Dynamic Assessment of Urban Carrying Capacity Load Number using the Enhanced UCCLN Model

Research by: Marissa P. Liponhay, Alyssa Valerio, Glydel Fornan, Christian Alis, & Christopher P. Monterola

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The impacts of human activities on urban ecosystems is an important factor to consider in the sustainable management and urban planning of an area. However, the dynamic and mostly unpredictable nature of human activities, particularly due to varying tourist influxes in cities with heavy tourist traffic, poses significant challenges in their quantification. Furthermore, the comprehensive analysis required for these assessments are time and resource intensive as these are interrelated to urban carrying capacity thresholds, making them rarely done.

In this work, we use the Enhanced Urban Carrying Capacity Load Number (EUCCLN) model to quantify and analyze the dynamic impacts of human activities, called the ‘load number’, on the sustainability of urban areas in Baguio City, Philippines, during regular days, holidays, and events. These periods correspond to various conditions of the city in terms of tourism demand, with holidays having the highest tourism demand and the highest level of human activity. Our model integrates different types of sustainability dimensions such as air quality, traffic, economy, and waste management, thus offering a comprehensive view of the dynamic load number.

A notable aspect of this work is the application of nighttime light data. Although these data are an established tool in urban studies, their use in the EUCCLN model as a proxy indicator of economic activities provides valuable insights, particularly in regions lacking specific economic data. This approach helps to understand and manage urban vibrancy and sustainability more effectively.

The results reveal significant findings about the environmental and economic challenges facing Baguio City. We found that on holidays, almost all barangays in Baguio City (99%) have critical load numbers for air quality translating to very polluted air according to the standard set by the WHO. On the other hand, only 9.43% of the total barangays have a critical load number for their economic activities, resulting in a highly active and vibrant city on holidays. These insights are crucial for policymakers and urban planners committed to fostering sustainable and resilient urban environments.

Keywords: enhanced urban carrying capacity load number (EUCCLN) model; urban ecosystems; urban sustainability; urban carrying capacity; Baguio City

To cite this article:  Liponhay, M., Valerio, A., Fornan, G., Alis, C. M., & Monterola, C. P. (2024). Dynamic assessment of urban carrying capacity load number using the enhanced UCCLN model. Sustainability, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010035

To access this article: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010035

About the journal

Sustainability is an international, cross-disciplinary, scholarly, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal on the environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability of human beings. It provides an advanced forum for studies related to sustainability and sustainable development and is published semimonthly online by MDPI.

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