scholarly journals Vegetation Structure, Species Composition, and Carbon Sink Potential of Urban Green Spaces in Nagpur City, India

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Shruti Lahoti ◽  
Ashish Lahoti ◽  
Rajendra Kumar Joshi ◽  
Osamu Saito
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The City

Nagpur is rapidly urbanizing, and in the process witnessing decline in its green status which is one of the identities of the city. The study aims to understand the current species diversity, composition and structure in different classes of greens prevalent in the city. As urban green spaces (UGS) are also reservoirs of carbon stock, the study estimates their biomass. Through rigorous field work, data were collected from 246 sample plots across various UGS classes as pre-stratification. Then the biomass was estimated using non-destructive method with species-specific equation. The diversity of tree species recorded in UGS varies, with high diversity recorded in avenue plantation and institutional compounds. The overall variation in species composition among UGS classes was 36.8%. While in managed greens the species composition was similar, in institutional greens and forest it was different. Particularly, in forest the evenness was high with low diversity and low species richness. The structural distribution indicate lack of old trees in the city, with high number of tree species between diameter classes of 10–40 cm. Biomass was recorded high in road-side plantations (335 t ha−1) and playgrounds (324 t ha−1), and trees with bigger girth size where the main contributors. The dominant species indicates that high growth rate, tolerance to drought and pollution are the key attributes considered for species selection by local authorities. Though the city holds green image, vegetation along the avenues and institutions are stressed, exposed, and threatened by felling activities for grey infrastructure expansions. In such scenario, protection and preservation of older trees is crucial to maintain the carbon stock of the city. In addition, local authorities need to focus on effective afforestation programs through public participation to achieve high survival rate and reduce the maintenance cost. For species selection in addition to phenology and growth rate, tree biomass and life span needs to be considered to significantly enhance the urban environment and increase the benefits derived from UGS.

scholarly journals Dynamic Changes in Community Deprivation of Access to Urban Green Spaces by Multiple Transport Modes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunqi Cheng ◽  
Zhiqiang Liao ◽  
Yu Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The Core ◽  
Transport Modes

Urban green spaces (UGSs) improve the quality of life of urban inhabitants. With the acceleration of urbanization and changes in traffic networks, it remains unclear whether changes in the distribution of UGSs can satisfy the needs of all inhabitants and offer equal services to inhabitants from different socioeconomic backgrounds. This study addresses this issue by analyzing dynamic changes in UGS accessibility in 2012, 2016, and 2020 for inhabitants of the central urban area of Fuzhou in China at the community level. The study introduces multiple transportation modes for an accessibility estimation based on a framework using the two-step floating catchment area method and examines the dynamic changes in community deprivation of UGS accessibility using Kernel regularized least squares, a machine learning algorithm. The results demonstrate that spatial disparities of UGS accessibility exist among the multi-transport modes and vary with time. Communities with high accessibility to UGSs by walking are scattered around the urban area; for accessibility by cycling, the high accessibility regions expand and surround the regions with low accessibility in the core urban areas, forming a semi-enclosed spatial pattern. However, the core urban spatial orientation of UGS accessibility by public transit demonstrates a reverse trend to the above two modes. The spatial pattern of UGS accessibility also varies over time, and the growth rate of accessibility slightly declined during the study period. Furthermore, the increase in UGS accessibility tended to slow from 2016–2020 compared with 2012–2016, and the trend toward equality was also erratic. The degree of deprivation for communities first weakened and was then aggravated, corresponding to the slowdown in the growth rate of accessibility, leading to the persistence existence of social inequality. Moreover, significant deprivation mainly exists among less educated people or those using the cycling and integrated travel modes. Although public transport is developing, deprived communities, such as communities with large proportion of older people, have experienced a decline in access to UGSs by public transport. Based on these findings, the study proposes a policy framework for the balanced distribution of UGSs as part of urbanization.

Noise perception assessment in urban green spaces using soundwalk approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (1) ◽  
pp. 5780-5791
Author(s):  
Omid Samani ◽  
Verena Zapf ◽  
M. Ercan Altinsoy
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Noise Emission ◽  
Visual Effect ◽  
Technical Noise ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The City

Urban green spaces are intended to provide citizens with calm environments free of annoying city noises. This requires a thorough understanding of noise emission and related exposure to sounds in green spaces. This research investigates noise perception in various spots in an urban green space. For this purpose, the study has been conducted in the grand garden of the city of Dresden. The garden covers 1.8 square kilometers of various landscapes, including water streams, park railways, fountains, bridges, roads for bicycles and pedestrians etc. Noise perception was investigated at eleven spots with emphasis on four noise types: nature noise, human noise, traffic noise, and technical noise. In parallel, audio-visual recordings were conducted for each spot to identify the connection between the perceptual measures and the psychoacoustic parameters. These spots are categorized based on the resulting perception and psychoacoustic parameters. In addition, the visual effect of each spot on final perception is investigated. Eventually, annoyance for each spot is identified based on the corresponding participants' perception and is associated with the relevant psychoacoustic parameters.

scholarly journals Assessment of tree species distribution and diversity in the major urban green spaces of Nairobi city, Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onguso Nyambane David ◽  
Bosco Njoroge John ◽  
Onyango Watako Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces

How are characteristics of urban green space related to levels of physical activity: Examining the links

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1091-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Akpinar ◽  
Murat Cankurt
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
General Population ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The City ◽  
Exercise Equipment

This study investigates the associations between characteristics of urban green spaces and frequency and duration of self-reported physical activity in the city of Aydın, Turkey. Data were collected through a survey with 420 participants. We analysed the associations between characteristics of urban green spaces and frequency and duration of general population’ physical activity and physical activity of physically active people with multivariate linear regression while controlling for sex, age, marital status, education level, occupation and household income level. Results showed that for the general population, short distance to urban green spaces, many trees, exercise equipment and picnic areas were positively associated with frequency of physical activity, while barbecue and fire places negatively associated with duration of physical activity. For physically active people, many trees, soccer and basketball fields were positively associated with their frequency of physical activity, but water features were negatively correlated with frequency of physical activity. In regard to duration of physical activity for physically active people, findings showed lawn and exercise equipment were positively correlated with duration of physical activity, while water features, barbecue and fire places were negatively correlated with duration of physical activity. The findings indicate that levels of physical activity in urban green spaces could be promoted with many trees, exercise equipment, picnic areas and lawn. However, causal relationship needs to be conducted with intervention or longitudinal studies.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Residents Perception about Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Urban Green Spaces of Lahore, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-96
Author(s):  
Zartab Jahan ◽  
Safdar Ali Shirazi ◽  
Khadija Sharkullah
Keyword(s):  
Research Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
City Managers ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
The City

In a country like Pakistan, the presence of urban greening and parks are very essential for the well-being ofits citizens. The resident’s awareness about urban green spaces (UGSs) is essential as it would not only help towards ahealthier environment, but prepare residents to manage these spaces efficiently through local resources. This formulatesthe rationale behind current research work. This research is aimed at studying about the resident’s perception for UGS’sattributes like environmental, negative and positive. Another major focus of this research is to analyze thesocioeconomic differentials and its consequent impacts on resident’s perception about urban green spaces, which hasbeen probed with the help of MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance). In this regard the primary data of 223visitors were collected by random sampling method from eight major parks of Lahore, Pakistan. The findings of thissurvey of resident’s perception have shown that mostly male, single, low and middle class, and educated people visitthe urban green spaces and they are highly indebted by their environmental and health benefits. For the selectedcharacteristics of urban green areas, the resident’s perception has revealed that there exists an insignificant relationshipwith age and marital status of the respondents while the most significant relation was shown by the residents whovisited the UGSs regularly as ‘ρ’ value is less than the set significance level of 0.05. This study has highlighted a direneed of such UGSs in the city of Lahore which is known to be the “City of Gardens”. This could raise the spirits ofadministrators, city managers and planners to take immediate action in this regard.

scholarly journals The Impact of Different Tree Planting Strategies in the Piazzas of a Northern Italian City

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Speak ◽  
Leonardo Montagnani ◽  
Hilary Solly ◽  
Camilla Wellstein ◽  
Stefan Zerbe
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Italian City ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Achieving urban sustainability goals, and improving the quality of life in cities, are aided by the careful selection of tree species for public green spaces. Numerous trade-offs and synergies are necessary to consider when selecting tree species for successful public green spaces. In this transdisciplinary research we consider the impacts of nine different tree planting scenarios, as modelled with i-Trees, in three piazzas of Bolzano, North Italy. The scenarios consider the opinions of the general public gathered from focused workshops and data collected via a purposefully created smartphone application. Shade provision and aesthetics were the primary factors that influenced citizen tree preferences. Scenarios which included larger tree species generally performed the best due to the greater provision of ecosystem services that arises with larger tree dimensions. Ecosystem disservices also increase with larger trees but can be minimised by careful species selection. Public participation in the planning of urban green spaces can be a beneficial activity which ensures new planning outputs will be well-received whilst providing opportunities for education of citizens about the multiple ecosystem services and disservices in urban contexts.

scholarly journals Accessibility to and Availability of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) to Support Health and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—The Case of Bologna

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 11054
Author(s):  
Claudia De Luca ◽  
Andrea Libetta ◽  
Elisa Conticelli ◽  
Simona Tondelli
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
The City

In accordance with SDG N11.7, each city should work on providing “by 2030, universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities”. This target became even more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This paper presents and discuss a method for (i) assessing the current distribution and accessibility of urban green spaces (UGSs) in a city using hierarchical network distances; and (ii) quantifying the per capita values of accessible UGSs, also in light of the restrictions in place, namely social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methods have been tested in the city of Bologna, and the results highlight urban areas that suffer from a scarcity of accessible UGSs and identify potentially overcrowded UGSs, assessing residents’ pressure over diverse UGSs of the city in question. Based on our results, this work allows for the identification of priorities of intervention to overcome these issues, while also considering temporary solutions for facing the eventual scarce provision of UGSs and related health and wellbeing benefits in periods of movement restrictions.

scholarly journals Challenges of Urban Green Space and Its Accessibility in Planning District-12, Mysuru City

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-141
Author(s):  
Yashaswini S* ◽  
Shankar B
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Green Space ◽  
City Planning ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The City

Improving the Accessibility of Urban Green Space (UGS) is an integral part of city planning system. People with better access to green space enjoy a wide range of health benefits. Therefore, it is a crucial element to be taken care and nourished in a land use framework. Mysore City is one of the planned large cities in India. The City had a population of about 0.9 million in 2011 and it is estimated to cross the million mark by 2021. There is a growing consciousness on health and wellbeing among the people resulting an increasing demand for urban green spaces both at neighbourhood and city levels. The accessibility helps in promoting usage of UGS and maintaining the balance in environment within the city areas. The main aim of this paper is to study the existing scenario of the UGS within the planning district-12 and to analyse the green space accessibility. The land use of Mysuru city is analysed to understand the city and the micro level land use analysis of Planning district-12 is made. The existing scenario of the UGS within the study area and its accessibility is analysed using different accessibility indicators. Considering the key findings, issues and challenges are identified. Later the suggestions and recommendations for the identified issues is proposed to enhance the green spaces quality and accessibility at neighbourhood levels. The Accessible Natural Green space Standard (ANGst) type of accessibility analysis has been carried to know UGS functionality. Henceforth urban green space network at Planning District levels (local levels) in the City of Mysuru is prepared as a model which can be implemented to the city as whole at the later stages

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