Members’ Publication

A mega-industrial region is frequently the result of purposeful regional development policies. Mega-region development is a new form of rapid urbanization and economic growth that is stimulated by government infrastructure projects. The objective of this research is to examine how the core built-up area and population growth of Khulna city, Bangladesh are slowing relative to the periphery as a result of mega-regionalization. We describe the spatial transformation of the city using GIS and remote sensing for built-up area identification and two urban expansion indices–expansion intensity index and urban expansion differentiation index–for quantitative measurements. The findings indicate that the city's periphery is seeing a higher rate of land use change and population agglomeration than the core. Secondly, the development hotspots are located in the peripheral regions. This change is largely fuelled by conventional speculative land and housing development similar to most cities with growing economies, and not the result of becoming a mega-industrial region. The land use transformation at the regional level and the city’s periphery has catastrophic repercussions because of massive resettlement and depeasantization.

Peat landslides represent a notable natural hazard that is difficult to assess across complex blanket bog terrain. To aid the assessment of peat landslide susceptibility, we propose a new metric, the range of vertical surface motion (RVSM), quantified from time series data of surface motion measured using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). Our expectation is that areas that are more susceptible to landslide will display a high RVSM that is indicative of high amplitude swelling and shrinking of the peat in response to changes in the volume of water stored in the peat over time. To test our hypothesis we examined the spatial distribution of high RVSM values that preceded three peat landslides in Ireland in 2020 and over a large area of blanket bog. We observed that high RVSM was closely associated with the known failures and with inferred points of initial failure, and that the areas of high RVSM were detectable up to two years in advance of failure. In the blanket bog landscape, high RVSM was associated with areas where landscape hydrology would favour thick peat and subsequent potential instability. We conclude that RVSM mapping has potential for refining national-scale assessments of peat landslide susceptibility.

This research explores the nexus between COVID-19 and the livelihoods of easy-bike (three-wheeler human hauliers) drivers using a case study of Rangpur City, Bangladesh. Although easy-bike has become a prevalent form of paratransit among city-dwellers in medium-sized cities in Bangladesh, many passengers are now avoiding such paratransit to maintain health and safety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has negatively affected easy-bike drivers’ income in many medium-sized cities. To conduct this study, we collected primary data from the field, with the health and safety guidelines recommended by the government of Bangladesh in consideration. The results demonstrate a decreasing number of trips due to government policy changes under the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing people’s earnings associated with this transit system. We summarized the data to capture the attention of policymakers, who may need to introduce any foreseeable action to assist workers of different professions in need of economic assistance in cities outside of the capital city in Bangladesh. Moreover, we suggest the need to consider these urban transport workers as a vulnerable group for livelihood assistance within the country.

Background - Unequal housing access resulted in more than 150 million homeless people worldwide, with millions more expected to be added every year due to the ongoing climate-related crises. Homeless population has a counterproductive effect on the social, psychological integration efforts by the community and exposure to other severe health-related issues. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have long been applied in urban planning and policy, housing and homelessness, and health-related research. Methods - We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method to systematically review 24 articles collected from multiple databases (n = 10) that focused on health-related issues among homeless people and used geospatial analysis techniques in their research. Results - Our findings indicated a geographic clustering of case study locations– 26 out of the 31 case study sites are from the USA and Canada. Studies used spatial analysis techniques to identify hotspots, clusters and patterns of patient location and population distribution. Studies also reported relationships among the location of homeless shelters and substance use, discarded needles, different infectious and non-infectious disease clusters. Conclusion - Most studies were restricted in analyzing and visualizing the patterns and disease clusters; however, geospatial analyses techniques are useful and offer diverse techniques for a more sophisticated understanding of the spatial characteristics of the health issues among homeless people. Better integration of GIS in health research among the homeless would help formulate sensible policies to counter health inequities among this vulnerable population group.

Central Business Districts (CBDs) are impeccable areas of traffic attractions exacerbated by the increase of rapid population density, enormous urbanization, and increasing economic and commercial activities. Traffic congestion in the CBD areas is a perpetual problem for sustainable urban development. This study detailed the traffic congestion states and the factors influencing traffic congestion in the CBD areas of Khulna City. In this regard, spot speed, journey speed, running speed, and volume of all types of vehicles in the four CBD areas during peak and off-peak hours on both weekends and weekdays have been measured through manual counting and video recording methods. The traffic congestion state in the study area has been assessed through Level of Service, Speed Performance Index, Road Segment Congestion Index. The outcome of these indices revealed the worst congestion state in all CBD areas with breakdown flow. The Active Road Performance Index explained that inadequate parking facilities, illegal road occupancy by roadside vendors, and on-street parking decreased the road efficiency by 32 to 82% in different areas. The regular road users believed that congestion occurs mostly between 6.00 PM and 9.00 PM. This study found that rapid increase in vehicle population, poor public transport, pedestrians’ behavior, illegal road occupancy, and fragile enforcement of laws are leading the traffic condition of Khulna towards an unsustainable future. The outcome of this study will provide useful information for urban planners, policymakers, and practitioners to devise appropriate strategies for reducing congestion that would help to ensure a sustainable urban transport system.