Green Park Research Articles

Model taman literasi berbasis ecobrick

Making literacy parks in schools is a very important means of improving the reading culture in students. The development of a green literacy park must pay attention to environmental sustainability aspects in the form of saving energy, water, materials and land suitability, in such a way as to reduce carbon emissions and maintain the availability of natural resources. Ecobrick is a solution that can be applied in schools so that plastic waste, especially soft plastic produced in schools, can be used as something useful, namely being used as a literacy park. This research method is descriptive qualitative. Collecting data is obtained through questionnaires, observation and documentation. The research was conducted at Junior High School Pekanbaru. The results showed that the amount of waste production for Junior High Schools Pekanbaru City which consists of 45 schools with a total of 30,639 students in 2020 the average production of plastic waste is 15 grams/day. Meanwhile, the total production of plastic waste at Junior High Schools Pekanbaru City is 456,620 kg/day. The construction of an eco-friendly ecobrick-based literacy park is one of the solutions in handling plastic waste in schools, by using an ecobrick of 600 ml aqua bottles, so the construction of an 8 m x 6 m park (48m² ) requires 10,800 ecobricks. Where in 1m² it takes 225 bottles or the equivalent of 45,000 grams of waste. So that for a garden with an area 48m² can degrade plastic waste 2,160,000 grams (2,160 tons) of garbage.

Modeling relationship between land surface temperature anomaly and environmental factors using GEE and Giovanni

Land surface temperature (LST) and vegetation cover changes are two indicators of landscapes in a region. The relationship between LST anomalies, elevation, vegetation, and urban growth is significant to conservation. This study addresses this issue using night-time satellite imagery, kernel methods (points aggregation), and the trend analysis for a long-term period (2001–2017) in Iran. Variables for two seasons (summer and winter) in urban and natural land uses were derived using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) and NASA's Giovanni. Point data derived from raster maps were quantified using statistical kernel and trend analysis. As result, it was observed that LST rise in various elevations, seasons, and land uses. The LST was analyzed through kernels (point aggregation in scatter graphs), which shifted to the right. The LST anomaly in the daytime had the highest maximum value (>4 °C) and lowest minimum value (<-5 °C) in forests and mountains and metropolises with the highest population growth rate. Summer and winter seasons had positive trends in LST for forest and mountain land uses. All seasons had positive trends in EVI in the mountain, and desert land uses. This warming and increasing LST can increase vulnerability to drought, dust storms, floods, avalanches, and natural fires. The EVI is increasing over the years due to government projects in green spaces and urban parks. There is a need to protect urban and natural environments to prevent natural disasters and unplanned population growth.

Impact of surrounding environments and vegetation on wind comfort assessment of a new tower with vertical green park

Modern architectural concept of “vertical forest” boosts the tendency of including permeable and green spaces in buildings and its surroundings. However, whilst green spaces generally make buildings and cities more ecofriendly, it is insufficiently known to which extent the surrounding environment and the vegetation may positively or negatively influence the pedestrian-level wind comfort quality of buildings amidst historical and well-settled urban layouts. This was the scope of the present study for which wind-tunnel (WT) testing and 3D RANS simulations were performed on two facing towers in Medellìn (Colombia), in order to (i) investigate the wind field and the pedestrian-level wind comfort around the towers; (ii) to compare the performance of WT and 3D RANS for wind comfort analysis; (iii) to evaluate the impact of the environment surrounding the two towers and (iv) the mitigation effects of vegetation on wind comfort. WT tests were performed on a scaled model (1:250) without surrounding, for 12 wind directions and 3 sets of measurement positions. The same case study without (i.e. CFDs) and with (i.e. CFDd) surrounding environment was simulated by 3D RANS. Next, an implemented CFDd case including vegetation (i.e., CFDd-V) was simulated for three LAD values. Overall, the surrounding had a significant impact on wind comfort assessment. The CFDd case showed a better-quality class than WT and CFDs. The CFDs and WT case showed a satisfactory agreement and the similar comfort quality class. The vegetation provided a remarkable improvement of comfort quality class mainly for set 1 and 2.

Green Human Resource Management and its Impact on Sustainable Tourism Development (An Exploratory Study of the Green Parks of the Mayoralty of Baghdad)

The researcher aims, through the current study, to clarify the relationship between green human resources management and the extent of its impact on sustainable tourism development in the green parks of the Municipality of Baghdad.The study started with a major problem that included several questions centered on the nature of the influential relationship between the studied variables as well as clarifying the relationship between the variables by analyzing opinions The higher and middle administration responsible for managing the green parks in the city of Baghdad, which reached (16) departments, with (150) questionnaires distributed to them. In order to achieve the goal of the study mentioned above, answer questions and test the validity of the hypotheses. The researcher relied in the study mainly on (the questionnaire), which is the main tool for collecting data and information, in addition to using another method, which is (the personal interview). For a number of managers and their assistants and heads of departments in the surveyed departments, It was the use of descriptive and analytical approach scientific methodology in the current study, and was reached by the study to a set of conclusions was the most prominent, has achieved green human resources management a positive indirect impact on sustainable tourism development in the green parks of the Secretariat of Baghdad.

Field measurement and numerical simulation of the relationship between the vertical wind environment and building morphology in residential areas in Xi'an, China.

The inadequate consideration of the impact of building morphology on ventilation efficiency in many urban residential areas has resulted in a series of environmental problems that threaten human health. The purpose of this paper is to establish a predictive model between ventilation efficiency and building forms in residential areas. First, the characteristics of the vertical wind profile in residential areas were measured using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Second, the wind speed ratio (WSR) at different height levels under the impact of morphological index (floor area ratio, building density, average building height, enclosure degree, height fall, and maximum building height) in the residential area was simulated by ENVI-met. Two kinds of prediction formulas were finally obtained: (1) the average ventilation efficiency at the pedestrian level and (2) the prediction formula of WSR at different heights. The results show that the wind speed (WS) in residential area below 35 m is about 0.6 m/s lower than that in green park. The numerical simulation shows that the mean WSR at the pedestrian level is negatively correlated with each index, and the height fall morphological index has the largest impact on the WSR at different heights. The research provides a reference for the optimal planning and design of ventilation efficiency of residential buildings, especially those in static wind areas.

Façade design modification in complying the Indonesia’s national standard of energy conservation for tall building envelope – Case study: Green Office Park 9, Serpong, Indonesia

Most tall buildings use glass as its façade and exterior materials, which makes the building’s envelope is exposed to heat penetration. It is important to select and design the proportion between transparent and opaque materials for building façade to reduce the heat gain from outside, which is strategic to conserve the energy use for tall buildings. This study is aimed to observe the use of building façade materials in accordance with the strategic effort to reduce the heat gain in order to conserve the energy for AC system. The façade design modification is calculated by using Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) method in compliance with the Indonesia’s National Standard of Energy Conservation for Tall Buildings. The results show that the modification on façade design can reduce the heat gain and improve thermal performance of the building. There is a dramatic change of OTTV from 124.40 w/m2 on original design to 27.73 w/m2 after several steps of façade modification. The biggest reductions of OTTV is obtained when modifications on openings are applied. Since the heat transmission is mainly coming into buildings through openings, modifications on glass and windows are the keys. The change of glass material, from clear-glass to those with lower shading coefficient (SC) gives reduction of 37.52 w/m2.

Public Perception of Biodiversity: A Literature Review of Its Role in Urban Green Spaces

Abstract 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.

Greenness, cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Many recent studies identified the benefits of green space exposure for the improvment of human health, especially mental health. The involved patways could be increased physical activity, improved sleep quality, reduced stress and also increased social interaction. The relation between greenness and cognitive decline, however, is still uncertain. METHODS: We searched epidemiological studies related to green space exposure and cognitive impairment and dementia in two electronic databases (PubMed and EMBASE) using terms related to residential greenness, including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index-NDVI, land cover, land use, green index, greenness, green space, urban park, urban green and recreational park, along with cognitive impairment, decline and dementia. A meta-analysis comparing the highest versus the lowest greenness exposure and risk of cognitive decline was performed using a random-effects model. RESULTS:Out of 64 studies retrieved from the online search 11 studies were eligible for the review. The majority of included reports used satellied-derived NDVI, while the remaining studies used land cover maps to determine the greenness-related exposure areas. Cognitive impairment or dementia risk are calculated using different exposure types (greenness within a buffer, the areal radius, or greenness of census block) at subject residential address. Overall, summary risk ratio-RR showed no effect of greenness on cognitive decline (RR 0.99, 95% confidence interval-CI 0.91-1.07), whereas a slight indication of a beneficial effect of NDVI emerged (RR 0.96, 95%CI 0.90-1.03). Two studies that reported correlation coefficents only did not suggest an association between cognitive impairment and dementia measurement. CONCLUSIONS:Overall, our study yielded limited evidence of a protective effect of greenness on cognitive decline. The rapid evolution of greenness definition over time and the limitations in exposure assessment, however, suggest the need to further investigate this issue in order to draw more reliable conclusions. KEYWORDS: Green space, Neurodegenerative outcomes, Environmental epidemiology

Are trees and shrubs unsafe hiding places? Impact of plant forms on the perception of danger in urban green spaces in crime hot spots

Urban parks and forests are important for wellbeing, but feelings of unsafety limited their usage. Removal of vegetation from hotspots of fear is sometimes recommended as a means of boosting safety. However such actions should be approached with caution. One explanation, based on prospect-refuge theory, is that plants increase perceptions of danger because of their contribution to a setting’s effectiveness in concealing criminals. It is also believed that people do not like urban green spaces parks containing trees and shrubs that can act as hiding places because of the sense of danger that this vegetation evokes. To test this explanation, participants rated 57 photos of urban parks and forest parks settings park settings on perceived danger, effectiveness of concealment, and landscape preference. In addition, the effectiveness of concealment in the photos was measured assuming that the value of this variable is expressed by the percentage of the pixels occupied by trees and shrubs offering concealment in a photograph. Results confirmed that concealment and danger are highly correlated mediation analysis confirmed that the impact of concealment on preferences can be explained by perceived danger. When the danger was controlled, the efficiency of concealment had no influence on preferences.

The impact of plants offering cover on female students’ perception of danger in urban green spaces in crime hot spots

Urban parks and forests are important for wellbeing, but feelings of unsafety limited their usage. Removal of vegetation from hotspots of fear is sometimes recommended as a means of boosting safety. However such actions should be approached with caution. One explanation, based on prospect-refuge theory, is that plants increase perceptions of danger because of their contribution to a setting’s effectiveness in concealing criminals. It is also believed that people do not like urban green spaces parks containing trees and shrubs that can act as hiding places because of the sense of danger that this vegetation evokes. To test this explanation, participants rated 57 photos of urban parks and forest parks settings park settings on perceived danger, effectiveness of concealment, and landscape preference. In addition, the effectiveness of concealment in the photos was measured assuming that the value of this variable is expressed by the percentage of the pixels occupied by trees and shrubs offering concealment in a photograph. Results confirmed that concealment and danger are highly correlated mediation analysis confirmed that the impact of concealment on preferences can be explained by perceived danger. When the danger was controlled, the efficiency of concealment had no influence on preferences.

Perceptions of spatial patterns of visitors in urban green spaces for the sustainability of smart city

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

Application of environmental ecological strategy in smart city space architecture planning

A smart city requires the organic integration of a good ecological environment with people’s healthy life, so that the city can achieve the purpose of economic construction and ecological environmental protection. In this case, the spatial layout of a smart city must be based on the ecological environment. Under the guidance of the concept of ecological protection, the ecological space of smart cities is not only green space and parks. At the same time, the building communities in the city and the construction land in the city should be green and environmentally friendly. These situations require planning and design in the spatial design layout through networking and informatization. This article mainly studies the space development of smart cities under the integration of information technology and ecological environment from the perspective of urban space architectural planning. A series of problems in our country’s cities and the close connection between smart cities and the ecological environment. After comprehensively analyzing the smart city spatial planning of different cities and regions under the influence of the ecological environment, it tries to analyze the guiding role and development direction of the smart city spatial architectural layout planning under the ecological environment.

Further investigation on pockets of quiet within historical city centres: the case of widenings

Making available quiet zones for the urban population is a key factor to offer them the possibility to have restorative experiences and relief from stressful city life. Although these zones are often associated with vast green parks, the latter are usually located outside or far from cities' centres. Moreover, if we consider the case of historical city centres, they are almost absent. In previous research, we have focused on searching for alternative quiet spaces that inhabitants and tourists could use as a temporary refuge from urban noise and chaos. In these studies, we have shown that thanks to their acoustics peculiarities and several other non-acoustic characteristics, the cloisters and the courts of historic buildings have a high potential to induce restoration. Nevertheless, among the narrow streets of the historic cities centres, the widenings can also provide a small contribution to a temporary restoration of people. This paper investigates the restorative potentiality of these further spaces and compares the outcomes carried out from binaural recordings and in situ interviews with those of cloisters and courts of historic buildings within the ancient city centre of Naples.

Virtual reality simulated aircraft flyovers: Influence of the landscape on the overall pleasantness of the environment.

To give residents better understanding of the impact of future airport scenarios, a virtual reality application with sound simulation will be tested in the frame of the European ANIMA project. The set-up has been evaluated in laboratory before being used in real situation. This paper presents the laboratory experiment whose aim is to assess the application's relevance for simulating flyovers. Although the perceptual experiment is designed to test the influence of aircraft vision crossed with aircraft sound, this paper focusses only on the impact of the landscape where the flyovers are observed. Two landscapes (park and buildings) are presented to 60 participants, in balanced order, with 12 audio-visual stimuli in both landscapes. Participants had to rate four differential semantic scales. Globally there is no influence of the landscape on the overall pleasantness, but when looking at the individual answers, it appears that three groups of participants can be discriminated. The majority of people do not change their pleasantness ratings in both landscapes, but some participants prefer experiencing the flyovers in the park landscape because it is visually more pleasant, and others prefer the opposite because it is more annoying to be submitted to aircraft noise in a green park landscape.

Experimental Comparative Study between Conventional and Green Parking Lots: Analysis of Subsurface Thermal Behavior under Warm and Dry Summer Conditions

Green infrastructure has a role to play in climate change adaptation strategies in cities. Alternative urban spaces should be designed considering new requirements in terms of urban microclimate and thermal comfort. Pervious pavements such as green parking lots can contribute to this goal through solar evaporative cooling. However, the cooling benefits of such systems remain under debate during dry and warm periods. The aim of this study was to compare experimentally the thermal behavior of different parking lot types (PLTs) with vegetated urban soil. Four parking lots were instrumented, with temperature probes buried at different depths. Underground temperatures were measured during summer 2019, and the hottest days of the period were analyzed. Results show that the less mineral used in the surface coating, the less it warms up. The temperature difference at the upper layer can reach 10 °C between mineral and non-mineral PLTs. PLTs can be grouped into three types: (i) high surface temperature during daytime and nighttime, important heat transfer toward the sublayers, and low time shift (asphalt system); (ii) high (resp. low) surface temperature during daytime (resp. nighttime), weak heat transfer toward the sublayers, and important time shift (paved stone system); and (iii) low surface temperature during daytime and nighttime, weak heat transfer toward the sublayers, and important time shift (vegetation and substrate system, wood chips system, vegetated urban soil). The results of this study underline that pervious pavements demonstrate thermal benefits under warm and dry summer conditions compared to conventional parking lot solutions. The results also indicate that the hygrothermal properties of urban materials are crucial for urban heat island mitigation.

Scale Characteristics and Optimization of Park Green Space in Megacities Based on the Fractal Measurement Model: A Case Study of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen

This paper applies fractal theory to research of green space in megacity parks due to the lack of a sufficient qualitative description of the scale structure of park green space, a quantifiable evaluation system, and operable planning methods in traditional studies. Taking Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen as examples, GIS spatial analysis technology and the Zipf model are used to calculate the fractal dimension (q), the goodness of fit (R2), and the degree of difference (C) to deeply interpret the connotation of indicators and conduct a comparative analysis between cities to reveal fractal characteristics and laws. The research results show that (1) the fractal dimension is related to the complexity of the park green space system; (2) the fractal dimension characterizes the hierarchical iteration of the park green space to a certain extent and reflects the internal order of the scale distribution; (3) the scale distribution of green space in megacity parks deviates from the ideal pyramid configuration; and (4) there are various factors affecting the scale structure of park green space, such as natural base conditions, urban spatial structure, and the continuation of historical genes working together. On this basis, a series of targeted optimization strategies are proposed.

A hybrid optimisation decision model for a smart green energy industry park: Exploring the impact of the carbon tax policy in Taiwan

Smart green energy development is an increasingly pressing public concern for the government advocate policy, as it responds to the challenges of climate change. The national green energy policy can promote the development of optimal electricity portfolios from smart green energy industry parks, thereby ensuring the maximized benefits of energy supply, energy storage, and energy-saving technologies, while accelerating the promotion of green energy industry economics. This study presents a novel 0–1 Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) decision model that focuses on the scenario project costs, the feed-in tariff prices and the quantity of the carbon footprint, in relation to the effects of the tax policy, for determining maximum scenario project profits. The major contributions of this study are as follows: [1] The integrated model can help green energy contractors to understand how to allocate resources and funding for sustainable environmental activities of each scenario project, by using appropriate cost drivers; [2] The obtained portfolio shows the maximum profits for green energy planning and contributes to the development of the national energy policy in Taiwan; and [3] This study contributes to innovative industrial engineering research into the problem of green energy planning, by considering a portfolio with different energy categories, and the results prove the superiority of smart green energy planning that considers a carbon tax policy.

Urban Nature: Does Green Infrastructure Relate to the Cultural and Creative Vitality of European Cities?

The COVID-19 pandemic severely upended cultural and creative production, consumption, and interactions in cities. Open green spaces, parks, forests, and gardens—green infrastructure—were instead utilized by citizens as a substitute for stimulating social interactions, sustainable tourism, and green growth. (1) The purpose of this research is to understand whether the availability of green infrastructure relates to the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor (CCCM) benchmarking project developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission performance. Does new evidence suggest revising the CCCM conceptual framework and related urban policies, especially in relation to the EU Green Deal? (2) Data from OpenStreetMap was used to count the amount of green infrastructure in 184 European Cities covered by the CCM and was then correlated with the sub-indices of the CCCM. (3) We found a moderately positive correlation of green infrastructure with the cultural vibrancy of a city and a weak positive correlation with the enabling environment of a city. (4) In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU Green Deal and several other policy initiatives aimed at urban greening, we recommend that the CCCM include an Urban Nature sub-index as one of the performance indicators of the CCCM. An Urban Nature sub-index will broaden the goal of the CCCM by providing policymakers with a better understanding of actions and strategies to allow culture to contribute to social inclusion and green growth strategies in cities.

Hatha Yoga Improves Psychophysiological Responses of College Students in Both Indoor and Outdoor Environments

College students experience increased stress levels that could predispose them to develop mental and physical health conditions throughout adulthood. Yoga is an ancient mind-body practice including breath techniques, body exercises, and meditation that may be a useful strategy for enhancing college student health. Likewise, exposure to nature has been shown to have beneficial impacts on human health. This study investigates physiological and psychological responses of college students to yoga practiced in outdoor versus indoor environments. Fifty-eight college females between the ages of 18-28 were randomly assigned to complete a 40-minute Hatha yoga session either indoors (empty classroom) or outdoors (green park) at a mid-sized public university. Heart rate, respiration rate, perfusion index, and positive and negative affect states were recorded pre/post yoga. Heart rate, respiration rate, and negative affect significantly improved after the yoga sessions in both indoor and outdoor environments. Baseline self-reported negative affect was significantly lower in the outdoor group compared to the indoor group. There were no significant interaction effects of yoga and environment. This study suggests that one 40-minute-session of Hatha yoga may be a useful method to alleviate acute signs of physiological stress and decrease negative affect for college females in both indoor and outdoor environments. Further research about potential synergistic effects of yoga and exposure to nature is warranted to better understand whether the environment in which yoga is practiced could enhance the benefits of this mind-body modality on health.

The Socioeconomic Welfare of Urban Green Areas and Parks; A Literature Review of Available Evidence

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