Application of an Interdisciplinary Approach to the Implementation of Projects to Create a Comfortable Environment for Human Life

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2020, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages: 1136-1139

J. Environ. Treat. Tech.

ISSN: 2309-1185

Journal web link: http://www.jett.dormaj.com

Application of an Interdisciplinary Approach to

the Implementation of Projects to Create a

Comfortable Environment for Human Life

Timur Ablyazov^*

Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering,4 Vtoraya Krasnoarmeiskaya, 190005, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

Received: 06/04/2020

Accepted: 14/07/2020

Published: 20/09/2020

Abstract

In modern conditions of globalization and urbanization, the development of territories is reaching a qualitatively new level

associated with the mainstreaming of digital technologies in the human environment. Nowadays, we understand the development of

the territory as comprehensive improvement of systems and infrastructures in order to increase the comfort, quality and safety of life

of the population. An interdisciplinary approach plays a key role in the development of territories, since the successful implementation

of such projects requires the involvement of specialists from different fields to develop an integrated solution that meets the needs of

the population to the possible extent. The article explains the relevance of applying an interdisciplinary approach to the development

of territories, analyzes the world experience of interdisciplinary interaction in solving problems of creating a comfortable environment

for human life. It considers the existing approaches of interdisciplinary interaction in the development of territories within the

framework of concepts such as “smart city” and “programmable city”, and also reveals the problems of the development of territories

that can be solved through the application of an interdisciplinary approach. As a result of work the principles of interdisciplinary

interaction in the implementation of projects for the development of territories were developed. The ways to solve existing problems

in the field of the development of territories within the framework of applying an interdisciplinary approach were proposed.

Keywords: Territorial development, Interdisciplinary approach, “Smart city”, Digital technologies, Urbanization

Introduction

Currently, territorial development processes, including

urbanization, are integral to the gradual spread of digital

technologies that transform the human environment.

According to experts, in 1950, 30% of the world population

lived in cities, in 2018 - already 55%, and by 2050 this

indicator is projected to grow to 70% [1]. Right now 27 largest

megacities consume 9% of all world electricity, while creating

interdisciplinary approach that allows the interaction of

various urban structures to be established, which leads to the

most justified and effective development of the territory in the

context of urbanization and the global growth of information

flows.

2 Literature review

The scientific community recognizes that the analysis of

the process of development of territories in the context of

urbanization and digital transformation of the human

3% of household waste in the world [2]. Accordingly, such a

concentration of the population and the flows of goods and

services within the cities will lead to the transformation of the

human environment, and even more advanced technologies

will constantly be required to maintain the sustainability of the

city’s life support systems. Currently, such a concept as a

environment requires

a comprehensive approach based

primarily on interdisciplinary interaction. In the most global

sense, solutions in the field of the development of the human

environment are understood as one of the directions of

spatially oriented modeling [4]. It is also believed that in the

coming decades it will be necessary to study more deeply the

mutual influence of societies and energy consumption systems

on each other, which is associated with an increase in both

production volumes and direct energy consumption by the

population [5, 6]. Moreover, scientists analyzed the types of

urban processes in terms of their rate of change under the

influence of digital technologies [7, 8]: the slowest

transformation occurs in the processes of transport and

“

smart city” is being increasingly discussed, which generally

means the development of territories through the use of digital

technologies in order to improve the quality of life of the

population and ensure sustainable economic growth. The

concept of “smart city” implies changes in all spheres of life -

from education to utilities and public administration [3].

However, the territory should be an integral structure,

therefore it is critical to integrate all the information collected

to further comprehensive analysis. It is the application of an

Correspondence author: Timur Ablyazov, Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering,4 Vtoraya

Krasnoarmeiskaya, 190005, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. Email: 3234969@mail.ru.

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Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2020, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages: 1136-1139

communal infrastructures, which is associated with the need to

replace obsolete physical objects with more advanced ones;

slightly faster changes are possible in the processes of creating

housing and non-residential buildings, since the cycle of

design and construction of facilities is long; relatively rapid

changes in employment are possible, and even more rapid

transformations in mobility flows of goods and population. It

should be noted that information is not always distinguished as

a separate category of urban processes, since this concept is

already implied in the composition of modern information and

communication technologies [9, 10].

Since the end of the 20th century, considerable attention

has been paid to such a concept as a “smart city”, through the

creation of which the development of the human environment

is supposed, and so far this approach has become one of the

main directions of urban development [11], which is expressed

in the ideas of transnational dissemination of the concept

processes at the state level. Another area of interdisciplinary

interaction is an attempt to apply the results of archaeological

research to solve the problems of territorial development. The

systematization of the theory of urbanism is inextricably

linked with ancient civilizations and cities. Modern archeology

pays increasing attention to the territorial growth of ancient

cities, the reasons for the emergence of "informal housing" not

controlled by the ruling elites (as, for example, in the Mexican

city of Teotihuacan, in which the so-called "right to the city"

existed) [21]. Such a combination of archeology and urbanism

allows not only a better understanding of history, but also

creates the basis for the most complete understanding of the

processes of territorial development in the modern world. If

you look at the problems closer to people's lives, then an

interdisciplinary approach is also crucial for developing

solutions to address them. Forest fires in Australia cause

irreparable environmental damage, lead to the death of

residents, the natural world, animals, so scientists conducted a

study to assess the risk of fires in Victoria in Australia. As a

result, it was determined that the application of an

interdisciplinary approach is critical to reducing fire losses,

since the occurrence and spread of fire is affected by physical,

meteorological factors, human behavior, and construction

technology, and urban planning can play a key role in

maintaining housing [22]. It is important that modern experts

in risk assessment, land use planning, environmentalists,

firefighters, etc. should understand the importance of an

interdisciplinary approach and be able to work in the

conditions of its application.

“

Smart city” [12, 13]. On the one hand, it is said that all

megacities and cities will gradually come to the concept of

smart cities”, which will lead not only to technical updating

“

of systems, but also to profound socio-political

transformations associated with the widespread adoption of

technologies and the subsequent data collection [14, 15]. One

of the main elements of the “smart city” is digital platforms,

through which the interaction of subjects of socio-economic

relations is ensured. That contributes to the development of

territories by attracting financial and labor resources, tangible

and intangible assets [16]. On the other hand, the importance

of a critical attitude to this concept and the possibility of

choosing alternative solutions is noted [17].

As a result of another research, it was found that the

development of territories implies the improvement of

relations between such categories as population, localities,

traditions and cultural values, which is expressed in an

interdisciplinary examination by specialists of buildings, the

environment and landscape of the territory [23]. Using the

example of Fujian Region in China the ways of transforming

the city of XibinZhen were proposed and optimally integrated

into the landscape of the riverine territory, taking into account

the existing agricultural approaches in the area [23]. In this

project, it was proved that it is an interdisciplinary approach

that allows developing territories taking into account many

factors, including architecture, socio-cultural traditions and

customs, territorial zoning and environmental conservation

tasks. Also one of the innovations in territorial development

based on interdisciplinary interaction is the emergence of

dashboards - platforms on which citizens, organizations and

government officials can see key performance indicators of the

city in real time and analyze these evidence to make their own

decisions. In Dublin, as part of the Programmable City project,

a similar initiative was implemented - the Dublin Dashboard

portal, which graphically combines information from city

authorities, statistical agencies, including the European Union,

and other organizations [24]. In the UK, there is also a similar

platform, launched in London in 2012, which visually

combines data on weather, air quality, transport

communication and traffic, local news, data from cameras and

sensors installed in the city, and also shows the “happiness

index” and “influence analysis ”based on information from

social networks [24]. Thus, the interdisciplinary approach has

established itself as an effective method of interaction between

specialists in various fields of knowledge in the

implementation of territorial development complex projects.

Currently, the scientific community more and more pays

The development of an interdisciplinary approach is one

of the sources for harmonization of comfortable living

environment. As it mentioned previously, the development of

territories is considered in conjunction with social changes,

which cannot be realized without the interaction of specialists

from various fields of knowledge. Early studies substantiated

the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the food

supply of urban populations in developing countries, which

highlighted such traditional approaches as historical,

demographic, economic, sociological, geographical, urban

planning, logistics and legal [18]. The application of an

interdisciplinary approach to the development of territories is

usually considered from the point of combining such areas of

knowledge as urban planning, mathematical modeling, the

philosophy of pragmatism [19], data coding, etc. It also allows

deeper consideration of various aspects of the interaction of

previously isolated areas, which is reflected in the framework

of territorial development projects based on the introduction of

digital technologies.

Methods

Currently, territorial development processes are

considered from various points of view basing on the

application of an interdisciplinary approach. So, there are

already studies integrating social sciences, neurobiology and

psychiatry in order to study the urban problems of the modern

world. Scientists concluded that, compared to the residents of

suburban areas, urban residents have an anxiety rate of 21%

higher, the level of disturbances in their emotional state is 39%

higher, and schizophrenia is 2 times more common [20]. Such

an application of an interdisciplinary approach will make it

possible to more effectively solve public health problems by

developing approaches to the management of urbanization

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2020, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages: 1136-1139

attention to correlation between the capabilities of digital

technologies and the effects of their implementation in the

human environment, which determines the need for further

interdisciplinary study of the processes of territorial

development.

does not stand still, and increasingly complex tasks for the

development of territories can no longer be solved solely on

the basis of the interaction of specialists in local disparate

projects. Now, the scope of the consideration of the territory

development process should not be limited to the city, as the

mobility of the population is growing, the flows of tangible

and intangible benefits are becoming more complicated, new

ways of interacting the population with government bodies on

the basis of electronic portals appear, tools for managing

systems in the field of communal infrastructure are

developing, etc. In recent years, the scientific community has

been paying close attention to software as such, its essence and

content, in particular codes - the core of all digital technologies

Results

Territory development is a process of multidimensional

improvement of the living environment, which includes tasks

from various fields of knowledge. In general, the territory can

be represented as a system of integrated elements, consisting

of a set of activities, needs and restrictions, flows and stocks

of goods and services, as well as impact factors (Figure. 1).

The flows and stocks of goods and services can be

quantified, such as, for example, energy (kW), road traffic

[26, 27, 28]. The result of combining the achievements of

scientific and technological progress and the process of

territorial development is the concept of a “programmable

city”, the key idea of which is to study the relationship of

digital technologies (software) and city systems (the city)

using codes (Figure 2).

(

cars/h), water consumption (l/day), assets (rubles, dollars,

etc.), materials (tons). They may be less prone to measurement

intangible assets such as information and human capital). By

(

stocks is meant a quantity at a certain point in time, and by

flows is a quantity arriving or, conversely, coming from stocks

per unit of time. So, the number of cars in the population is the

stock, and the flow is the number of cars on the way from point

A to point B for a certain hour, taking into account the capacity

of the road network. Electricity is an exceptional case and, as

a rule, it is initially a stream, since the reserves of resources in

the form of liquid or solid fuel are not stored for a long period

of time or are purchased in small volumes for private

consumption. Also, some flows and stocks are extremely

volatile (information), while land resources in terms of

permitted use categories and housing stock require a long

period of time to change them. The flows and stocks of goods

and services exist in conjunction with the types of activities

implemented on the territory. Activities can be economic

It was found that, on the one hand, the processes taking

place in the city are translated into a code representation.

Information about residents and the environment is collected

through digital systems and sensors, brought to the most

optimal way of storage and presentation, aggregated in data

centers to further analysis. Therefore, the developers of

software related to the solution of economic, political, social

problems form the basis on which managers will rely when

making decisions at the city level, therefore, interdisciplinary

interaction is critically important. Moreover, the territories

themselves largely determine the processes of software

development and become growth promoting factors of the

frequency of applying the interdisciplinary approach. Silicon

Valley in the USA, Boston, New York, Toronto, Singapore,

London, Berlin and some others are the world centers where

digital technologies specialists are concentrated. The features

of these territories are the availability of venture capital, tax

remissions, as well as the high degree of digitalization of these

cities, which the authorities are trying to only increase. On the

other hand, software codes change the city operation.

Collecting big data allows you to analyze a huge amount of

information previously scattered across various systems. Now,

with the help of digital technologies, it has become possible to

automatically combine information from many sources, and

hence the development of new, previously unobvious solutions

at an interdisciplinary level. Even today, territorial

management is based on information systematically collected

for various categories of economic entities, which has largely

changed the life processes of cities. Moreover, digital

technologies have changed the way they work: it is already

impossible to imagine a workplace that is not equipped with

one or another software. Currently, territorial development

models suggest the possibility of unification of technological

solutions in order to transfer them to other situations. Separate

agglomerations create their own strategies for the development

of territories, “road maps” in certain areas, such as energy

conservation and environmental conservation [30]. As a rule,

capitals become the standard of digital transformation, their

practice is transferred to other cities of the country. Moreover,

the possibility of transnational exchange of experience in the

development of territories is not denied.

(including education and employment), political, social (food,

cleaning, childcare), etc. The mobility of the population,

tangible and intangible benefits can act as a separate type of

activity, as well as a stage preceding the above types of

activity. Activities are usually assigned to a specific space and

time. Needs and restrictions are the causes of a particular

activity, and they can be both individual and dictated by

society. An example is the initial desire of people to have a

personal vehicle as a status element, which has become a

necessity over the time, as some territories are planned so that

transportation becomes uncomfortable and takes a lot of time

than going by personal car [25].

The last element of concerned system is the factors that

influence all of the above, including socio-cultural (norms and

values), economic (phases of the economic cycle), political,

demographic, environmental (climate change and resource

reserves), etc. Note that one of the factors influencing the

development of territories is urbanization. Currently,

urbanization is no longer considered by scientists separately,

since the processes of territorial development have gone

beyond the traditional concepts of urban growth and the influx

of population from rural areas. Now, with the development of

territories, the main goals are the harmonization of flows

within and outside the city and the improvement of comfort,

quality and safety of life, which cannot be realized without an

interdisciplinary approach. Scientific and technical progress

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