Using Vegetation Indices to Characterize Vegetation Cover Change in the Urban Areas of Southern China

Vegetation is essential for the provision of ecosystem services. To ensure that ecosystem services are provided, urban planning must consider vegetation cover in both urban core areas and in peripheral areas. This study explored changes in vegetation cover in both urban core and peripheral areas (buffers of 5, 10 and 15 km from the urban core areas) and the relationships between these changes and urban development. To compare the differences in vegetation cover between the urban core and peripheral areas, we developed two vegetation indices, the vegetation influence strength index (VISI) and the vegetation restoration index (VRI), using normalized difference vegetation index datasets and nighttime stable light data from 50 cities in southern China. Using these two indices, we clustered the cities into four types based on their vegetation cover characteristics. The city types varied among the different regions of the study area and cities of the same type tended to occur together geographically. In addition, the two indices showed temporal changes during the study period: A downtrend from 1992 to 2000, an uptrend from 2000 to 2005, and stability from 2005 to 2013. Furthermore, in all cities, the range of the VISI was larger in the peripheral areas than in the urban core areas. However, the range of the VRI was smaller in the peripheral areas than in the urban core areas. As the distance to the urban core areas increased, the fluctuation range of both the VISI and VRI decreased, suggesting that there was less vegetation disturbance farther from the urban core areas. We also showed that changes in vegetation cover were related to differences in urbanization rates, gross domestic products, population densities, and stages of urban development among the cities. These results provide scientific support for urban planning and sustainable development in rapid urbanization areas.

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An Analysis of Urbanisation Dynamics with the Use of the Fuzzy Set Theory—A Case Study of the City of Olsztyn

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12111784 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 1784 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrzej Biłozor ◽

Iwona Cieślak ◽

Szymon Czyża

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Urban Development ◽

Set Theory ◽

Fuzzy Set ◽

Fuzzy Set Theory ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Urban Core ◽

Peripheral Areas

Quantitative, qualitative and structural changes in land use that occur in a given location over time are a manifestation and a measure of urban development. Urbanisation is a process of spatial diffusion that spreads from the urban core to peripheral areas. Urban development is linked with human activities in a specific location and in a given period of time. In the context of spatial management, urbanisation is a process where less intensive land-use types are replaced by more intensive forms of land use. The demand for new land for residential development, the search for alternative locations for housing construction and the development of sustainable land management plans require new methods that support decision-making in the process of land conversion in peri-urban areas. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for identifying and localising the boundaries of urban development with the use of the fuzzy set theory and to analyse the rate of changes in land use based on data for 2005–2010–2017. The proposed method supports the identification and localisation of urbanised areas and an evaluation of the degree of urbanisation in the interval [0,1]. The case study was conducted in the Polish city of Olsztyn.

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The Function and Perception of Urban Ecosystem Services in the Society

Problemy Ekorozwoju ◽

10.35784/pe.2020.1.02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 15-23

Author(s):

Fredrik Edlund ◽

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Development ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Human Health ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Economic Gain ◽

Urban Ecosystem Services ◽

Social Environmental

The urban development that is now taking place globally has led to the most extensive permanent land use that has caused ecosystems to be destroyed and the depletion of natural resources. Today, about 50% of the world’s population lives in urbanized cities and by 2030 it is estimated to be about 70%. The fact that we gather in larger numbers in cities means that we transport large volumes of resources to these areas, which gives rise to waste and emissions, which places a burden on the neighboring environment to the it’s limits. This leads to problems for both human health and society’s economy, which is because the ecosystems that help us, collapse. To counter this, a better urban planning is required which includes the environment in society as ecosystem services. The problem with ecosystem services is that they do not have a commercial value, which makes it difficult to implement since they do not indicate any economic gain. Therefore, it is necessary to increase knowledge about how they contribute so that they can be correlated to how they contribute to society from three aspects: economic, social, environmental.

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Promoting strategic Nature-based Solutions (NBS) by understanding ecosystem services as a driving factor for urban growth

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1563 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Haozhi Pan ◽

Jessica Page ◽

Zahra Kalantari ◽

Stephan Barthel

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Development ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Spatial Relationship ◽

Urban Land Use ◽

Commercial Development ◽

Natural Systems ◽

Social Ecological

<p>Nature-based solutions (NBS) can be used in improving and protecting ecosystem services (ES), in order to address urban challenges. However, current urban planning approaches have not efficiently integrated NBS into planning to better manage urban land use. This paper examines the interactions between human and natural systems resulting in urban ES and land use and cover change (LUCC) and presents a social-ecological model for LUCC and ES that can help introduce NBS in urban planning. In the model, spatial variations in ES are treated as both drivers and consequences of human decision-making in commercial and residential location choices that drive LUCC. Stockholm County, Sweden, is used as a case study, with a social-ecological LUCC model on 30x30m grid. The results show that ES accessibility drives urban residential and commercial development, with the presence of non-linearity. Areas around existing urban centers show high ES accessibility and high development probabilities, while smaller population centers in large areas enjoy high ES accessibility and low urban development probabilities. Based on the model results, we propose place-specific NBS strategies to deal with the heterogeneous spatial relationship between ES and urban development probabilities.</p>

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Who Pays the Bill? Assessing Ecosystem Services Losses in an Urban Planning Context

Land ◽

10.3390/land10040369 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 369

Author(s):

Harald Zepp ◽

Luis Inostroza

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Development ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Industrial Area ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Compensation Approach ◽

Development Alternatives ◽

The Impact

While Ecosystem Services (ES) are crucial for sustaining human wellbeing, urban development can threaten their sustainable supply. Following recent EU directives, many countries in Europe are implementing laws and regulations to protect and improve ES at local and regional levels. However, urban planning regulations already consider mandatory compensation for the loss of nature, and this compensation is often restricted to replacing green with green in other locations. This situation might lead to the loss of ES in areas subject to urban development, a loss that would eventually be replaced elsewhere. Therefore, ES assessments should be included in urban planning to improve the environmental conditions of urban landscapes where development takes place. Using an actual planning and development example that involves a proposed road to a restructured former industrial area in Bochum, Germany, we developed an ad-hoc assessment to compare a standard environmental compensation approach applying ES. We evaluated the impact of the planned construction alternatives with both approaches. In a second step, we selected the alternative with a lower impact and estimated the ES losses from the compensation measures. Our findings show that an ES assessment provides a solid basis for the selection of development alternatives, the identification of compensation areas, and the estimation of compensation amounts, with the benefit of improving the environmental quality of the affected areas. Our method was effective in strengthening urban planning, using ES science in the assessment and evaluation of urban development alternatives.

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SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLANNING DOCUMENTATION FOR THE UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES

Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development ◽

10.37100/2616-7689/2018/3-4(22-23)/5 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 42-48

Author(s):

Olha Dorosh ◽

Iryna Kupriyanchik ◽

Denys Melnyk

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Development ◽

Land Management ◽

Planning Process ◽

Town Planning ◽

Land Use Systems ◽

The Law ◽

Land Use Development

The land and town planning legislation concerning the planning of land use development within the united territorial communities (UTC) is considered. It is found that legislative norms need to be finalized. The necessity of updating the existing land management documentation developed prior to the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On Land Management" and changes in the structure of urban development in connection with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On Regulation of Urban Development" was proved as they do not ensure the integrity of the planning process within the territories of these communities through their institutional incapacity (proved by the example of the Palan Unified Territorial Community of the Uman district of the Cherkasy region). The priority of land management and urban planning documents as the most influential tools in planning the development of land use systems in UTC is scientifically grounded and their interdependence established.

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Integration of Ecosystem Services in Strategic Environmental Assessment of a Peri-Urban Development Plan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13010122 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 122

Author(s):

Teodoro Semeraro ◽

Benedetta Radicchio ◽

Pietro Medagli ◽

Stefano Arzeni ◽

Alessio Turco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Development ◽

Environmental Assessment ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽

Development Plan ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

South Italy ◽

Urban Plan

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) can support decision-makers in constructing more sustainable plans, programs, and policies (PPPs). To be more coherent with new frontiers of sustainable cities, PPPs need to include conservation objectives and to increase ecosystem service (ES) strategies. The ES concept is not intrinsic to the SEA process; therefore, it is necessary to develop an approach and methodology to include it. In this paper, we propose a methodology to integrate the concept of ecosystem services in all phases of the SEA process for a sub-urban plan, including the design of mitigation measures. The case study is represented by a peri-urban development plan in the municipality of Gallipoli in South Italy, characterized by a strong tourism economy and valuable agro-ecosystems. The analysis shows the priority ecosystem services that are selected considering the sustainable development and environmental goals, the context of referment, and the aims of the peri-urban plan. After, we highlight the potential ecosystem services developed considering the design of mitigation actions like green infrastructure, which could be implemented in the peri-urban plan. The capacity to develop green infrastructure in SEA processes can configure the SEA as a tool for ecological urban design that is integrated with urban planning. This requires the ability to transfer ecological and planning theories into practical actions and the capacity of different disciplines to work in a transdisciplinary approach.

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From TOD to TAC: Why and How Transport and Urban Policy Needs to Shift to Regenerating Main Road Corridors with New Transit Systems

Urban Science ◽

10.3390/urbansci5030052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 52

Author(s):

Peter Newman ◽

Sebastian Davies-Slate ◽

Daniel Conley ◽

Karlson Hargroves ◽

Mike Mouritz

Keyword(s):

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Development ◽

Urban Policy ◽

Land Development ◽

Transit Oriented Development ◽

Transit Systems ◽

Historical Perspectives ◽

Early Case ◽

Entrepreneurship Theory ◽

Road Corridors

The need for transit oriented development (TOD) around railway stations has been well accepted and continues to be needed in cities looking to regenerate both transit and urban development. Large parts of suburban areas remain without quality transit down main roads that are usually filled with traffic resulting in reduced urban value. The need to regenerate both the mobility and land development along such roads will likely be the next big agenda in transport and urban policy. This paper learns from century-old experiences in public–private approaches to railway-based urban development from around the world, along with innovative insights from the novel integration of historical perspectives, entrepreneurship theory and urban planning to create the notion of a “Transit Activated Corridor” (TAC). TACs prioritize fast transit and a string of station precincts along urban main roads. The core policy processes for a TAC are outlined with some early case studies. Five design principles for delivering a TAC are presented in this paper, three principles from entrepreneurship theory and two from urban planning. The potential for new mid-tier transit like trackless trams to enable TACs is used to illustrate how these design processes can be an effective approach for designing, financing and delivering a “Transit Activated Corridor”.

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Cloud Cover throughout All the Paddy Rice Fields in Guangdong, China: Impacts on Sentinel 2 MSI and Landsat 8 OLI Optical Observations

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13152961 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2961

Author(s):

Rui Jiang ◽

Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa ◽

Kati Laakso ◽

Yan Xu ◽

Zhiyan Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cloud Cover ◽

Southern China ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Paddy Rice ◽

Rice Fields ◽

Optical Observations ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Monthly Basis ◽

Satellite Sensors ◽

Sentinel 2

Cloud cover hinders the effective use of vegetation indices from optical satellite-acquired imagery in cloudy agricultural production areas, such as Guangdong, a subtropical province in southern China which supports two-season rice production. The number of cloud-free observations for the earth-orbiting optical satellite sensors must be determined to verify how much their observations are affected by clouds. This study determines the quantified wide-ranging impact of clouds on optical satellite observations by mapping the annual total observations (ATOs), annual cloud-free observations (ACFOs), monthly cloud-free observations (MCFOs) maps, and acquisition probability (AP) of ACFOs for the Sentinel 2 (2017–2019) and Landsat 8 (2014–2019) for all the paddy rice fields in Guangdong province (APRFG), China. The ATOs of Landsat 8 showed relatively stable observations compared to the Sentinel 2, and the per-field ACFOs of Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 were unevenly distributed. The MCFOs varied on a monthly basis, but in general, the MCFOs were greater between August and December than between January and July. Additionally, the AP of usable ACFOs with 52.1% (Landsat 8) and 47.7% (Sentinel 2) indicated that these two satellite sensors provided markedly restricted observation capability for rice in the study area. Our findings are particularly important and useful in the tropics and subtropics, and the analysis has described cloud cover frequency and pervasiveness throughout different portions of the rice growing season, providing insight into how rice monitoring activities by using Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 imagery in Guangdong would be impacted by cloud cover.

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Obstacles on the Path to Urban Greatness: Competing Plans for the Creation of Greater Lviv (“Wielki Lwów”)

Journal of Urban History ◽

10.1177/0096144217705351 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 661-671

Author(s):

Nadja Weck

Keyword(s):

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Development ◽

Future Development ◽

Practical Experience ◽

European Countries ◽

Comprehensive Plan ◽

The Future ◽

Imperial Capital ◽

New Generation ◽

The City

Like in many other provinces, during the Habsburg period, the main point of orientation for Galicia was Vienna. This also applies to architecture and urban development. Galicia’s technical elite applied the theoretical and practical experience it gathered in Vienna to the towns and cities of this northeastern Crown land. Ignacy Drexler, born in 1878 in the Austro-Hungarian Lemberg, was a representative of a new generation of engineers and architects who did not necessarily have to spend time in the imperial capital to earn their spurs. Increasingly, besides the more or less obligatory stay in Vienna, other European countries became points of reference. Drexler did not live to see the realization of important aspects of his comprehensive plan for the city, but his ideas and the data he compiled were indispensable for the future development of his hometown. They shape urban planning in Lviv to this day.

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