Presence Of Green Space Research Articles

Ecological comfort and public spaces

The key factors influencing psychological and physiological comfort of urban residents include the level of environmental quality, presence of green spaces, connection between man and nature. The increase in urban density makes the creation of ecological comfort zones especially relevant. The subject of this research is the peculiarities of formation of such zone within the structure of public spaces, taking into account the current requirements to the quality of urban environment. The author highlights special significance of public spaces as one of the key object for creation of ecological comfort zones; as well as examines the key problems in formation of public spaces on the background of dynamic urban development.  Clarification is given to the definition of the concept of “ecological comfort in accordance with the basic parameters. The author substantiates the role of public spaces as the important areas in improvement of the quality of life in a modern city. Having analyzed the modern approaches and trends in designing a comfortable urban environment, the author makes proposals on the formation and modernization of ecological comfort zones within the structure of public spaces, as well as systematizes most relevant requirements to determine promising vectors in designing such objects.

The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis.

Can the presence of green space in urban environments reduce the frequency of violent crime? To ascertain the evidence on this topic, we conducted an in-depth literature review using the PRISMA checklist. The search parameters included US articles written in English and published since 2000. More than 30,000 potential paper titles were identified and ultimately, 45 papers were selected for inclusion. Green spaces typically comprised tree cover, parks and ground cover. Criminal behaviors typically included murder, assault, and theft. The majority of the research reviewed involved quantitative methods (e.g., comparison of green space area to crime data). We extracted multiple mechanisms from the literature that may account for the impact of green space on crime including social interaction and recreation, community perception, biophilic stress reduction, climate modulation, and spaces expressing territorial definition. Recommendations are made for future research, such as meta-analysis of existing data and the development of grounded theory through qualitative data-gathering methods. By providing evidence that access to nature has a mitigating impact on violence in urban settings, city governments and communities are empowered to support these interventions.

Social Cohesion and City Green Space: Revisiting the Power of Volunteering

Urban green spaces can facilitate positive social interactions in numerous ways. These interactions may lead to the development of social cohesion among city dwellers. This article provides a viewpoint on the potential role that the presence of green space and volunteering can play in the construct of social cohesion. Specifically, the article focuses on one aspect of social cohesion, volunteerism, as a way to illustrate the immense potential of social cohesion to link health with place and the planet.

Impact of climate change and urban development on the flora of a southern European city: analysis of biodiversity change over a 120-year period

Ecological studies in cities are not only aimed at investigating floristic diversity, but also represent informative test cases for understanding ecological system dynamics and responses to urban and climate changes since cities represent microcosms of environmental changes happening globally. The city of Bologna was selected as a case study since two specific and complete studies have been carried out in a 120-years timespan, one in 1894 and one in 2018. Since 1894, a large increase occurred in the number of taxa (families from 41 to 101, species from 176 to 477) and alien species (from 22 to 144), with a 65% total species turnover. The comparison of species life forms pointed out a noticeable recent expansion of phanerophytes and geophytes at the expense of therophytes and hemicryptophytes. The correlation between urbanistic features and plant richness indicated that the main factor affecting plant richness is the presence of green spaces (parks, tree lines, flowerbeds, etc.). Analysis of variation in Ellenberg’s indicator values over the last 120 years evidenced a shift toward shade-tolerant species, mainly connected to the increased presence of parks and trees within the city. Climate change and the presence of artificially irrigated areas within the city has led to an increase in both hygrophilous and drought-resistant species. In particular, the temperature index showed a significantly higher amount of macrothermal species in accordance with a warmer climate and the urban heat island effect.

Detection Small Aircraft by Acoustic Radiation

Introduction. The problem of detecting small aircraft (SA) gave impetus to the creation of devices and systems for detecting different principles of operation. The detection of drones is complicated by their low visibility, both in the electromagnetic and acoustic ranges of the wavelengths and the feature of the flight path. Flight altitude can vary from units to tens of meters, and the dynamics of movement, from lagging to acceleration in an arbitrary direction. The use of radar allows detect drones in open areas at a distance of up to 1000m. Acoustic observation methods provide detection in complex terrain and the presence of green spaces. The detection range depends on the selected receiver, the radiation level of the object and the level of acoustic noise in the observation area. The development of the algorithm for calculating the detection range for the given detection characteristics seems to be relevant. Theoretical results. For the detection of flying objects it is proposed to use a receiver that provides non-coherent processing of acoustic signals - typical detection channel. The algorithm for calculating the maximum range of detection of SA is based on the statistical theory of detecting a noise-like signal disguised by interference. The algorithm for calculating the maximum detection range of SA is based on the statistical theory of detection of a noise-like signal. The sequence of calculating the maximum range of detection of LLA is reduced to establishing the type, effective frequency band and level of the radiation signal, determining the level of interference in the reception area, calculating the CW detection parameter, calculating the maximum detection range. Conclusions. To detect SA by acoustic radiation, it is proposed to use a detector according to the scheme of a typical detection channel. An algorithm for calculating the probability of detecting a noise signal is presented and a decision rule is established. The paper proposes an algorithm for calculating the maximum distance for detection of SA. An important factor in assessing the range is the distribution of air temperature with altitude and the direction of movement of air masses. Therefore, the algorithm should be improved taking into account the meteorological situation.

More than weeds: Spontaneous vegetation in streets as a neglected element of urban biodiversity

Compared to green spaces, the ecological value of built elements has been largely ignored despite representing the main land cover in cities. In streets, pavements are linear built elements which are omnipresent in all neighborhood types and which extend over large cumulative areas in cities. We assessed the capacity of pavements to promote spontaneous flora and investigated the drivers of pavement plant assemblages. Based on a plant survey along 48 km of pavements in a French city which no longer uses pesticides, we examined the relative importance of multi-scale factors (i.e. landscape context, pavement characteristics and frequency of manual weeding) on different aspects of pavement plant communities including total plant cover, species richness and beta-diversity. More than 300 species were recorded. Plant assemblages were mainly determined by the pavement type, plant cover and species richness being much higher on sandy than on asphalt pavements. There were marked differences in species composition between pavement types with many more species associated with sandy than with asphalt pavements. We found a higher species richness and plant cover on pavements located in commercial and industrial areas than in residential neighborhoods. The effects of weeding frequency and the presence of green space around pavements were marginally important. We demonstrate that pavements with a high level of permeability play a major role in promoting urban biodiversity which should be taken into account by urban planners. We recommend that ecologists work with civil engineers and landscape architects to develop new urban ecological designs.

Spatial analysis of landscape and sociodemographic factors associated with green stormwater infrastructure distribution in Baltimore, Maryland and Portland, Oregon

This study explores the spatial distribution of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) relative to sociodemographic and landscape characteristics in Portland, OR, and Baltimore, MD, USA at census block group (CBG) and census tract scales. GSI density is clustered in Portland, while it is randomly distributed over space in Baltimore. Variables that exhibit relationships with GSI density are varied over space, as well as between cities. In Baltimore, GSI density is significantly associated with presence of green space (+), impervious surface coverage (+), and population density (−) at the CBG scale; though these relationships vary over space. At the census tract scale in Baltimore, a different combination of indicators explains GSI density, including elevation (+), population characteristics, and building characteristics. Spatial regression analysis in Portland indicates that GSI density at the CBG scale is associated with residents identifying as White (−) and well-draining hydrologic soil groups A and B (−). At both census tract and CBG scales, GSI density is associated with median income (−) and sewer pipe density (−). Hierarchical modelling of GSI density presents significant spatial dependence as well as group dependence implicit to Portland at the census tract scale. Significant results of this model retain income and sewer pipe density as explanatory variables, while introducing the relationship between GSI density and impervious surface coverage. Overall, this research offers decision-relevant information for urban resilience in multiple environments and could serve as a reminder for cities to consider who is inherently exposed to GSI benefits.

The grey-green divide: multi-temporal analysis of greenness across 10,000 urban centres derived from the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL)

ABSTRACTThe presence of green spaces within city centres has been recognized as a valuable component of the city landscape. Vegetation provides a variety of benefits including energy saving, improved air quality, reduced noise pollution, decreased ambient temperature and psychological restoration. Evidence also shows that the amount of vegetation, known as ‘greenness’, in densely populated areas, can also be an indicator of the relative wealth of a neighbourhood. The ‘grey-green divide’, the contrast between built-up areas with a dominant grey colour and green spaces, is taken as a proxy indicator of sustainable management of cities and planning of urban growth. Consistent and continuous assessment of greenness in cities is therefore essential for monitoring progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11. The availability of multi-temporal greenness information from Landsat data archives together with data derived from the city centres database of the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) initiative, offers a unique perspective to quantify and analyse changes in greenness across 10,323 urban centres all around the globe. In this research, we assess differences between greenness within and outside the built-up area for all the urban centres described by the city centres database of the GHSL. We also analyse changes in the amount of green space over time considering changes in the built-up areas in the periods 1990, 2000 and 2014. The results show an overall trend of increased greenness between 1990 and 2014 in most cities. The effect of greening is observed also for most of the 32 world megacities. We conclude that using simple yet effective approaches exploiting open and free global data it is possible to provide quantitative information on the greenness of cities and its changes over time. This information is of direct interest for urban planners and decision-makers to mitigate urban related environmental and social impacts.

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN RUANG TERBUKA HIJAU BERDASARKAN PERTUMBUHAN PENDUDUK DAN PERTAMBAHAN KENDARAAN BERMOTOR UNTUK PENGEMBANGAN WILAYAH DI KOTA KENDARI

Muhammad Idham Handa G2F1 011 017 Needs Green Space Based on population growth andAdded Number of motor vehicles for Regional Development in Kendari, under the guidancecounselor Mrs. Weka Widayati as I and Mr. La Baco Sudia, as supervisor II.The need for green open space in urban areas is very meaningful to the people who are on it,causing a variety of multifunctional green space in urban tend to be kept and preserved andallocated. Aesthetic function, the function of water absorption, keeping the microclimate and donot forget to also function providers of oxygen (O2) for a living. In fact population growth is one ofthe factors that cause a reduction in green space, on the other hand increase the number of motorvehicles also require the presence of green space as an absorber of pollutants (CO2) so it needs away out to overcome this problem.The purpose of this study was to analyzed existing condition green space in the city of Kendari, thesecond is to analyze the need for green space based on population growth and the rate of motorvehicle in the city of Kendari, and the last is to analyze the balance of the needs and theavailability of green space and green space allocation plan in Kendari on future to come. Theanalysis used in its entirety is a qualitative descriptive analysis where the growth of populationand the number of vehicles projected and green space per resident in need of analysis inaccordance with existing regulations and previous research.The results showed that the condition of the existing green space in the city of Kendari in 2011covering an area of 3777.46 Ha is, each spread over ten (10) districts with diverse typologies.Kendari City residents need green space in 2011 amounted to 511.625 ha while the need for greenspace by the growing number of motor vehicles is 0.28 ha. Balance of green space needs based onthe remaining population of 2470.49 ha, in the 30 years to come RTH allocated to areas with ahigh density and on roads with high density.Keywords: Green Open Space, Population, Added Motor Vehicles, Existing green space and greenspace needs

More green space is related to less antidepressant prescription rates in the Netherlands: A Bayesian geoadditive quantile regression approach

BackgroundExposure to green space seems to be beneficial for self-reported mental health. In this study we used an objective health indicator, namely antidepressant prescription rates. Current studies rely exclusively upon mean regression models assuming linear associations. It is, however, plausible that the presence of green space is non-linearly related with different quantiles of the outcome antidepressant prescription rates. These restrictions may contribute to inconsistent findings. ObjectiveOur aim was: a) to assess antidepressant prescription rates in relation to green space, and b) to analyze how the relationship varies non-linearly across different quantiles of antidepressant prescription rates. MethodsWe used cross-sectional data for the year 2014 at a municipality level in the Netherlands. Ecological Bayesian geoadditive quantile regressions were fitted for the 15%, 50%, and 85% quantiles to estimate green space–prescription rate correlations, controlling for physical activity levels, socio-demographics, urbanicity, etc. ResultsThe results suggested that green space was overall inversely and non-linearly associated with antidepressant prescription rates. More important, the associations differed across the quantiles, although the variation was modest. Significant non-linearities were apparent: The associations were slightly positive in the lower quantile and strongly negative in the upper one. ConclusionOur findings imply that an increased availability of green space within a municipality may contribute to a reduction in the number of antidepressant prescriptions dispensed. Green space is thus a central health and community asset, whilst a minimum level of 28% needs to be established for health gains. The highest effectiveness occurred at a municipality surface percentage higher than 79%. This inverse dose-dependent relation has important implications for setting future community-level health and planning policies.

A planning framework to evaluate demands and preferences by different social groups for accessibility to urban greenspaces

The role of urban greenspaces is widely considered having positive implications for health and providing a complete set of ecosystem services in cities. This paper presents a planning framework for urban greenspaces that considers demands and preferences for accessibility of different social groups (e.g. children and elderly people). It is designed to achieve different objectives in terms of planning and design of greenspaces and to be used in different urban contexts. The framework is structured in four phases that take place during a planning process of greenspaces: the definition of the objectives, the modelling of accessibility to the new or existing greenspaces, the interpretation of results and the definition of planning decisions. In the framework, accessibility to greenspaces is assessed through spatially explicit GIS-based indicators that combine socio-economic and land-use data with the road network information, so to take into account the interactions between social demands and the presence of greenspaces in cities. Two applications of the planning framework are proposed for the cities of Catania (Italy) and Nagoya (Japan), characterized by different configurations of greenspaces, high urban density urban and presence of particular social groups. Planning implications highlighted by the two case studies are presented and discussed.

The link between perceived characteristics of neighbourhood green spaces and adults' physical activity in UK cities: analysis of the EURO-URHIS 2 Study.

Urban dwellers represent half the world's population and are increasing worldwide. Their health and behaviours are affected by the built environment and green areas may play a major role in promoting physical activity, thus decreasing the burden of chronic diseases, overweight and inactivity. However, the availability of green areas may not guarantee healthy levels of physical activity among the urban dwellers. It is therefore necessary to study how the perceived characteristics of green areas affect physical activity. Data from the EURO-URHIS 2 survey of residents of 13 cities across the UK were analyzed and a multivariable model was created in order to assess the association between their perceptions of the green areas in their neighbourhood and their engagement in physical activity. Results were adjusted for age, gender and other potential confounders. Those who felt unable to engage in active recreational activities in their local green spaces were significantly less likely to carry out moderate physical exercise for at least 60 min per week (adjusted OR: 0.50; 95% 0.37-0.68). Availability of green areas within walking distance did not affect engagement in physical activity. Other characteristics such as accessibility and safety may play an important role. This study showed that the presence of green space may not itself encourage the necessary preventative health behaviours to tackle physical inactivity in urban populations. Development of more appropriate green spaces may be required. Further research is needed to shed light on the types green spaces that are most effective.

Intraurban Temperature Variability in Baltimore

AbstractHow much does minimum daily air temperature vary within neighborhoods exhibiting high land surface temperature (LST), and does this variability affect agreement with the nearest weather station? To answer these questions, a low-cost sensor network of 135 “iButton” thermometers was deployed for summer 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland (a midsized American city with a temperate climate), focusing on an underserved area that exhibits high LST from satellite imagery. The sensors were evaluated against commercial and NOAA/NWS stations and showed good agreement for daily minimum temperatures. Variability within the study site was small: mean minimum daily temperatures have a spatial standard deviation of 0.9°C, much smaller than the same measure for satellite-derived LST. The sensor-measured temperatures agree well with the NWS weather station in downtown Baltimore, with a mean difference for all measurements in time and space of 0.00°C; this agreement with the station is not found to be correlated with any meteorological variables with the exception of radiation. Surface properties are found to be important in determining spatial variability: vegetated or green spaces are observed to be 0.5°C cooler than areas dominated by impervious surfaces, and the presence of green space is found to be a more significant predictor of temperature than surface properties such as elevation. Other surface properties—albedo, tree-canopy cover, and distance to the nearest park—are not found to correlate significantly with air temperatures.

Impacto de la naturaleza urbana próxima en la percepción de seguridad exterior: evidencias de la zona metropolitana del Valle de México

Investigaciones recientes indican que las áreas verdes (AV) son importantes para mitigar el fenómeno de la inseguridad pública. Por ello, en el presente trabajo se documenta la aplicación de un Modelo Ecológico Social del impacto de la Naturaleza Urbana Próxima (NUP) en la percepción de seguridad exterior. Mediante un muestreo intencional se efectuaron 120 entrevistas intradomiciliarias (edad promedio 45.73 años, 63 hombres y 57 mujeres) en una comunidad de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México (ZMVM). En un protocolo uniforme de evaluación y consentimiento informado, un equipo de observadores y co-observadores evaluaron las variables del modelo: NUP (Escala de Naturaleza en Casa, proximidad de AV exteriores), procesos psicológicos de transacción con el medio ambiente (Escala de Transacciones con la Naturaleza, frecuencia de visita a las AV de la comunidad) y percepción de seguridad exterior (diurna y nocturna). El análisis se llevó a cabo por medio de modelamiento estructural. Se comprobó que: a) la NUP (proximidad de AV) tuvo un efecto positivo sobre la frecuencia de visita a las AV; b) el rol mediador de la variable frecuencia de visita a las AV en la relación de proximidad y percepción de seguridad exterior nocturna; y c) impacto positivo de la NUP en la percepción de seguridad exterior.

Green Roof Cost-Benefit Analysis: Special Emphasis on Scenic Benefits

This article presents a green roof cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Green roofs are roofs which are partially or completely covered by vegetation. We discuss the benefits and costs of light self-sustaining vegetated roofs. The benefits of the ecosystem services (ES) provided by green roofs can be classified into private and public benefits. We apply the selected valuation methods first in Helsinki, Finland and subsequently explain how results can be transferred to other urban locations. Past research and this study show that private benefits are usually not high enough to justify the expensive investment for a private decision maker. However, when the public benefits are added to the private benefits, social benefits are higher than the costs of green roofs in most cases.Past research quantified most types of the benefits, excluding scenic and biodiversity benefits. Scenic benefits denote the intangible benefits that people derive from the presence of green space, including at least aesthetic and psychological ones. In this article, special emphasis is placed on the valuation of the scenic benefits; these are among the most challenging benefits to valuate in monetary terms. We employ hedonic pricing theory, implemented via spatial regression models, and green roof implementation scenarios in order to estimate the aggregate willingness to pay for a “unit” of green roof. The results show that the scenic benefits can be a significant attribute in cost-benefit calculations. Yet, the amount of benefits strongly depends on the green roof design.

Roedores y murciélagos en espacios verdes en San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México

Introduction : The demands of space for housing, industrial, commercial, and recreation space, are increasing as the human population continues to focus on urban areas. This implies an increase and constant degradation of natural environments. Despite the negative effect that the urban areas have on the biodiversity, these can be considered as important areas for the conservation of native flora and fauna. This is because urban areas have different types of land uses, where green spaces, represent an important component for the conservation of biological diversity. This study estimated the richness and abundance of rodents and bats in urban and non-urban green spaces in the city of San Cristobal de Las Casas (SCLC), Chiapas, Mexico. Given the great variety of types of green space in an urban area, the richness and abundance of rodents and bats in these areas will depend on the characteristics of the vegetation (richness and abundance of vegetal species) and the formation of the surrounding matrix (types of uses of soil around the green space). Methods: This study was conducted in 10 sites with presence of green spaces in the urban area and the periphery of SCLC. The rodents and bats were captured monthly from March to August 2013, for three consecutive nights per site. We compared the richness of species, relative abundance and diversity index between urban and non-urban green spaces. Results: There were a total of 12 species and 108 individuals, belonging to three families, Muridae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae. In the non-urban green spaces were captured 55 individuals of four species of native rodents, and 19 individuals of three species of bats. In the urban green spaces were captured 11 individuals of three species of rodents (a species was native), and 23 individuals of four species of bats. For the richness of species of mammals, the correlation analysis showed very low values of relationship regarding to the independent variables. Discussion and conclusions: The number of species recorded in this study in the two groups of green spaces (urban and non-urban), show that these spaces can hold more than 40% of the total number of species recorded for the municipality of San Cristobal de Las Casas. The capture of larger number of individuals of species of native rodents in the non-urban green spaces may be that in these areas there is greater availability of resources such as food, shelter and breeding sites, since these sites are part of a remnant of forest. In the case of bats, there were not significant differences in their diversity between urban and non-urban green spaces. This study found that the urban and non-urban green spaces in the interior and periphery of the city of SCLC, are important for the native fauna of rodents and bats. In this way, preserving green areas on the periphery of an urban landscape is decisive for the conservation of the native fauna of the region, since they are reservoirs of their diversity.

Green space and all-cause mortality in the Netherlands

Background: Due to increasing urbanisation, green space in residential environments is under pressure. At the same time, there are indications that presence of green space is important for human he...

Modelling of urban green space walkability: Eco-friendly walk score calculator

Walkability is a well-known count of how conducive an area is to walking to and from chosen destinations. Calculation of a walk score is widely used in accessibility studies to determine the ease or difficulty of travel by foot between one point and another. The main purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated methodology (Remote Sensing, GIS and Spatial Web Technology) to model urban green space walkability, which enables local residents to make informed decisions that will improve their living conditions and physical health related to the neighbourhood environmental quality. We discuss the modelling of urban green space walkability by utilising web-based Geographical Information System (web-GIS) to calculate eco-friendly walk scores based on the presence of green spaces by integrating Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) data and other GIS datasets. We use this spatial web technology to help local residents make decisions related to neighbourhood environmental quality, such as how to choose an eco-friendly living space when buying a home or how to find the shortest or greenest route to walk to improve their health.

Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health

This study investigates whether the presence of green space can attenuate negative health impacts of stressful life events. Individual-level data on health and socio-demographic characteristics were drawn from a representative two-stage sample of 4529 Dutch respondents to the second Dutch National Survey of General Practice (DNSGP-2), conducted in 2000-2002. Health measures included: (1) the number of health complaints in the last 14 days; (2) perceived mental health (measured by the GHQ-12); and (3) a single item measure of perceived general health ranging from 'excellent' to 'poor'. Percentages of green space in a 1-km and 3-km radius around the home were derived from the 2001 National Land cover Classification database (LGN4). Data were analysed using multilevel regression analysis, with GP practices as the group-level units. All analyses were controlled for age, gender, income, education level, and level of urbanity. The results show that the relationships of stressful life events with number of health complaints and perceived general health were significantly moderated by amount of green space in a 3-km radius. Respondents with a high amount of green space in a 3-km radius were less affected by experiencing a stressful life event than respondents with a low amount of green space in this radius. The same pattern was observed for perceived mental health, although it was marginally significant. The moderating effects of green space were found only for green space within 3 km, and not for green space within 1 km of residents' homes, presumably because the 3-km indicator is more affected by the presence of larger areas of green space, that are supposed to sustain deeper forms of restoration. These results support the notion that green space can provide a buffer against the negative health impact of stressful life events.