Carbon Fraction of 51 Native Shrubs in Urban Green Spaces in Korea: A Comparative Study of Evergreen, Deciduous, and Vines

This paper use the advanced experience of Japan in the area of disaster prevention green space planning and construction and, look at the status, gaps and challenges of China's construction and planning of Green Infrastructure, present the new thinking direction about the construction of disaster prevention green space combine with Green Infrastructure.Taking the construction of the disaster prevention green infrastructure network planning of Majiagou River in Harbin as an example and put forward related strategies.

IntroductionUrban green spaces play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide. This study aimed to evaluate the carbon sequestration potential of common plant species in urban residential areas and provide recommendations for optimizing green space design and management.MethodsThe research was conducted in four residential areas of Nanjing, China, where key growth parameters of 20 plant species, including evergreen trees, deciduous trees, evergreen shrubs, and deciduous shrubs, were measured. The assimilation method was employed to calculate carbon sequestration per unit canopy area and for entire plants.ResultsThe results showed that the carbon sequestration capacities of different plant species and types exhibited significant differences, with p-values less than 0.05. In terms of daily carbon sequestration per unit canopy projection area, the ranking was as follows: evergreen trees > evergreen shrubs > deciduous trees > deciduous shrubs. For total plant carbon sequestration, the ranking was: evergreen trees > deciduous trees > evergreen shrubs > deciduous shrubs. Evergreen trees performed excellently in both carbon sequestration metrics, with the average daily carbon sequestration per unit canopy projection area and for the entire plant being 18.0024 g/(m2·d) and 462.28 g/d, respectively. The study also observed seasonal variations, with carbon sequestration rates being higher in autumn and summer compared to spring and winter. During the summer, the average daily carbon sequestration per unit canopy projection area and for the entire plant were 11.975 g/(m2·d) and 161.744 g/d, respectively, while in autumn, these values were 13.886 g/(m2·d) and 98.458 g/d. Seasonal variations were also observed, with autumn and summer exhibiting higher carbon sequestration rates compared to spring and winter. Additionally, CO2 concentrations were monitored across the four residential areas, providing insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of carbon sequestration.DiscussionBased on the findings, optimization strategies were proposed, such as prioritizing the selection and integration of high-performing evergreen tree species in urban green space design and incorporating diverse plant types to enhance year-round carbon sequestration. This study contributes to the development of sustainable urban planning and landscape management practices, promoting the role of green spaces in mitigating climate change and enhancing urban resilience.

Green and blue spaces: crucial for healthy, sustainable urban futures

Sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) rapid urbanization and climate change have resulted in habitat loss, deforestation, and reduction in urban green spaces. Urban greenness is vital for biodiversity, public health, and climate resilience. Urban green spaces have several health advantages, including lowering urban heat stress and enhancing mental and physical well-being of the population. However, little is known about the accessibility, use, and effects of urban greenness on population health in the region. This scoping review maps the evidence on urban green space availability, utilization, and population health impacts in SSA. The review also identifies the barriers and facilitators that strengthen and contribute to sustainability and urban health. In accordance with the JBI scoping review framework and PRISMA-ScR criteria, this study screened 10,683 records from major databases, grey literature, and reference checks. Initial title and abstract screening produced 118 records for full-text screening, from which 72 records were incorporated into the final analysis, which mapped the evidence using thematic analysis and narrative synthesis. It was found that urban green spaces in SSA are characterized by significant disparities in availability and accessibility, with such areas frequently falling short of international standards. Poor maintenance, corruption, safety issues, and socioeconomic disparities are factors that limit urban green space utilization, while proximity facilitates usage. Stress reduction, increased physical activity, and lower risk of non-communicable diseases, including obesity and hypertension, are identified benefits of the usage of urban green spaces. However, lack of green spaces and neglect of these spaces increase the risk of respiratory problems and vector-borne diseases. Strategic investments in urban green spaces, policy reforms, and community-led greening initiatives are required to improve access and utilization, especially in green-depleted areas. Future research needs to concentrate on experimental and longitudinal methods to demonstrate causal links between urban green space and health outcomes, enhancing sustainable urban planning and health equity in SSA to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 13.

In this study, leaf hydraulic functionality of co-occurring evergreen and deciduous shrubs, grown on Olympus Mountain, has been compared. Four evergreen species (Arbutus andrachne, Arbutus unedo, Quercus ilex and Quercus coccifera) and four deciduous species (Carpinus betulus, Cercis siliquastrum, Coronilla emeroides and Pistacia terebinthus) were selected for this study. Predawn and midday leaf water potential, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature and leaf hydraulic conductance were estimated during the summer period. The results demonstrate different hydraulic tactics between the deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Higher hydraulic conductance and lower stomatal conductance were obtained in deciduous plants compared to the evergreens. Additionally, positive correlations were detected between water potential and transpiration in the deciduous shrubs. The seasonal leaf hydraulic conductance declined in both deciduous and evergreens under conditions of elevated vapor pressure deficit during the summer; however, at midday, leaf water potential reached comparable low values, but the deciduous shrubs exhibited higher hydraulic conductance compared to the evergreens. It seems likely that hydraulic traits of the coexisting evergreen and deciduous plants indicate water spending and saving tactics, respectively; this may also represent a limit to drought tolerance of these species grown in a natural environment, which is expected to be affected by global warming.

Abstract. Accurate and timely maps of urban underlying land properties at the national scale are of significance in improving habitat environment and achieving sustainable development goals. Urban impervious surface (UIS) and urban green space (UGS) are two core components for characterizing urban underlying environments. However, the UIS and UGS are often mosaicked in the urban landscape with complex structures and composites. The “hard classification” or binary single type cannot be used effectively to delineate spatially explicit urban land surface property. Although six mainstream datasets on global or national urban land use and land cover products with a 30 m spatial resolution have been developed, they only provide the binary pattern or dynamic of a single urban land type, which cannot effectively delineate the quantitative components or structure of intra-urban land cover. Here we propose a new mapping strategy to acquire the multitemporal and fractional information of the essential urban land cover types at a national scale through synergizing the advantage of both big data processing and human interpretation with the aid of geoknowledge. Firstly, the vector polygons of urban boundaries in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 were extracted from China's Land Use/cover Dataset (CLUD) derived from Landsat images. Secondly, the national settlement and vegetation percentages were retrieved using a sub-pixel decomposition method through a random forest algorithm using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Finally, the products of China's UIS and UGS fractions (CLUD-Urban) at a 30 m resolution were developed in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018. We also compared our products with six existing mainstream datasets in terms of quality and accuracy. The assessment results showed that the CLUD-Urban product has higher accuracies in urban-boundary and urban-expansion detection than other products and in addition that the accurate UIS and UGS fractions were developed in each period. The overall accuracy of urban boundaries in 2000–2018 are over 92.65 %; and the correlation coefficient (R) and root mean square errors (RMSEs) of UIS and UGS fractions are 0.91 and 0.10 (UIS) and 0.89 and 0.11 (UGS), respectively. Our result indicates that 71 % of pixels of urban land were mosaicked by the UIS and UGS within cities in 2018; a single UIS classification may highly increase the mapping uncertainty. The high spatial heterogeneity of urban underlying covers was exhibited with average fractions of 68.21 % for UIS and 22.30 % for UGS in 2018 at a national scale. The UIS and UGS increased unprecedentedly with annual rates of 1605.56 and 627.78 km2 yr−1 in 2000–2018, driven by fast urbanization. The CLUD-Urban mapping can fill the knowledge gap in understanding impacts of the UIS and UGS patterns on ecosystem services and habitat environments and is valuable for detecting the hotspots of waterlogging and improving urban greening for planning and management practices. The datasets can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4034161 (Kuang et al., 2020a).

SUMMARY (1) The seasonal patterns of carbohydrate, lipid, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were examined in plants of major tundra growth forms: deciduous shrub, evergreen shrub, deciduous forb, tussock graminoid, moss and lichen. (2) Stems of deciduous shrubs (Salix pulchra and Betula nana) and forb (Rubus chamaemorus) showed well-developed over-winter carbohydrate storage, with concentrations increasing in autumn and declining in spring, coincident with initiation of leaf and root growth. The evergreen shrub (Ledum palustre) showed little seasonal fluctuation in carbohydrates of stems and old leaves. The graminoid (Eriophorum vaginatum), which had an intermediate amount of over-wintering green leaf biomass, showed seasonal carbohydrate fluctuations in stems intermediate between those of evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Among mosses, Aulacomnium spp. showed greater seasonal fluctuation in carbohydrate concentration of brown material than did Polytrichum! Pogonatum spp. The chemical procedure designed and used here for vascular plants gave ambiguous results for lichens. (3) Ether-extractable lipid in stems of Salix, Rubus and Eriophorum was low and showed no consistent seasonal pattern among different categories of stems, suggesting that it was not a major over-winter energy store in these species. Stems of Betula had higher lipid contents than did other deciduous species, but lipid declined from mid-summer to autumn and was therefore unlikely to be a major over-winter energy store. Lipid showed little seasonal fluctuation in Ledum. In brown tissue of mosses it declined in summer and increased in autumn. (4) Cellulose content generally increased with age in leaves and stems of most species, reflecting its structural role. (5) Hemicellulose content was higher in graminoids than in other growth forms and fluctuated substantially through the growing season in a pattern suggesting that it acts as an energy store. The large 'hemicellulose' fraction of lichens probably included particular lichen polysaccharides. (6) Of the plants examined, mosses had the highest concentrations of lignin-like materials, and Eriophorum and lichens were lowest in lignin. Lignin content was similar in stems of all dicotyledonous species examined and bore no clear relation to woodiness. (7) Chemical composition of all study species was compared with the preferences for them of herbivores studied at the same site. Preferences of each of eight generalist herbivores (vertebrate and invertebrate) for the study species correlated positively with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and negatively with lipid and cellulose contents. The similarity of preference ranking among generalist herbivores suggests that characteristics of the plant material (rather than animal digestive physiology) exert primary control over patterns of food choice by these generalist herbivores. Preference ranking of Lemmus (brown lemming), a specialist on graminoids and mosses, correlated postively with fibre and negatively with mineral nutrient contents.

The significance of biodiversity in the survival of human beings and enhancing the urban quality of life is evident from the empirical measurements and qualitative studies carried out across the globe. Despite its importance and value, burgeoning population and growing urbanization are posing a serious threat to biodiversity leading to biodiversity homogenization and ecosystem fragmentation. Moreover, studies reveal that management practices of biodiversity hardly take into account perception, needs, and knowledge of urban residents regarding biodiversity. Urban green spaces have a major role to play in the conservation of urban biodiversity. However, the triangular relationship between biodiversity, urban green spaces, and public perception is still unexplored. With this aim, the paper attempts to compile, analyze, and synthesize the empirical findings to understand the state-of-the-art knowledge regarding public perception of biodiversity in urban green spaces. The search strategy acquired for the selection of papers resulted in 43 papers from 22 different countries of the world. The paper focuses upon an inclusive definition of urban green spaces, thus encompasses a wide variety of urban and peri-urban green spaces, parks, gardens, and waterfront urban spaces. The analysis of literature pattern reveals a recent increase in studies related to biodiversity perception over the last 10 years. It indicates a strong geographic bias in publications as well. Studies of animals including birds, insects, and reptiles are found scarce compared to plant species. The study could identify potential variables affecting human biodiversity perception which include species literacy, visitation rate, preferences, recreational, health, and restorative benefits, vegetation characteristics, nature connectedness, and conservation support. The paper also proposes a framework for understanding biodiversity perception in urban green spaces that can assist in improving our understanding of the relationship between human interactions and natural environments and framing strategies for urban development, landscape planning, and community health promotions.

Nature-based solutions for urban landscapes under post-industrialization and globalization: Barcelona versus Shanghai

Investigation of Adoption and Cognizance of Urban Green Spaces in India: Post COVID-19 Scenarios

Quantifying emotional differences in urban green spaces extracted from photos on social networking sites: A study of 34 parks in three cities in northern China

Urban spaces are dotted with various interstitial spatial areas from very narrow spaces between buildings or structures to huge spaces between parcels. These in-between spaces are filled with plants that represent the surrounding nature, partly or entirely. In urban areas with past human interference, can we thus consider or recognize this quasi-nature as urban green space? This research begins on the premise that the role of urban green space is important in supporting the combined well-being of urban residents. We thus review the potential of vacant lands as urban wastelands in the context of the state of affairs in Japan, which is undergoing a paradigm shift in urban green policy. We surveyed Ichikawa City (Japan) as an example of a city that has already been or is currently being urbanized. The survey combined field surveys and perception surveys to identify vacant lands and to understand residents’ perceptions. The quantity of vacant lands observed corresponds to about 1.43% of Ichikawa City. Residents with higher exposure to traditional green space in their daily lives were more aware of the existence of vacant lands. In addition, respondents who see vacant lands as an urban green space show a positive and active attitude toward existing urban green space and urban nature. Moreover, they respond more strongly to the issue of the non-sustainability of vacant lands than to the issue of private property. As a result, vacant land may have a high tendency to be perceived by residents as an intimate, local space, suggesting usability. We finally highlight that vacant lands can serve an alternative or supplementary role in cities with limitations to creating new urban green space.

Evaluation of urban green space in terms of thermal environmental benefits using geographical detector analysis

Urban green spaces (UGS) can help mitigate hydrological impacts of urbanisation and climate change through precipitation infiltration, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. However, there is a need to understand how precipitation is partitioned by contrasting vegetation types in order to target UGS management for specific ecosystem services. We monitored, over one growing season, hydrometeorology, soil moisture, sapflux and isotopic variability of soil water under contrasting vegetation (evergreen shrub, evergreen conifer, grassland, larger and smaller deciduous trees), focussed around a 150-m transect of UGS in northern Scotland. We further used the data to develop a one-dimensional model, calibrated to soil moisture observations (KGE’s generally > 0.65), to estimate evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. Our results evidenced clear inter-site differences, with grassland soils experiencing rapid drying at the start of summer, resulting in more fractionated soil water isotopes. Contrastingly, the larger deciduous site saw gradual drying, whilst deeper sandy upslope soils beneath the evergreen shrub drained rapidly. Soils beneath the denser canopied evergreen conifer were overall least responsive to precipitation. Modelled ecohydrological fluxes showed similar diversity, with median evapotranspiration estimates increasing in the order grassland (193 mm) < evergreen shrub (214 mm) < larger deciduous tree (224 mm) < evergreen conifer tree (265 mm). The evergreen shrub had similar estimated median transpiration totals as the larger deciduous tree (155 mm and 128 mm, respectively), though timing of water uptake was different. Median groundwater recharge was greatest beneath grassland (232 mm) and lowest beneath the evergreen conifer (128 mm). The study showed how integrating observational data and simple modelling can quantify heterogeneities in ecohydrological partitioning and help guide UGS management.

Effects of artificial night lighting on a web-building spider species in urban green spaces