Population Lives In Urban Areas Research Articles

URBANIZATION, FALLS, AND FEAR OF FALLING IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS IN THAILAND

Abstract Nearly half of the Thai population lives in urban areas without retirement pensions. Urbanization may increase physical inactivity, falls, and other non-communicable diseases. Little is known about the urban-rural differences in falls and fear of falling among community-dwelling older in Thailand. We surveyed a random sample of 433 persons who were: i) aged 60 years and older; and ii) had no cognitive impairment (Chula Mental Test ≥ 16/36). The participants had the mean age was 70.40 (± 7.53) years, included 62.9 % female, 22% having poor balance, 85% having limits in doing vigorous physical activity, 71% having limits in performing moderate physical activity, and 63.5% having pain interfere with normal activities. About half had financial problems sometimes, and 68 % reported living with a spouse and children. 30% had hypertension and took antihypertensive medication. 16% felt tired most of the time, and 11% felt nervous all the time. We found that urban older adults had a higher fall rate than rural older adults (52.8% vs. 40.4%, p =.034). Urban older adults also had a higher level of fear of falling than rural older adults (43.9% vs. 28.4%, p = .000016). Additionally, urban older adults had significantly worse general health than rural older adults (p =.0046). There were no significant differences in balance performance and fall self-efficacy scores. It is important to recognize and identify fall risk factors among urban older adults and provide access to systematic community-based fall prevention programs incorporating screening and tailored interventions based on those risk factors.

Increasing multi-hazard climate risk and financial and health impacts on northern homeowners.

Currently, more than half of the world's human population lives in urban areas, which are increasingly affected by climate hazards. Little is known about how multi-hazard environments affect people, especially those living in urban areas in northern latitudes. This study surveyed homeowners in Anchorage and Fairbanks, USA, Alaska's largest urban centers, to measure individual risk perceptions, mitigation response, and damages related to wildfire, surface ice hazards, and permafrost thaw. Up to one third of residents reported being affected by all three hazards, with surface ice hazards being the most widely distributed, related to an estimated $25 million in annual damages. Behavioral risk response, policy recommendations for rapidly changing urban environments, and the challenges to local governments in mitigation efforts are discussed.

Associations between recent land use history and urban forest composition

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Sustaining healthy urban forests is increasingly relevant to this population given the wide range of economic, ecological, and social benefits that urban forests provide. Yet forests in cities grow in sites that are fragmented, with frequent disturbance, altered soils, and complex land use history, which can lead to the degradation of forest conditions and the benefits they provide. We measured forest composition and structure in 1124 plots across 53 parks in New York City’s (NYC) 2,497-ha natural area forests and uplands. To better understand the factors responsible for their current condition, we documented historical land use in each plot using aerial imagery going back 90 years, quantified edge effects using remote sensing, and field-measured contemporary disturbances, soil characteristics and light. In the last 90 years, the majority of contemporary natural areas in NYC have recolonized from farmland, built, landscaped lawn, and open field cover-types to forests (from a mean of 37% to 76% forest cover). Areas previously documented as having human land use (e.g. arable agriculture), now have double the amount of invasive species cover compared to sites that were forested or natural areas in the last 90 years. Contemporary measures of forest edge, light, and soil pH have a stronger association with native species basal area, species richness, and invasive species cover, but have an additive effect with measures of historical land cover and local site-level disturbances. We find that a history of non-forest cover, in combination with high soil pH and edge adjacency, was associated with the most invaded contemporary forests. Overall, it appears that a non-forest land use history may be a precursor to altered environmental conditions, making it an important lens upon which to understand forest succession more broadly in complex human-dominated forests, like those in New York City.

The urban burden of disease estimation for policy-making in 1000 European cities

Abstract In Europe, over 70% of the population lives in urban areas. Cities promote innovation and wealth creation; however, they are also a main source of pollution, disease and mortality, to some extent linked with suboptimal urban and transport planning practices. The aim of the project is to improve the estimation of health impacts and socioeconomic costs of environmental stressors related to urban and transport planning, advance modelling approaches and strengthen evidence-based policy-making. The analyses focus on air pollution, noise, temperature/heat and lack of green spaces for nearly 1000 European cities. We are (1) developing an overall urban burden of disease impact assessment framework; (2) identifying health and wellbeing indicators; (3) obtaining exposure-response relationships for environmental stressors and health outcomes of interest; (4) developing tools and guidelines for cost-benefit analyses; (5) obtaining health and environmental stressors data for cities for 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2024 and (6) calculating health and socioeconomic impacts and monitor trends. Specific urban and transport planning scenarios will be developed for case-studies cities (Barcelona, Brussels, Manchester, Munich, Utrecht, Sofia, Warsaw and Zagreb) and include additional aspects such as mobility, physical activity and inequities. The science-to-policy translation is a strong component of this research project where we are conducting consultation with and providing knowledge translation to cities and stakeholders, and sharing good practices, for greater science-policy impact. We strive to make the change on city-level policy and action plans, as well as on national and EU level policy making. By improving health impact and socioeconomic costs estimations and engaging with stakeholders we expect to generate impact and promote healthier urban and transport planning practices in European cities.

A Living River” of Çanakkale Sarıçay Region Examination in the Scope

Urban areas are social areas that make it necessary for societies with different cultures to live together. The majority of the world's population lives in urban areas. Especially with the industrial revolution, a large population flow has occurred from rural areas to urban areas. The large and congested population in the cities brings with it a low quality of life. For this reason, people cannot go further than their daily life routines. When we look at the development of civilizations historically, it is seen that the most important source for the sustainability of life is water borders. At the same time, water borders have given identity to the place where it is located as a natural resource such as streams and rivers. The rivers, which are located in the urban area and give an identity to the city, meet the needs of the users along with the protection-use balance, thanks to the recreational uses they offer. Within the scope of the study, a design project that can respond to recreation-al uses has been developed in Sarıçay and its immediate surroundings, which constitute an important ecologi-cal corridor of the city. Visual, natural and cultural environment analyzes were made with SWOT analysis of the area. The aim of the study was to restore the sustainability of Çanakkale Sarıçay and its surroundings to the city and to function it. It is predicted that the study will positively affect the quality of life in the city and the quality of life will increase.

Response of planktonic microbial assemblages to disturbance in an urban sub-tropical estuary.

Microbes are sensitive indicators of estuarine processes because they respond rapidly to dynamic disturbance events. As most of the world's population lives in urban areas and climate change-related disturbance events are becoming more frequent, estuaries bounded by cities are experiencing increasing stressors, at the same time that their ecosystem services are required more than ever. Here, using a multidisciplinary approach, we determined the response of planktonic microbial assemblages in response to seasonality and a rainfall disturbance in an urban estuary bounded by Australia's largest city, Sydney. We used molecular barcoding (16S, 18S V4 rRNA) and microscopy-based identification to compare microbial assemblages at locations with differing characteristics and urbanisation histories. Across 142 samples, we identified 8,496 unique free-living bacterial zOTUs, 8,175 unique particle associated bacterial zOTUs, and 1,920 unique microbial eukaryotic zOTUs. Using microscopy, we identified only the top <10% abundant, larger eukaryotic taxa (>10µm), however quantification was possible. The site with the greater history of anthropogenic impact showed a more even community of associated bacteria and eukaryotes, and a significant increase in dissolved inorganic nitrogen following rainfall, when compared to the more buffered site. This coincided with a reduced proportional abundance of Actinomarina and Synechococcus spp., a change in SAR 11 clades, and an increase in the eukaryotic microbial groups Dinophyceae, Mediophyceae and Bathyoccocaceae, including a temporary dominance of the harmful algal bloom dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum (syn. P. minimum). Finally, a validated hydrodynamic model of the estuary supported these results, showing that the more highly urbanised and upstream location consistently experienced a higher magnitude of salinity reduction in response to rainfall events during the study period. The best abiotic variables to explain community dissimilarities between locations were TDP, PN, modelled temperature and salinity (r=0.73) for the free living bacteria, TP for the associated bacteria (r=0.43), and modelled temperature (r=0.28) for the microbial eukaryotic communities. Overall, these results show that a minor disturbance such as a brief rainfall event can significantly shift the microbial assemblage of an anthropogenically impacted area within an urban estuary to a greater degree than a seasonal change, but may result in a lesser response to the same disturbance at a buffered, more oceanic influenced location. Fine scale research into the factors driving the response of microbial communities in urban estuaries to climate related disturbances will be necessary to understand and implement changes to maintain future estuarine ecosystem services.

Kuala Lumpur Green Space Fragmentation Index Analysis and Green Corridors Suggestion using Geographic Information System

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and the United Nations has projected that nearly all future global population growth will occur in urban areas. Urbanization has caused rapid industrial, transportation and residential development at the expense of environmental deterioration. Activities involving large-scale land clearances are conducted to satisfy human needs for expansion. The clearances have caused green area fragmentation and patches, especially in the rapidly developing urban areas. This study is aimed at detecting the current coverage of green space in the metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital city of Malaysia and monitor its fragmentation using a very high spatial resolution satellite data. Green cover which includes trees, grass, and shrubs of KL was first extracted from the SPOT 6 data using Object Oriented method which can classified the green covers. The fragmented green spaces in KL were analyzed using a range of fragmentation indices namely Number of Patches, Edge Density, Class Area, Total Landscape Area, Mean Patch Size and Mean Shape Index using the Patch Analyst tool embedded in the ArcGIS software version 10.0 to study the patterns of green patches. The connectivity of the green patches was studied and proposed to overcome the fragmentation problems. Kuala Lumpur (KL) was chosen as the case study as it is a rapidly developing city with a significant loss of green space. The urban green spaces were more fragmented as there were more built-up areas. Results of the green cover extraction reveal that the KL city centre had the lowest percentage of green cover (2.09 %) area to the urban area compared to the other five zones (Sentul Manjalara 5.03 %, Wangsa Maju Maluri 6.09 %, Damansara Penchala 11.22 %, Bukit Jalil Seputeh 7.07 % and Bandar Tun Razak Sg Besi 7.42 %). Since KL’s urban growth predominantly consists of compact building blocks, the highest land use was believed to be for commercial purposes. Around 66% of industrial and commercial activities are concentrated in the KL city centre, resulting in a diverse green space structure and a growing gap between patches in the city centre zone. The green patches were then connected to create green corridors in the city centre. Several parameters were involved in the analysis, including area, distance, types of land use (green areas and place of interest for the origin and destination), slopes under 7% value (topology with flat surfaces) and road networks. The origin and destination points were analyzed using the network analysis method in Quantum GIS to produce routes with the shortest path algorithm. Results showed that six routes were suitable for designing green corridors in the KL city centre area connecting green spaces and places of interest. All six routes were analyzed every 400 meters using Google Earth Street View to see the surrounding facilities. The Green Corridor Route 6 was the most appropriate for people, as it included parks and places of interest for city dwellers. The green corridor could then be promoted as a walkable area to minimize carbon emissions in the urban area, reducing the urban heat island phenomenon and increasing green connectivity for a better urban life.

Woody Plants Interaction with Aerosol Fine Particulate Matters and Copper in Budapest

Ambient particulate matter pollution is the primary concern as it has a significant impact on human health and the majority of the world's population lives in urban areas. Heavy metals are the most concerning component of particulate matter, and Cu is a highly traffic-related emission element whose overabundance results in toxic effects. Woody plants, on the other hand, contribute to the removal of airborne pollution in urban areas. Our aims are (1) to compare urban woody plants abilities to capture ambient fine particulate matter on leaf surface; and (2) to access the Cu concentration loads on their leaf surfaces. Consequently, our results will provide scientific knowledge for future urban planning concerning air pollution remediation. We investigated the relationship between woody plants and heavy metal pollution in Budapest. Four woody plant species were sampled at different traffic densities. Their Cu contents in the leaf and branch were measured, our results show that Tilia tomentosa and Acer platanoides are better options for ambient Cu accumulation than Fraxinus excelsior and Aesculus hisppocastanus in urban environments. At different traffic densities and sampling times, however, Cu accumulation did not vary across species. This is because, through translocation, woody plants absorb Cu not only from the air but also from the soil. Furthermore, it is also because of the long-distance transportation and long-term suspension of fine particulate matter. From the obtained results, we can conclude that woody plants are important phytoremediation elements in the urban area of Budapest. Planting T. tomentosa and A. platanoides in urban areas of central Europe will be promising for ambient heavy metal pollution phytoremediation. But environmental conditions differ from one place to another. Therefore, a comprehensive study is required in order to apply the results to different locations.

Priority directions of socio-economic development of cities in the post-pandemic period

More than half of the world’s total population lives in urban areas, and it is expected that by 2050 more than 70% of them will live in urban areas. Population growth and continued urbanization around the world are causing many social, economic, technical and organizational problems related to transportation, businesses, communication networks, services and utilities that can threaten the economic and environmental sustainability of cities. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised new questions for society and has made adjustments to urban development plans and sustainable development goals. The consequences of quarantine measures have affected not only national economies, but also the comprehensive development of societies. All this creates the basis and prerequisites for the study of the peculiarities of the postpandemic development of the urbanization process. The article deals with the main aspects of post-pandemic urban development. The main goal of this scientific research is to determine the priority directions of socio-economic development of cities. The methods of retrospective, statistical analysis, analogies and generalizations are used to study this topic. During the study the authors have analyzed the state policy documents of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the direction of development of cities and regions of Kazakhstan, studied the foreign experience of some countries in implementing the principles of sustainable development of cities, considered the concept of building “smart cities” as one of the priority directions of post-pandemic development of urbanization. The practical significance of this work lies in the development of priority directions for the implementation of the Concept of socio-economic development of cities in the postpandemic period.

Investigating Heavy Metal Contamination Extent of Soil and Plant from Urban Gardens in Jinju

In Korea, 90% of the population lives in urban areas, so urban agriculture is commonly carried out. However, research on the safety of urban soils for growing food still needs to be done. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of urban soil for crop cultivation by investigating the heavy metal concentration of soil and plant from urban gardens in Jinju. Soils and crop leaves were collected from 23 urban gardens, and the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were analyzed. The average concentrations of garden soils in Jinju were As 5.31, Cd 0.59, Cr 30.09, Cu 33.05, Ni 21.14, Pb 23.28, and Zn 121.68 mg kg-1, which did not exceed the Korean guidelines except for Zn in one study site. Geoaccumulation Index, calculated using the background values of heavy metals in Korean soil, showed that contamination of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn was in progress. The inflow of Cu and Zn into the garden soils would be from the atmosphere and direct entry into the soil by adding livestock manure. Differently, the other elements were more predominantly introduced from the atmosphere. Particularly, a significant amount of Pb was introduced into the soils from the atmosphere in a couple of gardens. Overall, the results from this study indicated that continuous monitoring for heavy metals in urban garden soils is required for food safety.The number of urban gardens at each level of soil contamination by Geoaccumulation Index. Level of soil contamination As Cd Cu Ni Pb Zn Practically uncontaminated 19 1 1 12 12 1 Uncontaminated to moderately contaminated 3 12 10 8 8 12 Moderately contaminated 1 10 9 3 2 8 Moderately to heavily contaminated 0 0 3 0 1 2 More than heavily contaminated 0 0 0 0 0 0

Promoting Urban Farming for Creating Sustainable Cities in Nepal

This paper responds to the research question, “can urban farming in Nepal help create sustainable cities?” Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, urban residents have begun to realize that food transported from long distances is not always reliable. Urban farming can help produce fresh food locally and help urban residents become self-reliant by engaging in healthy eating habits and practicing sustainable agricultural techniques in food-desert areas, while creating a positive impact on the environment through regenerative agricultural methods. In doing so, urban farms can help the growers save on food expenditures and even earn some additional income, while also improving air quality and minimizing the effects of urban heat islands. This practice also helps reduce greenhouse gases through plant carbon use efficiency (CUE), as vegetation carbon dynamics (VCD) can be adjusted while supporting the circular economy. As urban lands command higher prices than agricultural land, urban farming usually happens on residential yards, roofs, balconies, community gardens, and dedicated areas in public parks. Rainwater harvesting and redirecting can help irrigate urban farms, which can be part of rain gardens. The national census of 2021 identified that 66% of Nepal’s population lives in urban areas. However, the World Bank (2018) showed that only 21 of Nepal’s population was projected to live in urban areas in 2021. It is not debatable that the urbanization process in Nepal is on the rise. Thus, urban agriculture can play an important role in supplementing residents’ food needs. Many cities in Nepal have already successfully adapted to urban farming wherein residents grow food on their building sites, balconies, and rooftop, often growing plants in pots, vases, and other types of containers. The UN-Habitat, with the support of the European Union and local agencies, published a rooftop farming training manual (2014), showing the feasibility of urban farming in Nepal. This paper discusses how public-private partnership (PPP) can promote urban agriculture and make the process more effective and attractive to urban-farming households. It also analyzes how a PPP approach also facilitates the use of better technology, advisory support, and use of research extension activities. This paper draws on a literature review, uses remote-sensing imagery data and data from National Census Nepal 2021, and the authors’ professional experiences related to best practices in the areas to analyze the benefits and challenges related to urban farming both in Nepal and Arizona, USA. The paper provides recommendations for Nepali cities to maximize the benefit provided by urban farming. It is expected to be useful to Nepali policymakers, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations which promote sustainability, and organic farming with a sustainable supply chain.

Data scarcity limits understanding of hydroclimatic drivers of food and urban security

Although more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, there is a dire lack of data on trade, cost, and origin of the food that the urban dwellers rely on. Understanding the impact of escalating water-food systems variability on urban quality of life is critical for designing data systems needed to implement appropriate policies and state-supported interventions in urban areas.

Holobiont Urbanism: sampling urban beehives reveals cities’ metagenomes

BackgroundOver half of the world’s population lives in urban areas with, according to the United Nations, nearly 70% expected to live in cities by 2050. Our cities are built by and for humans, but are also complex, adaptive biological systems involving a diversity of other living species. The majority of these species are invisible and constitute the city’s microbiome. Our design decisions for the built environment shape these invisible populations, and as inhabitants we interact with them on a constant basis. A growing body of evidence shows us that human health and well-being are dependent on these interactions. Indeed, multicellular organisms owe meaningful aspects of their development and phenotype to interactions with the microorganisms—bacteria or fungi—with which they live in continual exchange and symbiosis. Therefore, it is meaningful to establish microbial maps of the cities we inhabit. While the processing and sequencing of environmental microbiome samples can be high-throughput, gathering samples is still labor and time intensive, and can require mobilizing large numbers of volunteers to get a snapshot of the microbial landscape of a city.ResultsHere we postulate that honeybees may be effective collaborators in gathering samples of urban microbiota, as they forage daily within a 2-mile radius of their hive. We describe the results of a pilot study conducted with three rooftop beehives in Brooklyn, NY, where we evaluated the potential of various hive materials (honey, debris, hive swabs, bee bodies) to reveal information as to the surrounding metagenomic landscape, and where we conclude that the bee debris are the richest substrate. Based on these results, we profiled 4 additional cities through collected hive debris: Sydney, Melbourne, Venice and Tokyo. We show that each city displays a unique metagenomic profile as seen by honeybees. These profiles yield information relevant to hive health such as known bee symbionts and pathogens. Additionally, we show that this method can be used for human pathogen surveillance, with a proof-of-concept example in which we recover the majority of virulence factor genes for Rickettsia felis, a pathogen known to be responsible for “cat scratch fever”.ConclusionsWe show that this method yields information relevant to hive health and human health, providing a strategy to monitor environmental microbiomes on a city scale. Here we present the results of this study, and discuss them in terms of architectural implications, as well as the potential of this method for epidemic surveillance.

Playing in urban green spaces according to two generations

Purpose: the evolution of technology and the appearance and access to new toys, replacing popular games, in which children could observe and learn about the natural environment while playing. The present work analyses Urban Green Spaces (UGS) as play spaces. Methodology/Approach: students from the First Cycle of Basic Education were asked through an anonymous questionnaire, as well as their parents/guardians, about the use of UGS to play, in order to obtain a comparison between generations. Findings: UGS are important as spaces for playing, since they provide free space in the city and are enhancers of more popular games that promote physical exercise. In addition to enrich contact with the natural environment, the UGS also promote learning and socialization. Research Limitation/implication: More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas and it is estimated their growth, by 2050, 68% of Humans will live in cities. As cities grow and become denser, the population tends to have less contact with Urban Green Spaces, however several studies point out that UGS are a provider of health and well-being. Originality: the UGS are now important in providing a service to the inhabitants of cities, to which it is very difficult to substitute.

Land Consumption Dynamics and Urban–Rural Continuum Mapping in Italy for SDG 11.3.1 Indicator Assessment

For the first time in human history, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This rapid growth makes cities more vulnerable, increasing the need to monitor urban dynamics and its sustainability. The aim of this work is to examine the spatial extent of urban areas, to identify the urban–rural continuum, to understand urbanization processes, and to monitor Sustainable Development Goal 11. In this paper, we apply the methodology developed by the European Commission-Joint Research Center for the classification of the degree of urbanization of the Italian territory, using the ISPRA land consumption map and the ISTAT population data. The analysis shows that the availability of detailed and updated spatialized population data is essential to calculate SDG indicator 11.3.1, which assesses the ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate. Three new indicators are also proposed to describe the main trends in urban sprawl, analyzing the spatial distribution of land consumption in terms of infill and settlement dispersion. The research shows good results in identifying class boundaries and describing the Italian urbanized landscape, highlighting the need for more detailed spatialized demographic data. The classification obtained lends itself to a variety of applications, such as monitoring land consumption, settlement dynamics, or the urban heat islands, and assessing the presence and state of green infrastructures in the urban context, driving the development of policies in urban areas toward sustainable choices focused on urban regeneration.

A Simplified Framework for the Equity-Based Spatial Assessment of Alternative Public Transport Networks

Nowadays, approximately 75% of the European population lives in urban areas, and these figures are expected to grow in future. The consequent expansion of cities means that the population might locate its residence far from daily facilities, generating a so-called transport social need. The possibility to easily reach education, health, recreation, and job opportunities is a key factor in fostering and guaranteeing the social inclusion of people in society. Spatial planning plays a fundamental role in filling the gap between people residing in the center and those living in the suburbs. In particular, public transport planning should ensure access to essential services, providing at least the same opportunities as private vehicles. In this context, this study presents a simplified quantitative method to consider equity in transit network design and assessment, considering horizontal and vertical indicators based on the socio-demographic characteristics of a population and the accessibility to main opportunities. The validity of the indicators is tested by applying them to a case study located in the Apulia region (Italy). The approach could be considered a basis for more complex transport-network design optimization oriented to social inclusion in urban areas.

Content Analysis of Preferred Recovery Pathways Among Urban American Indians and Alaska Natives Experiencing Alcohol Use Disorders

Approximately three fourths of the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population lives in urban areas, and urban AI/ANs are disproportionately affected by alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. Although no studies have documented alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment outcomes specific to urban AI/ANs, studies in other Native communities highlight concerns about the cultural acceptability of directive, abstinence-based approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and 12-step programs. Understanding this population’s desired recovery pathways in their own words may help providers create more culturally appropriate, patient-centered, and effective approaches. Participants ( N = 31) were urban AI/ANs who screened positive for AUD using the AUDIT-C. They participated in semi-structured interviews eliciting their experiences in AUD treatment to date and suggestions for redesigning AUD treatment in their own vision. Conventional content analysis was used to create a thematic description. Findings indicated that intrinsic motivation and not extrinsic pressure (e.g., mandated treatment) was associated with positive treatment engagement and outcomes. Participants appreciated feeling safe and supported in AUD treatment, but also felt AUD treatment could be institutional and oppressive. Participants preferred compassionate counselors with lived experience who could provide insights into recovery; they largely did not appreciate a “tough love” approach or power struggles with counselors. Native-led treatment centers providing access to cultural practices were preferred. Moving forward, participants suggested AUD treatment providers should help patients meet basic needs, prioritize patient-driven versus provider-driven goal-setting, support patients’ reconnection with meaningful activities, facilitate access to a supportive community network, and recognize cultural activities as important recovery pathways.

Sustainable Development Goals and Equity in Urban Planning: A Comparative Analysis of Chicago, São Paulo, and Delhi

Today, for the first time in the history of human civilization, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Due to this global urbanization, the United Nations included sustainable urban development in its recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. SDG Goal 11 is one of 17 comprehensive SDGs, and it pays specific attention to making “cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. This study comparatively analyzes the current state of participatory urban planning processes in three cities: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.; São Paulo, Brazil; and Delhi, India. Utilizing the cities’ most recent master plans, a content analysis found that public engagement was a key instrument that they adopted in the production of their planning documents, but the level of engagement and tools used to engage the public differed among cities, with Chicago and São Paulo demonstrating more robust public engagement than Delhi. The historical context of the comparative countries’ political, cultural, and socioeconomic development also plays a role in the degree to which a landscape for public engagement and participation exists. The study finds that the ideals of a just city can be determined by the level of participation with which cities engage their citizens during the planning process, and that sustainable urban development is further determined by the level of social equity that currently exists in a city itself.

Towards Integrated Land Management: The Role of Green Infrastructure

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this percentage is increasing every day. Accelerated urbanization leads to overbuilding, air and environmental pollution, climate change, and various other environmental problems. One of the ways to solve these problems is the planning of green infrastructure (GI). The development of GI brings a number of social, ecological, and economic benefits, and it is one of the ways to achieve sustainable development. Therefore, it is important to include GI in land management systems. This study used VOSviewer to analyze 4385 published papers in the field of GI and 110 studies on GI in combination with land management, land administration, LADM, and land use planning from the WoS database for the periods from 1995 to 2022 and from 2007 to 2022, respectively. The current research used the bibliometric method to see what the trends are in GI and how much GI has been researched for the purpose of land management. It was shown that researchers are giving more and more importance to GI, but GI in land management systems is still not sufficiently researched.

Temperature and not landscape composition shapes wild bee communities in an urban environment

Abstract More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase. Even if urbanisation is widely regarded as a major threat to global biodiversity, recent research highlighted the potential ecological importance of cities for pollinators. Key determinants of cities' ability to sustain pollinators are the presence of green areas and the connectivity between them. However, also temperature is expected to be of primary importance for pollinator activities. Here, we aimed at disentangling the effects of temperature, open habitat cover, and distance from the city centre on wild bee communities in the city of Rome (Italy). We selected 36 sites along two statistically independent gradients of temperature and open habitat cover, and we sampled wild bee communities using pan‐traps for 4 months. Then, we measured functional traits of wild bee species, that is, body size, social behaviour, nesting strategy, and diet breadth. Temperature emerged as the main driver of wild bee communities, with communities richer in species and individuals at warmer temperatures. We found little species replacement between cold and warm sites. In addition, with increasing temperatures, bee communities were dominated by polylectic and small‐bodied species. Here, we showed that in a highly urbanised environment, temperature shapes pollinator communities irrespective of other landscape metrics. Even if warming seemed beneficial for urban pollinator abundance and richness, it might strongly homogenise bee communities by selecting for those traits that make species more easily adaptable.