Engineering and geological environment of urban areas: Experience from Kharkiv, Ukraine (1960–2020)

The exacerbation of climate change impacts within metropolitan areas is a well-documented phenomenon, often leading to severe consequences that pose significant risks to human populations. The impact of urban vegetation and planting design on these factors can be observed. However, it is worth mentioning that while there is an extensive body of literature on the consequences of climate change, there is a relatively small number of studies specifically focused on examining the role of vegetation as a mitigating factor in urban environments. This review paper aims to critically examine existing studies pertaining to the role of urban vegetation in mitigating the detrimental effects of the urban environment. The objective is to offer practical recommendations that can be implemented by city planners. By conducting a comprehensive examination of the literature available in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, employing specific keywords pertaining to urban vegetation and climate change, we have identified five prominent concerns pertaining to the urban environment. These concerns encompass particulate matter, gaseous pollution, noise pollution, water runoff, and the urban heat island effect. The present analysis highlights that the impact of urban vegetation on the negative consequences of climate change cannot be unequivocally classified as either positive or negative. This is due to the fact that the influence of urban greenery is intricately connected to factors such as the arrangement, makeup, and dispersion of vegetation, as well as the specific management criteria employed. Hence, this research has the potential to enhance comprehension of the multifaceted nature of urban green spaces and establish a solid groundwork for subsequent investigations.

Analytical study on the coupling coordination degree of tourism and urban development—Taking Shaanxi as an example

Tourism has been instrumental in fostering regional economic growth, enhancing the quality of life of residents, and boosting the image of urban areas in Shaanxi, thanks to the accelerated economic and social development of recent years. Nevertheless, the issue of aligning urban development and tourism in terms of space, resources, and the industrial chain remains a significant concern. This paper establishes an evaluation index system for tourism and urban development in the Shaanxi region from 2009 to 2019. It then employs the systematic coupling coordination model to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the coupling coordination degree of tourism and urban development in the region, as well as its various influencing factors. The study demonstrates that the coupling and coordination degree of tourism and urban development in the Shaanxi region exhibited a trend of continuous improvement from 2009 to 2019. The region underwent three stages of development: “uncoordinated development (2009–2011), transformation development (2012–2016), and coordinated development (2017–2019).” The coupling coordination level was elevated from “mild dissonance” to “intermediate coordination” in 2019. In contrast, the tourism economic development of Shaanxi cities remains unequal, as evidenced by the existence of two distinct categories of development: the “lagging tourism economy” and the “coordinated tourism economy.” The findings of this investigation indicate that the general trend of urban development and tourism in Shaanxi is favorable; however, the disparities in the progress of the tourism economy among cities necessitate additional regional coordination and cooperation. The theoretical support for the relevant research and a reference basis for tourism development planning and urban policy making are provided by the evaluation index system and the systematic coupling coordination model proposed in this paper. This will facilitate the sustainable and coordinated development of the tourism industry and cities in Shaanxi.

Engineering and geological environment of urban areas: Experience from Kharkiv, Ukraine (1960–2020)

Viacheslav Iegupov, Genadiy Strizhelchik

Article ID: 3331
Vol 6, Issue 1, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/ec3331

Received: 24 February 2025; Accepted: 24 February 2025; Available online: 23 April 2025; Issue release: 30 June 2025

Download PDF

Abstract

The article presents the results of the generalization and analysis of the development of engineering-geological and hydrogeological environments in the territory of a large city, Kharkiv, Ukraine, from the 1960s to the present day. The study is based on the authors’ many years of experience performing engineering surveys for construction in many cities of the former USSR, primarily Ukraine. Engineering-geological processes and phenomena with adverse consequences for buildings, structures, and populations that occur in urban areas as a result of insufficiently thought-out organizational, design, and construction solutions are listed. The process of flooding of urban areas by groundwater (FGW) is chosen as an example, which is a trigger for many negative and dangerous processes and phenomena, changes in the properties of soils and the geological environment. The main concepts associated with flooding, FGW indicators, causes and factors of its occurrence and development are given. The characteristics of FGW features for the conditions of the city of Kharkiv are given, and the most significant above-ground, near-surface and underground factors of flooding are highlighted. Some examples of construction and organizational solutions in the territory of Kharkiv are given. The article discusses approaches to combating flooding by installing protective structures, primarily drainage of various types, i.e., creating gray infrastructure. Much more promising is the installation of blue-green infrastructure (BGI), references are given to examples of its implementation, as well as other solutions based on nature. The creation of BGI is crucial for the harmonious coexistence of natural and anthropogenic landscapes, water management, and reducing the impact on the surface and underground hydrosphere.

Keywords

urbanization; adverse processes; groundwater flooding; blue-green infrastructure; Kharkiv

References

1. Mackay BR, Shaker RR. A Megacities Review: Comparing Indicator-Based Evaluations of Sustainable Development and Urban Resilience. Sustainability. 2024; 16(18): 8076. doi: 10.3390/su16188076

2. Buzási A, Csizovszky A. Urban sustainability and resilience: What the literature tells us about “lock-ins”?. Ambio. 2022; 52(3): 616-630. doi: 10.1007/s13280-022-01817-w

3. Tzampoglou P, Ilia I, Karalis K, et al. Selected Worldwide Cases of Land Subsidence Due to Groundwater Withdrawal. Water. 2023; 15(6): 1094. doi: 10.3390/w15061094

4. Azadgar A, Gańcza A, Asl SR, et al. Optimizing nature-based solutions for urban flood risk mitigation: A multi-objective genetic algorithm approach in Gdańsk, Poland. Science of The Total Environment. 2025; 963: 178303. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178303

5. Hale SE, von der Tann L, Rebelo AJ, et al. Evaluating Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Peri-Urban Areas. Water. 2023; 15(5): 893. doi: 10.3390/w15050893

6. Shah MAR, Xu J, Carisi F, et al. Quantifying the effects of nature-based solutions in reducing risks from hydrometeorological hazards: Examples from Europe. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2023; 93: 103771. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103771

7. Kaposztasova D, Cakyova L, Vertal M, et al. Active Green Constructions and Their Impact on Gray Infrastructure. Buildings. 2024; 14: 306. doi: 10.3390/buildings14020306

8. Wu X, Zhang Y, Li X. Exploring the Relationship between Urbanization and Eco-Environment Using Dynamic Coupling Coordination Degree Model: Case Study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration, China. Land. 2024; 13: 850. doi: 10.3390/land13060850

9. Iegupov V, Strizhelchik G, Kupreychyk A, et al. Geological Hazards During Construction and Operation of Shallow Subway Stations and Tunnels by the Example of the Kharkiv Metro (1968–2018). International journal of georesources and environment. 2018; 4(4): 187-200. doi: 10.15273/ijge.2018.04.030

10. Iegupov V, Strizhelchik G. Sustainability Resource of the Hydrogeosphere to Anthropogenic Impacts with Urbanization. Advances in Geoethics and Groundwater Management: Theory and Practice for a Sustainable Development. Springer; 2021. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-59320-9_54

11. Iegupov V, Strizhelchik G. Sustainability Resource of Natural and Technogenic Systems to External Influences. Medicon Engineering Themes; 2022.

12. Iegupov V, Strizhelchik G, Goodary R. Sustainable Development of the Engineering Geological Environment of Urban Areas: Transition from Theory to Practical Solutions. In: Proceedings of the 8th World Congress on Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering; 2023. doi: 10.11159/icgre23.151

13. Iegupov V, Strizhelchik G, Kichaeva O. Methodology for Assessing Sustainability Resource of Ecological and Geotechnical Systems of Urbanized and Industrial Territories. ISSMGE; 2022. doi: 10.53243/ICEG2023-266

14. Iegupov V, Strizhelchik G, Goodary R. Engineering surveys for construction based on the concept of sustainability resource to external influences and nature-based solutions. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization; 2024. doi: 10.23967/isc.2024.014

15. Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine. Protection from dangerous geological processes, harmful operational influences, from fire. Available online: https://e-construction.gov.ua/files/new_doc/3074285114079840009/2023-04-05/e2beea19-5bc1-4ed2-959e-c14f1ffada9b.pdf (accessed on 20 January 2025).

16. Strizhelchik G. Problems of engineering geology of cities and possible ways to solve them (Russian). Engineering geology; 1987.

17. Allocca V, Castellucci L, Coda S, et al. Integrating hydrogeological and economic analyses of groundwater flooding in an urban aquifer: the plain of Naples (Italy) as a case study. International Journal of Environmental Studies. 2023; 80(5): 1400-1416. doi: 10.1080/00207233.2023.2180197

18. Mirlas V, Zhakyp A, Auelkhan Y, et al. Assessment of urbanization‐related groundwater flooding process via Visual MODFLOW modeling: A case study for the northern part of Almaty city, Kazakhstan. Journal of Flood Risk Management. 2024; 18(1). doi: 10.1111/jfr3.13029

19. Donkor C, Marone A, Aprea A. Unveiling Milan’s Navigli and Underground Water Heritage through Integrated Urban (Water) Design. Blue Papers. 2024; 3(1): 178-89. doi: 10.58981/bluepapers.2024.1.14

20. Chebanov O, Konoplia I. Groundwater flooding risk in the cities of Ukraine: assessment and management. In: Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences; 2015. doi: 10.5194/piahs-366-151-2015

21. Radu G, Chevereșan MI, Perju S, et al. Integrating Nature-Based Solutions for Increased Resilience to Urban Flooding in the Climate Change Context. Hydrology. 2025; 12(1): 16. doi: 10.3390/hydrology12010016

22. Dugstad A, Ben Hammou H, Navrud S. Valuing the benefits of climate adaptation measures to reduce urban flooding: Community preferences for nature-based solutions. Water Resources and Economics. 2025; 49: 100257. doi: 10.1016/j.wre.2025.100257

23. Sáenz de Tejada C, Daher C, Hidalgo L, et al. Urban planning, design and management approaches to building urban resilience: a rapid review of the evidence. Cities & Health. 2024; 8(5): 932-955. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2024.2364491

24. Cousins JJ. Just nature-based solutions and the pursuit of climate resilient urban development. Landscape and Urban Planning. 2024; 247: 105054. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105054

25. Singh Y, Banerjee S, Sagar D. Integrated blue green infrastructure approach for storm water management. EPRA International Journal of Climate and Resource Economic Review. 2023; 11(2): 1-5. doi: 10.36713/epra13053

26. Sudmeier-Rieux K, Galvin S, Nehren UM, et al. Editorial: Special issue: Nature-based solutions for reducing disaster risk. What is the evidence?. Nature-Based Solutions. 2025; 7: 100207. doi: 10.1016/j.nbsj.2024.100207

27. Kibii C, Guerra F, Bananayo PB, et al. Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and resilience in urban informal settlements: Insights from kibera, kenya and Villa 20, Argentina. Nature-Based Solutions. 2025; 7: 100216. doi: 10.1016/j.nbsj.2025.100216

28. Honghong Z, Yang Y. Accelerate the creation of the soft power of eco-cities (Chinese). Available online: https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2018-12/27/content_5352587.htm (accessed on 20 January 2025).

29. Bauermann BFC, Bussador A, B. Bauermann H, D. Matrakas M. Connecting the green to the digital: Integrating Eco Cities and Smart Regions. Eco Cities. 2024; 5(1): 2755. doi: 10.54517/ec.v5i1.2755

30. Makvandi M, Li W, Li Y, et al. Advancing Urban Resilience Amid Rapid Urbanization: An Integrated Interdisciplinary Approach for Tomorrow’s Climate-Adaptive Smart Cities-A Case Study of Wuhan, China. Smart Cities. 2024; 7(4): 2110-2130. doi: 10.3390/smartcities7040084

Refbacks

There are currently no refbacks.

This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Jianming Cai

Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Indexing & Archiving

News & Announcements

2024-08-08

Meet our new EBMs!

The journal is pleased to welcome a new team of editorial board members dedicated to collaborating in order to elevate the journal's quality and prominence.

2024-07-11

Eco-cities are becoming a reality!

In the context of eco-city development, the term "eco-city" encompasses a multifaceted ecosystem characterized by the interdependence of natural, social, and economic systems. This concept emphasizes the need for sustainability through environmental friendliness, social equity, and economic growth. Various models of eco-cities, including garden cities, green cities, and landscape cities, reflect the ongoing exploration of achieving harmony between humans and nature in urban living environments.

More Announcements...

Member Application

Apply to be a reviewer

Apply to be a EBM

Journal Center

Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd. (APACSCI) specializes in international journal publishing. APACSCI adopts the open access publishing model and provides an important communication bridge for academic groups whose interest fields include engineering, technology, medicine, computer, mathematics, agriculture and forestry, and environment.

more

Article Tools

Indexing metadata

How to cite item

Review policy