Nakhara : Journal of Environmental Design and Planning

Heritage Values and Community Perception: A Look Into the Historic Ruins of Dinajpur Rajbari

Murchana Madhury — 2024-01-29

The establishment of the value and effective protection of historical ruins comprises a subject of rising interest, as evidenced by an increasing amount of research involving several disciplines. In Bangladesh, debates on the relevance of such abandoned, degraded, deformed, or empty structures—unlike other intact monuments in heritage studies—rarely take into account the attitude of the locals towards these ruins. Analyzing the case of Dinajpur Rajbari, Bangladesh, the paper intends to explore the value ascribed to historic ruins by the surrounding community. The study uses a case study approach built on Mason’s value typology, which has widely contributed to the identification of the significance of heritage sites. Using a mixed research method, data were collected through field observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions with 100 respondents selected from members of the local community. The article concludes by informing policymakers and heritage conservators of the position of community perception and promoting its integration into the development of management policies for these historical ruins.

Conserving Thailand's Wooden Built Heritage: Developments, Approaches, and Current Challenges

Teranetr Tienthavorn — 2024-03-28

This study investigated the developments and current status of stakeholders involved in preserving wooden heritage in Thailand, specifically from the government, private sectors, and academia. The methodologies consisted of documentary analyses, in-depth interviews, and on-site observations of wooden conservation sites.

The findings revealed three periods in the development of wooden built heritage: government-led building registration, the evolution of conservation approaches by various stakeholders including private and academic entities, and a collaborative phase emphasizing intangible aspects such as craftsmanship. The study examined current wooden conservation approaches, expanding from traditional methods applied in registered buildings to contemporary and flexible conservation approaches in non-registered buildings. In the non-registered building type within the private sector, there was a need to assess multidimensional aspects beyond cultural values. The results also highlighted several challenges in the preservation of wooden built heritage in Thai context. Firstly, there was the issue of wood resource management. Secondly, the challenge arose in conservation mechanisms such as analyzing drawings, conducting proper surveys, and maintaining carpenter skills. Lastly, the challenge was also encountered in the maintenance of wooden built heritage.

The study recommended conservation support for the private sector, addressing their lack of regulatory protection. Firstly, it proposed the implementation of flexible policies or regulations that are specifically designed for wooden heritage. Secondly, the study suggested establishing supportive information platforms dedicated to wood-related knowledge. Lastly, it emphasized the importance of raising public awareness in preserving wooden built heritage.

From Physics to Environmental Policy: Exploring Boltzmann Distribution for Carbon Trading Permit Allocation

Ji-Won Park — 2024-04-25

Combating climate change and reducing atmospheric CO2 emissions are imperative. While carbon trade, including taxes and trading systems, has been proposed, the allocation of initial permits is challenging. This study addresses this issue, exploring the application of the Boltzmann distribution for carbon emission permit allocation in carbon trading. The Boltzmann distribution method uniquely considers each country's environmental and economic contexts, assigning more responsibility to nations with larger populations and higher emissions, and providing incentives to lower-emission countries. This promotes fairness in global climate change efforts and influences national environmental policies. High-emission countries like China receive a high number of permits, encouraging stronger environmental policies, whereas countries with lower emissions, such as Italy, benefit from additional permits as compared to conventional distribution models, bolstering their existing environmental conservation. This paper applies the Boltzmann distribution to eight countries, considering population, economic size, and CO2 emissions. It effectively balances permits between egalitarianism (population-based) and sovereignty (emission-based) principles, suitable for international carbon trading. This flexible approach provides a practical framework for international emissions rights allocation along with potential applications in broader contexts. Implementation of the Boltzmann distribution in real-world policy faces challenges due to the dynamic nature of international politics and economics. This research offers insights into the process of integrating this method into existing environmental policy frameworks, demonstrating its potential as a tool for enhancing global environmental sustainability. Future research should explore its application in the complex international political and economic environment, furthering its role in global climate policy.

House Type Specification for Housing Development Project Using Machine Learning Techniques: A Study From Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand

Kongkoon Tochaiwat — 2024-03-27

Specifying the house type of a housing development project is extremely necessary. However, the determination of a project type nowadays has become a delicate matter, requiring the expertise and knowledge of seasoned project developers. This study aimed to apply four machine learning techniques: Decision Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosted Tree and Ensemble Classifier, to analyze the data from 179 housing estate projects collected from market reports of real estate companies in Thailand, with a focus on selecting projects with average monthly sales rates that are higher than the average of all acquired projects. This process resulted in a reduced dataset of 59 projects, including 31 townhouses, 22 single-family houses, and six semi-detached houses. As a result, the Ensemble Classifier model has the highest accuracy of 90.91%. The factors most influential in identifying the type of project are the distances from a main road, sky train station, bus station, hospital, and department store. Single-detached house projects are suitable for locations with high potential. The ideal location should be in proximity to a main road, bus station, department store, and hospital. In addition, townhouse projects are ideal for medium-potential locations that are not near shopping malls, but still require proximity to a hospital, sky train station, or bus station. Ultimately, semi-detached house projects are ideal for medium-potential locations that require proximity to a main road for convenient access to sky train station or public transportation, depending on the specific context.

Using Biophilic Design to Enhance Resilience of Urban Parks in Semarang City, Indonesia

Novia Sari Ristianti — 2024-02-07