scholarly journals Complex Systems Thinking Approach to Urban Greenery to Provide Community-Tailored Solutions and Enhance the Provision of Cultural Ecosystem Services

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 11787
Author(s):  
Maria Elena Menconi ◽  
Ambra Sipone ◽  
David Grohmann
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Open Networks ◽  
Urban Greenery ◽  
Green Area ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Systems Thinking Approach ◽  
Green System

This paper presents a GIS-based method for supporting local administrations in the design of urban green areas while taking into account the complexity of the whole system. The proposed method merges the criteria of availability, accessibility, attractiveness, usability, and suitability in a multi-level approach (city, neighborhood green area) to assist in the selection of which services within green areas to enhance from those requested by citizens. The case study is an urban park in a medium-sized Italian city (Perugia). The results demonstrate that the available urban green spaces amount to 34.7 m2 per person, but only 24% of citizens have adequate access to a green area providing at least an adequate level of service, and 18% of them are without access to any appropriately equipped green area. Furthermore, citizens have limited knowledge of their city’s urban green system as a whole. Indeed, 41% of the requested services were already available in other accessible green areas with attractive and readily available dedicated equipment. These areas were suggested as alternative solutions. To achieve a complex systems approach, our results suggest observing similar systems with various and adaptable scales and studying them as open networks composed of heterogeneous internal and external variables.

scholarly journals Evaluation of natural sounds in urban greenery: potential impact for urban nature preservation

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 170037 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hedblom ◽  
I. Knez ◽  
Å. Ode Sang ◽  
B. Gunnarsson
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Natural Sounds ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Greenery ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Nature Preservation

Most humans now live in cities and their main experience of nature is through urban greenery. An increasing number of studies show the importance of urban green spaces for well-being, although most of them are based on visual perception. A questionnaire examining people's evaluations of natural sounds was answered by 1326 individuals living near one of six urban green areas of varying naturalness in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Women and the elderly reported greater calmness when hearing bird song and rustling leaves (and placed a higher importance on the richness of bird species) than did men, younger and middle-aged individuals. Independent of age and gender, urban woodlands (high naturalness) had higher evaluations than parks (low naturalness). Our results suggest that to increase positive experiences of urban green areas, demographic variables of gender and age should be taken into account, and settings that mimic nature should be prioritized in planning.

scholarly journals Lighting of urban green areas – the case of Grabiszyn Park in Wrocław. Searching for the balance between light and darkness through social and technical issues

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 00049
Author(s):  
Agata Łopuszyńska ◽  
Małgorzata Bartyna-Zielińska
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Greenery ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Big City ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Local Awareness

Illuminating the urban green spaces could lead to conflicts of spatial, technical and social nature. This relatively new, though already global, problem is expected to grow bigger with the further increase of urban areas artificial brightness. The case of Grabiszyn Park in Wrocław is an example of how difficult it is to find a balance between big-city lights and a natural darkness. The situation is even more difficult if the light is not legally recognized as a significant source of air pollution and direct nuisance at the legal level. The aim of the paper is to recognize the broader perspective of urban greenery lighting issues, global recommendations basis and the local awareness. The authors also made an attempt to analyze and assess the project implementation, as well as to characterize the components of the quality of an urban green areas lighting.

scholarly journals Assessment of Green Spaces Development in Prague During Years 1901–2010

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
L. Hladíková ◽  
M. Jebavý
Keyword(s):  
City Planning ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Structure ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The Past ◽  
Urban Greenery ◽  
Green Area ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The City

AbstractAlthough the issue of urban greenery is a frequently discussed topic and numerous case studies have already documented the beneficial functions of green spaces in the cities, studies on the balance of urban greenery during the past 20th century are few. This research follows up the issue of Prague urban green spaces during the years 1901–2010 and documents the changes in Prague public greenery in that period. The analysis specifies the development of public greenery and characterizes its categories in the individual decades of the 20th century. The percentage of public greenery and its area in hectares are given for each decade. Furthermore, the total green area is confronted with the number of inhabitants then living in Prague. The results have shown a continuous development and expansion of urban greenery. Their application will be beneficial to the city planning for sustainable development and further management of current and future public green areas as a part of the capital’s urban structure.

scholarly journals The Socioeconomic Welfare of Urban Green Areas and Parks; A Literature Review of Available Evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7863
Author(s):  
Antonios Kolimenakis ◽  
Alexandra D. Solomou ◽  
Nikolaos Proutsos ◽  
Evangelia V. Avramidou ◽  
Evangelia Korakaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas

Urban green areas present a lucid example for the harmonious co-existence of the artificial and natural environments best illustrated by their interdependence and interconnection in urban spaces. Urban green areas are essential for the health and wellbeing of citizens. The present study aimed to investigate those multiple benefits for citizens that arise through the existence of urban green areas, as well as important policy dimensions that should be considered when designing the expansion of urban green spaces in urban development. The study was based on a literature review to examine for available evidence on the benefit levels derived by the existence of urban green areas. An extended literature review was followed by a structured review, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, which partly followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was conducted in two databases, and a total of 1674 articles and abstracts were identified through the database searches. After removing 114 duplicates, 1560 records were initially screened based on title and abstract. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 articles were incorporated in the structured review and a total of 47 in the extended review. The extended literature review identified 33 additional articles examining aspects of benefits that did not fall under the pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria used in the structured review, such as health benefits and other social parameters associated with urban green spaces. The selected studies were allocated in five principal groups according to study types: three of the them consisted of studies employing “willingness to pay” (WTP) methods, five were based on property values, two studies assigned monetary values, while another two assigned CO2 values, and, finally, two studies were based on qualitative criteria. The results indicated benefits to citizens and increased welfare levels gained by the existence of urban green areas. The conducted review revealed a number of findings and recommendations that could direct future research and urban policy. Those hints could assist local authorities as well as stakeholders in order to measure and assess the benefits of green spaces and urban parks and promote measures and programs to assist their further deployment.

scholarly journals The importance of landscape spatial plans for the shaping of urban green areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Dubicki Piotr ◽  
Kułyk Piotr
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Functional System ◽  
Spatial Development ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Effective Protection ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Greenery ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Development Plans

Urban greenery is an indispensable component of urban composition and can be an effective tool for solving problems related to shaping and organising urban spaces. For the proper functioning of green areas, however, it is necessary to combine them into a functional system, which must be reflected in spatial planning documents. The most effective protection of urban green areas can be ensured by appropriate provisions in local spatial development plans. The aim of the paper is to assess the significance of local spatial development plans for Poland in shaping green areas. The number of local spatial development plans in individual voivodships in the years 2009–2017 will be analysed. Keywords: Green areas, landscape spatial plans, sustainable development.  

scholarly journals Urban Green Areas and Woody Plant Composition: Dwelling Space Quality Factor in the Klokočina Housing Estate

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-90
Author(s):  
Mária Bihuňová ◽  
Ján Supuka ◽  
Attila Tóth ◽  
Karol Šinka ◽  
Gabriel Kuczman
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Housing Estate ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Green Area ◽  
Green Areas

Abstract The environment of a city is influenced by global and local climate changes, pollution load from transport, industry and local heat sources. Green spaces as part of the urban green infrastructure fulfil multiple ecosystem services and improve the environmental and residential quality of a city. The level of positive effects of green spaces depends on their area, distribution within the city and the proportion of trees. The aim of the paper was to evaluate land cover structure in a selected segment of the housing estate Klokočina in Nitra, Slovakia. The evaluation focused on the share of biologically active and inactive surfaces, as well as the parameters of woody plant structure in green spaces. Green areas account for 58.70%, while built-up areas, parking lots and roads cover in total 41.30%. Biologically inactive anthropogenic horizontal and of building envelope areas represent 67.30%. Biologically active green areas represent 32.70%. The share of areas with tree crown overlap on horizontal areas is 20.82%, other areas are paved surfaces or grassland. We calculated the indices of the quality of green spaces from the individual categories of areas: proportional green area index (PGAI), effective green area index (EGAI) and tree shade index (TSI). The tree species composition consists of 36 deciduous and 11 coniferous tree species, and 20 shrub species. We evaluated the biometric traits of trees as the tree height, crown width, stem girth and tree vitality class (TVC). The correlations between tree traits were statistically tested with a significant result. In the group of biologically active areas of greenery, we propose to increase the proportion of trees, to establish more natural lawns and xerophyte flower beds. In the category of inactive areas, we propose the reconstruction of parking lots to grass paved surfaces.

scholarly journals THE EFFECT OF URBAN GREEN SPACES ON HOUSE PRICES IN WARSAW

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 358-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radoslaw Trojanek ◽  
Michal Gluszak ◽  
Justyna Tanas
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
House Prices ◽  
Weighted Least Squares ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Green Area ◽  
The Impact

In the paper, we analysed the impact of proximity to urban green areas on apartment prices in Warsaw. The data-set contained in 43 075 geo-coded apartment transactions for the years 2010 to 2015. In this research, the hedonic method was used in Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Weighted Least Squares (WLS) and Median Quantile Regression (Median QR) models. We found substantial evidence that proximity to an urban green area is positively linked with apartment prices. On an average presence of a green area within 100 meters from an apartment increases the price of a dwelling by 2,8% to 3,1%. The effect of park/forest proximity on house prices is more significant for newer apartments than those built before 1989. We found that proximity to a park or a forest is particularly important (and has a higher implicit price as a result) in the case of buildings constructed after 1989. The impact of an urban green was particularly high in the case of a post-transformation housing estate. Close vicinity (less than 100 m distance) to an urban green increased the sales prices of apartments in new residential buildings by 8,0–8,6%, depending on a model.

scholarly journals Ecological State Assessment of Urban Green Spaces Based on Remote Sensing Data. The Case of Aktobe City, Kazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Aigul SERGEYEVA ◽  
Altynbek KHAMIT ◽  
Asima КOSHIM ◽  
Murat MAKHAMBETOV
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
State Assessment ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The City

The rapid pace of urban development triggers complex problems mostly related to urban environment pollution, and shortcomings of city’s improvement. The modern city is characterized by the highest man-made pressure on the natural environment, the main problems being overcrowding, lack of open-access green areas, as well as the decrease of vegetation areas, fact that does not create comfortable living conditions for urban residents. At present, remote sensing methods are some of the priority tools used in vegetation state assessment, particularly, the calculation of vegetation index (NDVI). But often, obtaining the necessary information is limited only to the analysis of satellite data, without geobotanical field surveys, which considerably increase the reliability of the detected results. In addition, the definition of dependencies when using an integrated approach of different man-affected surfaces with a different type of overgrowth within the city remains insufficiently studied. The purpose of this study is to assess the ecological condition of the green area (parks and squares) in Aktobe city. A comprehensive processing of satellite images including the calculation of NDVI index, mapping of green areas and data statistical analysis, was carried out. We learned that the average value of NDVI for green spaces in Aktobe ranges from 0,11 µm to 0,47 µm, which allows for the categorization of planted areas by levels of photosynthetic activity, from “unsatisfactory” to “good”, yet, with 59% of them in an unsatisfactory condition. This means that the city is underdeveloped in terms of modern landscape and infrastructure. The obtained results make it possible to assess the current situation, determine the dynamics of urban green spaces and optimize spatial planning measures for green space management.

scholarly journals PRINCIPLES AND PROPOSALS FOR NORM FORMATION OF LITHUANIAN GREEN AREAS

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
Konstantinas Jakovlevas-Mateckis ◽  
Liucijus Dringelis ◽  
Dovilė Dimindavičiūtė
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Structure ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Land Plot ◽  
Urban Green Areas ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Health Resorts ◽  
Green System

In this paper norms of urban green areas formed by the order of the Ministry of Environment are presented. The current legislation of Lithuanian green areas as a component of urban structure is surveyed. Experience in norm formation for green areas is discussed. Classification of green areas is indicated (separate and dependant greenery). The main principles of normalization and allocation of green areas is introduced. It is proposed to normalize separate green areas, depending on the size of towns and health-resorts (big, middle-sized, small) and depending on their place in a green system (local, in a district or town). Also, it is proposed to calculate the area of dependant green areas as a portion (in percent) of the whole area of a land plot and according to land use of the plot. Lietuvos miestų želdynų urbanistinių normų sudarymo principai ir pasiūlymai Santrauka Lietuvoje teritorijų planavimo procesas yra reglamentuojamas daugelio įvairaus lygmens teisinių dokumentų: įstatymų, taisyklių, tvarkų, normatyvų. Tačiau tarp jų nėra nė vieno dokumento, skirto išimtinai miestų želdynų, kaip svarbaus urbanistinės struktūros komponento, reglamentavimui. Esant tokiai situacijai, miesto želdynai lieka beveik neapsaugoti nuo sunaikinimo pritrūkus laisvų ir patogių teritorijų statyboms. Formuojant miestus, priimant strateginius jų plėtros sprendimus, želdynai dažniausiai lieka paskutinėje vietoje po visuomeninų ar komercinių statinių ir transporto. Siekiant ištaisyti tokią padėtį, būtina parengti teisinius teritorijų planavimo dokumentus, kuriuose būtų aiškai reglamentuojamas želdynų planavimas, tvarkymas, apsauga. Taigi šiame straipsnyje pateikiama trumpa Lietuvos želdynų normų apžvalga ir želdynų normavimo pasiūlymai, jų klasifikacija, esminiai želdynų normavimo ir skirstymo principai bei normavimo pasiūlymai.

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