An integrated approach to the study of ecosystem state for soil and vegetation cover of urban areas

Worldwide, urban areas are expanding both in size and number, which results in a decline in habitats suitable for urban flora and fauna. The construction of urban green features, such as green roofs, may provide suitable habitat patches for many species in urban areas. On green roofs, two approaches have been used to select plants—i.e., matching similar habitat to green roofs (habitat template approach) or identifying plants with suitable traits (plant trait approach). While both approaches may result in suitable habitats for arthropods, how arthropods respond to different combinations of plants is an open question. The aim of this study was to investigate how the structural complexity of different plant forms can affect the abundance and richness of arthropods on green roofs. The experimental design crossed the presence and absence of annuals with three Sedum sediforme (Jacq.) Pau (common name: stonecrops) treatments—i.e., uniformly disrupted Sedum, clumped disrupted Sedum, and no Sedum. We hypothesized that an increased structural diversity due to the coexistence of different life forms of plants on roofs is positively related to the abundance and richness of arthropods. We found that arthropod abundance and richness were positively associated with the percent of vegetation cover and negatively associated with substrate temperature. Neither arthropod abundance nor richness was influenced by the relative moisture of substrate. We also found that arthropod abundance and richness varied by green roof setups (treatments) and by seasonality. Arthropod abundance on green roofs was the highest in treatments with annuals only, while species richness was slightly similar between treatments containing annuals but varied between sampling periods. This study suggests that adding annuals to traditional Sedum roofs has positive effects on arthropods. This finding can support the development of biodiverse cities because most extensive green roofs are inaccessible to the public and can provide undisturbed habitat for several plant and arthropod species.

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Multi-Temporal Landsat8 Satellite Data Based Crops and Other Land Use Spatial Estimation in Okara District of Pakistan

10.20944/preprints201808.0344.v2 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ibrar ul Hassan Akhtar ◽

Athar Hussain ◽

Kashif Javed ◽

Hammad Ghazanfar

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Satellite Data ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Kappa Statistics ◽

Digital Information ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Land Utilization ◽

Cropping Patterns

Developing countries like Pakistan is among those where lack of adoption to science and technology advancement is a major constraint for Satellite Remote Sensing use in crops and land use land cover digital information generation. Exponential rise in country population, increased food demand, limiting natural resources coupled with migration of rural community to urban areas had further led to skewed official statistics. This study is an attempt to demonstrate the possible use of freely available satellite data like Landsat8 under complex cropping system of Okara district of Punjab, Pakistan. An Integrated approach has been developed for the satellite data based crops and land use/cover spatial area estimation. The resultant quality was found above 96% with Kappa statistics of 0.95. Land utilization statistics provided detail information about cropping patterns as well as land use land cover status. Rice was recorded as most dominating crop in term of cultivation area of around 0.165 million ha followed by autumn maize 0.074 million ha, Fallow crop fields 0.067 million ha and Sorghum 0.047 million ha. Other minor crops observed were potato, fodder and cotton being cultivated on less than 0.010 million ha. Population settlements were observed over an area of around 0.081 million ha of land. 

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‘Trend in premature mortality from four major NCDs in Nanjing, China, 2007–2018’

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-12018-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Huafeng Yang ◽

Yali Fu ◽

Xin Hong ◽

Hao Yu ◽

Weiwei Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Respiratory Diseases ◽

Premature Mortality ◽

Population Data ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Relative Reduction ◽

Mortality Trends ◽

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Abstract Background This study aims to analyze the trends of premature mortality caused from four major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), namely cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes in Nanjing between 2007 and 2018 and project the ability to achieve the “Healthy China 2030” reduction target. Methods Mortality data of four major NCDs for the period 2007–2018 were extracted from the Death Information Registration and Management System of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Population data for Nanjing were provided by the Nanjing Bureau of Public Security. The premature mortality was calculated using the life table method. Joinpoint regression model was used to estimate the average annual percent changes (AAPC) in mortality trends. Results From 2007 to 2018, the premature mortality from four major NCDs combined in Nanjing decreased from 15.5 to 9.5%, with the AAPC value at − 4.3% (95% CI [− 5.2% to − 3.4%]). Overall, it can potentially achieve the target, with a relative reduction 28.6%. The premature mortality from cancer, CVD, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes all decreased, with AAPC values at − 4.2, − 5.0%, − 5.9% and − 1.6% respectively. A relative reduction of 40.6 and 41.2% in females and in rural areas, but only 21.0 and 12.8% in males and in urban areas were projected. Conclusion An integrated approach should be taken focusing on the modifiable risk factors across different sectors and disciplines in Nanjing. The prevention and treatment of cancers, diabetes, male and rural areas NCDs should be enhanced.

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Urban-Water Harmony model to evaluate the urban water management

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2014.272 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 70 (11) ◽

pp. 1774-1781 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yifan Ding ◽

Deshan Tang ◽

Yuhang Wei ◽

Sun Yin

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Water Environment ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Management

Water resources in many urban areas are under enormous stress due to large-scale urban expansion and population explosion. The decision-makers are often faced with the dilemma of either maintaining high economic growth or protecting water resources and the environment. Simple criteria of water supply and drainage do not reflect the requirement of integrated urban water management. The Urban-Water Harmony (UWH) model is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more integrated approach to urban water management. This model calculates four dimensions, namely urban development, urban water services, water–society coordination, and water environment coordination. And the Analytic Hierarchy Process has been used to determine the indices weights. We applied the UWH model to Beijing, China for an 11-year assessment. Our findings show that, despite the severe stress inherent in rapid development and water shortage, the urban water relationship of Beijing is generally evolving in a positive way. The social–economic factors such as the water recycling technologies contribute a lot to this change. The UWH evaluation can provide a reasonable analysis approach to combine various urban and water indices to produce an integrated and comparable evaluation index. This, in turn, enables more effective water management in decision-making processes.

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The Evaluation of Green Investments in Urban Areas: A Proposal of an eco-social-green Model of the City

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10124541 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 4541 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Luisa Sturiale ◽

Alessandro Scuderi

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Landscape ◽

Evaluation Model ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Collaborative Governance ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Scientific Debate ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Green Model ◽

Green Investments

The new and more conscious sensibility towards the environmental sphere supports the idea of “green city”, promotes initiatives of structural integration of the green with the built environment and involves a considerable number of disciplines in a cultural and social debate. The literature reports different experiences of collaborative governance, between administrations and citizens, which tend to enhance the interaction between the different social actors involved in the investments of Green Infrastructures, to share objectives and management methods and to assess the extent of ecosystem services. The objective of this article is to propose a methodological approach to assessing green investments in the urban area, which is able to internalize the social perception of citizens regarding this important component for the urban landscape, with a view to guiding the city’s government towards a new urban eco-social-green planning and evaluation model. It presents a concise framework of the scientific debate on climate change and on the effects of urban planning issues; some relevant experiences of Green Infrastructures; and the proposed methodology, applied to the reality of the “urban green system” of Catania, based on an integrated approach between participatory planning and the method NAIADE (Novel Approach to Imprecise Assessment and Decision Environments).

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An Effect of Urban Forest on Urban Thermal Environment in Seoul, South Korea, Based on Landsat Imagery Analysis

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11060630 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 630

Author(s):

Peter Sang-Hoon Lee ◽

Jincheol Park

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Land Surface ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Urban Forests ◽

Cooling Effect ◽

Surrounding Areas

The urban heat island effect has posed negative impacts on urban areas with increased cooling energy demand followed by an altered thermal environment. While unusually high temperature in urban areas has been often attributed to complex urban settings, the function of urban forests has been considered as an effective heat mitigation strategy. To investigate the cooling effect of urban forests and their influence range, this study examined the spatiotemporal changes in land surface temperature (LST) of urban forests and surrounding areas by using Landsat imageries. LST, the size of the urban forest, its vegetation cover, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were investigated for 34 urban forests and their surrounding areas at a series of buffer areas in Seoul, South Korea. The mean LST of urban forests was lower than that of the overall city, and the threshold distance from urban forests for cooling effect was estimated to be roughly up to 300 m. The group of large-sized urban forests showed significantly lower mean LST than that of small-sized urban forests. The group of urban forests with higher NDVI showed lower mean LST than that of urban forests with lower mean NDVI in a consistent manner. A negative linear relationship was found between the LST and size of urban forest (r = −0.36 to −0.58), size of vegetation cover (r = −0.39 to −0.61), and NDVI (r = −0.42 to −0.93). Temporal changes in NDVI were examined separately on a specific site, Seoul Forest, that has experienced urban forest dynamics. LST of the site decreased as NDVI improved by a land-use change from a barren racetrack to a city park. It was considered that NDVI could be a reliable factor for estimating the cooling effect of urban forest compared to the size of the urban forest and/or vegetation cover.

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Hydrogeomorphic processes and torrent control works on a large alluvial fan in the eastern Italian Alps

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-10-547-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 547-558 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

L. Marchi ◽

M. Cavalli ◽

V. D'Agostino

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Debris Flows ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

European Alps ◽

Alluvial Fans ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Hazard Management

Abstract. Alluvial fans are often present at the outlet of small drainage basins in alpine valleys; their formation is due to sediment transport associated with flash floods and debris flows. Alluvial fans are preferred sites for human settlements and are frequently crossed by transport routes. In order to reduce the risk for economic activities located on or near the fan and prevent loss of lives due to floods and debris flows, torrent control works have been extensively carried out on many alpine alluvial fans. Hazard management on alluvial fans in alpine regions is dependent upon reliable procedures to evaluate variations in the frequency and severity of hydrogeomorphic processes and the long-term performance of the torrent training works. An integrated approach to the analysis of hydrogeomorphic processes and their interactions with torrent control works has been applied to a large alluvial fan in the southern Carnic Alps (northeastern Italy). Study methods encompass field observations, interpretation of aerial photographs, analysis of historical documents, and numerical modelling of debris flows. The overall performance of control works implemented in the early decades of 20th century was satisfactory, and a reduction of hazardous events was recognised from features observed in the field and in aerial photographs, as well as from the analysis of historical records. The 2-D simulation of debris flows confirms these findings, indicating that debris flow deposition would not affect urban areas or main roads, even in the case of a high-magnitude event. Present issues in the management of the studied alluvial fan are representative of situations frequently found in the European Alps and deal with the need for maintenance of the control structures and the pressures for land use changes aimed at the economic exploitation of the fan surface.

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Global Changes in Urban Vegetation Cover

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12010023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 23 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Daniel R. Richards ◽

Richard N. Belcher

Keyword(s):

Vegetation Cover ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Well Being ◽

Google Earth ◽

Eastern North America ◽

Urban Vegetation ◽

Global Changes ◽

Suburban Sprawl ◽

The World ◽

Google Earth Engine

Urban vegetation provides many ecosystem services that make cities more liveable for people. As the world continues to urbanise, the vegetation cover in urban areas is changing rapidly. Here we use Google Earth Engine to map vegetation cover in all urban areas larger than 15 km2 in 2000 and 2015, which covered 390,000 km2 and 490,000 km2 respectively. In 2015, urban vegetation covered a substantial area, equivalent to the size of Belarus. Proportional vegetation cover was highly variable, and declined in most urban areas between 2000 and 2015. Declines in proportional vegetated cover were particularly common in the Global South. Conversely, proportional vegetation cover increased in some urban areas in eastern North America and parts of Europe. Most urban areas that increased in vegetation cover also increased in size, suggesting that the observed net increases were driven by the capture of rural ecosystems through low-density suburban sprawl. Far fewer urban areas achieved increases in vegetation cover while remaining similar in size, although this trend occurred in some regions with shrinking populations or economies. Maintaining and expanding urban vegetation cover alongside future urbanisation will be critical for the well-being of the five billion people expected to live in urban areas by 2030.

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ESDA (Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis) of Vegetation Cover in Urban Areas—Recognition of Vulnerabilities for the Management of Resources in Urban Green Infrastructure

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12051933 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1933

Author(s):

Ana Clara M. Moura ◽

Bráulio M. Fonseca

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Population Density ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Spatial Behavior ◽

Spatial Data Analysis ◽

Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis ◽

Local Index

From the mapping of urban vegetation cover by high-resolution orthoimages, using IR band and NDVI classification (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), added to three-dimensional representation obtained by LiDAR capture (Light Detection and Ranging), the volumetric values of vegetal cover are obtained as a base to construct spatial analysis in the district of Pampulha, in Belo Horizonte, investigating the role it plays in the neighborhood. The article aims to analyze the relationship between vegetation cover, income distribution and population density, as a support to urban environmental quality management. It applies Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) to identify the presence of clusters and patterns of spatial distribution and to examine spatial autocorrelation. The results confirm the concentration of vegetation cover in areas of high income and lower population density but the main contribution of the study is the use of a method to analyze the spatial behavior of this distribution. Calculating Moran global index and local index (LISA), these spatial combinations are mainly used to identify transformation pressures, which may result in the definition of priorities for public actions and the construction of proposals for parameterization of vegetation cover to support plans related to green infrastructure in urban areas.

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