Urban Green Zones Research Articles

Результаты и оценка многолетней интродукции на особо охраняемых природных территориях южно-таежного района

The article shows the analysis results of the vitality and sustainability of the plantings having introduced species in their composition in specially protected natural areas of the south taiga zone (Vologda region). The research purpose is to summarize the available information and carry out the silvicultural assessment of long-term introduction to the plantings in these territories. The species composition is revealed and the sanitary and decorative state of tree and shrub vegetation is estimated. The research objects were the plantings growing in the following parks: Arboretum in Ustyuzhna, Old Park in the settlement of Danilovskoye, Old Park in the settlement of Mozhaiskoye, and Old Park in the village of Kurkino. It was found that the species composition of the suited specially protected natural areas is represented by 34 tree and shrub species: 4 coniferous tree species, 16 deciduous tree species, and 14 species of shrubs. The share of introduced species, in the whole, for all the objects under study is more than 60 %. During the recordings, 12 types of damage were found. According to the degree of influence they were divided into 3 groups: significantly reducing the stability in the plantings (18 % of the total number of damaged trees), reducing the decorative effect (38 %), and reducing the sanitary state of wood species (44 %). In order to improve the sanitary state of the plantings, to ensure that the plantings perform their target functions, and to reduce the economic damage caused by negative anthropogenic factors, it is necessary to take sanitary and recreational measures such as removing dangerous, drying and dead trees. Valuable plants (those of old age or having historical value) were selected; certification of valuable trees was carried out. The biological diversity of tree and shrub vegetation was estimated through determining biodiversity indices. The relationship between the forest stand composition and its resistance to negative environmental factors was revealed. The results of the research can be used by the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in planning and organizing the works on arranging protection forests, including urban green zones.

Monitoring city green zones using GIS technologies: An example of Tashkent city, Uzbekistan

Increasing green zones can be a suitable option to meet the challenges of growing cities. City authorities in developing countries face a lack of reliable data on the status of urban trees and forestry. The objective of this study was to carry out a spatio-temporal analysis of the dynamics of urban green zones of Tashkent City using Landsat satellite images taking into account climatic changes. For this, we used methods of laying test plots in assessing tree-shrubbery vegetation, a technique for expert interpretation of land cover objects from satellite images of medium spatial resolution, and mathematical statistics. The statistical analyses showed that the temperature regime has the greatest degree of influence on the dynamics of NDVI, i.e. the onset of the growing season corresponds to an increase in temperature. Precipitation, in view of its unstable and uneven distribution in the study area, has a weak negative relationship with the phytomass of green zones. Spatial analysis revealed an average degree of variability of NDVI in the green areas of the city for the studied period of 2000-2011.

Allergenic pollen concentrations in the air of urban parks in relation to their vegetation

In the face of the intensifying process of urbanization and the increased incidence of pollen allergies among urban residents, there is still a need to continuously monitor the airborne concentration of allergenic plant pollen. Urban green spaces (UGS) are a desirable element of the urban fabric and necessary for the proper functioning of cities, but they are a rich source of allergenic pollen that may pose a certain risk to people visiting them. The main aim of this study was to analyse the airborne allergenic pollen content in parks of different types relative to a reference point located on the roof of a building. Moreover, this study investigated the relationship between tree canopy volume and the number of recorded airborne pollen grains (SPIn- Seasonal Pollen Integral), and these parameters were compared with the potential impact of vegetation in the parks studied through the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (IUGZA). Aerobiological monitoring was carried out in Rzeszów, SE Poland in 2016. A volumetric Hirst-type device was used. The pollen seasons of many taxa largely overlapped at each site where the monitoring was carried out, but the concentration values clearly differed. Tree pollen concentration values were not dependent on total canopy volume, and the greatest disproportions were found for Acer, Betula, Quercus, and Tilia pollen. This may be due to the fact that a solitary tree produces more pollen than a tree growing near others of the same species. The downtown park, surrounded by densely built-up areas, exhibited the highest allergenic potential, and the concentration of pollen, in particular tree pollen, was highest there. It is undesirable to plant hedges of allergenic plants, as they are a rich local source of pollen. Aerobiological monitoring carried out in urban parks provides information about the real threat of allergenic pollen to park visitors.

Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future.

The impact of allergens emitted by urban green spaces on health is one of the main disservices of ecosystems. The objective of this work is to establish the potential allergenic value of some tree species in urban environments, so that the allergenicity of green spaces can be estimated through application of the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (IUGZA). Multiple types of green spaces in Mediterranean cities were selected for the estimation of IUGZ. The results show that some of the ornamental species native to the Mediterranean are among the main causative agents of allergy in the population; in particular, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Fagaceae, and Platanus hispanica. Variables of the strongest impact on IUGZA were the bioclimatic characteristics of the territory and design aspects, such as the density of trees and the number of species. We concluded that the methodology to assess the allergenicity associated with urban trees and urban areas presented in this work opens new perspectives in the design and planning of urban green spaces, pointing out the need to consider the potential allergenicity of a species when selecting plant material to be used in cities. Only then can urban green areas be inclusive spaces, in terms of public health.

Feasibility of Ecosystem Services Concept Implementation for Russian Cities

This article considers feasibility of ecosystem services assessment for Russian cities. The high significance of this study is determined by the assignment of the President of the Russian Federation to the Government of Russia to develop an action plan aimed at strengthening Russia's position for the formation of international environmental agenda and discussion of issues related to the creation of a system of compensation (payments) for ecosystem services, focusing at Russia’s position as an environmental donor (Pr-140GS, p.1 d, dated December 26, 2016), on the one hand, and implementation of the strategy for housing development for Russian Federation till 2015, on the other. In this paper, ecosystem services as both direct and indirect effects of ecosystems on the well-being of society are considered. The high relevance of the assessment of ecosystem and urban ecosystem services for Russian Federation is discussed. Adaptation of foreign methods for the Russian Federation is actualized. Various approaches to the classification of urban ecosystem services are considered, and a classification of urban environmental services for Russian cities is developed in accordance with Russian legislation. Foreign approaches for the assessment of the ecosystem service "Air Purification" are considered, and existing limitations for the application of these approaches in Russian cities are identified. Russian approaches for the regulation functions assessing of the urban ecosystems are analyzed: dust, gas purification by soils, urban green zones. Approaches for assessing of the need for the ecosystem service "Air Purification" in the city were analyzed. By the example of the "Air Purification" service determines the possibility of adapting approaches to the assessment of ecosystem services for Russian cities are shown.

Woody species and trait diversity-functional relations of green spaces in Kumasi, Ghana

Urban biodiversity is essential to creating resilient and sustainable cities. Nevertheless, there is paucity of data on the characterization of microhabitat effects on species/trait diversity and diversity-functional relationships in urban landscapes especially in developing countries. The objectives of this study were to; 1) analyze tree species diversity and composition of urban green space (UGS) types and urban zones, (2) describe the life history diversity of UGS types and urban zones and 3) examine the links between species and life history trait diversity and species productivity (carbon storage) in Kumasi, Ghana. Stratified random sampling was adopted in surveying 470 sampling plots and six streets of lengths ranging from 50 m to 1 km. About 176 tree species in 46 families were recorded within Kumasi. About 96 species were in an adjacent natural forest located at the outskirts of the city. Home gardens, institutional compounds, and public parks had the highest species richness of 76, 75 and 71, respectively while urban rangelands and farmlands were the least species rich with 6 and 23, respectively. Species richness (S) in the peri-urban (LDUZ, S = 142) and core urban (HDUZ, S = 108) were significantly different (Χ2 = 15.7, p < 0.0001, n = 1). Native species richness was lowest in the core urban area and highest in the natural forest. Pioneers and anthropochory dispersed species were the most abundant, suggesting that this urban landscape is shaped by both environment and social filters. Tree species diversity and distribution depend on the type of UGS and portrays a perturbed landscape in the early seres of succession with the overall ecosystem function sustained by both species and life history trait diversities. The implications of these findings for improving urban biodiversity conservation and overall urban sustainability are discussed.

Urban Green Zones Planning Concept and Ecological Functionality (Through the Example of Poltava, Ukraine)

In the article major peculiarities and problems in architectural and planning decisions concerning Poltava urban greening are represented, and ways of solving them are suggested. The town’s green zones appropriation, their ecological, town-planning, sanitary and hygienic, recreational, and in case of some of them nature-sanctuary importance is considered. Structure and economical constituents of Poltava urban green zones planning, which represents average town urban ecosystems in the central (forest-steppe) zone of Ukraine, is analyzed. Maps and figures depicting typical schemes of manufacturing, transportation structure, density of population and urban greening are provided. Outraging of acceptable concentrations in dust and formaldehyde while analyzing urban atmospheric air pollution level according to the data obtained from stationary sites, is shown. These proves importance of taking into account consideration of interdependence between levels and locating of town’s natural resources polluting sources, first of all atmospheric air, with urban territory greening planned decisions. Based on materials concerning study of green zones ecological functionality effectiveness peculiarities, the concept of Poltava urban green zones planning is suggested. Modern town architectural and planning decisions ecological aspects should be integrated into local strategies and development programs, town general lay-outs, transportation systems planning, strategy referring environmental protection, and require local self-government and state support.

Potencial alergénico de los espacios verdes del barrio de Santa María de Gracia (Murcia, SE España)

Los espacios verdes urbanos pueden afectar negativamente a la salud de las personas alérgicas al polen. Recientemente se ha propuesto una fórmula que permite valorar el potencial alergénico de estos espacios. Tras inventariar y medir los elementos vegetales presentes en los parques, jardines y calles del barrio de Santa María de Gracia (Murcia, SE España) se han calculado los índices de alergenicidad (IUGZA) potenciales y reales para el conjunto del barrio y para sus espacios verdes más importantes. El conjunto del barrio tiene un índice de alergenicidad potencial de 0,15, con espacios que llegan a 0,25 y otros que apenas superan el 0,05. Siendo 0,3 el valor considerado como umbral suficiente para provocar alergia, puede afirmarse que el barrio es un espacio seguro de bajo riesgo desde el punto de vista de la alergia al polen. Urban green zones can negatively affect pollen allergy sufferers. A new formula has been recently proposed to estimate the potential allergenicity of urban green zones. After identify and measure the vegetal elements present in the parks, gardens and streets of Santa María de Gracia neighborhood (Murcia, SE Spain), real and potential allergenicity indexes (IUGZA) were calculated. Obtained allergenicity indexes (IUGZA) range from 0.05 to 0.25, with a mean of 0.15 for the whole neighborhood. Being 0.30 a threshold value enough to cause allergy symptoms in the population can be concluded that the neighbourhood and some of their main parks and streets are safe places for pollinosis sufferers and risk of suffering allergies is low or very low.

The first survey of airborne trace elements at airport using moss bag technique.

Air traffic represents an important way of social mobility in the world, and many ongoing discussions are related to the impacts that air transportation has on local air quality. In this study, moss Sphagnum girgensohnii was used for the first time in the assessment of trace element content at the international airport. The moss bags were exposed during the summer of 2013 at four sampling sites at the airport 'Nikola Tesla' (Belgrade, Serbia): runway (two), auxiliary runway and parking lot. According to the relative accumulation factor (RAF) and the limit of quantification of the moss bag technique (LOQT), the most abundant elements in the samples were Zn, Na, Cr, V, Cu and Fe. A comparison between the element concentrations at the airport and the corresponding values in different land use classes (urban central, suburban, industrial and green zones) across the city of Belgrade did not point out that the air traffic and associated activities significantly contribute to the trace element air pollution. This study emphasised an easy operational and robust (bio)monitoring, using moss bags as a suitable method for assessment of air quality within various microenvironments with restriction in positioning referent instrumental devices.

СОДЕРЖАНИЕ ФОТОСИНТЕТИЧЕСКИХ ПИГМЕНТОВ У ДРЕВЕСНЫХ ПОРОД ГОРОДСКИХ НАСАЖДЕНИЙ

&lt;p&gt;The study features the content of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of &lt;em&gt;Larix sibirica &lt;/em&gt;Ledeb, &lt;em&gt;Tilia cordata &lt;/em&gt;Mill, &lt;em&gt;Populus alba &lt;/em&gt;Ledeb &lt;em&gt;x Populus sowietica piramidalis &lt;/em&gt;Jabl, &lt;em&gt;Acer negundo &lt;/em&gt;Ledeb and &lt;em&gt;Acer tataricum &lt;/em&gt;Ledeb in various types of urban green zones. It has been established that the pigment content is a species trait and correlatively depends on the growing conditions (remoteness from pollution sources and transport highways). In ecologically safe areas, high values of photosynthetic pigments in all species have been established, especially the indicators of the pigment amount and the ratio of chlorophyll p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study involves the structure and content of the green pigment of chlorophyll in healthy and damaged leaves. In gas-resistant plant species in an urban environment, the content of a-chlorophyll and the sum of the green pigments are several times higher than in the leaves of medium-resistant species. The authors point out a change in the content of photosynthetic pigments from the concentration of acid gases in the environment and the rate of their absorption.&lt;/p&gt;

Characterization of Allergen Emission Sources in Urban Areas

Pollen released by urban flora-a major contributor to airborne allergen content during the pollen season-has a considerable adverse impact on human health. Using aerobiological techniques to sample and characterize airborne biological particulate matter (BPM), we can identify the main species contributing to the pollen spectrum and chart variations in counts and overall pollen dynamics throughout the year. However, given the exponential increase in the number of pollen allergy sufferers in built-up areas, new strategies are required to improve the biological quality of urban air. This paper reports on a novel characterization of the potential allergenicity of the tree species most commonly used as ornamentals in Mediterranean cities. Values were assigned to each species based on a number of intrinsic features including pollination strategy, pollen season duration, and allergenic capacity as reported in the specialist literature. Findings were used to generate a database in which groups of conifers, broadleaves, and palm trees were assigned a value of between 0 and 36, enabling their allergenicity to be rated as nil, low, moderate, high, or very high. The case study presented here focuses on the city of Granada in southern Spain. The major airborne-pollen-producing species were identified and the allergenicity of species growing in urban green zones was estimated. Corrective measures are proposed to prevent high allergen levels and thus improve biological air quality.

도시공원녹지의 생태성 및 기후변화 대응성 평가 기초 연구

Problems in regard of ecological stability of urban ecosystem ensue from climate change and urbanization. Particularly, urban ecological conditions are deteriorating both quantitatively and qualitatively to a great extent. The present study aims to assess the current condition of selected sites (i. e. urban green zones and parks) in terms of preset assessment components; to find out problems and relevant solutions to improve the quality and quantity of parks and green zones; and ultimately to suggest some measures applicable to coping with climate change as well as to securing the ecological attributes of urban green zones and parks. According to the findings of this study, from quantitative perspectives, ecological attributes and responsiveness to climate change are high on account of the large natural-soil area(80%). By contrast, from qualitative perspectives including the planting structure (1 layer: 47%), the percentage of bush area(17%), the connectivity with surrounding green zones (independent types: 44%), the wind paths considered (5.6%), the tree species with high carbon absorption rates (20%), water cycles (17%), energy (8%) and carbon storage capacities(61%), ecological attributes and responsiveness to climate change were found very low. These findings suggest that the ecological values of urban parks and green zones should be improved in the future by conserving their original forms, securing natural-soil grounds and employing multi-layered planting structures and water bodies, and that responsiveness to climate change should be enhanced by planting tree species with high carbon storage capacities and obtaining detention ponds. In sum, robust efforts should be exerted in the initial planning stages, and sustained, to apply the methodology of green-zone development along with securing ecological attributes and responsiveness to climate change.

Methodology of functional-ecological monitoring of objects and landscaping of Moscow

The role of urban areas in the global land-use structure is permanently growing. Urban ecosystems differ principally from natural ones in formation conditions, driving factors and functioning. Green areas play a key role in city structure, performing important environmental, ornamental and health functions. The methodology widely accepted so far for the environmental control of urban green zones is not able to consider multiple functions of urban areas as well as their unique spatial variability. Herewith we propose a new approach for functional-environmental monitoring of urban green zones in Moscow city, including not only static, but also dynamic parameters and considering their spatial variability and profile distribution. The proposed approach was tested for the case of six green areas within the Sadovoe Ring, Central administrative district of the Moscow city. It was demonstrated that the proposed methodology was much more informative than conventional ones and also better support taking optimal decisions in the sphere of maintaining environmental quality of urban ecosystems.