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Sustainability Assessment of the Residential Land Use in Seven Boroughs of the Island of Montreal, Canada

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  • Ricardo Enrique Vega-Azamar

    (Station Expérimentale des Procédés Pilotes en Environnement, École de Technologie Supérieure, Université du Québec, 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest Local A-1500, Quebec, MN H3C 1K3, Canada)

  • Rabindranarth Romero-López

    (Unidad de Investigación Especializada en Hidroinformática y Tecnología Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad Veracruzana, Lomas del Estadio s/n, Zona Universitaria, Xalapa, 91000 Veracruz, Mexico
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Mathias Glaus

    (Station Expérimentale des Procédés Pilotes en Environnement, École de Technologie Supérieure, Université du Québec, 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest Local A-1500, Quebec, MN H3C 1K3, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Norma Angélica Oropeza-García

    (División de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Boulevard Bahía s/n Esquina Ignacio Comonfort, Col. Del Bosque, Chetumal, 77019 Quintana Roo, Mexico
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Robert Hausler

    (Station Expérimentale des Procédés Pilotes en Environnement, École de Technologie Supérieure, Université du Québec, 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest Local A-1500, Quebec, MN H3C 1K3, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

High resource utilization in the residential sector, and the associated environmental impacts, are central issues in the growth of urban regions. Land-use urban planning is a primary instrument for the proper development of cities; an important point is the consideration of the urban form’s influence on resource utilization intensity. Emergy synthesis, an energy-based methodological approach that allows the quantification and integration of both natural and human-generated flows interacting in urban environments, was used to assess sustainability of the residential land use of seven boroughs on the Island of Montreal. Natural resources, food, water, acquired goods and services, electricity and fuels were the main flows considered in the analysis. Results suggest that income, household size and distance to downtown are the variables affecting resource utilization intensity more noticeably and that allocation of green area coverage is an important parameter for controlling land use intensity. With the procedure used for calculating resource use intensity in the seven boroughs, it is possible to generate a tool to support urban planning decision-making for assessing sustainable development scenarios. Future research should consider urban green space potential for accommodating local waste treatment systems, acting as a greenhouse gas emissions sink and promoting human health.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Enrique Vega-Azamar & Rabindranarth Romero-López & Mathias Glaus & Norma Angélica Oropeza-García & Robert Hausler, 2015. "Sustainability Assessment of the Residential Land Use in Seven Boroughs of the Island of Montreal, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:7:y:2015:i:3:p:2454-2472:d:46206
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Steffen Lehmann, 2015. "A New Urban Agenda: Introduction to the Special Issue on “Sustainable Urban Development”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(8), pages 1-7, July.
    2. Qing Huang & Xinqi Zheng & Yecui Hu, 2015. "Analysis of Land-Use Emergy Indicators Based on Urban Metabolism: A Case Study for Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-19, June.
    3. Ricardo Enrique Vega-Azamar & Rabindranarth Romero-López & Norma Angélica Oropeza-García & Mathias Glaus & Robert Hausler & Herlinda Del Socorro Silva-Poot, 2017. "Emergy Evaluation of Dwelling Operation in Five Housing Units of Montreal Island, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Zhanqi Wang & Ji Chai & Bingqing Li, 2016. "The Impacts of Land Use Change on Residents’ Living Based on Urban Metabolism: A Case Study in Yangzhou City of Jiangsu Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Raúl Arango-Miranda & Robert Hausler & Rabindranarth Romero-Lopez & Mathias Glaus & Sara P. Ibarra-Zavaleta, 2018. "Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Energy Consumption and Economic Growth: A Comparative Empirical Study of Selected Developed and Developing Countries. “The Role of Exergy”," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, October.
    6. Li, Dezhi & Du, Bingzhen & Zhu, Jin, 2021. "Evaluating old community renewal based on emergy analysis: A case study of Nanjing," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 449(C).

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