scholarly journals Diversity and natural history of birds in green urban areas of the city of Quito, Ecuador (America)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego F Cisneros-Heredia ◽  
Eliana Montenegro
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
American Kestrel ◽  
Bird Richness ◽  
Ecological Complexity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Line Transects ◽  
The City

The diversity and ecology of urban bird communities have been extensively studied in Neartic and Paleartic areas, however, little is known about urban Neotropical areas. Quito, capital city of Ecuador, is located on a highland valley in the megadiverse tropical Andes. Founded in 1534, Quito did not increase significantly its urban area until the late 19th century, growing at an accelerated and unplanned rate during the 20th century. More than 100 species were known to inhabit in Quito at the end of the 19th century. Currently, most authors estimated that no more than 40 species occur in Quito, although no systematic bird studies have been conducted. Our research is a first approach to the avifauna of Quito, surveying the diversity living in green urban areas within the city borders. We used two field methodologies, i.e. line transects and point counts, to survey 16 green urban areas over 12 months. We recorded 65 species of birds, belonging to 20 families and 9 orders. Three species were the most common and frequent: Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata, Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis, and Great Thrush Turdus fuscater, being omnivores and granivores adapted to anthropic habitats with low ecological complexity. Six species were equally common but not as frequent: American Kestrel Falco sparverius, Sparkling Violetear Colibri coruscans, Black-tailed Trainbearer Lesbia victoriae, Brown-bellied Swallow Oreochelidon murina, Black Flowerpiercer Diglossa humeralis, and Cinereous Conebill Conirostrum cinereum, being nectarivores or small predators. All other species were either uncommon or rare, mainly insectivores and frugivores that prefer wildlife habitats with mid/high ecological complexity, and restricted to large urban parks with patches of native vegetation. We found a negative correlation between human impact and bird richness in all studied areas. These data provide important information to encourage better urban practices and to promote conservation and recovery of Quito’s native wildlife.

scholarly journals Diversity and natural history of birds in green urban areas of the city of Quito, Ecuador (America)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego F Cisneros-Heredia ◽  
Eliana Montenegro
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
American Kestrel ◽  
Bird Richness ◽  
Ecological Complexity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Line Transects ◽  
The City

The diversity and ecology of urban bird communities have been extensively studied in Neartic and Paleartic areas, however, little is known about urban Neotropical areas. Quito, capital city of Ecuador, is located on a highland valley in the megadiverse tropical Andes. Founded in 1534, Quito did not increase significantly its urban area until the late 19th century, growing at an accelerated and unplanned rate during the 20th century. More than 100 species were known to inhabit in Quito at the end of the 19th century. Currently, most authors estimated that no more than 40 species occur in Quito, although no systematic bird studies have been conducted. Our research is a first approach to the avifauna of Quito, surveying the diversity living in green urban areas within the city borders. We used two field methodologies, i.e. line transects and point counts, to survey 16 green urban areas over 12 months. We recorded 65 species of birds, belonging to 20 families and 9 orders. Three species were the most common and frequent: Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata, Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis, and Great Thrush Turdus fuscater, being omnivores and granivores adapted to anthropic habitats with low ecological complexity. Six species were equally common but not as frequent: American Kestrel Falco sparverius, Sparkling Violetear Colibri coruscans, Black-tailed Trainbearer Lesbia victoriae, Brown-bellied Swallow Oreochelidon murina, Black Flowerpiercer Diglossa humeralis, and Cinereous Conebill Conirostrum cinereum, being nectarivores or small predators. All other species were either uncommon or rare, mainly insectivores and frugivores that prefer wildlife habitats with mid/high ecological complexity, and restricted to large urban parks with patches of native vegetation. We found a negative correlation between human impact and bird richness in all studied areas. These data provide important information to encourage better urban practices and to promote conservation and recovery of Quito’s native wildlife.

scholarly journals Street-level green spaces support a key urban population of the threatened Hispaniolan parakeet Psittacara chloropterus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Geary ◽  
Celia J. Brailsford ◽  
Laura I. Hough ◽  
Fraser Baker ◽  
Simon Guerrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Breeding Ecology ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Santo Domingo ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Tree Cavity ◽  
Feeding Resources ◽  
The City

AbstractWhile urbanisation remains a major threat to biodiversity, urban areas can sometimes play an important role in protecting threatened species, especially exploited taxa such as parrots. The Hispaniolan Parakeet Psittacara chloropterus has been extirpated across much of Hispaniola, including from most protected areas, yet Santo Domingo (capital city of the Dominican Republic) has recently been found to support the island’s densest remaining population. In 2019, we used repeated transects and point-counts across 60 1 km2 squares of Santo Domingo to examine the distribution of parakeets, identify factors that might drive local presence and abundance, and investigate breeding ecology. Occupancy models indicate that parakeet presence was positively related to tree species richness across the city. N-Mixture models show parakeet encounter rates were correlated positively with species richness of trees and number of discrete ‘green’ patches (> 100 m2) within the survey squares. Hispaniolan Woodpecker Melanerpes striatus, the main tree-cavity-producing species on Hispaniola, occurs throughout the city, but few parakeet nests are known to involve the secondary use of its or other cavities in trees/palms. Most parakeet breeding (perhaps 50–100 pairs) appears to occur at two colonies in old buildings, and possibly only a small proportion of the city’s 1500+ parakeets that occupy a single roost in street trees breed in any year. Our models emphasise the importance of parks and gardens in providing feeding resources for this IUCN Vulnerable species. Hispaniola’s urban centres may be strongholds for populations of parakeets and may even represent sources for birds to recolonise formerly occupied areas on the island.

Accessing heat: Environmental stigma and ‘porous’ infrastructural configurations in Ulaanbaatar

Urban Studies ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 004209802110005
Author(s):  
Rebekah Plueckhahn
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Heat Generation ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Core Area ◽  
History Of ◽  
Burning Coal ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The City

This article explores the experience of living among diverse infrastructural configurations in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and forms of stigmatisation that arise as a result. In this capital city that experiences extremely cold winters, the provision of heat is a seasonal necessity. Following a history of socialist-era, centrally provided heating, Ulaanbaatar is now made up of a core area of apartments and other buildings undergoing increased expansion, surrounded by vast areas of fenced land plots ( ger districts) not connected to centrally provided heating. In these areas, residents have historically heated their homes through burning coal, a technique that has resulted in seasonal air pollution. Expanding out from Wacquant’s definition of territorial stigmatisation, this article discusses the links between heat generation, air pollution and environmental stigmatisation arising from residents’ association with or proximity to the effects of heat generation and/or infrastructural lack. This type of stigma complexifies the normative divide between the city’s two main built areas. Residents’ attempts to mitigate forms of building and infrastructural ‘quality’ or chanar (in Mongolian) form ways of negotiating their position as they seek different kinds of property. Here, not only are bodies vulnerable to forms of pollution (both air and otherwise), but also buildings and infrastructure are vulnerable to disrepair. Residents’ assessments of infrastructural and building quality move beyond any categorisation of them being a clear ‘resistance’ to deteriorating infrastructural conditions. Instead, an ethnographic lens that positions the viewpoint of the city through these residential experiences reveals a reconceptualisation of the city that challenges infrastructurally determined normative assumptions.

Studies in the Social and Economic History of Ostia

1938 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 152-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick H. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Economic History ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Three Generations ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City ◽  
Made In

The first of these Studies was concerned chiefly with the history of Ostia during the period when the city was still growing and its prosperity increasing. Even so, during the period already considered, the prosperity of Ostia, though real, was to this extent artificial, in that it depended upon factors over which the citizens themselves had no control. Ostia was the port of Rome, and nothing else, and in consequence any lowering of the standard of living in, or reduction of imports into the capital city must have had immediate and marked repercussions upon her prosperity. She even lacked to a great extent those reserves of wealth which in other cities might be drawn upon to tide over bad times. The typical citizen of Ostia came to the city in the hope of making his fortune there; but when he had made it, he usually preferred to retire to some more pleasant town, such as Tibur, Tusculum, Velitrae, or Rome itself, where he could enjoy his leisure. Few families seem to have remained in the city for more than two, or, at the most, three generations. Whilst therefore fortunes were made in Ostia, wealth was not accumulated there.

The City of Oslo in Jan Erik Vold’s Poems

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-230
Author(s):  
Raluca-Daniela Duinea
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Criticism ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Reading Technique ◽  
Social Critical ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The City ◽  
Selection Of

"The City of Oslo in Jan Erik Vold’s Poems. The aim of this paper is to examine, from a cultural and social perspective, the Norwegian urban areas and everyday situations in Jan Erik Vold’s (b. 1939) poems. Our close-reading technique reveals important social aspects, different places and streets, located in the capital city of Norway, Oslo. These urban poems written by the contemporary Norwegian poet Jan Erik Vold contribute to the reconstruction of a new Norwegian cultural identity as it is reflected in a selection of poems taken from Mor Godhjertas glade versjon. Ja (Mother Goodhearted’s Happy Version. Yes, 1968), followed by the poet’s wanderings in the city of Oslo in En som het Abel Ek (One Named Abel Ek, 1988), and concluding with his bitter social criticism in Elg (Moose, 1989) and IKKE. Skillingstrykk fra nittitallet (Not: Broadsides from the Nineties, 1993). Vold’s urban poems emphasise the transition from nyenkle (new simple), friendly and descriptive poems which present closely the city of Oslo on foot, to short, political and social critical poems from the 90s. Thus, it is of great importance to traverse various urban ‘landscapes’ in different periods of time, beginning with the 1960s, followed by the 80s and the 90s. Keywords: Jan Erik Vold, urban poems, social criticism, Norwegian urban areas, the city of Oslo "

scholarly journals Causes and consequences of the sinkhole at El Trébol of Quito, Ecuador – implications for economic damage and risk assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 2031-2041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theofilos Toulkeridis ◽  
Fabián Rodríguez ◽  
Nelson Arias Jiménez ◽  
Débora Simón Baile ◽  
Rodolfo Salazar Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Fear Of Recurrence ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
The North ◽  
Hydrogeological Characteristics ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City

Abstract. The so-called El Trébol is a critical road interchange in Quito connecting the north and south regions of the city. In addition, it connects Quito with the highly populated Los Chillos Valley, one of the most traveled zones in the Ecuadorian capital. El Trébol was constructed in the late 1960s in order to resolve the traffic jams of the capital city and for that purpose the Machángara River was rerouted through an underground concrete box tunnel. In March 2008, the tunnel contained a high amount of discarded furniture that had been impacting the top portion of the tunnel, compromising the structural integrity. On 31 March 2008 after a heavy rainfall a sinkhole of great proportions formed in the Trébol traffic hub. In the first few minutes, the sinkhole reached an initial diameter of 30 m. The collapse continued to grow in the following days until the final dimensions of 120 m in diameter and some 40 m of depth, revealing the Machángara River at the base of the sinkhole.A state of emergency was declared. The cause of the sinkhole was a result of the lack of monitoring of the older subterranean infrastructure where trash had accumulated and damaged the concrete tunnel that channelized the Machángara River until it was worn away for a length of some 20 m, leaving behind the sinkhole and the fear of recurrence in populated areas.With the intent to understand the causes and consequences of this sinkhole event, rainfall data are shown together with hydrogeological characteristics and a view back to the recent history of sinkhole lineation or arrangement of the city of Quito. The economic impact is also emphasized, where the direct costs of the damage and the reconstruction are presented and compared to indirect costs associated with this socio-natural disaster. These analyses suggest that the costs of indirect financial damage, like time loss or delay, and subsequent higher expenses for different types of vehicles, are equivalent to many times the costs of the reconstruction of El Trébol.

Imperial Women of Rome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary T. Boatwright
Keyword(s):  
Legal System ◽  
The State ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Imperial Cult ◽  
Genealogical Trees ◽  
Imperial Power ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City ◽  
Family Ideology

This book explores the constraints and opportunities of the women in the Roman emperor’s family from 35 BCE, when Octavia and Livia received unprecedented privileges from the state, to 235 CE, when Julia Mamaea was assassinated with her son Severus Alexander. Historical vignettes feature Agrippina the Younger, Domitia Longina, and some others as the book analyzes the history of Rome’s most eminent women in legal, religious, military, and other key settings of the principate. It also examines the women’s exemplarity through imaging as well as their presence in the city of Rome and in the empire. Evidence comes from coins, inscriptions, papyri, sculpture, and law codes as well as ancient authors. Numerous illustrations, maps, genealogical trees, and detailed tables and appendices complement the text. The whole reveals imperial women’s fluctuating but persistent marginalization and lack of agency despite their potential, even as it elucidates Rome’s imperial power, legal system, family ideology, religion and imperial cult, court, capital city, and military customs.

scholarly journals Periurbanization and conservation pressures over remnants of native vegetation: impact on ecosystem services for a Latin-American capital city

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco de la Barrera ◽  
Cristián Henríquez ◽  
Fanny Coulombié ◽  
Cynnamon Dobbs ◽  
Alejando Salazar
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Vegetation Impact ◽  
Development Alternatives ◽  
The City

Abstract Urban expansion in Latin-American cities is faster than urban planning. In order to implement sustainable planning the capacity of peri-urban areas to provide ecosystem services must be evaluated in the context of competing urbanization and conservation pressures. In this study we analyzed the effect of urban expansion on peri-urban vegetation of the Metropolitan Area of Santiago and what ecosystem services are provided by El Panul, land rich in biodiversity embedded in the fringe of the city. The city has lost vegetation while urbanized areas grow. Under this context, we evaluated the multi-functionality of El Panul through the quantification of three ecosystem services (ES): sense of place through the interviews of 60 residents, recreation via GIS analyses, and local climate regulation determined with air temperature measurements. El Panul increased the provision of urban green spaces, where inhabitants recognize and appreciate ES, and it plays a significant role in mitigating the urban heat island on summer nights. ES have emerged as a concept and framework for evaluating competing urban development alternatives.

scholarly journals “Europa in de Tropen”, The Colonial Tourism and Urban Culture in Bandung

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
Rahmia Nurwulandari ◽  
Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Urban Culture ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Urban Architecture ◽  
East Indies ◽  
Mass Tourism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dutch East Indies ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
The City

Bandung experienced a rapid urban development after 1918, when the city was prepared to be the new Dutch East Indies’ capital city, replacing Batavia. In the era of economic liberalization, Bandung also became one of the tourist destinations that has promoted by the businessmen. This paper is a study on how mass tourism as the new urban culture in the beginning of 20th century had a contribution to urban planning in Bandung. The timeline was after the establishment of train as a modern transportation in Bandung (1884) until the end of the Dutch Colonialism in Dutch East Indies (1942). Through the Georg Simmel's theory of sociology and the city, I tried to analyze the the tourism activity and its relations to the 20th century urban architecture in Bandung, West Java. I use the method that was introduced by Iain Borden and friends in The Unknown City to understand tourism and urban history of Bandung through the spatial practice, city representation and experiences. 

scholarly journals Strategic Mapping and Optimised Allocation of Automated External Defibrillators in Urban Areas

2020 ◽  
pp. 138-145
Author(s):  
Kanteler Despoina ◽  
Katsaros Evangelos ◽  
Bakouros Yiannis
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Arrest ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Public Access Defibrillation ◽  
Full Coverage ◽  
The City

<p><strong>Background</strong>: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death and is regarded as a significant public health issue. Immediate treatment with an automated external defibrillator (AED) increases OHCA patient survival potential. For AEDs to be used and fulfil their lifesaving potential, they need to be in close proximity to the victim and accessible at the time of a cardiac arrest. The current paper sheds light upon an optimized location-allocation method achieving full coverage with immediate accessibility in an urban context given a limited number of available AEDs for deployment using GIS. The case study is the Region of Western Macedonia (RWM) in Greece for a pilot AED placement program for the Governance of RWM. The focus of the current study is the capital city of RWM, Kozani. The initial number of the defibrillators (120) that are needed to be distributed is very small and cannot cover the needs for every major city or rural area in the region. Out of the 120 AEDs, the challenge is to find the minimum required number of AEDs to allocate in the city providing full coverage and accessibility. This paper focuses only on one city, however, the same methodology was applied to allocate AEDs in the other selected cities of the region. The rural dimension and methodology are not in the scope of this paper. <br> <strong>Methods</strong>: Road network data, spatio-temporal analysis of accessibility network, digital elevation model, land uses, population density, seasonal fluctuations and socio-demographic variables were used. GIS algorithms such as spatial analysis, kernel density, hot spot analysis, maximal covering location problem (MCLP) tests, proximity algorithms, buffer zoning, were a few of the tests made in order to find the most efficient positions and maximize coverage keeping in mind that access to an AED until defibrillation time must not exceed the time range of five minutes. <br> <strong>Results</strong>: optimised sites and allocated AEDs in urban areas we managed to achieve full city coverage with 17 AEDs. In every part of the city, people can have access to a nearby AED with its critical radius of less than or equal to 250m achieving defibrillation in the critical period of 5 minutes. The results are promising for the establishment and expansion of optimised AED deployment in cities. <br> <strong>Conclusions</strong>: The progress of the project must be monitored and there are still unresolved problems that need to be tackled to provide a robust allocation of future defibrillators. Further research to enhance our understanding on public access defibrillation and optimize the accessibility and functionality of the medical health care services is needed. A network of engaged and informed citizens ready to act is required for a successful public access defibrillation program.</p>

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