Process-Based Improvement of Urban Metabolism in Optimizing the Development Cycle of the Small City Using MIA Method

Abstract

In order to maintain the health and stability of the urban ecosystem, humans must undermine the negative effects of improper land use in cities by planning to reduce entropy and regulate urban metabolism, material, and energy cycles, and considering resource capacity when providing the needs of the urban ecosystem population. Subsequently, the general purpose of this study is to explain the process-based pattern of healthy urban metabolism in the development cycle of a small city. The purpose of studying the urban metabolism, which is an integral part of the government from the environment, is to prepare reports and take measures indicating city sustainability. Indeed, the urban metabolism incorporates the relevant information on energy saving, material cycle, and management of waste and infrastructure in the urban systems. The present study employs a descriptive-analytical method. Accordingly, the metabolic impact assessment (MIA) method was utilized to analyze the data and achieve the study results. According to the assessment results in the input part of the urban metabolism process, the water and energy criteria are closer to the ideal status with 64% and 40%, respectively. In total, the performance of the input process is equal to 52%, and after that, the air quality, materials, and output sectors have a performance equal to 35, 31, and 33%, respectively. Moreover, land cover and transport have a performance of 14% and 65%, respectively, revealing that they are in a desirable condition. The above results based on mathematical optimization illustrate that there is no balance between the input and output of the urban metabolism model in the study area, and the main problems are evident in the output sectors and particularly in the recycling of materials and water.