Urban Green Management Research Articles

Responses of Sap Flux Density to Changing Atmospheric Humidity in Three Common Street Tree Species in Bangkok, Thailand

Efficient water management in urban landscape is imperative under the projected increases in drought stress under future climate. Because different tree species have different stomatal regulations to prevent water loss under water limitation, comparative study of species-specific responses of water use to changing weather conditions will benefit selective planting of urban trees for sustainable urban greening management. In this study, a simple and short-term investigation of water use characteristics of three common street tree species in Bangkok, a major city in Southeast Asia was performed. Species included Pterocarpus indicus (Pi), Swietenia macrophylla (Sm) and Lagerstroemia speciosa (Ls). Self-constructed heat dissipation probes were used to track water uptake rates, expressed as sap flux density (J S ), in stems of potted trees and to examine their diurnal variations with changing atmospheric humidity, represented by vapor pressure deficit (D). The results implied that two of the three species: Pi and Sm , may be selected for planting because their Js was less sensitive to changing D, compared to Ls . The sap flux density of Ls increased more rapidly with rising D, implying higher sensitivity to drought in Ls , compared to the other two species. Nevertheless, further study on large trees and under a longer period of investigation, covering both dry and wet seasons, is required to confirm this finding.

Requiem for the urban weeds: an exploration of green spaces in Amsterdam

This article will explore the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) framework for urban environments, focusing on the perception, utilization and maintenance of parks. The case study explores the perception of urban flora and the value of greenery in everyday life in The Netherlands. The reflection section addresses the difference between conventional and C2C approaches to greenery on the one hand and current green management policies and public opinion on the other hand. The author reflects on how urban planning policies can be better geared towards public awareness of C2C, and towards the implementation of ecologically benign management of urban flora. It is proposed that an implementation of urban green management consistent with C2C is feasible and desirable. It is feasible given the favorable shifts in public opinion in relation to urban sustainability, and it is desirable due to the basic cost-benefit analysis and increased need for urban sustainability.

Particulate Matter deposition on Quercus ilex leaves in an industrial city of central Italy

A number of studies have focused on urban trees to understand their mitigation capacity of air pollution. In this study particulate matter (PM) deposition on Quercus ilex leaves was quantitatively analyzed in four districts of the City of Terni (Italy) for three periods of the year. Fine (between 0.2 and 2.5 μm) and Large (between 2.5 and 10 μm) PM fractions were analyzed. Mean PM deposition value on Quercus ilex leaves was 20.6 μg cm−2. Variations in PM deposition correlated with distance to main roads and downwind position relatively to industrial area. Epicuticular waxes were measured and related to accumulated PM. For Fine PM deposited in waxes we observed a higher value (40% of total Fine PM) than Large PM (4% of total Large PM). Results from this study allow to increase our understanding about air pollution interactions with urban vegetation and could be hopefully taken into account when guidelines for local urban green management are realized.

New concept of urban green management

Many cities face a long-term surplus of grass cuttings. Its management is usually financially demanding once many of the up to date technologies require high acquisition as well as variable costs. It was verified in a commercial scale if the newly proposed concept of anaerobic fermentation followed by continuous pyrolysis is technically and economically feasible to manage macerated cutting of urban green in a commercial scale. Design of the concept is thoroughly described, documented in figures, and biochemically analyzed in detail. Assessment of the concept shows that subsequent pyrolysis of the anaerobically fermented residue allows among biogas to produce also high-quality charcoal. It was proved that the proposed solution improves the overall economy. In addition, it may be assumed that this applied research is consistent with previous theoretical assumptions stating that any kind of aerobic or anaerobic fermentation increases the heating value of the charcoal obtained.

Analysis of Urban Greening Maintenance and Management in the Shunde District

We take Shunde District, Foshan City in Guangdong Province for example, to carry out SWOT analysis of urban greening maintenance and management. The strengths of greening management and maintenance in Shunde District are as follows: (i) The greening area and quality are continuously improved in the downtown of Shunde District; (ii) The management and maintenance work is carried out well; (iii) The management and maintenance level tends to be increasingly perfected. The weaknesses of greening management and maintenance are as follows: (i) The fees for greening management and maintenance are very low; (ii) There is corner as yet untouched in the junction of some town streets; (iii) The greening management and maintenance technicians are unprofessional; (iv) The greening management is not in place; (v) There is management vacancy phenomenon in the management and maintenance of regional green space; (vi) The design and construction phase is flawed. Finally, based on the analysis of strengths and weaknesses of greening, we put forth the recommendations for the development of management and maintenance in urban green space.

Developing a self-sustaining protected area system: a feasibility study of national tourism fee and green infrastructure in the Solomon Islands

This research explores how the notion of efficiency could help translate environmental policies into practices to achieve policies targets. The Institutional Analysis Development framework provides the evaluative tool and method. It follows with articulating policy directives alongside the Sustainable Finance of protected area system management perspective. As such, the research offers an interdisciplinary perspective on conservation management particularly in developing island countries where conservation is dominantly financed from international aid and characterized by a shorter time frame. This research serves as a feasibility study for the development of sustainable finance for environmental protection in the Solomon Islands. Data were collected from interviews, minutes, official documents and face-to-face communication during 2010–2012. Reflecting on the case study, more than 50% of the Solomon Islands’ environmental laws are redundant; as such, ensuring the cohesive flow of rules between laws, policies and management plan is viewed here as a first step towards effectiveness. It follows with the argument that environmental laws require to be distinguished from criminal laws and as such enforcement should be viewed within the perspective of providing provisions for innovative financing, self-reliance and ownership. Following these arguments the paper recommends that aid agencies should redirect their policies towards resource mobilization and creating internal financing to support conservation. These initiatives should also include provisions for integrating urban green management in natural resources management. A Solomon Island Environmental Trust Fund is proposed here, where national tourism fees and green infrastructure are proposed as two potential revenues.

Spider, bee, and bird communities in cities are shaped by environmental control and high stochasticity

Spatially organized distribution patterns of species and communities are shaped by both autogenic processes (neutral mechanism theory) and exogenous processes (niche theory). In the latter, environmental variables that are themselves spatially organized induce spatial structure in the response variables. The relative importance of these processes has not yet been investigated in urban habitats. We compared the variance explained by purely spatial, spatially structured environmental, and purely environmental components for the community composition of spiders (Araneae), bees (Apidae), and birds (Aves) at 96 locations in three Swiss cities. Environmental variables (topography, climate, land cover, urban green management) were measured on four different radii around sampling points (< 10 m, 50 m, 250 m, 1000 m), while Moran's eigenvector maps (MEMs) acted as spatial variables. All three taxonomic groups showed weak spatial structure. Spider communities reacted to very fine-scaled environmental changes of lawn and meadow management and climate. Bird community composition was determined by woody plants as well as solar radiation at all radii, the scale of the influence varying among species. Bee communities were weakly explained by isolated variables only. Our results suggest that the anthropogenic structuring of urban areas has disrupted the spatial organization of environmental variables and inhibited the development of biotic spatial processes. The near absence of spatial structure may therefore be a feature typical of urban species assemblages, resulting in urban community composition mainly influenced by local environmental variables. Urban environments represent a close-knit mosaic of habitats that are regularly disturbed. Species communities in urban areas are far from equilibrium. Our analysis also suggests that urban communities need to be considered as being in constant change to adapt to disturbances and changes imposed by human activities.

Spider, bee and bird communities in cities are shaped by environmental control and high stochasticity

Spatially organized distribution patterns of species and communities are shaped by both autogenic processes (neutral mechanism theory) and exogenous processes (niche theory). In the latter, environmental variables that are themselves spatially organized induce spatial structure in the response variables. The relative importance of these processes has not yet been investigated in urban habitats. We compared the variance explained by purely spatial, spatially structured environmental, and purely environmental components for the community composition of spiders (Araneae), bees (Apidae), and birds (Aves) at 96 locations in three Swiss cities. Environmental variables (topography, climate, land cover, urban green management) were measured on four different radii around sampling points (<10 m, 50 m, 250 m, 1000 m), while Moran's eigenvector maps (MEMs) acted as spatial variables. All three taxonomic groups showed weak spatial structure. Spider communities reacted to very fine-scaled environmental changes of lawn and meadow management and climate. Bird community composition was determined by woody plants as well as solar radiation at all radii, the scale of the influence varying among species. Bee communities were weakly explained by isolated variables only. Our results suggest that the anthropogenic structuring of urban areas has disrupted the spatial organization of environmental variables and inhibited the development of biotic spatial processes. The near absence of spatial structure may therefore be a feature typical of urban species assemblages, resulting in urban community composition mainly influenced by local environmental variables. Urban environments represent a close-knit mosaic of habitats that are regularly disturbed. Species communities in urban areas are far from equilibrium. Our analysis also suggests that urban communities need to be considered as being in constant change to adapt to disturbances and changes imposed by human activities.

Hopping on one leg – The challenge of ecosystem disservices for urban green management

The importance of ecosystem services for human well-being has been highlighted by several recent environmental studies and assessments. These assessments provide useful information for urban green management, but they largely exclude various nuisances and losses produced by ecosystem functions. Lack of attention to these ecosystem disservices may seriously hamper environmental management in general and urban green management in particular. Ecological, social and technological changes will affect both what kind of disservices will emerge and how they will be experienced and managed. Especially in urban areas, environmental, social and technological changes spanning from global to local levels are continuously altering urban ecosystems. Our ways of perceiving and valuing ecosystem functions are also undergoing rapid change. Here we discuss the concept of ecosystem disservices from the perspective of northern European urban ecosystems. It is concluded that perceptions about ecosystem disservices have an increasing influence on how urban green areas are experienced, valued, used, managed and developed.

P.1.a.011 Nature and nurture predispose to violent behaviour: on serotonergic genes and adverse childhood environment

Healthy vegetation in cities provides ecosystem services, which contribute to the overall well-being of urban populations, especially in times of climate change and increasing urbanization. More specifically, vegetation monitoring is needed in the context of intensifying and mitigating factors of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Therefore, fast and low-cost, but reliable approaches are needed for monitoring the status of urban greening. A satellite-based monitoring scheme based on freely available data could ensure the provision of key urban ecosystem services, and guide both policy maker and practitioners. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of urbanization and urban green management on vegetation status of park trees during summer season in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, using remote sensing. This city is known to be affected by air pollution and the UHI effect. Further, it is an example of a city with limited green spaces compared to other European cities. Hence, spatial data on vegetation status and potential impacts as a basis for management schemes are required to maintain a healthy urban green infrastructure. Vegetation indices related to chlorophyll, senescence, greenness and water stress were calculated from Sentinel-2 imagery as response variables to vegetation stress. Vegetation status was then predicted for each park using spatial environment factors (e.g. presence of irrigation systems) in a mixed model approach to account for heterogeneity among parks. The most important predictors of vegetation stress were irrigation systems, land surface temperature, distance to a lake and proximity to roads. However, the effect of these predictors on the vegetation status differed among parks. Therefore, a mixed effect model approach is suggested to quantify the effects of urbanization on green spaces in cities, and there is a high potential to use freely available satellite data for a spaceborne-monitoring service of urban green infrastructure.