Green Areas In City Research Articles

Soil Characteristics in Private Gardens of Different City Neighborhoods: A Case Study of Taibe, Israel

City green areas including private gardens, provide ecological, sociological, cultural, health, and engineering advantages that motivate the urban system. Manmade impacts on the development of urban soils are of greater importance than natural ones. Soil properties were studied in an Arab city—Taibe—in Israel. Two neighborhoods in the city, which differed in time of establishment, were selected: An older residential neighborhood constructed more than 70 years ago, and a newer one built 10 years ago. In each neighborhood, 15 private gardens were randomly chosen. In total, the study was conducted in 30 gardens. In each garden, soil samples were collected from three depths: 0–2, 2–10, and 10–30 cm, respectively. In each sample, organic matter, hygroscopic moisture, calcium carbonate, bulk density, field water content, lead, copper and zinc contents, and texture were determined. The soil of the older neighborhood expressed greater values of soil properties and higher profile differentiation than the newer one. The heavy metals in the soil of the private gardens of both neighborhoods are not present in excess nor are they toxic. Under the prevailing environmental conditions, the soil of the newer neighborhood will become like that of the older one in the future unless a new soil interruption occurs. The calcium carbonate and heavy metals contents in the soil can be used as indicators of soil maturity in different areas of the city having similar environmental conditions. In addition, the gradients of these properties along profiles can be helpful in restoring the history of human activity, which prevailed in the area.

Valuation of cultural ecosystem services in urban parks with different social contexts in the city of Recife (PE), Brazil

The accelerated process of urbanization of the planet and the significant accumulation of the human population make the existence of green areas in cities more and more necessary. Even so, in developing countries, measuring the cultural benefits generated by these areas is scarce. The insertion of ecosystem services into urban planning is also very infrequent. This work sought to estimate the monetary value of the benefits generated by urban parks in different social contexts in the city of Recife. For this, we used the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), applying 421 questionnaires in three parks located in neighborhoods with different characteristics. We adopted the Bivariate Probit to analyze the dichotomous questions and calculate the willingness to pay (WTP) estimates. The estimated flow of annual benefits in cultural ecosystem services is calculated based on two scenarios of potential beneficiaries who live between 800 m and 4,800 m from the parks. The results showed that the annual WTP varied between R$ 34 and R$ 87. The user characteristics such as age and sex were significant for the model, while the education level was not. Users with higher income had a higher WTP in absolute terms, while in proportional terms, users with lower income had a higher WTP. In this way, the results seem to demonstrate that the cultural ecosystem services provided by urban parks are more important in less favored social contexts. This factor can support more equitable planning in providing these public spaces.

Green areas in an urban area and provision of ecosystem services: a bibliometric and integrative review

The process of urbanization is accomplished by changes in land use, that is, by the interaction between man and nature, so that there is a common loss of green areas in cities. However, the need and importance of green areas inside urban areas has been emphasized in order to provide quality to the provision of ecosystem services. Such services favor the quality of life and human well-being of people living in urban areas. Thus, nature-based solution practices have been encouraged as a form of innovation for urban planning and to overcome problems in cities. An integrative and bibliometric review on urban green areas and ecosystem service provision was proposed from 2009 to 2019. Among the results, there is a growing interest in the topic. There is recognition of the importance of green areas for population needs regarding human physical and mental health. In addition, the need for public actions in favor of urban planning involving the issue is recognized in order to provide equal access to existing areas and/or in areas that will be created.

Selection of Water-Saving Plants and Annual Water Consumption Estimation for Garden Green Spaces in Beijing

Currently, the number of urban garden green spaces (GGSs) being constructed in Beijing is increasing, and their high water resource demands contradict the severe water shortage situation in Beijing that is restricting urban construction and economic development. This has created an urgent need to build water-saving GGSs. This study analyzed and compared the daily/annual water consumption of 79 common plants in Beijing, and low-water-consumption (LWC) trees, shrubs and herbs were selected; additionally, the total annual water consumption (TAWC) of all plants in the built-up areas of all 16 districts in Beijing was calculated according to the result of the eighth general survey of landscaping resources in Beijing. The results are as follows: (1) fifteen LWC tree species were selected from among 25 species, and the average daily water consumption (DWC) was <1.09 kg·m−2; (2) nineteen LWC shrubs were selected from among 35 shrubs, and the average DWC was <1.17 kg·m−2; (3) eleven LWC herbs were selected from among 19 herbs, and the AWC was <460.3 kg·m−2; (4) the TAWC of all trees, shrubs and herb plants in the Beijing GGSs was 1.104 × 109, 0.139 × 109, and 0.16 × 109 m3, respectively. Based on the above results, it was estimated that the TAWC of all plants in the built-up areas of all 16 districts in Beijing is approximately 1.403 × 109 m3. These findings provide a better understanding of the water consumption of GGS plants in cities in semiarid and semihumid climates and can be used to help select LWC greening plants that can reduce water consumption when expanding green areas in cities.

ICMS Ecológico

The Urban Green Areas System (UGAS) performs relevant functions for the quality of life by making cities healthier, which has become even more necessary in the current period of pandemic. However, even with these benefits, the practice of urban management indicates difficulties not only in the implementation, but also in the maintenance of the UGAS. One of the aspects that may explain the challenge of implementing and maintaining green areas in cities is the absence of regulatory instruments and financial incentives that support this system. In this line, in order to contribute to this discussion, one of the instruments that proved to be effective in environmental management will be studied, in this case for the creation and implementation of Conservation Units: the “ICMS Ecológico”. This article will study the characteristics of the UGAS associated with ecological and urban functions; the logic of adopting the “ICMS Ecológico” and will seek to define criteria that can be used for the implementation of a UGAS that prioritizes ecosystem thinking associated with the function of urban health. We started with the discussion about the mechanisms for adopting the “ICMS Ecológico” and followed the analysis of the standards established in the states for its application. As a result, it was found that there are similarities that can be applied to an implementation in the urban green area systems, which allowed the recommendation of criteria that can be used as a reference for the application of the “ICMS Ecológico” to support the UGAS and the promotion of healthier cities.

Transformasi Lanskap dan Layanan Ekosistem Budaya di Area Peri-Urban: Wisata Alam dan Permukiman di Bandung Selatan

Peri-urban provides complementary urban ecosystem services when green areas in cities are decreasing due to densification. However, land cover change in the area from natural landscapes to agriculture and settlements affects the ecosystem's capacity to provide services. This study aims to identify landscape transformation using a model and analyze its effects on cultural ecosystem services at Kawah Putih (White Crater) nature-based tourism destination area in the peri-urban in South Bandung, Indonesia. This study also analyzes how cultural ecosystem services and the increasing demand for new settlements in the area have influenced tourist visitation. Landscape change in the area (1989-2019) was identified from mapsdeveloped from Landsat imagery, using the Land Change Modeler (LCM) module in Terrset. A spatial assessment of offered cultural ecosystem services was then conducted using three indicators based on the land cover change near Kawah Putih. It is found that the composition of developed areas in the district has increased from 6.09% to 10.79% in 30 years. The quality of cultural ecosystem service has decreased, which is arguably influenced by the landscape alteration in the area. However, there was an increasing trend in the number of tourists (2016-2019) despite the deterioration of landscape quality. It is argued that the result is influenced by the visitors' perception of the landscape in the case study area. The rapid land cover change in the area was affected by the nearby city's growth, in which the tourism industry is one of the elements of such transformation.

Geographical stratification of urban green areas in European cities

Abstract This article studies the provision of urban green areas in cities where residents have preferences for the size of and access to those areas. At the optimum, the number of urban green spaces is a nonmonotone function of distance to the city center, while the sizes and distances to other urban green areas increase as one moves to the urban fringe. This article empirically investigates those properties for the 300 largest European cities by using the Global Monitoring Environment Services Urban Atlas database (European Environmental Agency). The empirical analysis confirms the nonmonotone relationship between the number of urban green spaces and the distance to the city center. The distance between two parks also increases as one moves toward the urban fringe.

Reality analysis of the state of spatial distribution of green areas using geographic information systems (GIS) – The holy city of Najaf as a case study

Green areas are an essential component of city planning, as they serve as an outlet for them to spend their free time, in addition to the environmental role that these green areas play in improving the city’s climate by purifying the air and beautifying the city. The study’s problem is summarized in identifying the appropriateness of the current spatial distribution of green areas in the city of Najaf with the current population densities and the pattern in which green areas are distributed using GIS and knowing the per capita share of those green areas in the city, the research assumes that the inconsistency of spaces between regions Green and residential neighbourhoods need to conform to the standards for the individual share. The research also aims to know the reality of the green areas in the holy city of Najaf using GIS to take advantage of the capabilities provided by the program in the field of entering and analysing information related to its spatial distribution, as well as identifying the pattern in which the green areas are distributed in the city of Najaf, and come up with recommendations and proposals to address the existing imbalance. The research found that more than half of the neighbourhoods in the region do not conform to the standard followed in assessing the individual’s share, where the individual’s share ranged between (0.4-3.9) square meters, and there are neighbourhoods completely devoid of green areas, and this is due to poor planning in those areas. On the neighbourhood link index, the pattern of distribution of these green areas was aggregated to random. As for the Moran coefficient, its value departed from one frequently, indicating a weak spatial and random correlation of green areas, The area reached by the impact area of the green areas reached (5512) hectares, which is equivalent to (83.32%) of the total area of the Holy City of Najaf, and the neighbourhoods near the middle centre and surrounding it are the most intersecting neighbourhoods in the impact area.

Using landscape metrics and species potential distribution modeling in cities to develop the Selection of Areas for Species Conservation Index (SASCI)

We found that SASCI reconciles the natural and anthropic contexts with the definition of the best places for conservation, and can be applied at different scales. The creation, management, and enrichment of protected areas are important strategies for the conservation of endangered species, especially in places more susceptible to biodiversity loss. However, there are few methodologies to establish priority areas for biodiversity conservation in urban areas. The objective of this study was to create the Selection of Areas for Species Conservation Index (SASCI) to verify which protected green areas in cities have more favorable environmental conditions for endangered species conservation. Based on the Forest Conservation Priority Index (FCPI), the SASCI can be applied to any species in any city. Whereas the FCPI does not consider the potential distribution of the species of interest and provides a generic overview of the best green areas for conservation without the necessary specificities for the conservation of a given species, the SASCI considers important landscape metrics in urban environments, in addition to potential distribution modeling. To elaborate the SASCI equation, weights were attributed to the landscape metrics and areas of medium and high potential distribution. The endangered species Ocotea odorifera was used as an example of the application of SASCI. Our index was instrumental in determining the best areas for the conservation of the species in Curitiba, Brazil. Thirty-one green areas were classified on a scale of three priority levels, depending on the results calculated with the SASCI.

Evaluating the Effects of Environmental Conditions on Sensed Parameters for Green Areas Monitoring and Smart Irrigation Systems.

The irrigation of green areas in cities should be managed appropriately to ensure its sustainability. In large cities, not all green areas might be monitored simultaneously, and the data acquisition time can skew the gathered value. Our purpose is to evaluate which parameter has a lower hourly variation. We included soil parameters (soil temperature and moisture) and plant parameters (canopy temperature and vegetation indexes). Data were gathered at 5 different hours in 11 different experimental plots with variable irrigation and with different grass composition. The results indicate that soil moisture and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index are the sole parameters not affected by the data acquisition time. For soil moisture, the maximum difference was in experimental plot 4, with values of 21% at 10:45 AM and 27% at 8:45 AM. On the other hand, canopy temperature is the most affected parameter with a mean variation of 15 °C in the morning. The maximum variation was in experimental plot 8 with a 19 °C at 8:45 AM and 39 °C at 12:45 PM. Data acquisition time affected the correlation between soil moisture and canopy temperature. We can affirm that data acquisition time has to be included as a variability source. Finally, our conclusion indicates that it is vital to consider data acquisition time to ensure water distribution for irrigation in cities.

Картографо-геоинформационное обеспечение разработки планов зеленого градостроительства в Республике Беларусь

In recent years, the Republic of Belarus has developed the practice of introducing elements of green infrastructure into urban development programs. This is a contribution to the transition to environmentally friendly production technologies, the construction of buildings with a low share of energy and resource consumption, the implementation of environmental-oriented transport infrastructure, the use of effective technologies for the collection, disposal and processing of waste, and an increase in amount of green areas in cities. From 2016 to the present, the country is implementing a 5-year project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “Supporting Green Urban Development in Small and Medium-Sized Cities in Belarus”. The objective of the Project is the growth of development of green urban development plans and pilot green urban development initiatives in the cities of Polack, Navapolack, Navahrudak related to energy efficiency and sustainable transport. An important component in the formation of green urban planning is the operation of spatial information. For this purpose, mapping and geoinformation approaches were applied in the study. They made it possible to identify the modern features of the distribution of green city indicators in pilot cities, carry out their analysis and propose a new development strategy that will improve the blue-green infrastructure. For each city, in the instrumental geographic information systems ArcGIS and QGIS, a methodology was developed and indicators were mapped that characterize condition of residential areas, quality of buildings, population density, location of green areas, proximity of public transport stops and other urban infrastructure, tourism service infrastructure and the distribution of energy users and sources of CO2 emissions. Based on the results of GIS analysis of the obtained layers of indicators of the profile of the green city, a spatial development strategy was formed. The information of the thematic layers on indicators of urban development became the basis for the creation of a series of web maps in ArcGIS Online, which are currently being discussed by residents of key cities. The cartographic materials prepared within the project can be finalized and used to work with city administrations, as well as to inform the population about the state of the city and the decisions taken.

TREE DAMAGE AND MISTLETOE IMPACT ON URBAN GREEN AREAS

ABSTRACT Green areas in cities provide several benefits to people, however, several biotic and abiotic agents affects the tree’s health. The main goals of this research were to identify tree damages and to assess the impact of mistletoe on dendrometric variables and the crown condition. Four thousand, seven hundred seventy-five trees were evaluated in 16 green areas of eight Mayoralties in Mexico City; each tree was labeled, and total tree height (Th), diameter at breast height (DBH), damage agents (up to three types), and the crown variables: Live crown ratio (Lcr), Crown dieback (Cdie), Mistletoe severity (Ms) and Crown position (Cpo) were recorded. Of the assessed trees, 3318 presented damage. For the type of damage 1, the mistletoes Cladocolea and Struthanthus showed an average incidence of 42%. For type 2, 20 agents and type 3, 11 were identified. Mechanical wounds, sucking insects, vandalism, and cankers were the most common damages. Based on the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), trees of all diameters and heights were infected, however, Struthanthus was associated with taller and larger diameter trees. Lcr was lower, and Cdie and Ms were higher in infected trees. About Cpo, dominant and codominant trees showed the highest levels of severity by mistletoe. The most affected tree genera were Ulmus and Populus (low Lcr and high Cdie and Ms). Cladocolea was found toward southern Mayoralties, and Struthanthus at the north. It is recommended to assess at least two types of damage on each tree, as this will provide a more complete picture of its health. This is the first study in Mexico on the impact of mistletoe on tree crown variables

Green Design in Urban Squares: Ecological Urban Consciousness in Landscape Architecture Education

Due to increase in population density in cities, unplanned urbanization, where built areas proliferate and concrete and impermeable surfaces are predominant, have started to capture cities. While this causes the natural environments and green areas in cities to decrease day by day, it also directly affects the formation of heat islands in the cities, air pollution and the decrease in the quality of life of people. Since landscape architecture is a discipline that deals with the planning, development, protection and design of rural and urban open spaces that can make the future better, teaching students the importance of the ecological city and the criteria of designs for this should be the primary goal in universities. The area, which was determined as an Urban Transformation area by Trabzon Municipality and planned to be designed as Karagöz Square, was studied within the scope of Karadeniz Technical University Landscape Architecture Environmental Design Project 4 in the fall semester of 2019-2020. The lecturer of the course aimed to teach the students the awareness of green design-oriented city square solution in line with ecological city criteria. Within the scope of this study, course data were examined with ecological city criteria.

Dwelling or house vs nature (biologically active areas)

In the current global pandemic situation, more and more people are asking themselves where it is better to live. In a house or in an apartment? Of course, opinions are divided. However facing to be closure in the residential space, more and more people have considered the possibility of buying even a small plot of land giving the opportunity to enjoy the open space and communing with greenery. Foreclosure has resulted that many people now struggling with issues of exclusion and depression. The opportunity to get out and commune with nature can have a positive impact on a person’s mood and perception of their current situation. Large city agglomerations, often deprived of sufficient green areas, are not able to provide adequate living conditions. Architects and urban planners in recent decades have been trying to provide the most convenient solutions to improve the quality of life in large cities. There are numerous green areas in cities or housing estates, often connected with water reservoirs providing better micro climatic conditions. In objects, green walls and roofs are being introduced to increase the comfort of living. It is worth to analyze a contemporary resident approach to the choice of place to live, what is better for him - a house or a flat (apartment)? Is it better to live in a house with a garden or in an apartment with a large balcony overgrown with greenery? Is it better to locate the apartment in the city center or on the suburbs, where there are larger concentrations of greenery? The issues presented in this article relate to research related to life satisfaction in houses or apartments of city dwellers, as well as they complement the research related to the observation of the impact of greenery on the leveling of the Urban Heat Island. Greenery is one of the factors improving micro climatic conditions, it is a stabilizer of temperature and humidity. Residents of selected appartments and houses were asked in what environment they would like to live and what is most important for them in terms of comfort of living. This paper will present the results of surveys and research on UHI in relation to green areas and their introduction into residential buildings. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the how important is relationship between residents’ satisfaction of living place and the biologically active areas in their vicinity.

Investigation of Biomass Efficiency Assessment Methods of Open Green Areas for Sustainable Cities

One of the most important environmental problems in today's world is climate change caused by greenhouse gases. Due to the increase in CO2 emissions from greenhouse gases, climate change is increasing and moving towards the point of no return. In this process, many ideas have been developed to combat climate change. One of these ideas is that cities should be sustainable. In order for cities to be sustainable, activities such as expanding the use of renewable energy resources in cities, increasing green and environmentally friendly transportation, improving air quality, and minimizing carbon emissions should be carried out. In this context, open green areas have important effects in terms of improving air quality, reducing the heat island effect in cities and especially keeping carbon emissions to a minimum. Thus, the efficiency and productivity of carbon capture and storage of green areas come to the fore. There are several methods to measure the carbon capture and storage efficiency of green areas and to evaluate their efficiency. In this study, the methods used in determining open green areas in cities and evaluating biomass productivity in these areas will be examined.

Bio ecological characteristics of climatic landscape plants of Fergana city

Today, more and more attention is paid to the creation of green areas in cities, and in our hot and dry climate, the importance of trees and shrubs, especially conifers and evergreens, is very high. In recent years, the number of ornamental coniferous trees and evergreen shrubs has increased in the city's greening system. Beautification of cities and villages in Uzbekistan in a modern style is an important state measure aimed at dramatically improving the living standards of the population.

GREENERY OF RESIDENTIAL COMPLEXES IN WROCŁAW – ANALYSIS OF SELECTED EXAMPLES

Green areas in cities have a different character. Apart from parks, an important role is played by estate greenery, which, due to its direct presence in the vicinity of buildings and apartments, has an impact on the quality of life and decisions made when buying a flat. The article compares greenery resources in six Wrocław housing estates, built in 1960–2010, i.e. at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. To assess the quality of greenery, an inventory of its resources was made. In order to assess social conditions, a survey was carried out among the inhabitants of the analyzed housing complexes. The greenery of the residential complexes from the 1970s and 1980s is diverse, rich especially in woody species, although it is not consistent in terms of composition. There are often plantings introduced by residents, probably as a substitute for home gardens and an element of "taming" the space. Greenery in the estates from the 21st century has a high aesthetic and compositional value. Plantings of shrubs and perennials prevail. The inhabitants' lack of creativity in planting their own is visible.

Public Green Areas and their Devaluation in a Dense City Fabric of Sarajevo: Case Study of Hastahana Park

In a country that is still considered to be in the transitional period, even though the last war was more than two decades ago, the laws and legislations of the urban development with the focus on green areas, are loosely interpreted into reality in today’s Bosnia. The laws on urban planning and development stipulated in the time of former Yugoslav republic were precise in defining parameters in planning. In the former system, these laws were implemented resulting in string of great urban developments. Such big urban projects were executed all over former Yugoslavia in the late 1950s and1960s when industry grew and cities expanded and modernized. These urban projects included residential buildings, public buildings such as schools, kindergartens, municipality buildings, commercial areas as well as healthcare and recreational facilities including sports terrains and public green areas. The ratio between built and un- built was greatly respected leaving enough green spaces for leisure activities. Nowadays, the laws and regulations inherited from the former system are loosely interpreted or are being changed in favour of private investors at the cost of quality of life of cities’ inhabitants. This paper aims to explore the importance of green areas, or lack of the same, in urban developments within dense city fabric in the period of post war Bosnia focusing on current developments in Hastahana Park. The Park is located in popular and largely discussed area of Sarajevo’s Marijin Dvor, were recent urban developments characterized it as new business district of the city. Today, the remaining of Hastahana, the only public park on Marijin Dvor is endangered. Its future is uncertain because the site has been proclaimed, by the municipality authorities, as construction site. Despite attempts by citizens to stop sales and construction in the park area, city authorities ruled in their own favour (or in favour of fast money gain) versus welfare of citizens. The example of Hastahana Park shows that due to strong political pressures the norms and regulations can be changed, the need for big investments is stronger than the care for the need of citizens. While European cities stream to improve the amount of public green areas in cities contributing to healthier environment, at the same time, Sarajevo decreases valuable green areas in favour of giving advantage to construction, increasing already heavy traffic and air pollution in the city. Such reckless and irresponsible decisions have long-term impacts on city development and quality of life of its citizens.

Urban Green Accessibility Index: A Measure of Pedestrian-Centered Accessibility to Every Green Point in an Urban Area

Advancements in remote sensing techniques and urban data analysis tools have enabled the successful monitoring and detection of green spaces in a city. This study aims to develop an index called the urban green accessibility (UGA) index, which measures people’s accessibility to green space and represents the citywide or local characteristics of the distribution pattern of green space. The index is defined as the sum of pedestrians’ accessibility to all vegetation points, which consists of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with integration and choice values from angular segment analysis. In this study, the proposed index is tested with cases of New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA, in the US. The results reveal differences based on the significance of streets. When analysis ranges are on a neighborhood scale, a few hotspots appear in well-known green areas on commonly accessible streets and in local neighborhood parks on residential blocks. The appearance of high-accessibility points in low-NDVI areas implies the potential of the efficient and proper distribution of green spaces for pedestrians. The proposed measure is expected to help in planning and managing green areas in cities, taking people’s accessibility and spatial relationships into consideration.

Unlinking of Green Areas with Natural Systems in Temuco, Chile

Strategic intervention of green areas in cities with environmental problems can be an opportunity for sustainable urban development under an integral and systemic planning point of view. This study approaches the potential of natural systems inserted in the urban area of Temuco to contribute to environmental, socio-cultural and economic pertinence of the city. Methodologically, a cadaster was constructed with GIS and field work, which allowed the quantitative-qualitative evaluation of landscape indicators associated to the endowment, distribution and accessibility of green areas. We identify that despite surpassing the WHO’s standard, there are problems of territorial equality and integration with existing natural systems within the city. Therefore, this good standard of surface area is not contributing to sustainable development, mitigation of environmental problems or natural risks. This favored by Chilean urban regulations that encourage the development of green remnant area.