scholarly journals The Cooling Effect of Urban Green Spaces in Metacities: A Case Study of Beijing, China’s Capital

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4601
Author(s):  
Liang Yan ◽  
Wenxiao Jia ◽  
Shuqing Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Cooling Effect ◽  
Heat Island ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Cooling Intensity ◽  
Urban Heat ◽  
Health And Well Being

Urban green spaces have many vital ecosystem services such as air cleaning, noise reduction, and carbon sequestration. Amid these great benefits from urban green spaces, the cooling effects via shading and evapotranspiration can mitigate the urban heat island effect. The impact of urban green spaces (UGSs) on the urban thermal environment in Beijing was quantified as a case study of metacities using four metrics: Land surface temperature (LST), cooling intensity, cooling extent, and cooling lapse. Three hundred and sixteen urban green spaces were extracted within the 4th ring road of Beijing from SPOT 6 satellite imagery and retrieved LST from Landsat 8 remote sensing data. The results showed that the cooling intensity of green spaces was generally more prominent in the areas with denser human activities and higher LST in this metacity. Vegetation density is always the dominant driver for the cooling effect indicated by all of the metrics. Furthermore, the results showed that those dispersive green spaces smaller than 9 ha, which are closely linked to the health and well-being of citizens, can possess about 6 °C of cooling effect variability, suggesting a great potential of managing the layout of small UGSs. In addition, the water nearby could be introduced to couple with the green and blue space for the promotion of cooling and enhancement of thermal comfort for tourists and residents. As the severe urban heating threatens human health and well-being in metacities, our findings may provide solutions for the mitigation of both the urban heat island and global climate warming of the UGS area customized cooling service.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Social Cohesion and Urban Green Space: An Avenue for Health Promotion

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viniece Jennings ◽  
Omoshalewa Bamkole
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Well Being

Social cohesion involves the interpersonal dynamics and sense of connection among people. Increased social cohesion can be associated with various physical and psychological health benefits. The presence of urban green spaces can encourage positive social interactions that cultivate social cohesion in ways that enhance health and well-being. Urban green spaces have also been linked to positive health behaviors and outcomes including increased physical activity and social engagement. Understanding the relationship between social cohesion and urban green space is important for informing holistic approaches to health. In this article, we discuss how positive interactions in urban green space can catalyze social cohesion, social capital and critical health-promoting behaviors that may enhance psychological health and well-being. We also summarize the strengths and limitations of previous studies and suggest directions for future research.

Quantifying the effects of urban vegetation on water partitioning in complex cityscapes: the potential of isotope-based ecohydrological models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Gillefalk ◽  
Dörthe Tetzlaff ◽  
Reinhard Hinkelmann ◽  
Lena-Marie Kuhlemann ◽  
Aaron Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Heat Island ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Heat Island ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Island Effect ◽  
Water Partitioning ◽  
Urban Heat

<p>The continued global acceleration of urbanisation increasingly requires sustainable, adaptive management strategies for land and water use in cities. Although the effects of buildings and sealed surfaces on urban runoff generation (via storm drains) and local climate (through the urban heat island effect) are well known, much less is known about how these artificial influences integrate with water partitioning in more natural urban green spaces. In particular, little is quantitatively known about how different types of urban green spaces (lawns, parks, woodland etc.) regulate the partitioning of evaporation, transpiration and groundwater recharge. To address this crucial issue, we integrated field observations with advanced, isotope-based ecohydrological modelling at the plot scale in the urban area of Berlin, Germany. Measurements of soil moisture, sap flow, and stable isotopes in precipitation, soil water and groundwater have been made over the course of one growing season. Additionally, an eddy flux tower at the site Rothenburgstraße in Berlin-Steglitz continuously collects hydroclimate data by measuring temperature, precipitation, radiation, humidity and wind speed at high temporal resolution. These data (30-min averages) have been used as input to, and for calibration of, the process-based ecohydrological model EcH<sub>2</sub>O-iso. The model also tracks stable isotope ratios and water ages in various stores (e.g. soils and groundwater) and fluxes (evaporation, transpiration and recharge). EcH<sub>2</sub>O-iso has successfully been used to describe the effects of vegetation cover on water partitioning in a number of studies but this is the first implementation in an urban setting. It shows that ecohydrological water use by vegetation type increases in the order forests > shrubs > grass, mainly through higher interception and transpiration. Accordingly, trees can reduce groundwater recharge by >50%, but provide cooling latent heat transfers to the atmosphere.  Similarly, ages of stored water and fluxes are generally greater under trees than grass. The results, which form the basis for future upscaling, show that urban green spaces play an important role in urban hydrology and in Berlin there is a trade-off between moderating the urban heat island effect and maintaining groundwater recharge. Consequently, it is clear that vegetation management needs to be considered in sustainable water and land use planning in urban areas to build resilience in cities to climatic and other environmental change.</p>

scholarly journals The value of Twitter data for determining the emotional responses of people to urban green spaces: A case study and critical evaluation

Urban Studies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 818-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Roberts ◽  
Jon Sadler ◽  
Lee Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Twitter Data

Interactions between humans and nature are understood to be beneficial for human well-being. In cities, urban green spaces are believed to provide many benefits to urban populations in terms of mental and emotional well-being. Through a case study of 60 urban green spaces in Birmingham, United Kingdom, this article investigates the spatial and temporal variation of the emotions experienced by individuals whilst using urban green spaces. Using a dataset obtained from Twitter as the basis for emotional explorations, sentiment analysis was performed on over 10,000 tweets to ascertain the positivity/negativity of individuals. Positive responses were more common than negative responses across all seasons, with happiness and appreciation of beauty being the common positive emotions identified. For the negative responses, fear and anger were present in similar amounts, with fewer tweets indicating sadness and disgust. Our findings show that Twitter data is a viable source of information to researchers investigating human interaction and emotional response to space in cities. Such information has implications for urban planners and park managers, enabling the creation of evidence-based spaces which enhance positive outdoor experience. Limitations in using Twitter data are discussed and these should be considered in future research.

scholarly journals Practical Functioning of a Sustainable Urban Complex with a Park—The Case Study of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5071
Author(s):  
Beata Makowska
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Cultural Center ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Complex

Intensive urban development has created a shortage of urban green areas. The need to economically plan and use urban green spaces has fueled the redefinition of public spaces and parks so as to provide the residents with both recreation and relaxation facilities, as well as a forum for contact with culture. This paper discusses the case of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in the Kallithea district on the outskirts of Athens, near the Mediterranean Sea. It fills a gap in the research on the aspects of the practical functioning of such facilities. The methodology used in the research included an analysis of the literature, the SNFCC’s reports, and an in situ survey. The cultural center hosts a number of events aimed at promoting Greece’s natural and cultural heritage. The paper includes a detailed analysis of the events organized by the SNFCC in the period 2017–2020 and their immense impact on residents. The aim of the study is to show that the creation of the SNFCC with the park areas has functioned as a factor contributing to the improvement of the quality of urban space and the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants. The paper’s conclusions indicate that the sustainable SNFCC project, which fulfils the urban ecology criteria, has been very well received by the visitors—citizens and tourists alike. A program-centered innovation introduced by the SN Park has added great value to their lives. The project contributes to economic and cultural growth, as well as the protection and promotion of heritage.

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