scholarly journals Green Infrastructure in the Time of Social Distancing: Urban Policy and the Tactical Pandemic Urbanism

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1632
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Herman ◽  
Łukasz Drozda
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Urban Ethnography ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Management Method ◽  
Insight Into

The COVID-19 pandemic generated a number of changes in the functioning of urban areas all over the world and had a visible impact on the use of green infrastructure, including city parks. The study discusses and compares operation and use of two such parks located in Wellington, New Zealand and Warsaw, Poland by adopting “pandemic urban ethnography”, an approach that includes autoethnography, interviews with users, non-participant observation, and analysis of social media content. As indicated by the findings of the study, the importance of less rigidly designed, multifunctional spaces that give their users freedom of “tactical” adjustments, significantly grows during times of lockdown and “social distancing”. During such a crisis, the management and everyday use of urban parks are highly related to urban policies. The article provides insight into how those policies impact the functional values of green infrastructure confronting it with user-generated adaptations and the landscape design itself. The global health emergency showed how access to green areas becomes a crucial determinant on environmental justice while proving the significance of “tactical pandemic urbanism” as both a design and management method.

Dynamic evaluation of small urban green areas at local level using GEOBIA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Popa ◽  
Diana Andreea Onose ◽  
Ionut Cosmin Sandric ◽  
Simona Raluca Gradinaru ◽  
Athanasios Alexandru Gavrilidis
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Urbanization Process ◽  
Dynamic Evaluation ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas

<p>Urban green infrastructure has various benefits known as ecosystem services such as regulating, cultural, provisioning and supporting services. Among the provided benefits there are decrease of air temperature, increasing humidity and mitigating urban heat island as regulating services; human-nature relations as cultural services; improving air quality, carbon sequestration as provisioning services and photosynthesis, nutrient and water cycling as supporting services. The high intensity of the urbanization process across the last decades coupled with weak legislative frameworks resulted both in large areas affected by urban sprawl and densification of the existing urban fabric. Both phenomenon generated loss in open spaces, especially green areas. In the context of the sustainable urbanization promoted by HABITAT Agenda, the knowledge related with the distribution, size and quality of urban green areas represents a priority. The study aim is to identify small urban green areas at local level at different time moments for a dynamic evaluation. We focused on small urban green areas since they are scarcely analysed even if their importance for the urban quality of life Is continuously increasing given the urbanization process. We used satellite imagery acquired by Planet Satellite Constellations, with a spatial resolution of 3.7 m and daily coverage, for extracting green areas. The images were processed using Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) techniques implemented in Esri ArcGIS Pro. The spatial analysis we performed generated information about distribution, surfaces, quality (based on NDVI) and dynamic of small urban green areas. The results are connected with the local level development of the urban areas we analysed, but also with the population consumption pattern for leisure services, housing, transport or other public utilities. The analysis can represent a complementary method for extracting green areas at urban level and can support the data collection for calculating urban sustainability indicators.</p>

scholarly journals Citizen Science Data to Measure Human Use of Green Areas and Forests in European Cities

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 779
Author(s):  
Vito Emanuele Cambria ◽  
Thomas Campagnaro ◽  
Giovanni Trentanovi ◽  
Riccardo Testolin ◽  
Fabio Attorre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Urban Green Infrastructure

Understanding and explaining the use of green spaces and forests is challenging for sustainable urban planning. In recent years there has been increasing demand for novel approaches to investigate urban green infrastructure by capitalizing on large databases from existing citizen science tools. In this study, we analyzed iNaturalist data to perform an assessment of the intentional use of these urban spaces for their value and to understand the main drivers. We retrieved the total number of observations obtained across a set of 672 European cities and focused on reporting from mapped green areas and forests. We used two separate multivariate explanatory models to investigate which factors explained variations in the number of observations for green areas and forests. We found a relatively heterogeneous use of these two urban green spaces. Gross domestic product was important in explaining the number of visits. Availability and accessibility also had positive relationships with the use of green areas and forests in cities, respectively. This study paves the way for better integration of citizen science data in assessing cultural services provided by urban green infrastructure and therefore in supporting the evaluation of spatial planning policies for the sustainable development of urban areas.

Rethinking urban areas: an example of an integrated blue-green approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1534-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Rozos ◽  
C. Makropoulos ◽  
Č. Maksimović
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Green Approach ◽  
Green Areas

The provision of high quality urban water services, the assets of which are often conceptualised as ‘blue infrastructure’, is essential for public health and quality of life in the cities. On the other hand, parks, recreation grounds, gardens, green roofs and in general ‘green infrastructure’, provide a range of (urban) ecosystem services (including quality of life and aesthetics) and could also be thought of as inter alia contributors to the mitigation of floods, droughts, noise, air pollution and urban heat island (UHI) effects, improvement of biodiversity, amenity values and human health. Currently, these ‘blue’ and ‘green’ assets/infrastructure are planned to operate as two separate systems despite the obvious interactions between them (for example, low runoff coefficient of green areas resulting in reduction of stormwater flows, and irrigation of green areas by potable water in increasing pressure on water supply systems). This study explores the prospects of a more integrated ‘blue-green’ approach – tested at the scale of a household. Specifically, UWOT (the Urban Water Optioneering Tool) was extended and used to assess the potential benefits of a scheme that employed locally treated greywater along with harvested rainwater for irrigating a green roof. The results of the simulations indicated that the blue-green approach combined the benefits of both ‘green’ and ‘blue’ technologies/services and at the same time minimised the disadvantages of each when installed separately.

scholarly journals The benefits, synergies and conflicts of green design in urban policy, a case study of Kosice city

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 00067
Author(s):  
Zuzana Poorova ◽  
Zuzana Vranayova
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Green Design ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Sponge City ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The City

The end of climate change must begin with cities. 75% of Europe's population chooses the city as a place to reside. How does one maximize the supply of fresh air and provide enough green areas for built-up areas? Cities are growing fast, strengthening the effects of thermal islands by sealing the spaces, removing natural habitats and creating heat. The principle of green design is a response to many questions. But the question remains, what is green design? Designing healthy cities, bringing nature, greenery and water into urban areas, covering building roofs with soil, integrating wilderness, building green roofs and walls, water retention and recycling? The paper explains the problematic new term "sponge city" using a case study of the green roofs in Kosice.

scholarly journals Evolution of Green Areas in Europe—A Comparison Between Three Urban Areas

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir ◽  
Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir ◽  
Kalantari ◽  
Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Architecture And Design

Urbanization is a continuous and dynamic process which has a direct impact on ecosystems and their services provided to human society. Restriction of green areas greatly accentuates urban ecological risks, having an immediate negative impact on their viability and sustainability, on life quality and population health. Increasing population density in urban areas leads to an increasing need for space. Parallel to the tentacular development of urban agglomerations, structure, architecture and design have changed, at the expense of green spaces. The development of urban areas in several European Countries (e.g., Romania, Portugal, Sweden, amid substantial demographic growth, it was made at the expense of green areas. Historical milestones of urban and peri-urban development are also key milestones in green space strategies, both in terms of development and conversion into different land-uses. This article investigates the evolution of green infrastructure in three distinct countries in Europe. In western Romania (Timisoara urban area and its neighboring peri-urban zones) we investigate the strong correlation with the evolution of urban development and the strategies developed for improving the life quality. In central Portugal, we analyze the dynamics of green infrastructures in a peri-urban catchment close to Coimbra city Centre, driven by long term urbanization. In Sweden (Malmö city), we study the history of blue-green infrastructures such as sustainable urban drainage over the past two decades and application of this in the physical planning. We will emphasize the main key milestones in green space strategies, similitudes and differences between three urban areas located in three different bio-geographical areas.

scholarly journals Green infrastructure planning for climate smart and "green" cities

Spatium ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tijana Crncevic ◽  
Ljiljana Tubic ◽  
Olgica Bakic
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Infrastructure Planning ◽  
Gis Data ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Green Cities

The aim of the paper is to present green infrastructure planning within the concept of climate-smart cities. In this context the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as part of green infrastructure planning, is stressed in the establishment of climate-smart cities. In addition to presenting international examples of good practice, such as using GIS data, maps and tools for support in the USA, or designing a tool for water management and water infrastructure planning in Chicago, the paper provides an insight into the current status of green infrastructure planning in Serbia. The ?Green regulation of Belgrade? project is presented as a representative example. The conclusions emphasise that the main preconditions for achieving climate-smart and green cities include legal and planning frameworks, as well as appropriate strategic and other programs that will further encourage the creation of GIS for green areas and create the conditions for climate-smart green infrastructure planning.

Green Walls as an Environmental Strategy

2021 ◽  
pp. 294-328
Author(s):  
Pedro Dias Boa Sorte ◽  
Caio Silva ◽  
Abner L. Calixter ◽  
Marta A. B. Romero
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Humidity ◽  
Environmental Strategy ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Green Walls

Vegetation is an excellent strategy to tackle global warming and climate change. In this context, the green wall is a kind of green infrastructure that is used as a bioclimatic strategy. Also, it can be used as an approach to insert green areas in an urban context, contributing to urban areas to become more sustainable. This chapter aims to evaluate the thermal performance of green walls using three different native climbing vegetation from the Cerrado biome. Thus, the authors used a computational tool named ENVI-met (v.3) as a method to analyze and evaluate which plants would bring the best performance in terms of improving thermal comfort. The database the authors obtained from the simulations will serve as a comparison of the thermal performance between walls without vegetation cover, as well as clarify the morphological and physiological characteristics that influence its thermal performance. The results demonstrate that Arrabidaea pulchra species enabled green walls with lower temperatures and higher air humidity rate in most situations.

scholarly journals Influence of Different Types of Land Use on the Contents of Potentially Toxic Elements and De-icing Salts in Roadside Soils and Trees in Urban Areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8985
Author(s):  
Jin-Hee Ju ◽  
Ju-Young Park ◽  
Yong-Han Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Electronic Conductivity ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Roadside Soil ◽  
Roadside Soils ◽  
Green Areas

In order to manage the urban environment and reduce pollution, it is essential to determine potentially toxic elements and de-icing salts in roadside soils and plants, which are major components of green infrastructure. A field study was conducted to elucidate the influence of land use on potentially toxic elements and de-icing salts in roadside soil and trees in urban areas. The effect of land use was determined in commercial, residential, industrial, and green areas of Cheongju city. The roadside soil and plant samples were collected from four different sites along a major roadway in the city. The chemical parameters determined were pH, electronic conductivity, potentially toxic elements (Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, As, Pb, Ni), and de-icing salts (Na, Ca, Mg). The pH, electronic conductivity, potentially toxic elements (except copper), and de-icing salt values were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the land use. On the other hand, the potentially toxic element (except zinc and nickel) levels in roadside tree leaves (Ginkgo biloba) were not affected by the different land use, whereas the de-icing salt levels were significantly different (p < 0.05). The enrichment factor (EF) of potentially toxic elements was found to be lower than that of de-icing salts with the highest values of sodium in green areas and of magnesium in commercial areas. These results provide information on the implications of land use, including the surrounding area of influenced roadside soil and plant chemistry for the urban ecosystem.

Prescribing trends of antidiabetic drugs in diabetic and hypertensive diabetic patients in an urban tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-343
Author(s):  
Mohammad Didar Khan ◽  
Md. Ibrahim ◽  
Md. Mizanur Rahman Moghal ◽  
Dipti debnath ◽  
Asma Kabir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Patient Profile ◽  
Prescribing Trends ◽  
Medical University ◽  
Insight Into

Objective: The present epidemiological study was conducted with the objectives of providing an insight into the current use of antidiabetic medications to diabetics and hypertensive diabetics in urban areas and determining how the patient factors influence the prescribing of antidiabetic medications. Methodology: Data of patients of past two years were collected from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The details were entered in the structured patient profile form. Data were statistically analyzed using the Microsoft Excel 2007 software. Result: A total of 958 patient’s data were collected and analyzed of which 632 (65.97 %) were males and 326 (34.03 %) were females. These patients were further categorized based on their age. 330 patients (34.45 %) belonged to the age group 20 – 44 years, 504 (52.61 %) to the age group 45 – 65 years and 124 (12.94 %) to the age group 65 – 80 years. 684 (71.4%) patients out of the 958 patients studied were suffering from coexisting hypertension. Co-existing hypertension was found to be more prevalent in the age group 45 – 65 years (67.69%) and was found more in females (84.04%). Conclusion: Metformin was the oral hypoglycemic which was the highest prescribed. In hypertensive diabetics Metformin and Pioglitazone were most frequently prescribed drugs. Biguanides and Insulin were the most commonly prescribed antidiabetics. A combination of two or more drugs of different classes was prescribed to hypertensive diabetics. It is necessary to have an improved understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of diabetes to focus on research efforts appropriately.

Urban Greening and Human-Wildlife Relations in Philadelphia: From Animal Control to Multispecies Coexistence?

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Hunold
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Runoff ◽  
Urban Wildlife ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Urban Greening ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Animal Control

City-scale urban greening is expanding wildlife habitat in previously less hospitable urban areas. Does this transformation also prompt a reckoning with the longstanding idea that cities are places intended to satisfy primarily human needs? I pose this question in the context of one of North America's most ambitious green infrastructure programmes to manage urban runoff: Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters. Given that the city's green infrastructure plans have little to say about wildlife, I investigate how wild animals fit into urban greening professionals' conceptions of the urban. I argue that practitioners relate to urban wildlife via three distinctive frames: 1) animal control, 2) public health and 3) biodiversity, and explore the implications of each for peaceful human-wildlife coexistence in 'greened' cities.

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