This paper basically aims to study the existing public services (schools) in Nablus city in terms of their capability, distribution and suitability for the urban expansion and population growth in the city. This paper includes a comprehensive survey of all schools in the city in order to provide a database of this service, in addition to data about the number of students, teachers and architectural characteristics of the building and their services. It also measures the level of satisfaction of such public services was measured through the results of the questionnaire distributed to a random sample of students. The methodology of the study was based mainly on the descriptive and analytical research methods by using the tool of Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) as well as using certain geographic models like nearest neighbor analysis. The results of the study indicated the existence of randomness in the distribution of schools in Nablus city due to the absence of proper planning and reference to planning regulations. In addition, the study showed the lack of efficiency and capability of such services.

Bio-Architect Mayank Barjatya works with geopathy and geobiology as a medium to learn from nature. He has been instrumental in analytical Earth assessment and its impact on human health and brain connections. He proposes the model and method by which detailed geobiological study can provide us information to derive the parameters for sustainable urban planning, construction & location of buildings, underground structures, and services that actually support and promote human health and well-being.

Architects have always been keen on providing efficient and ideal housing while considering multiple factors because it is one of the essential needs of human beings. Sustainability has become a core topic in housing design and several studies have tried to define the important factors that should be considered in order to realize sustainable design. Lately, architects and urban planners managed to take steps forward towards social sustainability in design to define the socio-natural relationship allowing lasting environmental quality. Many studies in the US and Europe were conducted to analyze this complex mission. Since different communities have developed different cultures, traditions, and attitudes dealing with housing projects, this paper aims to investigate the different factors and criteria to analyze and evaluate social sustainability in housing projects for culturally different societies. This investigation provides an understanding of the diverse needs of those different communities in terms of socially sustainable design. Different case studies from similar cultures in Turkey and Syria have been analyzed towards the establishment of clear and solid scientific evaluation system suitable for those communities in order to discuss the factors needed to achieve social sustainability of housing on an architectural and urban scale.

Artificial neural networks (NN), have been applied to many construction management problems in urban projects. NN have showed some degree of success so the objective of this paper is to highlight some applications of this tool in the construction management field to help specialists find optimum solutions. A brief description of the input and output variables for each mentioned problem was illustrated in addition to the number and type of data set collected to train and test the neural network performance then the percentage error for each developed model was pointed out to demonstrate its accuracy.

This research aims to compare those degenerate towns and cities with booming ones to find out the strategies for rural and regional developments and help the decision-making through regional planning. Different from studies that only focus on decaying towns, this paper does not neglect those prosperous ones but compare the significant differences between them. The methods include 1) Principal Component Analysis (PCV) to create Development Index (DI) for every county subdivision from 2000 to 2015; and 2) spatial and temporal analysis to find whether some spatial patterns exist. Development Index (DI) is the core standard to evaluate some location’s development.

High rates of urbanization lead to a fragmented urban form with unequal access to jobs, amenities and public services. The lack of efficient and adaptive layout and design, integrated land uses (Paton et al., 2013; Saunders & Becker, 2015), urban connectivity (Taaffe et al., 1963) and sufficient forward planning at all levels of government is identified as a shortcoming which only exacerbates the consequences of urbanization. Based on an analysis of spatial planning principles, this paper proposes a practical and policy-related set of tools for improved forward planning, promoting resilient layout planning and smart land use management as a means to enable diverse settlements to respond to events such as intense levels of urbanization. The case study is focused on the dualistic urban settlements of South-Africa, but principles proposed could be applied to other settlements with similar spatially distorted patterns. The proposed set of tools could potentially improve urban resilience and efficiency.

The paper studies the sustainable development opportunities of the public passenger transport market in the globalized environment. The main aim of the research is to improve the competitiveness of sustainable public transport. Transportation needs to be considered as an important aspect of the development of cities in a sustainable manner and for an attempt to create a smart city. Those cities care about inhabitants, apply environmentally acceptable methods of waste management, offer more efficient public transportation, health care, and social system. Many studies have shown the relationship between effective public transportation services and sustainable development at the city level. European Commission is trying to motivate all the regional administration in an overall acceptance of sustainable urban mobility plans as part of the strategic vision for solving pressing problems in the process of functioning of modern cities. The purpose of this study is to present a concrete step in achieving the objectives of the "smart city" concept with the use of modern information technology in the traffic and passengers in the real-time monitoring process, tickets issuing, as well as passengers informing in Subotica, Serbia. There is a wide gap between community expectations from public transportation services and the actual quality of service provided. The resulted grounded theory has brought attention to the necessary reform of transportation institutions; transportation policy which is integrated into settlement development of the smart city strategy and consistency of economic systems; public transportation development proceeding from supply improvement; and finally, the need of awareness improvement via education. The research conclusion is a necessity of external fund allocation through emerging means of liberalization and public-private partnership and the introduction of the more demand responsive transportation system while taking into account sustainable consumption as well.

Active transport i.e. cycling or walking as well as using public transport for everyday journeys is an effective approach with multiple social and environmental benefits for transforming urban environments into active urban environments. Although cycling and walking often remain on the margins of transport planning and infrastructure, there are new approaches emerging along with policies relevant to the creation of urban environments conducive to active travel. Interventions and policies for developing physically active-friendly environments across towns and cities in Europe are central to facilitating the promotion of physical activity and sustainable transport among the local population. A 3-year Erasmus+ project called SPAcE (Supporting Policy and action for Active Environments) involves local government partners and an NGO developing policies and interventions to promote physically active-friendly environments in five European towns/cities: Latvia [Tukums], Italy [Palermo], Romania [Brasov], Spain [Toledo] and Greece [Trikala]. The project has focused on cities with recorded low physical activity levels. 5 working groups across these towns/cities have started co-production to develop Urban Active Environments (UActivE) Action Plans aimed at influencing policy and practice for active transport programmes promoting the use of cycling and walking. Action plans are based on international guidance for healthy urban planning as remaining project partners include universities and an NGO who have provided support, advice and mentoring. Cooperation and co-production with public health professionals, local government officers, education authorities and transport agencies is a key approach to the project. Creating sustainable active urban environments is a key to healthier, cleaner, and economically successful cities. This goal can be reached by increased carbon-free forms of transportation such as walking and cycling. The SPAcE project aims to capture both the challenges and solutions for the development of active transport in urban spaces translating evidence into policy and practice and ensuring innovation at the policy level.

Objective 25,500 people were killed on European roads in 2016. Thus, despite the achievements of the past, there is still need for action in order to reduce the number of people killed or injured in road traffic. Road safety will therefore certainly continue to be a part of the political agenda of the EU and its member states. However, the topics and activities of road safety policy that will determine the next few years are less apparent. Official programmes usually provide an insight on a very general level only. For this reason, the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV) has asked the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences to carry out a policy analysis in order to clearly forecast the actions of the EU 2016-2020 in terms of road safety policy. The forecast aims at supporting the work programmes of public and private institutions as well as decision makers. Method The study was based on an evaluation of programmes and legal acts of the past years as well as on expert opinions. From the results, conclusions were drawn on the activities and actions to be expected till 2020. Results The results were structured according to the seven objectives defined by the European Commission in its policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020. Among others, the following developments can be expected in the near future: - The EU Commission is revising several directives, most importantly the directive on initial qualification and periodic training for professional drivers (a proposal has already been published), the infrastructure directive (with a possible inclusion of all highways and a focus on motorcycles and ITS), and the tunnel safety directive. - Other directives have been or are currently being evaluated and will most likely be revised in the future. This includes the driving license directive and the cross-border enforcement directive. Apart from that, in the field of enforcement, only recommendations on the exchange of good-practice are expected. - Technical vehicle safety and the promotion of the use of modern technology will gain more importance. A report on advanced vehicle safety features was published in December 2016, a proposal can be expected in 2017. In 2018, new directives on technical vehicle inspection are going to be applied in the member states. A “road package” has been published in May 2017, targeting electronic road toll systems, competition in commercial road transport as well as social conditions of professional drivers. C-ITS (cooperative ITS) are becoming a priority: Based on a strategy published 2016, networked vehicles should be introduced by 2019. A review of the ITS action plan and directive is pending - Driver distraction and the safety of senior road users are a subject of EU-funded research projects. Results will be published within the next years. However, no legislative proposals are expected. - Reducing the number of seriously injured will be a core objective in the future: A reduction goal of 50% has been set by the Council of the European Union for the period 2020-2030. The results show that the developments of the last years point towards a full and active agenda till 2020 and beyond. This roadmap will support all stakeholders in road safety in their contribution.

Urban transport systems in Indonesia have been influenced by kinds of traffic problems such as congestion, high accident rates and traffic violations and uncomfortable, safe, and orderly levels of public transport services. To develop urban transportation systems, a policy implementation is needed in public transportation such as special lanes for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as one of the alternative solutions to give better services for the public transport user. The purpose of this study is to count the demand of bus rapid transit, determine the number of corridors and halt for the BRT as well as know the types of BRT which should be operated in Kendari City in accordance with the needs of public transport users. The method used in this study is the quantitative method by collecting primary and secondary data which includes OD Matrix of a destination of the population travel, Number of Passengers up and down on each route, Load factor in each route, Travel time and Road Inventory Data. Other data include Road length, Road width, Road type, the width of trotoar, width of the median, and Road Pavement type. The results of this research are that the number of demand for public transportation in Kendari City are 28 buses with 8 units in the first corridor, 6 units in the second corridor, 8 units in the third corridor, and 6 units in the fourth corridor. Indeed, the total number of corridors needed to operate of BRT in Kendari requires 174 shelters. The potential population in Kendari City is categorized on the modest development and the existing conditions of the road, which is not too large for the BRT line planned. Therefore, the possibility of increasing the number of passengers then the type of bus which may be used as a fleet of BRT at the beginning of the operation is large floor buses total capacity of 79 people consisting of 49 seated passengers and 30 passengers standing.

The traditional housing of Baghdadi has undergone many transformations in the past century. This is noticed in many districts of traditional Baghdad and its heritage. In this period, architectural styles with Western influences were observed as a result of the political conditions and foreign colonization that swept the country. German architecture, English and French and other models in our old heritage stores, especially in the neighborhood of CREMAT in Salhia - Baghdad. With this level of complexity of the models, we have to disclose and study during the research process to reach the mechanisms and adaptation of Western models designed for an environment of a different nature adapted to our environment and the local Baghdad and take advantage of these global experiences in the design process. Therefore, the research highlighted the influence of Western culture on our Baghdadi architectural culture to preserve the landmarks of the past so that future children can see it. Ever since man’s historical awareness of the past, the present and the future, he tried to record his present and preserve his past for the future. The urban heritage reflects the cultural identity of man: his past, his present and his future. Our Baghdad Municipality has been characterized by functional organization of the elements of the house, relying on the internal courtyard to provide the necessary privacy to the population and the use of local construction materials such as bricks, plaster, stone and palms and the use of the sheds in the internal atmosphere of the rooms. All examples of Baghdadi heritage architecture share a distinctive architectural character that belongs to the region and reflects all of its cultural, environmental and social conditions. Therefore, the research will try to reach the impact of these civilizations on the Baghdadi style, especially in the residential architecture of Baghdad. The objective of the research was to describe the effects of Western culture on the architectural style of the Salhia area and its adaptation to the local style of the region while attempting to come up with new and traditional indicators of transformation in residential patterns. In order to address the research problem, which is the phenomenon of divergence in the decisions of the traditional residential patterns in the locality of the CREMAT - Salhia, and to verify the goal of the desired research, the research plan is to analyze the chronological sequence of the ancient models in the region and identifying the identity of each model and then how to diagnose changes in traditional architectural styles through its holistic calendar and the appearance of the architectural style of the Salhia in this architectural form. The results showed the impact of Western cultures on the identity of the Baghdad residential area.