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Prof. Boris A. Portnov
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, Faculty of Social Sceincesm University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel

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0 Green Building
0 Urban and regional planning
0 environmental risk assessment
0 Sustainable and Smart Cities
0 Geographic information systems in environmental studies

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Urban and regional planning
Geographic information systems in environmental studies

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Journal article
Published: 14 May 2021 in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
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Artificial light-at-night (ALAN), emitted from the ground and visible from space, marks human presence on earth. Since the launch of the Suomi National Polar Partnership satellite with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day-Night Band (VIIRS/DNB) onboard, global nighttime images have significantly improved; however, they remained panchromatic. Although multispectral images are also available, they are either commercial or free of charge, but sporadic. In this article, we use several machine learning techniques, such as linear, kernel, random forest regressions, and elastic map approach, to transform panchromatic VIIRS/DBN into red, green, blue (RGB) images. To validate the proposed approach, we analyze RGB images for eight urban areas worldwide. We link RGB values, obtained from ISS photographs, to panchromatic ALAN intensities, their pixel-wise differences, and several land-use-type proxies. Each dataset is used for model training, while other datasets are used for model validation. The analysis shows that model-estimated RGB images demonstrate a high degree of correspondence with the original RGB images from the ISS database. Yet, estimates, based on linear, kernel, and random forest regressions, provide better correlations, contrast similarity, and lower WMSEs levels, while RGB images, generated using elastic map approach, provide higher consistency of predictions.

ACS Style

Nataliya Rybnikova; Boris A. Portnov; Evgeny M. Mirkes; Andrei Zinovyev; Anna Brook; Alexander N. Gorban. Coloring Panchromatic Nighttime Satellite Images: Comparing the Performance of Several Machine Learning Methods. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 2021, PP, 1 -15.

AMA Style

Nataliya Rybnikova, Boris A. Portnov, Evgeny M. Mirkes, Andrei Zinovyev, Anna Brook, Alexander N. Gorban. Coloring Panchromatic Nighttime Satellite Images: Comparing the Performance of Several Machine Learning Methods. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. 2021; PP (99):1-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nataliya Rybnikova; Boris A. Portnov; Evgeny M. Mirkes; Andrei Zinovyev; Anna Brook; Alexander N. Gorban. 2021. "Coloring Panchromatic Nighttime Satellite Images: Comparing the Performance of Several Machine Learning Methods." IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing PP, no. 99: 1-15.

Research article
Published: 22 February 2021 in Chronobiology International
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Sleep is a reversible state that sustains physiological and psychological processes in humans. As well established, individual-level factors, such as stress, smoking, drugs, and caffeine intake, reduce sleep duration and quality. However, studies of the effect of environmental risk factors, such as artificial light at night (ALAN) and noise, on sleep have been infrequent. Using records obtained from the 2017 Social Survey of Israel and combined with ALAN satellite data and various proxies for traffic noise, the present study aimed to determine how the combination of ALAN and traffic noise impact sleep duration and quality in urban areas. The increase of road density at the place of residence reduces average sleep duration by ~4.5% (~18 min.) and increases the frequency of reported sleep difficulties by ~3.5%, all other factors held equal. Similarly, an increase in ALAN exposure reduces average sleep duration by ~3% (~12 min) and increases the frequency of reported sleep difficulties by ~11%. The study also reveals a significant interaction between the two environmental risk factors in question, with the adverse impact of ALAN on sleep quality especially pronounced in high noise exposure areas.

ACS Style

Nahum M. Gabinet; Boris A. Portnov. Assessing the impacts of ALAN and noise proxies on sleep duration and quality: evidence from a nation-wide survey in Israel. Chronobiology International 2021, 38, 638 -658.

AMA Style

Nahum M. Gabinet, Boris A. Portnov. Assessing the impacts of ALAN and noise proxies on sleep duration and quality: evidence from a nation-wide survey in Israel. Chronobiology International. 2021; 38 (5):638-658.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nahum M. Gabinet; Boris A. Portnov. 2021. "Assessing the impacts of ALAN and noise proxies on sleep duration and quality: evidence from a nation-wide survey in Israel." Chronobiology International 38, no. 5: 638-658.

Journal article
Published: 12 January 2021 in Energies
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If excessive and misdirected, street lighting (SL) causes energy waste and might pose significant risks to humans and natural ecosystems. Based on data collected by an interactive user-oriented method, we developed a novel empirical approach that enables the spatial identification of over-illuminated areas in residential neighborhoods and calculation of potential energy savings that can be achieved there, by reducing excessive illumination. We applied the estimated model to a densely populated residential neighborhood in the City of Tel Aviv-Yafo in Israel, to test the proposed approach’s performance. According to our estimates, illumination levels can be lowered by up to 50% in approximately 60% of the neighborhood’s area, which is currently over-illuminated, thus leading to significant energy savings, while preserving a reasonable level of visual comfort associated with SL.

ACS Style

Boris A. Portnov; Rami Saad; Tamar Trop. Interactive Scenario-Based Assessment Approach of Urban Street Lighting and Its Application to Estimating Energy Saving Benefits. Energies 2021, 14, 378 .

AMA Style

Boris A. Portnov, Rami Saad, Tamar Trop. Interactive Scenario-Based Assessment Approach of Urban Street Lighting and Its Application to Estimating Energy Saving Benefits. Energies. 2021; 14 (2):378.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Boris A. Portnov; Rami Saad; Tamar Trop. 2021. "Interactive Scenario-Based Assessment Approach of Urban Street Lighting and Its Application to Estimating Energy Saving Benefits." Energies 14, no. 2: 378.

Research article
Published: 10 November 2020 in PLOS ONE
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Public space lighting (PSL) contributes to pedestrians’ feeling of safety (FoS) in urban areas after natural dark. However, little is known how different PSL attributes, such as illuminance, light temperature, uniformity and glare, affect people's FoS in different contextual settings. The present study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by developing a model linking different PSL attributes with FoS, while controlling for individual, locational, environmental and temporal factors. To develop such model, the study employs a novel interactive user-oriented method, based on a specially-designed mobile phone application–CityLightsTM. Using this app, a representative sample of observers reported their impressions of PSL attributes and FoS in three cities in Israel, following a set of predetermined routes and points. As the study shows, higher levels of illumination and uniformity positively affect FoS, while lights perceived as warm tend to generate higher FoS than lights perceived as cold. These findings may guide future illumination polices aimed at promoting energy efficiency while ensuring urban sustainability.

ACS Style

Boris A. Portnov; Rami Saad; Tamar Trop; Doron Kliger; Alina Svechkina. Linking nighttime outdoor lighting attributes to pedestrians' feeling of safety: An interactive survey approach. PLOS ONE 2020, 15, e0242172 .

AMA Style

Boris A. Portnov, Rami Saad, Tamar Trop, Doron Kliger, Alina Svechkina. Linking nighttime outdoor lighting attributes to pedestrians' feeling of safety: An interactive survey approach. PLOS ONE. 2020; 15 (11):e0242172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Boris A. Portnov; Rami Saad; Tamar Trop; Doron Kliger; Alina Svechkina. 2020. "Linking nighttime outdoor lighting attributes to pedestrians' feeling of safety: An interactive survey approach." PLOS ONE 15, no. 11: e0242172.

Original paper
Published: 06 November 2020 in Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
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Street lighting (SL) forms a major share of municipal energy consumption and should thus be energy efficient. However, question of how much energy can be saved on SL without compromising on the feeling of safety (FoS), which SL helps to provide for pedestrians, poses a major challenge. To tackle this challenge, in this study, we attempt to determine the amount of energy that can potentially be saved by a proper selection of SL attributes, such as light color and uniformity, while preserving FoS by pedestrians. As the study indicates, using warmer lights and increasing light uniformity can result in 30–50% energy savings on SL. Using this assessment, we estimate that for medium-size cities with population of 200–400 K residents, energy savings on SL can reach 8–23 MWh per annum, which is equal to the output of a small-to-medium-size power plant. As we conclude, the study findings help to design more efficient SL systems that can promote urban residents’ well-being, while saving energy and contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable urban environment. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first that shows that energy on SL can be saved by using warmer lights and increasing light uniformity, while preserving a reasonable level of FoS.

ACS Style

Rami Saad; Boris A. Portnov; Tamar Trop. Saving energy while maintaining the feeling of safety associated with urban street lighting. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2020, 23, 251 -269.

AMA Style

Rami Saad, Boris A. Portnov, Tamar Trop. Saving energy while maintaining the feeling of safety associated with urban street lighting. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. 2020; 23 (1):251-269.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rami Saad; Boris A. Portnov; Tamar Trop. 2020. "Saving energy while maintaining the feeling of safety associated with urban street lighting." Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 23, no. 1: 251-269.

Journal article
Published: 14 October 2020 in Remote Sensing
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The International Space Station (ISS) offers a unique view from space that provides nighttime light (NTL) images of many parts of the globe. Compared with other NTL remote sensing data, ISS NTL multispectral images taken by astronauts with commercial digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras have the characteristics of free access, high spatial resolution, abundant data and no light saturation, so it plays a unique advantage in the research of small-scale urban planning, optimization of lighting resource allocation and blue light pollution. In order to improve the radiation consistency of ISS NTL images, a relative radiation normalization method of ISS NTL images is proposed in this paper. Pseudo invariant features (PIF) were identified in the cloud-free Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) time series NTL remote sensing annual composite product, and then they were used to derive the relative radiation normalization model of ISS NTL images. The results show that the radiation brightness of ISS NTL images in different regions is normalized to the same gray level with that of DMSP/OLS NTL remote sensing images in the same year, which improves the radiation brightness comparability between different regions of ISS NTL images. This method is universally applicable to all ISS NTL images, which is beneficial to the NTL comparability of ISS NTL image in the regional horizontal and temporal vertical.

ACS Style

Shengrong Wei; Weili Jiao; Tengfei Long; Huichan Liu; Lu Bi; Wei Jiang; Boris Portnov; Ming Liu. A Relative Radiation Normalization Method of ISS Nighttime Light Images Based on Pseudo Invariant Features. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 3349 .

AMA Style

Shengrong Wei, Weili Jiao, Tengfei Long, Huichan Liu, Lu Bi, Wei Jiang, Boris Portnov, Ming Liu. A Relative Radiation Normalization Method of ISS Nighttime Light Images Based on Pseudo Invariant Features. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (20):3349.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shengrong Wei; Weili Jiao; Tengfei Long; Huichan Liu; Lu Bi; Wei Jiang; Boris Portnov; Ming Liu. 2020. "A Relative Radiation Normalization Method of ISS Nighttime Light Images Based on Pseudo Invariant Features." Remote Sensing 12, no. 20: 3349.

Review article
Published: 14 June 2020 in Landscape Ecology
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Artificial light at night (ALAN) provides an array of important benefits but might also adversely affect humans and other living organisms. Yet, the existing reviews of accumulated knowledge about the multifaceted effects associated with exposure to ALAN focus on distinct ecosystem components. As a result, our understanding of potential system-wide impacts of ALAN exposure is insufficient. This paper attempts to bridge this knowledge gap by reviewing a wide range of studies, with a particular focus on identifying the impacts of ALAN exposure that are common to different species. The survey is conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and covers peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2019. Seventy-four eligible articles, out of 1223 initially identified, were selected and synthesized. 20% of them focus on humans, while the rest explore other living organisms, such as vertebrates, avian species, arthropods, aquatic organisms, and vegetation. The review demonstrates that similar adverse effects of ALAN exposure, ranging from sleep disturbance, depression, weight gain, eating and movement disorders, to elevated risk of cancer, are manifested across different components of the ecosystem, and therefore entail wider and more complex risks to its stability and integrity. To reduce ecosystem risks, associated with constantly increasing ALAN levels, illumination policies should be based on directional and reduced nighttime lighting, which can help to avoid unnecessary exposures. The study highlights knowledge gaps that warrant further research attention.

ACS Style

Alina Svechkina; Boris A. Portnov; Tamar Trop. The impact of artificial light at night on human and ecosystem health: a systematic literature review. Landscape Ecology 2020, 35, 1 -18.

AMA Style

Alina Svechkina, Boris A. Portnov, Tamar Trop. The impact of artificial light at night on human and ecosystem health: a systematic literature review. Landscape Ecology. 2020; 35 (8):1-18.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alina Svechkina; Boris A. Portnov; Tamar Trop. 2020. "The impact of artificial light at night on human and ecosystem health: a systematic literature review." Landscape Ecology 35, no. 8: 1-18.

Chapter
Published: 12 May 2020 in Innovations in Urban and Regional Systems
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The chapter discusses whether largest cities share common geographic attributes, as opposed to urban localities of smaller size. As the study reveals, the largest cities of countries are rarely places of geographic extremes; they are seldom found at high elevations, far away from the seashore, or in extremely cold or extremely hot areas. This location ordinariness of main cities may be, in fact, essential to their centrality, by making them attractive to many.

ACS Style

Boris A. Portnov. On Locational Commonalities of Largest Cities Worldwide. Innovations in Urban and Regional Systems 2020, 23 -48.

AMA Style

Boris A. Portnov. On Locational Commonalities of Largest Cities Worldwide. Innovations in Urban and Regional Systems. 2020; ():23-48.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Boris A. Portnov. 2020. "On Locational Commonalities of Largest Cities Worldwide." Innovations in Urban and Regional Systems , no. : 23-48.

Journal article
Published: 13 April 2020 in Sustainability
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Public space lighting (PSL) is indispensable after the natural dark. However, little is known about how much PSL people actually need to feel sufficiently safe in different real-world urban settings. The present study attempts to answer this question by employing a novel real-time interactive approach, according to which, observers use a specially-designed mobile phone application to assess and report the perceived attributes of street lighting and the feeling of safety (FoS) it generates. To validate the proposed approach, a systematic survey was conducted in three cities in Israel—Tel Aviv-Yafo and Haifa, which lie on the Mediterranean coast, and Be’er Sheba, which lies inland. Additionally, instrumental PSL measurements were performed at the same locations. As the study reveals, the necessary level of illumination required by urban residents to feel safe differs by city and is significantly higher in Be’er Sheba, other factors held equal, in compare to Haifa and Tel Aviv-Yafo. This difference may be attributed to stronger daylight that the residents of the desert city of Be’er Sheba are accustomed to, and, therefore, may prefer stronger nighttime illumination. The difference could also be related to the relatively low socio-economic status and somewhat higher crime rates in the latter city. Findings also show a significant and positive association between FoS and instrumentally measured PSL levels, although this association exhibits diminishing returns. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to use an interactive location- and time-based mobile phone technology, which can potentially provide more accurate and reliable assessments, compared to traditional “pen and paper” survey techniques.

ACS Style

Alina Svechkina; Tamar Trop; Boris A. Portnov. How Much Lighting is Required to Feel Safe When Walking Through the Streets at Night? Sustainability 2020, 12, 3133 .

AMA Style

Alina Svechkina, Tamar Trop, Boris A. Portnov. How Much Lighting is Required to Feel Safe When Walking Through the Streets at Night? Sustainability. 2020; 12 (8):3133.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alina Svechkina; Tamar Trop; Boris A. Portnov. 2020. "How Much Lighting is Required to Feel Safe When Walking Through the Streets at Night?" Sustainability 12, no. 8: 3133.

Research article
Published: 02 April 2020 in Journal of Real Estate Research
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If a mortgage borrower misses three or more payments, the loan moves into the mortgage arrears (MA) category. This study examines MA events in Israel from 2010 to 2016, focusing on the effect of several environmental and security risk factors, including air pollution, proximity to the Lebanon-Syria and Gaza Strip borders, and location outside the 1949 Armistice border (Green Line). The analysis reveals statistically significant associations between MA incidence and most of the environmental variables analyzed. We conjecture that these associations reflect the fact that prolonged exposure to air pollution may elevate morbidity and weaken the ability of borrowers to make regular loan repayments. In addition, security risks may limit the attractiveness of high-risk areas to developers and investors, thus restricting employment opportunities locally available. Air pollution and security risks may also decrease the asset value by lowering housing demand due to out-migration of more affluent residents. The present analysis is a pioneer individual level study that investigates the effect of air pollution and proximity to conflict zones on MA incidence.

ACS Style

Yosi Borochov; Boris A. Portnov; Nahum Biger. Environmental and Security Risk Factors behind Mortgage Arrears in Israel. Journal of Real Estate Research 2020, 42, 183 -205.

AMA Style

Yosi Borochov, Boris A. Portnov, Nahum Biger. Environmental and Security Risk Factors behind Mortgage Arrears in Israel. Journal of Real Estate Research. 2020; 42 (2):183-205.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yosi Borochov; Boris A. Portnov; Nahum Biger. 2020. "Environmental and Security Risk Factors behind Mortgage Arrears in Israel." Journal of Real Estate Research 42, no. 2: 183-205.

Review paper
Published: 01 January 2020 in Regional Studies, Regional Science
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Regional eco-innovations (EIs) are geographically localized production systems or organizational networks that support new environmentally friendly products and processes, as well as their distribution and marketing. However, little is known about the factors and contextual settings that promote EIs and maximize their effect on regional economic performance. The study aims to fill this knowledge gap by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) and meta-analysis tools. According to our analysis, the most frequently mentioned factors behind regional concentrations of EIs are ‘command and control instruments’, ‘market pull’ and ‘R&D cooperation between businesses and universities’. However, the study shows no apparent agglomeration effect in the regional concentrations of EIs, which is generally present with other innovation practices, and no strong dependence of EIs on the type of economic activity, implying that the onset of EIs can occur in multiple regional settings.

ACS Style

Anna Krupoderova; Boris A. Portnov. Eco-innovations and economic performance of regions: a systematic literature survey. Regional Studies, Regional Science 2020, 7, 571 -588.

AMA Style

Anna Krupoderova, Boris A. Portnov. Eco-innovations and economic performance of regions: a systematic literature survey. Regional Studies, Regional Science. 2020; 7 (1):571-588.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anna Krupoderova; Boris A. Portnov. 2020. "Eco-innovations and economic performance of regions: a systematic literature survey." Regional Studies, Regional Science 7, no. 1: 571-588.

Journal article
Published: 24 December 2019 in Environmental Research
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Epidemiological studies often focus on risk assessments associated with exposures to specific air pollutants or proximity to different air pollution sources. Although this information is essential for devising informed health policies, it is not always helpful when it comes to the estimation of potential health effects associated with the introduction or relocation of local health hazards. In this paper, we suggest a novel approach to forecasting the morbidity-reduction impact of hypothetical removal of a major air pollution source from a densely populated urban area. The proposed approach is implemented in three stages. First, we identify and measure the strength of association of individual environmental factors with local morbidity patterns. Next, we use the estimated models to simulate the impact of removal of the pollution source under analysis and its replacement by green areas. Using this assessment, we then estimate potential changes in the local morbidity rates by mutually comparing the observed risk surface of disease with the risk surface simulated by modelling. To validate the proposed approach empirically, we use childhood asthma morbidity data available for a major metropolitan area in Israel, which hosts a large petrochemical complex. According to our estimates, relocation of the petrochemical complex in question is expected to result in about 70% drop in the childhood asthma morbidity rate area-wide. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first that suggests an operational approach to incorporating epidemiological assessments as an input for urban development plans related to local sources of air pollution.

ACS Style

Dani Broitman; Boris A. Portnov. Forecasting health effects potentially associated with the relocation of a major air pollution source. Environmental Research 2019, 182, 109088 .

AMA Style

Dani Broitman, Boris A. Portnov. Forecasting health effects potentially associated with the relocation of a major air pollution source. Environmental Research. 2019; 182 ():109088.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dani Broitman; Boris A. Portnov. 2019. "Forecasting health effects potentially associated with the relocation of a major air pollution source." Environmental Research 182, no. : 109088.

Journal article
Published: 16 December 2019 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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Green buildings (GBs) are designed to reduce the environmental impact of construction while improving human comfort and health. However, green buildings are often more expensive than conventional buildings, because green building price premium tends to cover extra costs, such as import prices, investment in research and development, and more efficient, but more expensive, construction systems. The present study aims to assess the extent to which knowledge about green building benefits affects the acceptable size of green building price premium across different groups of stakeholders. The survey was carried out in Israel in 2016 and covered 438 potential homebuyers, 50 architects, and 50 building contractors (developers). As the study revealed, consumers more familiar with green building benefits are willing to pay 9.25% of green building price premium, as opposed to 7.74% extra costs acceptable to consumers being less familiar with green building benefits (P < 0.05). By contrast, among the developers, the acceptable size of green building price premium was found to be inversely related to the level of knowledge – about 17% among developers more familiar with green building vs. 29% among developers less familiar with it. We explain these differences by the fact that developers previously involved in green building projects, may be more aware about a relatively small price premium that consumers are willing to pay for accommodations in such buildings. Developers with past green building experience may also have better knowledge about long bureaucratic procedures and complex management of green building projects, which may reduce their willingness to add green buildings to their investment portfolios. The main finding of the study is that improved knowledge about green building benefits has varying effects on different groups of stakeholders. Therefore, in order to stimulate cleaner production in the construction industry, user-tailored strategies aimed at stimulating interest in green building among various groups of stakeholders should be applied.

ACS Style

Shoshi Ofek; Boris A. Portnov. Differential effect of knowledge on stakeholders’ willingness to pay green building price premium: Implications for cleaner production. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 251, 119575 .

AMA Style

Shoshi Ofek, Boris A. Portnov. Differential effect of knowledge on stakeholders’ willingness to pay green building price premium: Implications for cleaner production. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 251 ():119575.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shoshi Ofek; Boris A. Portnov. 2019. "Differential effect of knowledge on stakeholders’ willingness to pay green building price premium: Implications for cleaner production." Journal of Cleaner Production 251, no. : 119575.

Journal article
Published: 04 November 2019 in Waste Management
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Illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a major concern for environmental policy-makers. Three different environmental law enforcement policies, aimed at the reduction of illegal C&D waste dumping, are enforced in Israel. These policies include fines (F), vehicle impoundment (V), and criminal indictment (I) by the court. Although, the scope of illegal C&D waste dumping in Israel appears to decline, little is known which of the above policies has been effective in combating the phenomenon. In an attempt to answer this question, we use data on F-V-I instances, recorded between July 2007 and December 2016, and compare them with monthly changes in the ratio between the amount of waste brought to authorized waste dumping sites and the estimated amount of C&D waste generated in the country each month. As the study shows, only the V-sanction was found to be significantly affecting the ratio (t = 3.083; p < 0.01), while the effect of other policy was found insignificant. We explain low efficiency of other law enforcement policies by relatively small fines imposed on the offenders, long court proceedings, combined with a relatively low chance of being caught. By contrast, the V-sanction may be more effective because it results in immediate and severe economic losses to the offenders, causing C&D waste transporters to haul their load to authorized sites. As we argue, for an environmental enforcement policy to be effective, it should be adequate to the severity of the offense and applied swiftly.

ACS Style

Nissim Seror; Boris A. Portnov. Estimating the effectiveness of different environmental law enforcement policies on illegal C&D waste dumping in Israel. Waste Management 2019, 102, 241 -248.

AMA Style

Nissim Seror, Boris A. Portnov. Estimating the effectiveness of different environmental law enforcement policies on illegal C&D waste dumping in Israel. Waste Management. 2019; 102 ():241-248.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nissim Seror; Boris A. Portnov. 2019. "Estimating the effectiveness of different environmental law enforcement policies on illegal C&D waste dumping in Israel." Waste Management 102, no. : 241-248.

Research article
Published: 06 December 2018 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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Reduced birth weight (RBW) and reduced head circumference (RHC) are adverse birth outcomes (ABOs), often linked to environmental exposures. However, spatial identification of specific health hazards, associated with these ABOs, is not always straightforward due to presence of multiple health hazards and sources of air pollution in urban areas. In this study, we test a novel empirical approach to the spatial identification of environmental health hazards potentially associated with the observed RHC and RBW patterns. The proposed approach is implemented as a systematic search, according to which alternative candidate locations are ranked based on the strength of association with the observed birth outcome patterns. For empirical validation, we apply this approach to the Haifa Bay Area (HBA) in Israel, which is characterized by multiple health hazards and numerous sources of air pollution. We identified a spot in the local industrial zone as the main risk source associated with the observed RHC and RBW patterns. Multivariate regressions, controlling for personal, neighborhood, and geographic factors, revealed that the relative risks of RHC and RBW tend to decline, other things being equal, as a function of distance from the identified industrial spot. We recommend the proposed identification approach as a preliminary risk assessment tool for environmental health studies, in which detailed information on specific sources of air pollution and air pollution dispersion patterns is unavailable due to limited reporting or insufficient monitoring.

ACS Style

Alina Svechkina; Boris A. Portnov. Spatial identification of environmental health hazards potentially associated with adverse birth outcomes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2018, 26, 3578 -3592.

AMA Style

Alina Svechkina, Boris A. Portnov. Spatial identification of environmental health hazards potentially associated with adverse birth outcomes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2018; 26 (4):3578-3592.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alina Svechkina; Boris A. Portnov. 2018. "Spatial identification of environmental health hazards potentially associated with adverse birth outcomes." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 26, no. 4: 3578-3592.

Journal article
Published: 21 September 2018 in Energy and Buildings
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A 2-year study was carried out in a sample of 120 apartments in two cities in Israel, Jerusalem and Nesher, in which different strategies to influence energy consumption were tested using an interventional case-control design. Socio-demographic attributes of individual households were recorded and building thermal performance was evaluated by detailed computer simulation. Attitudes of the study participants to environmental issues were assessed to identify potential motivations for energy savings. Although year-on-year energy consumption increased for exogenous reasons in all test groups, in Jerusalem the increase in the maximum intervention group (which received detailed information on energy consumption patterns over time, and individually tailored energy-saving tips) was 2.5%, compared to 9.5% in the reference group, which received only generic energy saving tips. The difference among groups in Nesher was not significant. A multivariate analysis confirmed that the attempt to influence apartment occupants’ behaviour failed to generate a statistically significant reduction in domestic energy consumption. The study underlines the importance of controlling for endogenous factors, such as weather and building thermal performance, while evaluating the effectiveness of different intervention strategies, to avoid potentially wrong inferences about the effectiveness of such strategies. We conclude that effective behaviour modification may require repeated implementation of a broad range of tools over a sustained period of time.

ACS Style

Evyatar Erell; Boris A. Portnov; Michal Assif. Modifying behaviour to save energy at home is harder than we think…. Energy and Buildings 2018, 179, 384 -398.

AMA Style

Evyatar Erell, Boris A. Portnov, Michal Assif. Modifying behaviour to save energy at home is harder than we think…. Energy and Buildings. 2018; 179 ():384-398.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Evyatar Erell; Boris A. Portnov; Michal Assif. 2018. "Modifying behaviour to save energy at home is harder than we think…." Energy and Buildings 179, no. : 384-398.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2018 in Sustainable Cities and Society
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Green buildings or Environmentally Friendly Buildings (EFBs) take into account conservation needs and use key resources more efficiently than conventional buildings. However, EFBs, often characterized by relatively high construction costs, may materialize benefits through long-term maintenance and energy savings. Therefore, it is essential to convince main players in the construction field, that investment in EFBs is justifiable. This paper explores factors influencing investment decisions of different interest groups – consumers, architects and building developers – in green building. We hypothesis that each interest group's different attitude towards EFBs may generate different responses to identical incentives. The study is based on internet panel and telephone surveys conducted in Israel. The findings reveals that requirements of building standards and improving professional image are main factors that affect architects’ willingness to design EFBs, while energy prices increase and striving for innovation are main forces behind developers' decisions to promote green construction. By contrast, potential energy and maintenance savings, and real estate values increase are main factors influencing consumers’ decisions to opt for EFBs, as opposed to a conventional one. We also find that greater familiarity of consumers with the green building concept increases their willingness to pay 30% more for EFBs.

ACS Style

Shoshi Ofek; Sagi Akron; Boris A. Portnov. Stimulating green construction by influencing the decision-making of main players. Sustainable Cities and Society 2018, 40, 165 -173.

AMA Style

Shoshi Ofek, Sagi Akron, Boris A. Portnov. Stimulating green construction by influencing the decision-making of main players. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2018; 40 ():165-173.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shoshi Ofek; Sagi Akron; Boris A. Portnov. 2018. "Stimulating green construction by influencing the decision-making of main players." Sustainable Cities and Society 40, no. : 165-173.

Journal article
Published: 25 May 2018 in Environmental Research
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Low birth weight (LBW) is known to be associated with infant mortality and postnatal health complications. Previous studies revealed strong relationships between LBW rate and several socio-demographic factors, including ethnicity, maternal age, and family income. However, studies of association between LBW rate and environmental risk factors remain infrequent. We retrieved a geo-referenced data set, containing 7216 individual records of children born in 2015 in the Haifa Bay Area in Israel. Using this dataset, we analysed factors affecting LBW prevalence by applying two alternative techniques: analysis of LBW rates in small census area (SCAs) and more recently developed double kernel density (DKD) relative risk (RR) estimates. In the SCA models, LBW rate was found to be associated with proximity to petrochemical industries (B=−0.26, 95%CI=−0.30, −0.22), road density (B=0.05, 95%CI=0.02, 0.08), distance to the seashore (B=0.17, 95%CI=0.14, 0.22), PM2.5 (B=0.06, 95%CI=0.04, 0.09) and NOx (B=0.10, 95%CI=0.06, 0.13) exposure estimates. Although similar factors emerged in the DKD models as well, in most cases, the effects of these factors in the latter models were found to be stronger: proximity to petrochemical industries (B=−0.48, 95%CI= −0.51, −0.30), road density (B=0.05, 95%CI=0.02, 0.08), distance to the seashore (B=0.24, 95%CI=0.21, 0.27), PM2.5 (B=0.08, 95%CI=0.05, 0.10) and NOx (B=0.20, 95%CI=0.17, 0.23) exposure estimates. In addition, elevation above the sea level was found to be statistically significant in spatial dependence models estimated for both DKD and SCA rates (P < 0.01). The analysis revealed an excess LBW rate in residential areas located close to petrochemical industries and a protective effect of seashore proximity and elevation above the sea level on the LBW rate. We attribute the latter finding to the moderating effect of elevated seashore locations on outdoor temperatures during the hot summer season.

ACS Style

Alina Svechkina; Jonathan Dubnov; Boris A. Portnov. Environmental risk factors associated with low birth weight: The case study of the Haifa Bay Area in Israel. Environmental Research 2018, 165, 337 -348.

AMA Style

Alina Svechkina, Jonathan Dubnov, Boris A. Portnov. Environmental risk factors associated with low birth weight: The case study of the Haifa Bay Area in Israel. Environmental Research. 2018; 165 ():337-348.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alina Svechkina; Jonathan Dubnov; Boris A. Portnov. 2018. "Environmental risk factors associated with low birth weight: The case study of the Haifa Bay Area in Israel." Environmental Research 165, no. : 337-348.

Original articles
Published: 16 May 2018 in Chronobiology International
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Several population-level studies revealed a positive association between breast cancer (BC) incidence and artificial light at night (ALAN) exposure. However, the effect of short-wavelength illumination, implicated by laboratory research and small-scale cohort studies as the main driving force behind BC–ALAN association, has not been supported by any population-level study carried out to date. We investigated a possible link between BC and ALAN of different subspectra using a multi-spectral year-2011 satellite image, taken from the International Space Station, and superimposing it with year-2013 BC incidence data available for the Great Haifa Metropolitan Area in Israel. The analysis was performed using both ordinary least square (OLS) and spatial dependency models, controlling for socioeconomic and locational attributes of the study area. The study revealed strong associations between BC and blue and green light subspectra (B = 0.336 ± 0.001 and B = 0.335 ± 0.002, respectively; p < 0.01), compared to a somewhat weaker effect for the red subspectrum (B = 0.056 ± 0.001; p < 0.01). However, spatial dependency models, controlling for spatial autocorrelation of regression residuals, confirmed only a positive association between BC incidence and short-wavelength (blue) ALAN subspectrum (z = 2.462, p < 0.05) while reporting insignificant associations between BC and either green (z = 1.425, p > 0.1) or red (z = −0.604, p > 0.1) subspectra. The obtained result is in line with the results of laboratory- and small-scale cohort studies linking short-wavelength nighttime illumination with circadian disruption and melatonin suppression. The detected effect of blue lights on BC incidence may help to develop informed illumination policies aimed at minimizing the adverse health effects of ALAN exposure on human health.

ACS Style

Nataliya Rybnikova; Boris A. Portnov. Population-level study links short-wavelength nighttime illumination with breast cancer incidence in a major metropolitan area. Chronobiology International 2018, 35, 1198 -1208.

AMA Style

Nataliya Rybnikova, Boris A. Portnov. Population-level study links short-wavelength nighttime illumination with breast cancer incidence in a major metropolitan area. Chronobiology International. 2018; 35 (9):1198-1208.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nataliya Rybnikova; Boris A. Portnov. 2018. "Population-level study links short-wavelength nighttime illumination with breast cancer incidence in a major metropolitan area." Chronobiology International 35, no. 9: 1198-1208.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2018 in Waste Management
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Construction and demolition (C&D) waste, dumped illegally in ravines and open areas, contaminates soil and can cause underground water pollution and forests fires. Yet, effective monitoring of illegal C&D waste dumping and enforcing legislation against the offenders are often a difficult task due to the large size of geographic areas that need to be monitored, and limited human and financial resources available to environmental law enforcement agencies. In this study, we use Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and geo-statistical modelling to identify the areas under potentially elevated risk of illegal C&D waste dumping in the Haifa district of Israel. As our analysis shows, locational factors, significantly associated with the accumulated amount of waste in the existing illegal C&D waste sites, include: distance to the nearest main road, depth of the ravine present at the site (p<0.01), and forest proximity (p<0.05). Using the model incorporating these locational parameters, we mapped the areas under the elevated risk of illegal C&D waste dumping for future monitoring. As we suggest, the proposed approach may be useful for environmental law enforcement authorities, by helping them to focus on specific sites for inspection, save resources, and act against the offenders more efficiently.

ACS Style

Nissim Seror; Boris A. Portnov. Identifying areas under potential risk of illegal construction and demolition waste dumping using GIS tools. Waste Management 2018, 75, 22 -29.

AMA Style

Nissim Seror, Boris A. Portnov. Identifying areas under potential risk of illegal construction and demolition waste dumping using GIS tools. Waste Management. 2018; 75 ():22-29.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nissim Seror; Boris A. Portnov. 2018. "Identifying areas under potential risk of illegal construction and demolition waste dumping using GIS tools." Waste Management 75, no. : 22-29.