scholarly journals EFFECTIVENESS OF GREEN ROOFS IN STRENGTHENING ECOLOGICAL NETWORK

2021 ◽  
Vol XLVI-4/W1-2021 ◽  
pp. 51-54
Author(s):  
M. Y. Joshi ◽  
L. Rivière ◽  
G. Mahy ◽  
J. Teller
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Ecological Network ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Specific Species ◽  
Foraging Distances

Abstract. Improving biodiversity in urban areas is widely recognised as part of sustainable smart cities development framework. Due to unprecedented urbanisation, there is a lack of adequate green spaces which has in turn affected the urban biodiversity. Green roofs are argued to enhance and support the biodiversity by systematic inclusion into the urban ecological network. However, its connection to the existing natural ecological areas and connectivity are not discussed at a city scale. Thus, in this study, we aim at identifying the connectivity of potential areas for developing green roofs in strengthening the biodiversity and ecological network in cities. Altogether, we observe that the potential roofs are in the near proximity of these zones. The zones with dry lawns and meadows like environment are quite limited and spatially far from each other. Thus, developing green roofs can help in connecting these spaces. In this paper, we mainly focused on bees as they play an important role in pollination and are also declining in the urban areas. Further research can incorporate more detailed analysis on foraging distances of other species. A methodology can be developed to select which zones can be targeted for specific species.

Are Collembola flying onto green roofs?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Joimel ◽  
Laure Vieublé-Gonod ◽  
Baptiste Grard ◽  
Claire Chenu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Research Programmes ◽  
Urban People

<p><strong>Are Collembola flying onto green roofs?  </strong></p><p>With a worldwide urban population projected to reach 5 billion by 2030 (Véron, 2007), the roles and benefits of urban green spaces cannot be denied, like climate regulation by trees or water flow regulation (Gómez-Baggethun and Barton, 2013). If green spaces are among the new societal expectations of urban people, they also play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity in urban areas. Among them, green roofs are a great opportunity to create green space in cities as they represent 32% of cities’ horizontal surfaces (Frazer, 2005). Their installation is also perceived as a possible way to preserve biodiversity in cities. However, the effectiveness of green roofs in supporting biodiversity, especially soil biodiversity, has rarely been studied.</p><p>Thanks to different research programmes (TROL, SEMOIRS and T4P), we investigated the taxonomic and functional collembolan biodiversity in both extensive and productive green roofs as well as in ground-level urban microfarms in order to (i) evaluate the effectiveness of green roofs in supporting soil biodiversity, (ii) identify the mechanisms of colonisation by soil organisms and (iii) separate the effect of landscape and soil conditions on collembolan communities assemblages.</p><p>Surprisingly, green roofs are supporting high levels of soil biodiversity. Despite various soil characteristics (organic matter and water avaibility), no difference was found between extensive roofs and rooftop gardens concerning the taxonomical structures of collembolan communities (e.g. species richness, abundances). In contrast, there are differences concerning both taxonomic and functional compositions. Two ways of colonisation are suggested: a passive wind dispersal − the “flying” collembolans − and a settlement through compost inputs. We conclude that stakeholders should take into account the spatial connections of green roofs with other green spaces in order to support urban soil biodiversity.</p>

scholarly journals Establishment of a Geographic Information System-Based Algorithm to Analyze Suitable Locations for Green Roofs and Roadside Trees

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 7368
Author(s):  
Heeju Kim ◽  
Kyushik Oh ◽  
Dongwoo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Urban Green Spaces

Urban green spaces offer various ecosystem services such as those for controlling the urban microclimate, improving water circulation, and providing leisure and recreation opportunities. However, it is almost impossible to create new, large green spaces in cities where urbanization has been long underway. Consequently, small-scale green spaces such as green roofs and roadside trees are gaining attention as features that can increase the effects of ecosystem services. Although the area of individual buildings in urban areas is relatively small, the sum of building rooftop areas account for a large portion of urban areas. Moreover, there are areas widely available throughout cities where street trees could be planted. However, this requires large amounts of accurate databases (DBs) and long-term spatial analyses to identify specific locations suitable for small-scale green facilities on a citywide scale using a geographic information system (GIS). Consequently, in-depth research on this topic has been insufficient. Thus, this study presents an algorithm to analyze locations where green roofs and roadside trees could be introduced based on GIS spatial analysis and verifies the effectiveness of the algorithm built for the city of Seoul. In addition, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is performed to analyze the temperature reduction effect, the representative function of ecosystem control services that can be brought about by the potential green spaces. The results show that rooftop greening in study areas is possible in 311,793 of 742,770 buildings. The rooftop floor area of buildings that can apply rooftop greening is 33,288,745 m2, which is about 50% of the total area of the rooftop in Seoul. It was found that roadside trees could be planted on a sidewalk with an extension length of 872,725 m and an area of 838,864 m2. A total of 145,366 trees can be planted in the study area. In addition, it was shown that the introduction of green roofs reduced temperatures by 0.13 °C to 0.14 °C and roadside trees reduced temperatures by 0.14 °C to 0.6 °C. With the growing need to improve urban ecosystem services as a result of rapid climate change, the algorithm developed in this study can be utilized to create spatial policies that expand and manage urban green spaces and thereby contribute to the improvement of urban ecosystem services.

scholarly journals An investigation of green space in a developing country city: The feasibility of creating a network of such spaces

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hari Iswoyo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
Biodiversity Assessment ◽  
Ecological Network ◽  
Stepping Stones

<p>In developing countries a big issue for urban development is the growth in infrastructure in response to economic and population demands. Such development causes cities to expand and occupy the suburbs, turning them into more built up areas. The impacts of such urban growth are immediately observable in the reduction of green areas and environmental quality, and diminishing contact with the natural environment. This study will focus on green spaces in a city in a developing country to consider the effect of this urbanization. In response to urban growth in developed countries attempts have been made to link together green spaces into a form of networks. These networks are intended to conserve the function of natural areas in towns and cities while still accommodating development. The greenway or green network and ecological network are two successful approaches developed in America and Europe. This study assesses the green spaces in Makassar, an Indonesia city, to see possibility of implementing such concepts. The study begins by redefining spaces into a typology, then assessing the spaces through three stages. The first stage is biodiversity assessment. The Rapid Biodiversity Assessment, adapted from a study in the UK, is used to assess plant biodiversity as an indicator of the quality of green spaces in urban areas. This method was adjusted and simplified to reflect the limitation in resources and time. The second stage was assessment of spaces based on a target species, in this case urban birds. The third stage combines the biodiversity score with consideration of space size and ownership. This stage produced different classes of spaces. These stages produced three different maps which were then overlaid to find the best quality green spaces termed ‘the most preferred spaces’. The next step was to see whether these spaces could be linked up in a network and to determine what sort of network could be achieved. In this part of the analysis spaces are grouped into main patches and scattered small patches, termed stepping stones. With this approach the potential connectivity can be observed visually. This study also acknowledged the significance of areas of ecological quality outside the main city but within the greater urban region and proposed connection of the network of spaces outward towards two natural parks, which could be considered as the main ecological patches. Having assessed the two main elements of a green space network—patches and corridors—through visual observation of the maps generated by the fieldwork, this study concludes that currently an ecological network is not feasible for the city because of the condition of the green spaces that make up the patches and corridors. Even a greenway along the main river corridor is not currently feasible because the highly valuable natural remnants have been significantly fragmented by cultural activities. Similarly, the road corridors are also not currently in a promising condition. The thesis ends with recommendations for the improvement of these.</p>

scholarly journals An investigation of green space in a developing country city: The feasibility of creating a network of such spaces

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hari Iswoyo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
Biodiversity Assessment ◽  
Ecological Network ◽  
Stepping Stones

<p>In developing countries a big issue for urban development is the growth in infrastructure in response to economic and population demands. Such development causes cities to expand and occupy the suburbs, turning them into more built up areas. The impacts of such urban growth are immediately observable in the reduction of green areas and environmental quality, and diminishing contact with the natural environment. This study will focus on green spaces in a city in a developing country to consider the effect of this urbanization. In response to urban growth in developed countries attempts have been made to link together green spaces into a form of networks. These networks are intended to conserve the function of natural areas in towns and cities while still accommodating development. The greenway or green network and ecological network are two successful approaches developed in America and Europe. This study assesses the green spaces in Makassar, an Indonesia city, to see possibility of implementing such concepts. The study begins by redefining spaces into a typology, then assessing the spaces through three stages. The first stage is biodiversity assessment. The Rapid Biodiversity Assessment, adapted from a study in the UK, is used to assess plant biodiversity as an indicator of the quality of green spaces in urban areas. This method was adjusted and simplified to reflect the limitation in resources and time. The second stage was assessment of spaces based on a target species, in this case urban birds. The third stage combines the biodiversity score with consideration of space size and ownership. This stage produced different classes of spaces. These stages produced three different maps which were then overlaid to find the best quality green spaces termed ‘the most preferred spaces’. The next step was to see whether these spaces could be linked up in a network and to determine what sort of network could be achieved. In this part of the analysis spaces are grouped into main patches and scattered small patches, termed stepping stones. With this approach the potential connectivity can be observed visually. This study also acknowledged the significance of areas of ecological quality outside the main city but within the greater urban region and proposed connection of the network of spaces outward towards two natural parks, which could be considered as the main ecological patches. Having assessed the two main elements of a green space network—patches and corridors—through visual observation of the maps generated by the fieldwork, this study concludes that currently an ecological network is not feasible for the city because of the condition of the green spaces that make up the patches and corridors. Even a greenway along the main river corridor is not currently feasible because the highly valuable natural remnants have been significantly fragmented by cultural activities. Similarly, the road corridors are also not currently in a promising condition. The thesis ends with recommendations for the improvement of these.</p>

Biscogniauxia (Hypoxylon) Canker or Dieback in Trees

EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Paez ◽  
Jason A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Root Disease ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Quercus Spp

Biscogniauxia canker or dieback (formerly called Hypoxylon canker or dieback) is a common contributor to poor health and decay in a wide range of tree species (Balbalian & Henn 2014). This disease is caused by several species of fungi in the genus Biscogniauxia (formerly Hypoxylon). B. atropunctata or B. mediterranea are usually the species found on Quercus spp. and other hosts in Florida, affecting trees growing in many different habitats, such as forests, parks, green spaces and urban areas (McBride & Appel, 2009).  Typically, species of Biscogniauxia are opportunistic pathogens that do not affect healthy and vigorous trees; some species are more virulent than others. However, once they infect trees under stress (water stress, root disease, soil compaction, construction damage etc.) they can quickly colonize the host. Once a tree is infected and fruiting structures of the fungus are evident, the tree is not likely to survive especially if the infection is in the tree's trunk (Anderson et al., 1995).

Spatial Autocorrelation in the Study of Neighbourhoods towards Smart Cities: Empirical Evidence from Kerman, Iran

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Asra Hosseini
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Moran’S I ◽  
Moran's I ◽  
Urban Planner ◽  
Universal Feature ◽  
Autocorrelation Method ◽  
Selection Of

From earliest cities to the present, spatial division into residential zones and neighbourhoods is the universal feature of urban areas. This study explored issue of measuring neighbourhoods through spatial autocorrelation method based on Moran's I index in respect of achieving to best neighbourhoods' model for forming cities smarter. The research carried out by selection of 35 neighbourhoods only within central part of traditional city of Kerman in Iran. The results illustrate, 75% of neighbourhoods' area in the inner city of Kerman had clustered pattern, and it shows reduction in Moran's index is associated with disproportional distribution of density and increasing in Moran's I and Z-score have monotonic relation with more dense areas and clustered pattern. It may be more efficient for urban planner to focus on spatial autocorrelation to foster neighbourhood cohesion rather than emphasis on suburban area. It is recommended characteristics of historic neighbourhoods can be successfully linked to redevelopment plans toward making city smarter, and also people's quality of life can be related to the way that neighbourhoods' patterns are defined. 

Diversity of organisms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip James
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
The Common ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life

The focus of this chapter is an examination of the diversity of living organisms found within urban environments, both inside and outside buildings. The discussion commences with prions and viruses before moving on to consider micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Prions and viruses cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. Micro-organisms are ubiquitous and are found in great numbers throughout urban environments. New technologies are providing new insights into their diversity. Plants may be found inside buildings as well as in gardens and other green spaces. The final sections of the chapter offer a discussion of the diversity of animals that live in urban areas for part or all of their life cycle. Examples of the diversity of life in urban environments are presented throughout, including native and non-native species, those that are benign and deadly, and the common and the rare.

Smart Cities and Smart Regulation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Rønne
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Smart Regulation

Increasing focus on sustainable societies and ‘smart cities’ due to emphasis on mitigation of climate change is simultaneous with ‘smart regulation’ reaching the forefront of the political agenda. Consequently, the energy sector and its regulation are undergoing significant innovation and change. Energy innovations include transition from fossil fuels to more renewable energy sources and application of new computer technology, interactively matching production with consumer demand. Smart cities are growing and projects are being initiated for development of urban areas and energy systems. Analysis from ‘Smart Cities Accelerator’, developed under the EU Interreg funding programme that includes Climate-KIC,——provides background for the focus on a smart energy system. Analysis ensures the energy supply systems support the integration of renewables with the need for new technologies and investments. ‘Smart’ is trendy, but when becoming ‘smart’ leads to motivation that is an important step towards mitigating climate change.

scholarly journals Smart Cities in Turkey: Approaches, Advances and Applications with Greater Consideration for Future Urban Transport Development

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Can Bıyık
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Future Vision

The smart city transport concept is viewed as a future vision aiming to undertake investigations on the urban planning process and to construct policy-pathways for achieving future targets. Therefore, this paper sets out three visions for the year 2035 which bring about a radical change in the level of green transport systems (often called walking, cycling, and public transport) in Turkish urban areas. A participatory visioning technique was structured according to a three-stage technique: (i) Extensive online comprehensive survey, in which potential transport measures were researched for their relevance in promoting smart transport systems in future Turkish urban areas; (ii) semi-structured interviews, where transport strategy suggestions were developed in the context of the possible imaginary urban areas and their associated contextual description of the imaginary urban areas for each vision; (iii) participatory workshops, where an innovative method was developed to explore various creative future choices and alternatives. Overall, this paper indicates that the content of the future smart transport visions was reasonable, but such visions need a considerable degree of consensus and radical approaches for tackling them. The findings offer invaluable insights to researchers inquiring about the smart transport field, and policy-makers considering applying those into practice in their local urban areas.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Equity and Regional Management of Some Urban Green Space Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Main Urban Area of Xi’an City

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Hui Dang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Yumeng Zhang ◽  
Zixiang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Xi’An City

Urban green spaces can provide many types of ecosystem services for residents. An imbalance in the pattern of green spaces leads to an inequality of the benefits of such spaces. Given the current situation of environmental problems and the basic geographical conditions of Xi’an City, this study evaluated and mapped four kinds of ecosystem services from the perspective of equity: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, air purification, and climate regulation. Regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning (REDCAP) was used to obtain the partition groups of ecosystem services. The results indicate that first, the complexity of the urban green space community is low, and the level of biodiversity needs to be improved. The dry deposition flux of particulate matter (PM2.5) decreases from north to south, and green spaces enhance the adsorption of PM2.5. Carbon sequestration in the south and east is higher than that in the north and west, respectively. The average surface temperature in green spaces is lower than that in other urban areas. Second, urban green space resources in the study area are unevenly distributed. Therefore, ecosystem services in different areas are inequitable. Finally, based on the regionalization of integrated ecosystem services, an ecosystem services cluster was developed. This included 913 grid spaces, 12 partitions, and 5 clusters, which can provide a reference for distinct levels of ecosystem services management. This can assist urban managers who can use these indicators of ecosystem service levels for planning and guiding the overall development pattern of green spaces. The benefits would be a maximization of the ecological functions of green spaces, an improvement of the sustainable development of the city, and an improvement of people’s well-being.

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