Members’ Publication

This Working Paper compiles the experiences and lessons learnt from specific adaptation pilot interventions under the Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience (HI-AWARE) Research on Glacier and Snowpack Dependent River Basins for Improving Livelihoods. The climate change adaptation solutions tested in HI-AWARE pilots have shown huge potential in the areas of flood resilient housing and sanitation, water management, climate-smart agriculture, and heat stress management. The lessons learnt can help inform and improve the design and management of interventions in these areas.

Elucidating the impact of Land Surface Temperature (LST) is an important aspect of urban studies. The impact of urbanization on LST has been widely studied to monitor the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. However, the sensitivity of various urban factors such as urban green spaces (UGS), built-up area, and water bodies to LST is not sufficiently resolved for many urban settlements. By using remote sensing techniques, this study aimed to quantify the influence of urban factors on LST in the two traditional cities (i) Panaji and (ii) Tumkur of India, proposed to be developed as smart cities. Landsat data were used to extract thematic and statistical information about urban factors using the Enhanced Built-up and Bareness Index (EBBI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI). The multivariate regression model revealed that the value of adjusted R2 was 0.716 with a standard error of 1.97 for Tumkur city, while it was 0.698 with a standard error of 1.407 for Panaji city. The non-parametric correlation test brought out a strong negative correlation between MNDWI and LST with a value of 0.83 for Panaji, and between SAVI and LST with a value of 0.77 for Tumkur. The maximum percentage share of cooling surfaces are water bodies in Panaji with 35% coverage and green spaces in Tumkur with 25% coverage. Apparently, the UGS and water bodies can help in bringing down the LST, as well as facilitating healthy living conditions and aesthetic appeal. Therefore, the significance of ecosystem services (green spaces and water bodies) should be given priority in the decision-making process of sustainable and vibrant city development

Land cover (LC) is an essential variable for environmental monitoring in many application domains. The detection of changes in LC can support the understanding of environmental dynamics. However, LC legends present a high degree of inconsistencies that significantly reduce their usability. This study investigates the effectiveness of ISO standard 19144-2, better known as Land Cover Meta-Language (LCML), to improve the standardization and harmonization of different LC taxonomies and maps. LCML vocabulary and syntactic rules facilitate the integration of natural resources information. LC classes are represented by a sequence of “Basic Elements” and attributes defined as “Properties” and “Characteristics.” Such elements are formalized in a Unified Modeling Language class diagram. This study presents first, a method to evaluate and score the “similarity” of different LCML legends, second, an application of the similarity assessment criteria to an area located in Bangladesh for translating its specific LCML legend into a different taxonomy, i.e., the System of Environmental Economic Accounting, and third, a Python implementation to be incorporated in new or already existing tools. The results obtained show that when class similarity assessment is carried out by Basic Elements only, the process performs well for simple classes. When classes are characterized by similar basic elements (e.g., biotic elements) structure, the introduction of class properties is needed to disambiguate complex situations. The findings indicate that the proposed methodology can exploit LCML land feature semantic representation. Moreover, it can be used for translating LCML classes into different taxonomies, for facilitating class comparison and change detection.

Dhaka is a city of 400 years that are huge in the amount of population. For this over populated city service provision is a challenging task. Dhaka city lacks in public facilities such as open space, playgrounds, parks etc. This research has tried to evaluate the scarcity of playgrounds in zone 2 of Dhaka North City Corporation, Bangladesh. The study aims to assess the network system of the existing playgrounds and need for the playgrounds facilities. Cluster Sample Technique was conducted in the DNCC zone two and Ward wise questionnaire survey were conducted among the households who have young aged members in family. The sample size were 300 and the Sampling method was cluster sample technique. The deficiency of playgrounds is analysed in this research in accordance to planning standard. As per DMDP and DAP, 152.80 acre are deficit land. According to this master plan for Dhaka city there needs 160.40 acre of land for playgrounds, but zone-2 has only 7.60 acre of land for playgrounds. The demand and locational distribution of playgrounds in the study area are also explored in this research. Basically, the whole research has tried to execute and make link between playgrounds and its service zone that are assessed with various analysis.

Although the rate of road crashes and their severity is relatively higher in developing countries, there is still a lack of research on pedestrian-vehicle crash severity in these contexts, particularly in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the contributing environmental, road, and vehicular factors that influenced pedestrian—single-vehicle crash severity in Dhaka, a megacity and the capital of Bangladesh. A binary logistic regression model was developed in this study by analyzing a data set of pedestrian—single-vehicle crashes involving casualties in Dhaka from 2010 to 2015. The model identified seven significant factors influencing pedestrian-vehicle crash severity. Significant factors increasing the likelihood of fatal crashes included crashes during adverse weather, dawn/dusk period, night period (where street light was absent), off-peak period, crashes where road divider was unavailable, road geometry was straight and flat, and crashes those were occurred by heavier vehicles. Besides, crashes at three-legged intersections were less likely to be fatal. Both similarities and differences were found among the significant factors influencing pedestrian-vehicle crash severity in Dhaka from the findings of the developed countries. The findings of this study would help transport engineers and planners to design safer roadways for both pedestrians and vehicles.

Accessibility in the buildup environments of university campus for physically challenged students is a worldwide concern. Every student with disability has the right to equal enjoyment and access in the university. In Bangladesh, increased numbers of students with disabilities have been accessed to higher educational opportunities. However, also the government has imposed some legal basis for the education and the inclusive design for the disabled students. This paper describes the worldwide planning practices of inclusive and universal design for ensuring accessibility for the disabled students in university. Beside this, the legal issues relating to accessibility of disabled students in Bangladesh also have assessed. An overview of the planning mechanism of some countries like America, England and India has been comparatively analyzed to shape-up the condition of the inclusive design in the universities of Bangladesh. The study only emphasizes on the physical structures related legal issues. Actually, inclusive design is a fundamental need and also the rights of the students with disabilities in the university. More specific and potential planning instruments are needed to address this accessibility issue of physically challenged students.