Spatial allocation of material flow analysis in residential developments: a case study of Kildare County, Ireland

Roy, Manoj; Curry, Robin; Ellis, Geraint

doi:10.1080/09640568.2014.951115

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…Furthermore, links to bigger scales of the neighborhood, district, and city can address processes that are not limited within the parcel level. Similar bottom‐up approaches were devised in recent studies (Albelwi, Kwan, & Rezgui, 2017; Christen et al., 2011; Codoban & Kennedy, 2008; Roy, Curry, & Ellis, 2015) to assess metabolism in blocks or neighborhoods (Chrysoulakis, 2015). These approaches oppose prior top‐down approaches that rely on city or regional data (Kennedy, Cuddihy, & Engel‐Yan, 2007; Ngo & Pataki, 2008) that cannot be easily attributed to specific locations or activities.…”

Section: Urban Metabolism As a Systems Approach To Resource Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 97%

Reunderstanding Cairo through urban metabolism: Formal versus informal districts resource flow performance in fast urbanizing cities

Khalil

Al‐Ahwal

2020

J of Industrial Ecology

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Urban expansion can be seen as the most pervasive human impact on the environment where its high resource use contributes negatively to climate change and resource scarcity crises. Many experts call for decoupling resource use, economic development, and related urban development especially within cities of the Global South. This paper focuses on investigating resource efficiency through the lens of urban metabolism. It investigates current resource flows, through material flow analysis, from source to sink, in two diverse districts in Cairo: a formal district and an informal one, regarding materials (waste) and mobility. Consequently, the paper discusses locally responsive interventions that address local priorities as opposing to citywide one‐size fits all solution. The paper relies on parcel audits, which are embedded in an Urban Metabolism Information System developed by the Ecocity Builders and their partners, through a joint project with Cairo University. The methodology couples crowd‐sourced data, parcel audits, and experts’ knowledge to better understand resource flows based on a bottom‐up approach, given the unavailability of governmental data on the local level. The paper further correlates the perceived quality of life with the actual resource flows. It utilizes fieldwork investigations to argue against the local misconceptions regarding the inefficiency of informal areas/systems versus the higher efficiency of planned areas/systems. The paper concludes by proposing integrated solutions that respond to local needs and resources. It highlights the challenges and lessons of this tailored bottom‐up approach and its applicability in other cities worldwide.

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Section: Urban Metabolism As a Systems Approach To Resource Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 97%

Reunderstanding Cairo through urban metabolism: Formal versus informal districts resource flow performance in fast urbanizing cities

Khalil

Al‐Ahwal

2020

J of Industrial Ecology

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“…In response to the growing concerns about urban sustainability, several attempts to tailor industrial ecology UM models to urban planning and design were conducted over the last decade, both in academia (e.g. Ferna´ndez, 2007;Quinn, 2012;Roy et al, 2015) and in professional practice (e.g. Tillie et al, 2014;Metabolic et al, 2015).…”

Section: Applications Of Um Models In Urban Planning and Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can urban metabolism models advance green infrastructure planning? Insights from ecosystem services research

Perrotti

Stremke

2018

Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science

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Urban metabolism studies have gained momentum in recent years as a means to assess the environmental performance of cities and to point to more resource-efficient strategies for urban development. Recent literature reviews report a growing number of applications of the industrial ecology model for material flow analysis in the design of the built environment. However, applications of material flow analysis in green infrastructure development are scarce. In this article, we argue that: (i) the use of material flow analysis in green infrastructure practice can inform decision-making towards more resource-efficient urban planning; (ii) the ecosystem service concept is critical to operationalize material flow analysis for green infrastructure planning and design, and, through this, can enhance the impact of urban metabolism research on policy making and planning practice. The article draws from a systematic review of literature on urban ecosystem services and benefits provided by green infrastructure in urban regions. The review focuses on ecosystem services that can contribute to a more energy-efficient and less carbon-intensive urban metabolism. Using the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services as a baseline, we then discuss opportunities for integrating energy provision and climate regulation ecosystem services in material flow analysis. Our discussion demonstrates that the accounting of ecosystem services in material flow analysis enables expressing impacts of green infrastructure on the urban energy mix (renewable energy provision), the magnitude of energy use (mitigation of building energy demand) and the dynamics of biogeochemical processes in cities (carbon sequestration). We finally propose an expanded model for material flow analysis that illustrates a way forward to integrate the ecosystem service concept in urban metabolism models and to enable their application in green infrastructure planning and design.

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“…() extended the UM framework by including “geographic specificity,” in addition to other factors such as political ecology and ecosystem services. Finally, to integrate MFA into spatial planning policies, Roy, Curry, and Ellis () introduced a spatial allocation of material flow analysis (SAMFA) model and used it to visualize construction material flows in Kildare County, Ireland at the level of electoral divisions. SAMFA was then used to construct alternative scenarios and determine their outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using spatially explicit commodity flow and truck activity data to map urban material flows

Yeow

Cheah

2019

J of Industrial Ecology

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To analyze and promote resource efficiency in urban areas, it is important to characterize urban metabolism and particularly, material flows. Material flow analysis (MFA) offers a means to capture the dynamism of cities and their activities. Urban‐scale MFAs have been conducted in many cities, usually employing variants of the Eurostat methodology. However, current methodologies generally reduce the study area into a “black box,” masking details of the complex processes within the city's metabolism. Therefore, besides the aggregated stocks and flows of materials, the movement of materials—often embedded in goods or commodities—should also be highlighted. Understanding the movement and dispersion of goods and commodities can allow for more detailed analysis of material flows. We highlight the potential benefits of using high‐resolution urban commodity flows in the context of understanding material resource use and opportunities for conservation. Through the use of geographic information systems and visualizations, we analyze two spatially explicit datasets: (1) commodity flow data in the United States, and (2) Global Positioning System‐based commercial vehicle (truck) driver activity data in Singapore. In the age of “big data,” we bring advancements in freight data collection to the field of urban metabolism, uncovering the secondary sourcing of materials that would otherwise have been masked in typical MFA studies. This brings us closer to a consumption‐based, finer‐resolution approach to MFA, which more effectively captures human activities and its impact on urban environments.

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Spatial allocation of material flow analysis in residential developments: a case study of Kildare County, Ireland

Cited by 14 publications

References 39 publications

Reunderstanding Cairo through urban metabolism: Formal versus informal districts resource flow performance in fast urbanizing cities

Reunderstanding Cairo through urban metabolism: Formal versus informal districts resource flow performance in fast urbanizing cities

Can urban metabolism models advance green infrastructure planning? Insights from ecosystem services research

Using spatially explicit commodity flow and truck activity data to map urban material flows

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