Three alumina preparations, doped with ca. 3% CaO and corresponding to the y-, 6,Oand a-Al,O, phases, respectively, have been studied by XRD, TEM and FTIR spectroscopy. Owing to the presence of Ca, no bulk phase stabilization/destabilization effects were observed, but the particle morphology of the y-and a-phases was modified (though to a different extent), and in the a-phase the segregation of bulk Ca aluminate(s) was noted.The IF? spectra of the three materials, and the spectra of the adsorption of some probe molecules (pyridine, CO, CO, ) indicated that, starting from the lowest calcination temperatures, Ca tends to accumulate at the surface of the alumina phase(s). In doing so, it modifies the surface hydrated layer, the basicity of the surface, and the strength and nature of the surface Lewis acidity.It was postulated that, long before the segregation of separate Ca aluminate phases, there is the gradual formation of a (two-dimensional) surface layer of Ca aluminate, whose formation occurs primarily, but not exclusively, at the expense of the surface cationic centres in which Al possesses tetrahedral coordination.
Increasingly over the last decade, there has been attention and expectations on the role that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions can play in increasing accountability, participation, and transparency in the public administration. In addition, attention to citizen participation is more and more at the center of the debate about smart cities. However, technological solutions have been often proposed without considering the first citizen's needs and the sociotechnical misalignment within the city, i.e., in peripheral area. This paper outlines the design and implementation process of a we-government IT tool, called MiraMap. The project has been developed in the Mirafiori District in Torino (Italy), a neighborhood, which is characterized by the problems of marginality and by several undergoing urban transformations with a very high potential for social and economic development in the next few years. This makes Mirafiori Sud a valuable case study environment to experiment new methods and IT solutions to strengthen the connection between citizens and public administration. The object of MiraMap, indeed, is to facilitate communication and management between citizens and administration in reporting of issues and claims but also in submitting proposals. Collecting and handling of this information in an efficient way are crucial to improve the quality of life in urban suburbs, addressing more targeted and better performed public policies. In order to achieve those results, we combined First Life, a new local social network based on an interactive map, with a business process management system for easing reports about claims and proposals to be handled. The research process involves an interdisciplinary team, composed by architects, computer scientists, engineers, geographers, and legal experts, with the direct participation of local administrators and citizens.INDEX TERMS Citizen engagement and smart governance, mobile crowdsensing for smart cities, modeling the social impact of smart technologies, case studies and testbeds for smart cities around the world, applied research in smart cities.
Nowadays, through ICT supports and their applications, the concept of smart cities has evolved into smart communities, where the collaborative relationship between citizens and public administration generates multi-dimensional impacts: urban sites are living labs and agents of innovation and inclusion. As a first step, this article aims to critically review the state of the art of the assessment methods of these impacts through a set of synthetic indicators; the second step is to elaborate a specific framework to evaluate quality of life through a set of impact indicators for smart communities and inclusive urban processes. According to some referenced authors, cities and communities are smart if they perform well in six smart categories: smart economy; smart people; smart governance; smart mobility; smart environment; and smart living. Considering a recent experiment carried out in Turin (Italy), the authors propose a methodology, whose trial is ongoing, based on a hierarchical multiscale framework defining a set of smart community indicators.
Nowadays, levels of crime and violence appear to be much higher in large cities in developing countries. This is the result of several factors, such as: the speed of urbanization, the inability of cities to provide sufficient infrastructure and the widening disparities in income and access to housing and services. These levels of inequality can have negative consequences from a social, economic and political point of view, with a destabilizing impact on societies and higher risks for the most disadvantaged people, especially those living in informal settlements. The paper presents the results of a study carried out by the Authors at the Department of Architecture and Design of the Polytechnic of Turin. Urban security is investigated in the context of Kibera slum (Nairobi) through the integration of two different tools, namely Participatory Mapping and Space Syntax. The research analyses the relation between criminal activities and the spatial and configurational features of the street network, with the aim to highlight some key environmental factors to take into consideration while constructing the new road Missing link #12. Specifically, the research identifies and studies seven parameters from the literature review: integration, illumination, vitality and diversity, visibility, active facades, territoriality and maintenance and image. The findings show that urban planning and design strongly impact crime occurrence. The crime hot-spots’ distribution in Kibera depends on the simultaneous interrelation of multiple components in the space.
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