Decline in Distribution and Abundance: Urban Hedgehogs under Pressure

Increasing urbanization and densification are two of the largest global threats to biodiversity. However, certain species thrive in urban spaces. Hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus have been found in higher densities in green areas of settlements as compared to rural spaces. With recent studies pointing to dramatically declining hedgehog numbers in rural areas, we pose the question: how do hedgehogs fare in urban spaces, and do these spaces act as refuges? In this study, recent (2016–2018) and past (1992) hedgehog abundance and distribution were compared across the city of Zurich, Switzerland using citizen science methods, including: footprint tunnels, capture-mark recapture, and incidental sightings. Our analyses revealed consistent negative trends: Overall hedgehog distribution decreased by 17.6% ± 4.7%, whereas abundance declined by 40.6% (mean abundance 32 vs. 19 hedgehogs/km2, in past and recent time, respectively), with one study plot even showing a 91% decline in this period (78 vs. 7 hedgehogs/km2, respectively). We discuss possible causes of this rapid decline: increased urban densification, reduction of insect biomass, and pesticide use, as well as the role of increasing populations of badgers (a hedgehog predator) and parasites or diseases. Our results suggest that hedgehogs are now under increasing pressure not only in rural but also in urban areas, their former refuges.

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Awareness of Air Pollution and Ecosystem Services Provided by Trees: The Case Study of Warsaw City

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910611 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10611

Author(s):

Karolina Kais ◽

Marlena Gołaś ◽

Marzena Suchocka

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Social Awareness ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Green Areas ◽

The City

One of the consequences of the constant urban development in numerous countries is a growing concentration of air pollution, which adversely affects both the environment and people’s health. One of the ways of changing this negative trend is to maintain green areas and trees within cities, as they serve many ecosystem functions, including biological absorption of particles and other types of air pollution. This article provides the findings of a study carried out among the residents of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, in order to assess social awareness of air pollution and the importance of trees. The study of the residents’ awareness was supplemented with the assessment of the parameters of the trees’ capacity for pollution absorption in selected locations performed with the help of the i-Tree Eco tool, which allowed the authors to compare the residents’ impressions on the role of trees in the process of absorption of pollution with their actual potential. The analyses showed that the majority of city residents are concerned with the problem of air in the city, but at the same time failing to notice its negative impact on their health. The majority of respondents were not aware of the role the trees play in the process of pollution absorption, suggesting that there is a real need for raising social awareness of functions served by trees and green areas in urban spaces. The comparison of the city residents’ opinions on the importance of trees in the process of pollution absorption with objective data obtained with the help of i-Tree Eco tool shows that the majority of people’s impressions of pollution absorption by trees in urban areas is correct.

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Methodological Dimensions of Delineating Peri-urban Areas: The Case of Kolkata Metropolis

Environment and Urbanization Asia ◽

10.1177/0975425320938519 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 183-194

Author(s):

Dinabandhu Mondal ◽

Sucharita Sen

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

The Past ◽

Social Transitions ◽

Complex Interactions ◽

Metropolitan Cities ◽

Municipal Boundaries ◽

The City ◽

Complex Characters

In the past few decades, due to urbanization and spatial expansion of cities beyond their municipal boundaries, complex interactions between the city and its surrounding rural areas have occurred, resulting in the formation of peri-urban spaces or zones of transition. There is a plurality of definitions for these peri-urban spaces, due to their diverse character in terms of land and water use, livelihood shifts, demographic and social transitions. Most peri-urban areas, specifically those around large metropolitan cities, are increasingly assuming complex characters, which call for governance structures beyond rural–urban binaries. For any administrative intervention of a serious nature in peri-urban areas, a standard methodology for demarcation of these spaces is required. This article is an attempt to develop and apply such a methodology beyond the existing ones, using government sources of data, in the case of Kolkata Metropolis. This article uses socio-economic and land-use characteristics to achieve this objective. It finds that peri-urban spaces do not necessarily develop uniformly around the city; instead, they are fragmented and could be located both near or relatively far from urban areas.

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The Role of Provide Survice Small Town in Rural–Urban Linkages for Sustainable Development: A case of rural-urban linkage of Malda district, West Bengal, India

iJARS International Journal of Economics and Commerce ◽

10.20908/ijarsijec.v2i4.3775 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Anik Saha

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Institutional Constraints ◽

Service Development ◽

Trade Policies ◽

Trade Networks ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

The City

Rural–urban linkages play a fundamental role in the generation of service, development, health treatment and wealth. Yet, for various reasons the importance of such linkages is not recognized and thus unnoticed in rural economic and trade policies. The present paper investigates infrastructure problem, institutional constraints and dependency rural area on near rural service trade barriers that tend to discourage linkages between rural and urban areas and thus prevent a process of rural empowerment and economic development. The findings of our review indicate that clustering rural and urban areas into regional planning units may create the necessary enabling environment for extensive trade networks and knowledge switch over between the city and the neighbor rural-side. As such, stronger rural–urban linkages could also play a crucial role in fulfill rural areas demand in developing countries.

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PERAN KELUARGA TERHADAP LANSIA di PUSKESMAS REJOSARI

Journal of Health Sciences ◽

10.33086/jhs.v10i2.132 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Liva Maita

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

The Elderly ◽

General Purpose ◽

Health Examination ◽

Family Role ◽

Good Nutrition ◽

The City

In Indonesia the attention to the elderly population increases mainly due to the number that tends to increase rapidly. In 2010, the number of elderly residents living in urban areas was 12,380,321 people (9.58%), and those living in rural areas of 15.612.232 people (9.97%). There is a considerable difference between the elderly in the city and in the village. This difference can be due to the migration patterns of young people to the city and their old age prefer to their village, and villagers have a greater life expectancy because they do not breathe polluted air, do not often face the things that make them more stressful, tentramnya rather than the days of stress, and also because the food consumed is not contaminated with pesticides, thus making them not susceptible to disease. General Purpose Knowledge of family role to health of elderly at Rejosari Health Center Pekanbaru year 2013. Type of research was descriptive. Sample in this study as many as 94 elderly who taken mengguankan purposive sampling technique, the data were analyzed univariat. The result of the research showed the role of family in the health examination of the elderly with good category (88,30%), the role of family in the fulfillment of good nutrition of elderly with good category (98,94%), family role in meeting the needs of rest and sleep of elderly with good category (91, 94%) and the role of family with good category (95%). It is expected that the PHC to improve the Elderly Health Program in PHC through health examination and gymnastics elderly every week.

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A Study Of Expansion Of The Fmcg Market Across Rural Areas

Restaurant Business ◽

10.26643/rb.v118i8.7094 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 118 (8) ◽

pp. 142-151

Author(s):

Dr. Udayagiri Raghunath ◽

Dr. V.Venkateswara Rao

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Customer Choice ◽

Income Levels ◽

Rural Markets ◽

Urban Markets ◽

Tv Media ◽

Rural Clients ◽

Tv Watching

The corporate companies dealing with FMCG products have started focusing on rural markets as the urban markets have become saturated and highly competitive. Capturing the rural markets brings forth a whole new set of challenges as it is laborious to break in. This market presents the companies with gamut challenges on a new dimension which demand entirely different strategies as compared to the ones used in urban areas. Studying the rural markets for rural markets has become crucial more than ever. It is an objective learning, psychiatry of dispersion, impact of the FMCG in rural areas. This research uses diverse utensils, procedure toward analyze composed records. Several of the features used in analyzing the data are the consumer characteristics like educational qualifications, professions they are in, and the income levels. The role of TV media advertising is also analyzed. Many deals and promotions advertised on TV are investigated. The scope of authority wield by publicity happening customer choice production has looked into. The different levels of media exposure and preferable TV watching times and their favorite programs considered while analyzing the data. The spending prototype of rural clients on FMCG is examined and further categorized based on their income levels, educational qualifications, and legal awareness of consumer act. All the analyzed data, results, and suggestions presented in the visual formats.

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Ecological Connectivity in Agricultural Green Infrastructure: Suggested Criteria for Fine Scale Assessment and Planning

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080807 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 807

Author(s):

Simone Valeri ◽

Laura Zavattero ◽

Giulia Capotorti

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Landscape Heterogeneity ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Unique Type

In promoting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service capacity, landscape connectivity is considered a critical feature to counteract the negative effects of fragmentation. Under a Green Infrastructure (GI) perspective, this is especially true in rural and peri-urban areas where a high degree of connectivity may be associated with the enhancement of agriculture multifunctionality and sustainability. With respect to GI planning and connectivity assessment, the role of dispersal traits of tree species is gaining increasing attention. However, little evidence is available on how to select plant species to be primarily favored, as well as on the role of landscape heterogeneity and habitat quality in driving the dispersal success. The present work is aimed at suggesting a methodological approach for addressing these knowledge gaps, at fine scales and for peri-urban agricultural landscapes, by means of a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome. The study area was stratified into Environmental Units, each supporting a unique type of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV), and a multi-step procedure was designed for setting priorities aimed at enhancing connectivity. First, GI components were defined based on the selection of the target species to be supported, on a fine scale land cover mapping and on the assessment of land cover type naturalness. Second, the study area was characterized by a Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and connectivity was assessed by Number of Components (NC) and functional connectivity metrics. Third, conservation and restoration measures have been prioritized and statistically validated. Notwithstanding the recognized limits, the approach proved to be functional in the considered context and at the adopted level of detail. Therefore, it could give useful methodological hints for the requalification of transitional urban–rural areas and for the achievement of related sustainable development goals in metropolitan regions.

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A cross-sectional study to assess knowledge of women about cervical cancer: an urban and rural comparison

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12199-021-00986-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Małgorzata Lesińska-Sawicka

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Correct Answer ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Average Life Expectancy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

The City

Abstract Introduction Cervical cancer and its etiopathogenesis, the age of women in whom it is diagnosed, average life expectancy, and prognosis are information widely covered in scientific reports. However, there is no coherent information regarding which regions—urban or rural—it may occur more often. This is important because the literature on the subject reports that people living in rural areas have a worse prognosis when it comes to detection, treatment, and life expectancy than city dwellers. Material and methods The subjects of the study were women and their knowledge about cervical cancer. The research was carried out using a survey directly distributed among respondents and via the Internet, portals, and discussion groups for women from Poland. Three hundred twenty-nine women took part in the study, including 164 from rural and 165 from urban areas. The collected data enabled the following: (1) an analysis of the studied groups, (2) assessment of the respondents’ knowledge about cervical cancer, and (3) comparison of women’s knowledge depending on where they live. Results The average assessment of all respondents’ knowledge was 3.59, with women living in rural areas scoring 3.18 and respondents from the city—4.01. Statistical significance (p < 0.001) between the level of knowledge and place of residence was determined. The results indicate that an increase in the level of education in the subjects significantly increases the chance of getting the correct answer. In the case of age analysis, the coefficients indicate a decrease in the chance of obtaining the correct answer in older subjects despite the fact that a statistically significant level was reached in individual questions. Conclusions Women living in rural areas have less knowledge of cervical cancer than female respondents from the city. There is a need for more awareness campaigns to provide comprehensive information about cervical cancer to women in rural areas. A holistic approach to the presented issue can solve existing difficulties and barriers to maintaining health regardless of the place of life and residence. Implication for cancer survivors They need intensive care for women’s groups most burdened with risk factors.

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The Role of Urban Morphology Design on Enhancing Physical Activity and Public Health

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17072359 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (7) ◽

pp. 2359 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sadegh Fathi ◽

Hassan Sajadzadeh ◽

Faezeh Mohammadi Sheshkal ◽

Farshid Aram ◽

Gergo Pinter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Space Syntax ◽

Urban Morphology ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

The City

Along with environmental pollution, urban planning has been connected to public health. The research indicates that the quality of built environments plays an important role in reducing mental disorders and overall health. The structure and shape of the city are considered as one of the factors influencing happiness and health in urban communities and the type of the daily activities of citizens. The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in the main structure of the city via urban design in a way that the main form and morphology of the city can encourage citizens to move around and have physical activity within the city. Functional, physical, cultural-social, and perceptual-visual features are regarded as the most important and effective criteria in increasing physical activities in urban spaces, based on literature review. The environmental quality of urban spaces and their role in the physical activities of citizens in urban spaces were assessed by using the questionnaire tool and analytical network process (ANP) of structural equation modeling. Further, the space syntax method was utilized to evaluate the role of the spatial integration of urban spaces on improving physical activities. Based on the results, consideration of functional diversity, spatial flexibility and integration, security, and the aesthetic and visual quality of urban spaces plays an important role in improving the physical health of citizens in urban spaces. Further, more physical activities, including motivation for walking and the sense of public health and happiness, were observed in the streets having higher linkage and space syntax indexes with their surrounding texture.

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STUDY ON URBAN RESIDUAL SPACE AS SOLUTIONS REVIEW FOR AREA PROBLEMS

SINERGI ◽

10.22441/sinergi.2021.3.002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 245

Author(s):

Diana Ayudya ◽

Mona Anggiani

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Open Space ◽

Social Conditions ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Vacant Land ◽

Study Results ◽

Spatial Use ◽

Residual Space ◽

Density Irregularity ◽

The City

In cities, spaces were intentionally formed, planned, or unintentionally unplanned. Unlike planned spaces, unplanned spaces in urban areas eventually tend to cause problems for the area. These spaces were referred to as residual spaces, which were generally vacant land or open space in various urban spaces. Urban residual space was also commonly found in tertiary activity centers in big cities like Jakarta, one of which was in the trade and service area of the city. Residual space in such areas grew and developed due to dense activity within the area, resulting building density, irregularity in some spatial use and environmental degradation. Due such conditions, several questions are significant to be raised. What are the typology, utilization, and its impacts on the area? Did it only cause a problem, or could it be a solution to problems within the area? This study aimed to examine the typology of residual space based on the shape, location, utilization, and impact of trade and service activities in South Jakarta, Kebayoran Lama area. The proposed approach used was a qualitative study of the residual spaces in predetermined trade and commercial areas. The study results of the physical, spatial, visual, and social conditions of urban residual space were explained descriptively to get a picture of the characteristics of the form, location, utilization, and impact on the area.

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An automated classification system for urban areas matching the ‘city country fingers’ pattern: the cases of Kamakura (Japan) and Acireale (Italy) cities

Journal of Urban Ecology ◽

10.1093/jue/juab023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Roberto Spina ◽

Emiliano Tramontana

Keyword(s):

Urban Area ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Google Earth ◽

Classification Model ◽

Complete Analysis ◽

City Development ◽

Essential Condition ◽

Green Areas ◽

The City

Abstract The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas is one of the main factors that reduce the liveability of cities. In recent years, to contrast urban sprawl, several nations have promoted policies aimed at developing urban green spaces. The importance of green oases within cities had already been highlighted, in 1977, by the architect Christopher Alexander who had developed a series of patterns including ‘City Country Fingers’ claiming that city development should consider the prolongation of country land in to the urban area. In several cities, especially in Japan, it is possible to recognize the imprint of urban development based on country fingers. This term refers to extensive urban intersections of agricultural land or wooded hills which, from the peripheral areas, penetrate the city. Inside them, there are urban windows, called city fingers, whose development direction is opposite to those of the country fingers. To recognize and analyze, in an automated way, these particular structures, a Python-based application was created. Starting from the original high-resolution image of Google Earth, a complete analysis was performed, labeling and delimiting urban and vegetational areas and extrapolating the main geometric parameters of the country and city fingers. The finalization of the results obtained was carried out through a classification model whose criteria were based on Alexander’s pattern. Thanks to this classification scheme, the distinction between Active Green Areas (country fingers) and Passive Green Areas (gardens and public parks) have been revealed for the analyzed cities. The tests performed showed almost ideal conditions for the city of Kamakura and a limited match for the urban area of Acireale. The proposed method is suitable for fields of application that require a qualitative and quantitative determination of the vegetation cover present within the city, an essential condition for correct territorial planning.

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