Urban Environmental Degradation Research Articles

A GIS-Based Approach for Assessing Urban Development Potential in Federal Capital Territory Nigeria

Urban development potential assessment is essential for guiding the spatial expansion of cities, optimizing land use, and ensuring sustainable urban growth. In the context of rapidly urbanizing regions, such as Nigeria, understanding development potential helps mitigate the challenges of urban sprawl, infrastructure strain, and environmental degradation, hence, this study is aimed at a GIS based approach for assessing urban development potential in federal capital territory Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to: identify and categorize the key factors influencing urban development in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria; assess the reliability of the identified factors using consistency index and sensitivity analysis; determine the potential areas for urban development in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria using analytical hierarchical process; and produce an urban development potential map defining the extent of urban development potential across the urban landscape of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. The study employed the assessment of relative priorities in modelling and mapping urban development potential in Federal Capital Territory Nigeria. This assessment was based on a comprehensive set of criteria, including slope, elevation, proximity to road network, population density and proximity to developed areas. The Analytical Hierarchical Process was utilized to compare and establish the relative importance of these criteria by means of matrix comparisons. Subsequently, these criteria were assigned relative weights. Weighted Overlay technique was applied to generate the final development potential map. The study revealed that Abuja Municipal Area had the highest potential development area, covering an area 851.40 km2, with Bwari and Kuje Area Councils as having the second and third highest development potential with an area coverage of 312.40 km2 and 279.69 km2 respectively. Gwagwalada and Kwali Area Councils were ranked fourth and fifth with a developable area coverage of 180.20 km2 and 127.60 km2 respectively, while Abaji Area Council was ranked the least with developable area coverage of 40.27 km2. The study successfully integrated an approach to investigate development potential within the Federal Capital Territory. This evaluation approach, is hereby recommended to be used as tool for planning and decision making in urban development in the study area.

Urban agriculture as ecosystem services provider: A review

Background: Urban agriculture’s role in mitigating the urban environment deterioration as ecosystem services provider. Urban agriculture adds various functions to different landscape scales, providing numerous benefits if managed correctly. This paper aims to study the role of urban agriculture as ecosystem services provider in mitigating urban environment deterioration. Method: The method that will be used in this article is literature review from articles related to urban agriculture and ecosystem services from provisioning, regulating, services, and cultural. The review is compiled from urban agriculture’s function as ecosystem services provider, such as biodiversity conservation, microclimate regulation, aesthetic function, and food production. Result: In essence, urban agriculture is a diverse and vital solution for cities, and it takes various forms, from private gardens to community plots, addressing challenges like limited public funding and promoting greening initiatives. Urban agriculture plays a key role in biodiversity conservation, contributing to enhanced environmental benefits and the preservation of local habitats. Another crucial role in regulating the complex dynamics of the urban microclimate, offering ecological benefits such as reduced Urban Heat Island effects, wind protection, and pollutant absorption. Beyond its ecological impact, urban agriculture adds aesthetic value to urban spaces, creating visually appealing landscapes and promoting cultural integration. Moreover, it serves as a multifaceted strategy for sustainable urban development, addressing food security, resilience, and well-being. Conclusion: Amidst challenges, such as the threat to urban biodiversity and the need for proper green space management, urban agriculture emerges as a holistic approach, contributing to the visual, cultural, and environmental fabric of cities. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study offers a new perspective on urban agriculture as a multifunctional solution to address urban environmental degradation. By integrating agriculture into the urban landscape, the study reveals the transformative potential for creating greener, more resilient and sustainable cities.

Green Corridors and Social Connectivity with a Sustainable Approach in the City of Cuzco in Peru

The present research aims to propose the design of a green corridor with a systemic/sustainable approach to function as an ecological lung for the city of Cuzco. A lack of planning has resulted in uncontrolled urban development, with a shortage of green areas, negatively affecting the quality of life. Green corridors stand out as solutions that encourage social interaction and improve public health. This approach recognizes the need for balanced resource management and institutional, economic and social organization. In the specific case of Cusco, the lack of social interaction highlights the importance of addressing these challenges to improve the quality of life for both residents and visitors. The methods developed were an extensive literature review, urban analysis and climate analysis, applying sustainability strategies supported by digital tools (Google Earth, Climate Consultant 6.0, Autocad, SketchUp and 3d Sun Path). As a result, this proposal presents green areas covering 69.96% of the total area, aimed at providing recreational spaces and connecting residents and visitors with nature. Additionally, biolakes were designed, accounting for 3.18% of the area, serving as ornamental elements and contributing to the environmental quality of the urban environment. The botanical zone, encompassing 18.14% of the project, was designed to accommodate a diverse range of plant species, providing an educational and aesthetic environment. The convention area, representing 9.7% of the total area, was designed to host events and community activities, promoting social and cultural interaction. Finally, 0.98% of the space was allocated to the cultural zone, where artistic exhibitions, cultural events, and related activities can be planned, enriching the cultural and social life of the community. These percentages reflect careful consideration of the needs and aspirations of the population, as well as a comprehensive approach to sustainable urban design and the creation of multifunctional spaces. In conclusion, through a green corridor, the aim is to counteract uncontrolled urban expansion and environmental degradation by generating a green lung in the city of Cuzco, naturally regulating the climate and contributing to air and water purification. The absence of green corridors and sustainable approaches to social connectivity in Cusco could reduce the quality of life of residents, affecting their physical and mental health. The lack of green and recreational spaces could increase segregation and alienation in the community, weakening social cohesion. Without green corridors, the city would also face environmental and biodiversity challenges, as well as a reduced ability to respond to extreme weather events. The lack of implementation of these strategies could compromise comprehensive development and quality of life in Cuzco.

Assessing Reliability, Resilience and Vulnerability of Water Supply from SuDS

In recent decades, the impacts of urbanization on the hydrological cycle have led to an increase in the frequency and magnitude of urban flooding events, and this is also amplified by the effects of climate change. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) provide a revolutionary change in this field, improving the sustainability and resilience of cities. This research explores the integration of different SuDS with the aim of significantly reducing both the flow volume and celerity of floods in a residual urban catchment area of the metropolitan city of Querétaro (Mèxico), where extreme rainfall frequently occurs. This catchment is a representative suburb of urban pressure and environmental degradation problems. Currently, managing storm water under climate uncertainty through a multi-disciplinary approach is a major concern in this urban area. A 1D–2D coupling model of shallow water equations, the finite volume method, an unstructured meshing method, and a hybrid parallel computing application defined the optimal configuration of SuDS at catchment scale to reduce the flood vulnerability in Querétaro. Specifically, in this paper, we explore the management issues of the proposed SuDS configuration that acts as a water resource system with multiple purposes. A generic simulation model called MODSIM was applied to simulate the designed urban drainage system under a balanced IPCC future climate scenario in terms of reliability, resilience and vulnerability against water scarcity. The proposed hierarchical Reliability–Resilience–Vulnerability approach appears to be effective in evaluating the system performance, showing that the complete satisfaction of non-essential water uses in Querétaro can be assured at a 65% rate of reliability for a large range of reservoir storage conditions.

Urban Environmental Planning in Shimla Smart City: Review of Related Literature

Urban environmental concerns are on rise due to increasing population pressure on finite natural resources, deforestation, over grazing, unplanned construction, networking of roads and large-scale modification of natural landscape. It has caused irreversible damage to the ecology of this Himalayan state. Number of ultra modern projects, road networking, hydropower projects, and SEZ and real estate projects are costing Himalayan ecology. Unplanned developmental activities and urban processes in city have resulted in several ecological problems like environmental pollution, noise pollution extreme climatic conditions, shortage of drinking water, landslides, sinking land and change in seasonal cycle. Poor urban planning will cause social, economic and environmental implications in long term. Cities needs to be planned professionally keeping in mind future sustainability. Before planning a city in hilly areas, needs proper understanding of complex and dynamic phenomena involving interaction between environmental and socio- economic and political factors with multi disciplinary approach and vision. Urbanization and industrialization on one side is contributing its share in economic development of a region but on the other hand, it is degenerating water, air, soil and natural resources resulting in the degradation of environmental quality (Anjum, 1998). Urban environmental degradation leaves direct impact on the ecology and causes ecological imbalance (Singh, 1996). The most striking reason for the environmental degradation is the changing man and environment relationship. (Dasman, 1976), Shah (2001). Developmental activities in Himalayan region need different treatment and systematic planning.

Implementing a systemic approach to water management: piloting a novel multi-level collaborative integrated water management framework in east London

ABSTRACT To address urban growth, resource competition, and environmental degradation, effective integrated water planning is crucial. In the UK, policy frameworks like the 25-Year Plan for the environment and the National Framework for Water Resources stress the need for a systemic approach. Despite efforts in stakeholder engagement and meta-models, integrating physical and human aspects in water management remains a challenge. This paper introduces a multi-level framework for regional water planning, demonstrated through London's Sub-Regional Integrated Water Management Strategy (SIWMS). The framework, depicted as an inverted triangle, starts with conceptual analysis, gathering stakeholder insights and data. Integrated modelling creates a baseline for scenario assessment, providing evidence through metrics and simulations. Integrated planning focuses on collaboration for option selection and implementation. Results show the framework's effectiveness for systems-level analysis at the river basin scale. The logical progression facilitates stakeholder engagement, enhancing shared understanding. The Water Systems Integration Modelling (WSIMOD) Framework allows simultaneous assessment of interventions on various indicators, aiding in prioritising multi-benefit schemes and identifying potential negative impacts. The study supports the prioritisation of schemes like Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) and emphasises the importance of a multi-level collaborative approach for robust, stakeholder-supported regional water planning to achieve effective implementation of planning and environmental policies.

Establishment of urban green corridor network based on neural network and landscape ecological security

The planning and construction of urban ecological corridors play a role in restoring and improving the ecological environment of cities, promoting the movement of other species and biological factors living in urban environments and wider regions. It also profoundly influences and enriches the spiritual and cultural experiences of people living in cities and nearby spaces. The reason for the emphasis on green corridors is that many cities and towns are constantly expanding, and the urban green space system has not yet formed an effective network. At the same time, factors such as the loss of the urban natural environment, biodiversity reduction, and environmental degradation have led to the need to build urban green corridors to deal with risks. By improving the neural network model, this paper predicted the construction land scale of the urban green corridor network, which was used to adjust the land use structure of the green corridor and optimize the land use layout. This paper aims to use the upgraded neural network method to predict the scale of urban green corridor network building land, which helps to evaluate the ecological security status. It can solve the dynamic solution problem of multi-indicator variable weight problems, overcoming the influence of subjective factors in the weight-setting process. The experiment adopted the improved neural network model for prediction. The results showed that its accuracy was much higher than the gray prediction model, which has improved by about 14.81%. This paper fully proved that the improved neural network model had a high degree of fit and feasibility for predicting the land scale of urban green corridor networks. It is directly related to the rationality and practicability of the urban green corridor network planning scheme, which plays a role in guaranteeing the ecological security of the landscape.

Urbanization and Benefit of Integration Circular Economy into Waste Management in Indonesia: A Review

AbstractUrbanization is a global problem but is more pronounced in developing countries. Population growth in developing countries is in line with population movement from rural to urban areas due to easy access to jobs, welfare, and the economy. Indirectly, urbanization will burden urban areas in various vital sectors and contribute directly to waste generation. Unscientific waste handling causes health hazards and urban environmental degradation. Solid Waste Management is a formidable task in Indonesia that will become more complicated with increasing urbanization, changing lifestyles, and increasing consumerism. Several current obstacles related to waste management have made the situation even worse. Current inappropriate waste disposal practices have created severe environmental and public health problems. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the impact of urbanization on waste generation, what is currently being done, and the benefit of integrating a circular economy into waste management to address the waste problem in Indonesia. This review provides an overview of urbanization trends, the projected increase in waste due to urbanization, solid waste status, and current waste management in Indonesia. An integration circular economy approach provides an overview of the benefits of implementing this approach in five crucial sectors in Indonesia. The circular economy approach is expected to be one of the future solutions to the problem of waste management in Indonesia.

Theoretical approach and practice of “National Spatial Planning Theory”: how Chinese cities and towns precisely adapt to nature and culture

Over the past 40 years, China has witnessed the world’s largest urbanization process. In light of its natural and cultural conditions featuring resource scarcity, frequent natural disasters, rich cultural heritage and regional disparities and dynamics, this process aggravates the complex and severe problems faced by urban areas, including resource and environmental damage, security risks and cultural degradation. To address these issues, a shift in national and regional urban spatial layouts from improving economic competitiveness to balancing protection and development as well as security and development is needed. Related theories and research methods should also be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, given China’s specific conditions and regional spatial layouts, the paper introduces the “national spatial planning theory,” which aims to create a sound living environment. The core concept is “precise adaptation,” which ensures the adaption of urban development to natural and cultural conditions. It is the first theory that proposes to develop the national urban spatial layout based on the analysis of ecological environment. It also suggests shifting the focus from eco-environment to security and culture as urbanization progresses and problems change constantly. In addition, a method framework and technical system of “precise analysis, adaptive distribution and dynamic evaluation” is formulated to build an adaptive urban spatial layout on the basis of quantitative analysis of the capacity of spatial resources. The practices of regional planning processes on varying scales in the past 20 years are to illustrate the specific applications of the theoretical approach.

Analytical study of relation between Land surface temperature and Land Use/Land Cover using spectral indices: A case study of Chandigarh

Rapid urbanization is the major cause for Land Use and Land Cover changes globally. The urbanization alters the land surface dynamics and affects the surface temperature, which gives rise to urban heat island effect. In the present study, spatial correlation analysis has been done between Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) for the city of Chandigarh. The LST is retrieved from Landsat-8 thermal band using Mono-Window algorithm and shows 2.5°C increase of temperature from 2016 to 2022. The LULC has been derived using Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) which shows an increase in built-up of 7.56% and decrease in forest cover by 32%. Spectral indices belonging to major LULC classes have been derived using Sentinel-2 optical bands and spatially correlated with LST using linear regression analysis. The results show a strong positive correlation (r=0.988) between built-up and LST and a negative correlation (r=-0.625) between urban vegetation cover and LST. The mean correlation coefficient for LST-NDVI for vegetation and forest cover, LST-NDWI for water bodies, LST-NDBI for built-up and LST-NBLI for bare land is -0.3, 0.116, 0.51 and 0.392 respectively. The results indicate that vegetation and water bodies mitigate the rise of LST, whereas built-up areas and bare lands sustain in the rise of LST. The statistical analysis will be helpful for policy makers and urban planners for prevention of further degradation of urban environment and surface dynamics.

On Land Development Practice and Urban Environmental Degradation: The Example of BDPA Estate in Benin City

Sustainable and resilient urban environments are created by fitting environmental practices. One important area of practice is land development where the guidance of regulatory authorities and the compliance of developers together work to shape the built environment. Where this partnership does not exist or is not effective, inappropriate land development practices may result, with the potential to generate environmental degradation, particularly where there is a high intensity of land use. Thus, this paper investigates how the built environment may be impacted by land development and management practices. The issue is examined in the context of Benin City’s BDPA highly populated residential estate where signs of physical environmental degradation are becoming evident. The research approach involves physical inspections and secondary data review. The features of land development practice in the estate are ascertained; evidence gathered on their impact upon the physical environment and responsibility for these deficits established between individual developers and the regulatory authority. The findings reveal that acts of commission and omission at the official and developer levels contribute to physical environmental degradation. Official regulation and enforcement are weak; and awareness of planning regulations low amongst private developers. The outcome has been non-compliant and environmentally-unfriendly development. Again, government, has been negligent by not building sustainable paved roads and drainage channels. The conclusion is that a strong nexus exists between land development practices and physical environmental degradation in the study area. It is recommended that further physical degradation be arrested by rectification of the identified deficiencies and the institution of safeguards.

The dynamic role of green technological innovation, financial development and trade openness on urban environmental degradation in China: Fresh insights from carbon efficiency

Research has established that green technological innovation, financial development, and trade openness are factors that contribute to environmental degradation in China. The current study endeavoured to move the efforts in the direction of enhancing the understanding of the use of carbon efficiency as an indicator of environmental degradation instead of traditional CO2 emissions or ecological footprint. The recently developed dynamic Autoregressive Distributed Lag simulations (DARDLS) approach is employed for the annual time series data from 1990 to 2018 to perform the empirical investigation. Results from the DARDLS indicated that both green technological innovation and financial development positively affected carbon efficiency in the long term in China. On the other hand, trade openness exacerbated the environmental problem in both short and long run. While the public is increasingly attending to controlling environmental degradation, these findings suggest that it would be essential for policymakers to develop more initiatives to increase green technological innovation and financial development to mitigate environmental degradation in China. Finally, the use of carbon efficiency as an indicator of environmental degradation in the current study will contribute new ideas to the existing body of knowledge in examining the factors affecting environmental degradation.

Contribution of Landscape Transformation in the Development of Heat Islands and Sinks in Urban and Peri-Urban Regions in the Chota–Nagpur Plateau, India

Cities in the contemporary world are experiencing shifts in local climatic conditions that are primarily linked to rapid urban growth, carbon emissions, and environmental degradation. In the present study, land surface temperature (LST) in urban and peri-urban regions of the city of Ranchi was estimated and correlated with land use/land cover (LULC) using temporal LANDSAT satellite images from 2000 to 2014 on a bi-annual basis. The study exhibited a gradual increase in built-up land with total growth of 47.65 sq. km (135%) at the cost of vegetation (−6.8%), rock outcrops (−44.16%), and other LULCs (0.81%). Spatiotemporal LST variability exhibited an increase in area under high-temperature (>38 °C) zones as compared to moderate (30 °C to 38 °C) and low-temperature (<30 °C) zones. Although the LST distinctively escalated in all LULC in the month of May from 2000 to 2014, urban areas exhibited cooler conditions than their environs at a regional scale, except for 2006. A higher surface temperature was observed over bare rock (min./max.: 28–43 °C), fallow land (25–42 °C), and industrial built-up areas (31–43 °C), followed by vegetation (24–34 °C) and waterbodies (22–30 °C). The rapid land transformation to an impervious surface, degradation of vegetation coverage and its health, deforestation due to urbanization, the dumping of non-treated wastewater into reservoirs, and pollution altogether led to an increase in urban heat islands (UHI). The study demonstrated that the LST increased in urban regions but appeared cooler than those of its peri-urban counterparts because of the presence of barren land and rock outcrops. The existing tenancy act had an indirect impact on maintaining natural landscapes and controlling the LST within the Ranchi region. The study recommends nature-based solutions in terms of plantation and green roofing within the rising LST zones located in the urban core and in peripheral rock outcrops collectively to minimize the rising impact of LST in urban and peri-urban regions.

Urbanization, economic development, and environmental changes in transitional economies in the global south: a case of Yangon

BackgroundTransitional economies in Southeast Asia—a distinct group of developing countries—have experienced rapid urbanization in the past several decades due to the economic transition that fundamentally changed the function of their economies, societies and the environment. Myanmar, one of the least developed transitional economies in Southeast Asia, increased urbanization substantially from 25% in 1990 to 31% in 2019. However, major knowledge gaps exist in understanding the changes in urban land use and land cover and environment and their drivers in its cities.MethodsWe studied Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, for the urbanization, environmental changes, and the underlying driving forces in a radically transitioned economy in the developing world. Based on satellite imagery and historic land use maps, we quantified the expansion of urban built-up land and constructed the land conversion matrix from 1990 through 2020. We also used three air pollutants to illustrate the changes in environmental conditions. We analyzed the coupled dynamics among urbanization, economic development, and environmental changes. Through conducting a workshop with 20 local experts, we further analyzed the influence of human systems and natural systems on Yangon’s urbanization and sustainability.ResultsThe city of Yangon expanded urban built-up land rapidly from 1990 to 2000, slowed down from 2000 to 2010, but gained momentum again from 2010 to 2020, with most newly added urban built-up land appearing to be converted from farmland and green land in both 1990–2000 and 2010–2020. Furthermore, the air pollutant concentration of CO decreased, but that of NO2 and PM2.5 increased in recent years. A positive correlation exists between population and economic development and the concentration of PM2.5 is highly associated with population, the economy, and the number of vehicles. Finally, the expert panel also identified other potential drivers for urbanization, including the extreme climate event of Cyclone Nargis, capital relocation, and globalization.ConclusionsOur research highlights the dramatic expansion of urban land and degradation of urban environment measured by air pollutants and interdependent changes between urbanization, economic development, and environmental changes.

Simultaneous evaluation of benzotriazoles, benzothiazoles and benzenesulfonamides in water samples from the impacted urban Jacarepaguá Lagoon System (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Benzotriazoles, benzothiazoles, and benzenesulfonamides are emerging pollutants stable in aquatic media emitted by anthropogenic sources. Selected compounds of these classes were evaluated in the impacted urban Jacarepaguá Lagoon System (JLS) located in a tropical coastal region of Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil that has experienced a rapid expansion of urban occupation and environmental degradation in recent decades, and it represents a pioneering study of these compounds carried out in Brazilian areas. A method of solid phase extraction followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass-spectrometry was implemented to evaluate water samples collected in different water bodies (rivers, lagoons, and channels) of the JLS from March 2017 to May 2018. Limits of quantification (LOQs) ≤ 10.0 ng L−1, method linearity up to 1000 μg L−1, and recoveries between 62 and 121 % at three different levels were obtained. Individual concentrations varied from < LOQ to 5260 ng L−1 (benzotriazole, in May 2018) which also predominated in all river samples. 2-mercaptobenzothiazole predominated in samples taken in lagoons and channels in March 2017, and 2-aminobenzothiazole was never detected. River samples showed total concentrations up to 30 times larger in all sampling campaigns, except March 2017 when the sample taken at Tijuca Lagoon showed the largest total concentration of the compounds studied due to the largest concentration of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (2505 ng L−1) found in this study. Principal component analysis (PCA) using only composition data was unable to distinguish samples from rivers, and lagoons and channels, but a PCA combining composition data and environmental parameters (pH, Eh, dissolved O2 concentration, temperature, salinity, and conductivity) discriminated the samples according to two groups: rivers and lagoons and channels. The Joá Channel flows directly to the open sea and our data allowed a (preliminary) estimation of the total mass flows of the studied compounds to the open sea, which would vary between 1702 g day−1 (March 2017) to 106 g day−1 (May 2018) and allowed a preliminary estimative based on the geometric mean of input of 87.9 kg year−1, indicating the importance of the drainage area to the contamination of the coastal area, and consequently to ocean pollution.

Assessing path-dependent urban growth with geographically weighted regressions

Urban growth may exert remarkably intense environmental impacts, e.g. as far as land resource depletion, pollution, and rising temperatures in built-up areas are concerned. The relationship between urban expansion and environmental degradation is complex and depends on spatial heterogeneity of biophysical conditions, closely intertwined with inherent transformations in settlement forms and socioeconomic functions. Understanding past urbanization patterns contributes to delineate future trajectories of urban development supporting environmental plans that mitigate the negative environmental externalities of economic growth. The present study adopts a spatially explicit approach based on Geographically Weighted Regressions (GWR) to evaluate density-dependent population growth as a key dimension of urban development – and the consequent environmental pressure – along one century (1920–2020) encompassing a cycle from urbanization to re-urbanization in the Athens' metropolitan region (Central Greece). Density-dependent regulation of population growth was particularly intense at the end of the ‘urbanization’ phase and during ‘suburbanization’, being less intense with ‘counter-urbanization’ and negligible with ‘re-urbanization’. Density-dependent regulation of population dynamics demonstrated to be an important dimension of metropolitan expansion in heterogeneous socioeconomic contexts, causing a locally differentiated impact on the surrounding (natural and semi-natural) environments.

Lifestyle mobilities and urban environmental degradation: evidence from China

Building on the intersection of lifestyle mobilities, changing environments and climates and practice theories, this paper explores how lifestyle mobilities are mobilised in response to the pervasive environmental and climatic stress in China. Grounded in an ethnographic study conducted in a lifestyle destination with lifestyle travellers moored across multiple domestic nature-based destinations, this paper finds that the motivations towards lifestyle mobility are rooted in how people relate their health and desired ways of life with the natural environment through tourism practices, everyday practices at original homes and destinations, and mobility practices. Consistent movements of human bodies, objects and skills enable lifestyle travellers to perceive and understand environmental pollution and adapt to different climates. Rather than focussing on identity construction or the sense of belonging, we provide a different way to conceptualise lifestyle mobilities by appreciating the sensitivity, reflexivity and adaptability that an emerging Chinese mobile population develops when living with environmental crises, climate change and changing climates across various indoor and outdoor spaces. This paper reflects on the potential of intersecting practice theories with mobilities paradigm and pollution perception studies and suggests policy intervention on lifestyle mobilities in a rapidly industrialising and highly mobile era.

Strategi Pembangunan dan Pengelolaan Hutan Kota Sabak di Kelurahan Rano Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Timur Provinsi Jambi

This study aims to analyze the natural resources potential of the Sabak City Forest, analyze the benefits of development and management of the Sabak City Forest for the surrounding community both Ecologically, Economically, and Socially and Culturally, and Formulate the Development and Management Strategy of the Sabak City Forest. Based on the results of research using vegetation analysis, it shows that the potential flora in the Sabak City Forest area has a high diversity value with plant species at the Tree level and Pole level having an INP of more than 15% while for the Sapling level there are 7 species that have an INP of more than 10%. and the Semai level has 5 species that have an INP of more than 10%, meanwhile the types of Fauna are potential for the development of educational and educational attractions. This study also shows that the benefits of the development and management of the Sabak City Forest from the Ecological aspect to reduce urban environmental degradation, from the Economic aspect of the Sabak City Forest can be an opportunity to improve the economy through business opportunities, work opportunities, increase craft creativity, and provide benefits in social aspects. culture as a space for social interaction, recreational facilities, and as a cultural landmark of the city. The results of the stakeholder analysis show that the amalgamation of Quadrant I (subjects) with quadrant III (Context setters) in the development and management of the Sabak City Forest can be a major force that greatly influences the development and management of the Sabak City Forest. The strategy for the development and management of the Sabak City Forest is with the support of parties who have influence and interest in the development and management of the Sabak City Forest.

Effects of Altitude, Plant Communities, and Canopies on the Thermal Comfort, Negative Air Ions, and Airborne Particles of Mountain Forests in Summer

Forest bathing is considered an economical, feasible, and sustainable way to solve human sub-health problems caused by urban environmental degradation and to promote physical and mental health. Mountain forests are ideal for providing forest baths because of their large area and ecological environment. The regulatory mechanism of a mountain forest plant community in a microenvironment conducive to forest bathing is the theoretical basis for promoting physical and mental health through forest bathing in mountain forests. Based on field investigations and measurements, differences in the daily universal thermal climate index (UTCI), negative air ion (NAI), and airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels in nine elevation gradients, six plant community types, and six plant community canopy parameter gradients were quantitatively analyzed. In addition, the correlations between these variables and various canopy parameters were further established. The results showed the following: (1) Altitude had a significant influence on the daily UTCI, NAI, PM2.5, and PM10 levels in the summer. The daily UTCI, NAI, PM2.5, and PM10 levels gradually decreased with the increase in altitude. For every 100 m increase in altitude, the daily UTCI decreased by 0.62 °C, the daily NAI concentration decreased by 108 ions/cm3, and the daily PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations decreased by 0.60 and 3.45 µg/m3, respectively. (2) There were significant differences in the daily UTCI, NAI, PM2.5, and PM10 levels among different plant communities in the summer. Among the six plant communities, the Quercus variabilis forest (QVF) had the lowest daily UTCI and the best thermal comfort evaluation. The QVF and Pinus tabuliformis forest (PTF) had a higher daily NAI concentration and lower daily PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. (3) The characteristics of the plant community canopy, canopy density (CD), canopy porosity (CP), leaf area index (LAI), and sky view factor (SVF), had significant effects on the daily UTCI and NAI concentration, but had no significant effects on the daily PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in the summer. The plant community with higher CD and LAI, but lower CP and SVF, showed a higher daily UTCI and a higher daily NAI concentration. In conclusion, the QVF and PTF plant communities with higher CD and LAI but lower CP and SVF at lower elevations are more suitable for forest bathing in the summer in mountainous forests at lower altitudes. The results of this study provide an economical, feasible, and sustainable guide for the location of forest bathing activities and urban greening planning to promote people’s physical and mental health.

Degradation of urban environment: when residents’ expectations and policy implementations do not coincide

The study endeavours to explore the degradation of the urban environment in Mulund, a suburb of Mumbai, in the context of the existing gap between residents’ expectations and policy implementation. The results of the study indicate the presence of several urban environmental problems in Mulund. A vast majority of the residents are of the view that the policymakers are ignoring these issues. It is also found that there are not many policies that target the environmental issues of Mulund specifically. Based on these findings the study forwards certain suggestions towards effectively tackling the environmental problems of the area. The application of the suggested measures is expected to be greatly beneficial in bridging the existing gap between residents’ expectations and policy implementation to address the urban environmental issues of Mulund.