Well-being Of Urban Populations Research Articles

Biodiversity conservation in Sydney Harbour

Biodiversity conservation is a major issue in ports and harbours as scientists, managers and the public become increasingly aware of the importance of healthy ecosystems to the wellbeing of urban populations. Sydney’s Harbour provides essential environmental, social and economic values to community, government and industry. Recent systematic reviews of the biological and physical characteristics of Sydney Harbour revealed high environmental and conservation value, especially considering the large numbers of people using its resources. However, like many coastal areas, the harbour has been subject to stressors such as habitat loss, metal, organic and nutrient pollution, the introduction of non-indigenous species, foreshore construction and commercial and recreational fishing. Here we outline the environmental assets of the harbour and the major threats, and report on current and developing conservation strategies. By learning about the progress of environmental management in Sydney Harbour, the difficulties faced and new planning strategies implemented, coastal and harbour environmental managers within the region can be better prepared when faced with similar challenges.

English

One of the enduring lessons of cities is the essential relationship between grey infrastructure (e.g., streets and buildings) and green infrastructure (e.g., parks and open spaces). The design and management of natural resources to enhance human health and well-being may be traced back thousands of years to the earliest urban civilizations. From the irrigation projects of the Indus Valley and the aqueducts of the Roman Empire to integrated systems of landscaped urban parks and street trees in contemporary times, humans have sought to harness the capacity of nature to advance city life. This article presents a systems science framework that delineates critical relationships between grey and green elements of cities and human health and well-being by modeling the complex, dynamic problem of asthma in socioeconomically disadvantaged city neighborhoods. By understanding the underlying structure of urban spaces and the importance of social interactions, urban planners, public health officials, and community members may capitalize on opportunities to leverage resources to improve the health and well-being of urban populations and promote social justice and health equity.

Complexity of urban ecosystem services in the context of global change

Bezak P., Lyytimaki J.: Complexity of urban ecosystem services in the context of global change. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 30, No. 1, p. 22–35, 2011. Occurrence and quality of urban green space is important for the well-being of urban populations. Access to green spaces generally improves human well-being and well planned urban green areas can play an important role in economic development as well. Benefits of urban green spaces are well documented, although in many cases they are not acknowledged and taken fully into account by all key stakeholders, or incorporated to planning, construction and maintenance practices. Furthermore, conflicts persist regarding different types of land use and design of urban green areas. Therefore, careful planning will be necessary in order to support both protection and enhancement of biodiversity and the needs of urban dwellers. This will require an interdisciplinary approach integra ting quantitative and qualitative information on ecological, social and economical factors. Even more importantly, a transdisciplinary approach integrating science with urban planning is needed in order to manage the complexity of urban ecosystem services in the context of global change.

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.