scholarly journals Experts’ Perceptions on the Particulate Matter Reduction Effects of Green Open Space

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4835
Author(s):  
Suyeon Kim ◽  
Seokjun Han ◽  
Sang-Woo Lee ◽  
Kyungjin An

With recent declines in air quality, the significance of urban green spaces and their ecological functions have rapidly increased, especially with regard to the reduction of particulate matter. Various investigations regarding particle reduction in urban green spaces have been conducted; however, specific guidelines to establish empirical data for green spaces and to inform related policies are still lacking. Thus, this study aims to categorize experts’ perceptions of green spaces through Q-methodology and to identify ways to form a consensus, establish policies in the design and construction process, ultimately aiming to enhance particle reduction effects in urban green spaces. As a result, experts’ perceptions were classified into three categories: ‘active support,’ ‘skeptical,’ and ‘passive support’ groups. Experts’ opinions on the particle reduction effects of urban green areas are overarchingly agreed upon; however, the priorities involved and methods used in augmenting green space integration require further analysis and mediation. Additionally, further empirical evidence should be accumulated on the particulate matter reduction effects of urban green areas, including the quantification of particle concentration reduction in urban green spaces and considerations for policy establishment in design and construction.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7863
Author(s):  
Antonios Kolimenakis ◽  
Alexandra D. Solomou ◽  
Nikolaos Proutsos ◽  
Evangelia V. Avramidou ◽  
Evangelia Korakaki ◽  
...  

Urban green areas present a lucid example for the harmonious co-existence of the artificial and natural environments best illustrated by their interdependence and interconnection in urban spaces. Urban green areas are essential for the health and wellbeing of citizens. The present study aimed to investigate those multiple benefits for citizens that arise through the existence of urban green areas, as well as important policy dimensions that should be considered when designing the expansion of urban green spaces in urban development. The study was based on a literature review to examine for available evidence on the benefit levels derived by the existence of urban green areas. An extended literature review was followed by a structured review, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, which partly followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was conducted in two databases, and a total of 1674 articles and abstracts were identified through the database searches. After removing 114 duplicates, 1560 records were initially screened based on title and abstract. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 articles were incorporated in the structured review and a total of 47 in the extended review. The extended literature review identified 33 additional articles examining aspects of benefits that did not fall under the pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria used in the structured review, such as health benefits and other social parameters associated with urban green spaces. The selected studies were allocated in five principal groups according to study types: three of the them consisted of studies employing “willingness to pay” (WTP) methods, five were based on property values, two studies assigned monetary values, while another two assigned CO2 values, and, finally, two studies were based on qualitative criteria. The results indicated benefits to citizens and increased welfare levels gained by the existence of urban green areas. The conducted review revealed a number of findings and recommendations that could direct future research and urban policy. Those hints could assist local authorities as well as stakeholders in order to measure and assess the benefits of green spaces and urban parks and promote measures and programs to assist their further deployment.


2011 ◽  
Vol 368-373 ◽  
pp. 1819-1822
Author(s):  
Dong Xiang Hu ◽  
Jun Tang

This paper discusses the possibility of amalgamation of urban green spaces and emergency shelters, according to their characters of design and construction with the recent earthquake tendency. The approach to amalgamation of them have been suggested, which is suitable for city development of China. Those are the references to research and construction of emergency shelters in urban green spaces in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Aigul SERGEYEVA ◽  
Altynbek KHAMIT ◽  
Asima КOSHIM ◽  
Murat MAKHAMBETOV

The rapid pace of urban development triggers complex problems mostly related to urban environment pollution, and shortcomings of city’s improvement. The modern city is characterized by the highest man-made pressure on the natural environment, the main problems being overcrowding, lack of open-access green areas, as well as the decrease of vegetation areas, fact that does not create comfortable living conditions for urban residents. At present, remote sensing methods are some of the priority tools used in vegetation state assessment, particularly, the calculation of vegetation index (NDVI). But often, obtaining the necessary information is limited only to the analysis of satellite data, without geobotanical field surveys, which considerably increase the reliability of the detected results. In addition, the definition of dependencies when using an integrated approach of different man-affected surfaces with a different type of overgrowth within the city remains insufficiently studied. The purpose of this study is to assess the ecological condition of the green area (parks and squares) in Aktobe city. A comprehensive processing of satellite images including the calculation of NDVI index, mapping of green areas and data statistical analysis, was carried out. We learned that the average value of NDVI for green spaces in Aktobe ranges from 0,11 µm to 0,47 µm, which allows for the categorization of planted areas by levels of photosynthetic activity, from “unsatisfactory” to “good”, yet, with 59% of them in an unsatisfactory condition. This means that the city is underdeveloped in terms of modern landscape and infrastructure. The obtained results make it possible to assess the current situation, determine the dynamics of urban green spaces and optimize spatial planning measures for green space management.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 170037 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hedblom ◽  
I. Knez ◽  
Å. Ode Sang ◽  
B. Gunnarsson

Most humans now live in cities and their main experience of nature is through urban greenery. An increasing number of studies show the importance of urban green spaces for well-being, although most of them are based on visual perception. A questionnaire examining people's evaluations of natural sounds was answered by 1326 individuals living near one of six urban green areas of varying naturalness in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Women and the elderly reported greater calmness when hearing bird song and rustling leaves (and placed a higher importance on the richness of bird species) than did men, younger and middle-aged individuals. Independent of age and gender, urban woodlands (high naturalness) had higher evaluations than parks (low naturalness). Our results suggest that to increase positive experiences of urban green areas, demographic variables of gender and age should be taken into account, and settings that mimic nature should be prioritized in planning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 155014772110340
Author(s):  
Qi Liu ◽  
Li Hou ◽  
Sana Shaukat ◽  
Usman Tariq ◽  
Rabia Riaz ◽  
...  

Urban green spaces are really vital for the well-being of human in urban areas. In urban planning for green space site selection, the study of the bond among the usage of green spaces and their categories that really influence their use can provide useful references. A spatial and temporal research on the allocation of visitors in 157 green areas was carried out in Shanghai to know which green spaces are denser or crowdsourced by utilizing social media big data. We evaluated the association with statistical testing and Kernel Density Estimation among the spatial pattern of the visitor spread in urban green areas. We used check-in data from social media to test this study comparing the number of humans who visit various green parks. We have classified green areas into various categories and our main findings are focused on their characteristics: (1) famous category of green parks according to visitors’ preferences, (2) Differences in the number of visitors by daytime, and (3) crowdsourced area based upon number of check-ins. The main aim of this article is to remind policy makers of the value of providing local people access to green areas and to empower cities with a framework for contacting green parks with the purpose of increasing the comfort of urban people with the architecture of smart city.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamideh Nouri ◽  
Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni ◽  
Arjen Hoekstra

<p>The world’s population residing in urban areas grew from 30% in 1950 to about 60% in 2020 and is expected to reach 68% by 2050. As urban areas continue to grow, green spaces in cities are getting ever more treasured. Most cities have adopted strategies to be greener to improve their resilience and livability. To make the best of the benefits offered by urban green spaces, healthy greenness is essential and this means additional water consumption. Water limitation usually results in drying out of green areas in summer, when benefits and services by green spaces are highly demanded (e.g. cooling effect). In the 21<sup>st</sup> century, vulnerability to water shortage is not restricted to dry regions anymore;  water scarcity in the time of need is threatening the livability of cities even in wet regions (i.e. extreme summers in Europe). In this study, we estimate for the first time, to our knowledge, the blue water consumption of urban green spaces. We measure the evapotranspiration of an urban green space using three approaches of in-situ, observational-based and remote sensing, and employ principles of water footprint. We assess the blue and green water footprint of urban greenery to maintain green areas of a city based on their water demand, not the abstracted water or irrigated water. In the case of Adelaide Parklands in Australia, the annual total water footprint is 1114mm, of which 17% consumes in spring, 42% in summer, 27% in autumn, and 14% in winter. The average blue water footprint of the Parklands calculates 0.66 m<sup>3</sup> per square meter per annum. The hot and dry summer causes a high total water footprint compared to the cold and wet winter. This study is transferable to other cities for quantification of blue water consumption of urban green spaces and their water footprint. These findings may help to guide urbanisation priorities to move toward greening cities with no extra pressure on scarce water resources.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 00049
Author(s):  
Agata Łopuszyńska ◽  
Małgorzata Bartyna-Zielińska

Illuminating the urban green spaces could lead to conflicts of spatial, technical and social nature. This relatively new, though already global, problem is expected to grow bigger with the further increase of urban areas artificial brightness. The case of Grabiszyn Park in Wrocław is an example of how difficult it is to find a balance between big-city lights and a natural darkness. The situation is even more difficult if the light is not legally recognized as a significant source of air pollution and direct nuisance at the legal level. The aim of the paper is to recognize the broader perspective of urban greenery lighting issues, global recommendations basis and the local awareness. The authors also made an attempt to analyze and assess the project implementation, as well as to characterize the components of the quality of an urban green areas lighting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sin-Yee Yoo ◽  
Taehee Kim ◽  
Suhan Ham ◽  
Sumin Choi ◽  
Chan-Ryul Park

The utilization of urban green areas has increased, but it is unclear whether urban green areas can decrease the concentration of particulate matter at an industrial complex city in Korea. We measured the extent of particulate matter (PM) reduction at a buffer green area in the Sihwa Industrial Complex. PM was measured at the industrial complex, the urban green area, and a nearby residential area from April to October 2019. PM reduction rates were highest at the urban green area in August and October, which is related to increased atmospheric mixing height and the active west wind blowing from the industrial complex to the residential area. Reduction rates of PM10 and PM2.5 at the urban green area showed the lowest values, namely 14.4% and 25.3%, respectively. The air temperature, wind speed, and humidity could affect the PM reduction rate by influencing the movement and dispersion of PM at the micro-spatiotemporal scale. These results indicated that PM concentration could be reduced by the structural change of a forest layer at a micro scale in urban green areas.


2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mirab-balou ◽  
X.L. Tong ◽  
X.X. Chen

Research was conducted on the fauna of Thysanoptera in the urban green spaces of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, during 2008- 2012. The thrips were collected in different plant communities (mainly in parks) in the city. A total of 26 species from 19 genera in three different families were collected, among them <em>Scolothrips</em> <em>latipennis</em> Priesner, which is newly recorded for the fauna of China. New distribution records of seven species in China are reported. Results of the research indicate that the fauna of thrips of green areas of Hangzhou was quite abundant and diversified, and the occurrence of <em>Selenothrips</em>, <em>Scirtothrips</em>, <em>Thrips</em>, <em>Frankliniella</em> and <em>Haplothrips</em> species seems diverse and should be investigated further.


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