serious problem with a multitude of follow-on impacts. It received more heavy rains affected by tropical storms and cy-clones. Further urbanization and future changes in climate are likely to increase flood risks. People have faced the flood impacts on the socioeconomic aspects in recent dec-ades. This study researched on 450 households in different spaces of the inner center (old districts), developed center (urban districts) and new-developing areas (peri-districts) and in different geographical elevations to identify the impacts of flooding in various space and time; and various problems on households’ socioeconomic aspects in flood residential areas. The multi-criteria analyses in GIS and with of the combination SPSS analysis, the sur-veyed households were identified by their location on the topographic map to clarify the flooding reasons and the types of flood in the areas. The 450 households were chosen in flood residential areas and selected in three categories of characteristics: (1) 150 poor households in flood housing areas; (2) 150 poor households in non-flood housing areas; and (3) 150 higher-income households in non-flood housing areas. This disparity was to analyze the different flood impacts on socioeconomic aspects and on household capitals amongst them. The linear regression in SPSS analysis was used to clarify the relation-ships between flood types with space factor (geographical elevation) and time factors (flood months in year, and flood years in residential areas). This test gave the supports to the reliability of the study results. By geographical elevation analysis, flood impacted on the areas in three main types: (1) flood by rain; (2) flood by tide; and (3) flood by both rain and tide. The tidal flood oc-cupied the low-elevation areas; flood by rain invaded the widespread higher-elevation areas; and the mix type of flood occupied the transition areas between flood areas by rain and by tide. Lower land had the deeper flood level, however; many of high-land areas were flooded in this city. Flood in residential areas had caused flood problems on streets, sidewalks (housing pavements), residential drainage system, water supply and electric power. In the poor households of Group One, flood in residential areas impacted their housing areas. To protect housing from flooding, many households had to invest their income for house rising or rebuilding or pavement rising, etc. They also privately invested for repairing or new buying their housing facilities, furniture and other appli-ances. Their income was lost and deficit. To the household capitals analysis, households were impacted more on physical, financial, natural and human capitals. The poor households in Group One had the most vulnerabilities amongst three groups, whilst there was no support from social organizations and government at levels. The household strategies developed in this study are to support people in flood and flood-prone areas conserving their capabilities to achieve the strategic outcome for sustainable develop-ment.
Yemen is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. The water deficit has been aggravated by the rapidly increasing demands for both surface and groundwater resources that are being unsustainably exploited. To address the country’s severe water scarcity, the government has adopted long-term intervention policies as stated in ‘Yemen's Strategic Vision 2025’. These policies are aimed at restoring the balance between water demand and availability, and at reducing the existing water deficit. Although 11 years have passed since this vision was adopted, the water deficit is still on the rise. The present situation raises questions about the efficiency of the intervention policies adopted by ‘Yemen's Strategic Vision 2025’ and about the effectiveness of implementing these policies. Another fundamental question pertains to the availability of a strategic assessment tool in the water resources sector that can be used to assess strategically future and current policies, strategies and plans, in order to ensure their efficiency in supporting water resources and in producing the positive impacts for which these strategic initiatives were developed in the first place. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is an assessment tool designed to function at a strategic level and help to bring aspects of environmental sustainability into the decisionmaking process. This research aims to demonstrate the potential of SEA in enhancing environmental sustainability in water policies for achieving sustainability of water resources in Yemen. In order to show the potential of SEA in the Yemeni water resources sector, this research has applied SEA methodologies and adopted a scenario-building approach for assessing the intervention policies adopted by ‘Yemen's Strategic Vision 2025’ to support augmentation of water resources. Qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used in this research. Quantitative historical data on water availability, water demand and water savings by interventions have been collected from the databases of national institutions and international organizations concerned. Statistical analyses have been used to project future trends until 2025. Qualitative analyses of relevant studies and reports covering the environmental, administrative, sociocultural and political-economic aspects of water resources management in Yemen have been implemented as well. In addition, 13 semi-structured key informant interviews have been conducted with decision-makers, managers and leading experts in the water and irrigation sectors. The research produced three future scenarios for the total water balance that may play out until 2025 in Yemen. These scenarios provide impact assessment and alternatives’ comparison of the existing intervention policies. The resulting scenarios are as follows: the ‘Business as Usual’ scenario, which forms an assessment of currently applied interventions and provides an image for the future, if current interventions are maintained at the same pace; the ‘Do-nothing’ scenario representing the situation if no interventions are implemented; and the ‘Sustainability’ scenario, which represents the potential future of the total water balance if existing interventions are to be scaled up and out. The findings confirm the significant potential of currently adopted intervention policies to support water resources. They also reveal that the current level of implementing the intervention policies has hindered the potential of these intervention policies in achieving the expected positive impact on the water balance by 2025. In order to achieve a significant decrease in the water deficit, the strategic quantitative targets that need to be implemented were identified. The methodology followed in implementing the research and achieving the findings demonstrates the potential of SEA in enhancing environmental sustainability in water policies for achieving integrated and sustainable water resources management in Yemen. The recommendations of the research covered improving the existing water balance as well as improving the assessment and planning context in the water resources sector. In order to improve the water balance situation, the research recommends implementing quantitative targets for water savings and augmentations, such as those developed by this research. These targets have been identified based on the capacities of sectors implementing these interventions. The research also recommends further decentralization of planning and management of water resources and the establishment of Water User Associations (WUAs) as the main vehicles for ensuring sustainable planning and management of water resources, including the scale out of interventions, subject to assessment in this research. In order to improve assessment and planning of water resources, the research recommends the adoption of SEA, the updating of water resources data and conducting regular assessments of policies, plans and programmes as part of monitoring their impact and providing a chance for amending these policies and strategies, if required, to achieve sustainability of water resources.
This thesis contributes to the understanding of the collaborative economic model and its applicability in the development of heritage tourism in rural areas. It does so by examining the conceptual and operational attractiveness of the collaborative economy and by proposing a new collaborative model for tourism development. The first part of the research provides a broad theoretical contextualisation of the collaborative economic model. The main assumption is that the duality between individual and collective values lies at the core of all social interactions, and is essential in understanding the conceptual appeal of the collaborative model. The study draws upon concepts and paradigms from a wide range of academic disciplines to frame this assumption: moral philosophy, religion, history, national and political narratives, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, psychology, anthropology and World Heritage discourses. It continues with an analysis of this duality within various theoretical models in the history of Western political economy, and argues that the search for an ideal model of economic policy represented a constant balancing act between individualist or collective goals. The thesis further investigates this duality at the microeconomic level, in relation to specific aspects of economic behaviour: motivation, interaction, ownership, and modes of consumption. The research continues to examine the key characteristics of the collaborative economy, as an emerging model that challenges the structures of the dominant market economy. It demonstrates how the collaborative economy provides an ingenious manner to reconcile individual interests with a sense of community and cooperative action, developing a narrative that rehabilitates the social nature of economic activities. The second part of the thesis investigates the operational attractiveness of a potential collaborative tourism model. It explores the perspectives of both the providers (hosts) and the consumers (tourists) of travel experiences. With the help of data collected from a survey conducted at four selected locations in Romania (Hrabusna, Breaza de Sus) and India (Bhavikeri, Gokarn), the study identifies a high level of acceptance from potential hosts towards a small-scale collaborative tourism model. Similarly, data collected from an online survey offers valuable insights into the tourists’ acceptance of a collaborative tourism model and the functional aspects of its implementation. Finally, the thesis proposes a new collaborative model for small-scale heritage tourism in rural areas – sharitage. The findings of this research provide a good basis for the elaboration of new socio-economic practices that would generate development opportunities and transparent benefits for vulnerable communities in rural areas, respond to the growing tourist demand for immersive, locally contextualised travel experiences, and contribute to the safeguarding of traditional knowledge and practices.
Background: Food sustainability is becoming increasingly important for the achievement of sustainable development goals, especially in light of recent global challenges of climate change, geopolitical conflict and the increasing vulnerability of food systems. The world is emphasising the importance of holistic approaches to agriculture and food systems to tackle these challenges. Germany’s Sustainable Development Strategy for 2030 associates SDGs 2, 3 12 and 15 with sustainable agriculture and food systems as crucial elements to achieve these goals. However, with the lack of knowledge in this area, and the scarcity of tools to monitor and assess food sustainability, it has become crucial to investigate potential holistic approaches and frameworks to assess the sustainability of food systems.
Purpose: This study uses the national framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as the only available valid holistic framework, to explore the sustainability of the bread system in Germany. It operationalises the SDGs to bakery level to identify significant indicators that could, potentially, be used to assess the sustainability of artisan bakeries, and identify to which SDGs the bakeries contribute.
Methods: This study utilises a mixed-methods research design to address the multi-disciplinary nature of the food sustainability concept. It critically evaluates the SDG framework and identifies a set of indicators, which are expanded with further indicators to address the cultural dimension of bread as a cultural heritage. To collect data, a 26-item questionnaire was issued to 586 artisan bakeries with a response rate of 8.8% (n = 52); the 52 bakeries own 562 branches. This was followed by interviews with an acceptance rate of 19% (n = 10). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data, while the interviews were transcribed from German to English and coded using NVivo 11.
Results: Sustainable bread is redefined from a holistic perspective encompassing theory, policies and artisan bakeries. The results confirm that bakeries positively contribute to bread sustainability in Germany, as well as towards achieving the national SDGs. Progress areas include energy efficiency, sustainable packaging, local procurement, heritage promotion, waste reduction and ecolabels. Interestingly, individual bakeries appear to be slightly more sustainable than chains due to their flexibility in adapting to new practices and their use of organic products; however, chain bakeries are slightly less sustainable, but are proven to be more efficient in terms of productivity and market reach.
Ecological Land-Use Planning (ELUP) is the central strategy implemented in Mexico to achieve sustainable development. However, even after more than a decade of experience there are no concrete evaluations to determine how the implemented ELUP-Programmes (ELUPP) have influenced regional development and thus what the consequences on the environment are. In this investigation, some of the key stages of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) are carried out on the ELUPP Cancun-Tulum, which is considered to be one of the most important land-use programmes in Mexico. Aim of the study: To achieve the SEA key principles, i.e. to identify reasonable alternatives and to improve the ELUPP Cancun-Tulum. Special emphasis is dedicated to the selection of environmental indicators for monitoring and to the supervision of the programme implementation using a GIS-remote sensing approach. Method of investigation: The baseline environment in the Riviera Maya and the ELUPP Cancun-Tulum’s framework are first examined. Next, an identification of alternatives at regional level is effectuated using geographic information systems (GIS). A monitoring scheme is then proposed to supervise the implementation of the ELUPP Cancun-Tulum. The supervision mechanism is based on a pressure-state-response (PSR) indicator framework. Finally, six environmental indicators are examined using GIS-remote sensing techniques. The assessment encompasses the remote sensing interpretation of two Landsat Geocover Mosaics, and the determination of six landscape spatial indices to evaluate extend and pattern of fragmentation of vegetation. Results and technical applicability: A reasonable alternative site location for the development of New Tulum (which is one of the cities included in the ELUPP Cancun-Tulum) was proposed. A monitoring mechanism was suggested to supervise the ELUP implementation, including the identification of 19 environmental indicators. The GIS-remote sensing analysis demonstrated that there has been a reduction in the total area of habitat available and that fragmentation of vegetation increased in the Riviera Maya. The results reported here can be used to improve the ELUPP Cancun-Tulum. In addition, this investigation may be useful to improve other ELUP-Programmes in Mexico.
Strategic Environmental Assessment in regional land use planning (here: SEA-REP) is a systematic process in Germany, which aims at an optimisation of the integration of environmental policies into decision-making at regional scale. It therefore plays an essential role for the comparison of site alternatives, and the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures of negative effects of both regional development and climate change. Significant findings and personal experiences gained in an INTERREG project (‛transSEA’) created a fundamental basis for this doctoral research. The main objective was to develop the ‛LUCCA’ indicator system, which is a result of an analysis of land use types, that are increasingly important for effects of global climate change, and should therefore adapt to future conditions with regional land use planning. This system was developed from current German practice of the methodological application of SEA-REP in the core assessment of site-specific impacts on the affected area and impact zone. Main objectives were to integrate spatial effects of climate change into SEA-REP, and to develop a method to make particularly the tendency of physical degradation of natural resources in a region transparent. The research was based on a comprehensive analysis of best practice of SEA and assessment methods applied in German case studies of regional land use planning. Proposed was a a two-tiered environmental baseline- and objective-led approach of impact assessment. Its first tier is a site-specific assessment of significant impacts of regional plan designations and their alternatives. An environmental conflict analysis has the aim to apply assessment thresholds of conflict intensity for each impact factor affecting the importance of assessed components of LUCCA. Results are three classes of conflict intensity, which were determined and can be measured with the help of state indicators, impact indicators and assessment thresholds. 12 LUCCA indicators were defined in connection to regional environmental orientation objectives, environmental components, land uses and further criteria for indicator selection. The second tier is represented by an overall strategic assessment of the regional plan and its designation criteria. This assessment additionally considers positive and cumulative impacts, as well as structural alternatives. The result of the research is a standard concept for environmental orientation objectives, guidance indicators and assessment ranges for the LUCCA indicator system. Regional environmental orientation objectives, which represent outcome values of the future state of environment, were derived from existent environmental quality objectives and environmental quality standards. For each LUCCA indicator mitigation and adaptation measures of regional planning and requirements for tiering to SEA of lower land use planning were proposed. Recommendations for vital and critical action are addressed to competent national and regional authorities of spatial and sector planning. These involve the direct integration of concerns of climate change into SEA-REP, the regional operationalisation of environmental objectives for adaptation to climate change, an improved cooperation between spatial and sector planners concerned with the future use of land and resources, and, last but not least, an involvement of the public in the setting of regional objectives for the future state of a region’s environment. Recommendations for the competent national and federal ministries are the integration of substantial standards into legislation, the setting of binding standards for a stricter reduction of land consumption, the determination of clear responsibilities and activities at all planning levels, and the release of guidance for effective regional land use planning practice that enhances adaptation to climate change. The main recommendations for European regional planning bodies are to establish regional environmental objective concepts for SEA-REP, update regional environmental data profiles, apply the SEA-REP+LUCCA indicator system, develop a tiered decision-support system, challenge conventional regional planning, improve cooperation with sector planning and involve the public in the development of adaptation strategies. A recommended adaptation task at regional planning level is the designation of strictly safeguarded priority areas with specific functions of land uses for the mitigation of negative effects of climate change. Such priority areas, which should be area-specifically defined in a regional land use map, should be linked to the implementation of binding adaptation measures in lower land use planning and at project level. An operationalisation of proposed assessment steps will be necessary for the regional-specific geographic and bio-physical conditions of the EU regions. The thesis concludes with future research needs and an outlook on the potential future role of SEA-REP. A clear responsibility of the future tasks of SEA-REP and LUCCA was recognised as a formal driving force for adaptation of land use to effects of climate change. Improved knowledge on spatial effects of climate change and vulnerability assessments will be required for an effective revision and application of SEA-REP and LUCCA. SEA should gain further importance in a transparent and participative decision-making. Environmental concerns and the protection of LUCCA will have to gain more weight, if the significance of danger and harm, caused by effects of climate change and anthropogenic land degradation, shall be mitigated now and in the future.
The incompressible temporally developing turbulent boundary layer (TBL) and spatially developing turbulent boundary layer (SBL) with and without blowing is analyzed using the map-based stochastic one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) model. An understanding of these idealized flows is of fundamental relevance for boundary layer-type problems, which are frequently encountered in several applications, from atmospheric sciences to engineering. In the ODT model, the flow variables are resolved on all scales along a wall-normal, 1-D domain. These variables are evolved by a deterministic process representing molecular diffusion and by a stochastic process modeling the effect of turbulent advection and pressure fluctuations. Due to the reduction in dimensionality, the model is particularly appropriate for high Reynolds number flow. It is shown that the ODT model is able to capture salient features of the turbulent boundary layer-type flows by comparing the results with various available reference direct numerical simulation (DNS), large eddy simulation (LES) and experimental results. The comparison is presented for the mean velocity profiles, turbulent velocity fluctuation profiles (up to fourth order), the skin friction coefficient and shape factor for different bulk (Reb) and momentum Reynolds numbers (Reθ) using fixed model parameters. The influence of the model parameters is also discussed for various momentum Reynolds numbers for each investigated flow configuration. The results discussed in this thesis suggest that the ODT model is an economical and reasonably accurate approach for the simulation of turbulent boundary layer flows.
Owing to its unique strategic position on the northern coast of the Black Sea, Crimea has, since Antiquity, been a highly diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-religious location. Throughout history, the peninsula’s landscapes were shaped and transformed under the influence of its ever-changing populations. In this process, religion played a crucial role. Nowadays, Crimea abounds in sacred sites in the same way as it abounds in culturally and religiously diverse inhabitants.
Rebirth in the 1990s of the religious and cultural life that had been repressed for over seventy years of the Soviet rule gave a powerful impetus to the revival of Crimea’s sacred landscapes and enabled the different ethno-religious groups residing in the peninsula to re-establish the bond with the home of their ancestors. The notion of landscape as a memoryscape became central in this context, since it is the landscape that records, as well as reflects, the events in history. The sites communally regarded as sacred unite the people as much as common memories transmitted from one generation to the other do.
The objectives of the theoretical part of this thesis are twofold. On the one hand, it aims to grasp the connection between religion, landscape and memory, whereby sacred sites are seen as landscapes of memory and anchors of people’s cultural and religious identity. On the other hand, it seeks to explore the specific issues pertinent to the Crimean socio-cultural context, such as the peninsula’s history and the evolving ethno-religious relationships among the diverse local population, which have impacted the development and protection of Crimea’s sacred sites overtime. Method employed is the comparative literature review, whereby for each chapter a selection of authors was made, whose contributions towards the discussion of the aforementioned issues have been particularly relevant.
Based on the theoretical background described above, the empirical section of the research targets two main groups of actors: the state on the one side, and the organizations representing local religious groups on the other. In relation to the state, the objective is to explore how the religious revival of the post-Soviet period correlates with Ukraine’s current policies towards the safeguarding of Crimea’s sacred landscapes, namely, to what extent they are being protected under the existing legislation, and which of the aspects are given most attention in the process. In relation to the organizations representing local religious groups, the task is to investigate to what degree the sacred sites under study remain relevant for various groups, and to establish how the knowledge about the local sacred places and their importance is being disseminated both within these groups and beyond.
In order to fulfill these tasks, the set of indicators has been developed, which takes into consideration the specific Crimean socio-cultural context, and a selection of case studies has been made, which in their totality reflect the viewpoints of Crimea’s prominent religious groups. The case studies are: (1) the Assumption Monastery, (2) the cave town of Chufut Kale with Balta Tiymez Karaite cemetery, and (3) the old town of Bakhchisaray with Salachiq historic district and Gazy Mansur cemetery. All of the three case studies are located on the territory of Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Preserve (BHCP).
The evaluation of the Ukrainian state’s policies with regards to safeguarding of the selected sacred sites revealed that while many of their elements are recognized as cultural heritage of high significance, protection activities are impeded by substantial obstacles of administrative nature, as well as by the lack general planning. Moreover, conservation and day-to-day management is carried out with little consideration for the opinions of the local people and with the insufficient involvement of the latter.
The indicator-based assessment of relevance of the selected sacred locations for various local religious groups and the ways, in which the knowledge about these sites is being spread exposed a number of clear tendencies, as well as highlighted the existing challenges and deficiencies which need to be urgently addressed, so as to ensure the safeguarding of the studied sites for the future generations.
Scale dissonances between local and world heritage : the rural landscape of the Palladian villa
(2021)
This research critically analyses the visual representation of the Palladian villa landscape as UNESCO World Heritage. I bring to light certain dissonances around the understanding of this landscape as heritage between global and local perspective. I have explored the ways in which the rural landscape of the Palladian villas is produced by ICOMOS experts, local institution and inhabitants in the contemporary context of the suburban areas of the Veneto region in Italy. Dissonances are arising when the landscape transforms and the visual integrity, or the iconic image of the landscape get lost. I observed that, the loss of the visual integrity, considered as negative by ICOMOS experts, gives space to peculiar heritage social practices from below.
I am problematizing two main aspects of the conservation scheme of this site: the selective visual representation of history and the musealization of agriculture for touristic proposes. I am exploring the potential of reframing and renaming the conservation scheme of the World Heritage Site. I suggest using inhabitant’s visual representation to reframe the UNESCO management plan and considering the peculiar local agricultural practice as a “continuing cultural landscape”. I interpret my empirical and theoretical contribution as a semantic shift in the way the Palladian rural landscape is understood as World Heritage toward an inclusive and situated heritage conservation that extend beyond expert’s conservation philosophies. The research contributes to the deconstruction of modern notions of rural landscape and heritage in the field of heritage studies and landscape conservation especially within the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
Sub-Saharan African cultural landscapes are adversely impacted by various development pressures, which calls for a holistic and integrated approach in their management. Mining development has been ranked highly by UNESCO World Heritage Centre, as one of the most common factors threatening the conservation and management of World Heritage properties around the world. For instance, out of 141 World Heritage properties which submitted their state of conservation reports in 2015, 18% were affected by mining activities. Out of these, 84% of the properties that were threatened by mining development were either cultural landscapes, natural properties and or mixed properties. African World Heritage cultural landscapes are the ones highly affected and threatened by planned and on-going mining and exploration activities.
Therefore, research was carried out using the Mulanje Mountain Cultural Landscape of Malawi and Mapungubwe Cultural landscape of South Africa. Specifically, the study aimed at examining the existing cultural landscape management theories and concepts in order to understand the key elements to be integrated into the suggested strategic management planning methodological framework. It also aimed at evaluating the impact of mining development on the conservation and management of African cultural landscapes. The study also investigated the stakeholder’s views and perception about the impact of mining activities on cultural and natural heritage values of the landscapes.
To achieve the research objectives, the literature was reviewed, firstly to determine the dimensions of cultural landscapes, and secondly, to determine the dimensions of mining development in World Heritage cultural landscapes. The study used two case studies as an effective comparative research strategy in the investigation of the conflicting issues of mining development against the conservation of the attributes of the two cultural landscapes. A case study research strategy was combined with other research methodologies. These included interviews, focus-group-discussions, observations, field site surveys, qualitative content analysis, and thematic analysis.
The study has revealed that stakeholder participation and inclusion is a key element in the integration of mining development in cultural landscape planning. This research has contributed to the methodological gap in cultural landscape management planning by developing and applying an integrated strategic management planning methodological framework. The application of this framework has shown that the governance in place for Mulanje Mountain cultural landscape conformed to the requirements of a long-term and holistic planning process and the participation and empowerment of multiple stakeholders in that process.