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S1618866719300664 | Riparian zones are among the ecosystems with the highest susceptibility to human impacts and the main drivers influencing their function are river regulation and urbanization . In this study we aimed to assess shifts in species composition of riparian vegetation over three decades and discuss effects of river regulation on species and functional diversity of the understory of riparian plant communities in an urban landscape before and after dam building . We compared riparian vegetation in 59 pre dam plots assigned to four types of riparian vegetation initially investigated in the years 19701984 with 50 post dam plots sampled by us in 2011 2018 . We explored changes in the importance of competition in shaping plant species composition using a set of ecological indicator values plant functional traits and components of functional diversity . Results of the study suggest that river regulation drove compositional shifts in plant communities surveyed probably caused by displacement of species with strategies allowing occurrence under high stress levels by plants with higher competitive abilities including ornamental alien species . We revealed increasing magnitudes of compositional shifts along an environmental gradient of riparian vegetation with the largest changes observed in pioneer forest communities . Implementing natural ows with consideration for relationships between plant strategies and their key life history traits and aspects of the ow regime may be a proper tool for restoration and maintenance of riparian vegetation as buffer zones in urban landscapes . | How river regulation influence riparian ecosystem functions in long term perspective. We assessed shifts in diversity of riparian vegetation in urban areas over 35 years. Spatial sequence of vegetation along environmental gradient changed after river regulation. Stopped flooding drove competitive displacement of native species by invasive plants. Modern environmental changes threat pioneer species and promote alien generalists. |
S1618866719300949 | Cities are confronted with different societal challenges calling for urban sustainability transformation . Nature based solutions can provide actions for such challenges and strive for maximizing environmental social and economic benefits . Edible cities which encompass different forms of urban food production in the city can be seen as multifunctional NbS . However the concept of edible cities has just recently arrived in research and its understanding as potential NbS supporting UST is still fragmented . Therefore the study created an analytical framework which aims at identifying and prioritizing 1 challenges that edible cities can contribute in the context of UST and 2 strategies for implementing and mainstreaming the edible city in the context of urban sustainability acceleration . The study is of explorative character and encompasses interviews with key actors from three German case studies Andernach a German frontrunner in implementing the edible city Haar follower I which implemented the concept after learning from Andernach and Munich follower II where the concept of edible cities was not yet implemented but a range of bottom up activities exist to promote the topic . Results show that edible cities can be seen as NbS that can support UST in terms of social spatial and socio ecological transformation in particular promoting social cohesion and human nature and food connection . In terms of implementing and mainstreaming the results suggest that the edible city can be taken up by different city departments due to its multifunctionality . Furthermore a mix of motivated bottom up initiatives and top down authorities paired with courage and room for experimentation on the edible city is crucial for its embedding . Apart from that network creation with different UFP initiatives as well as with other cities is an important factor for mainstreaming edible cities . Future research shall test the transferability of the analytical framework to other NbS analyzing their potential to contribute to UST . | Nature based solutions can be linked with urban sustainability transformation. Edible cities can strengthen human food connection and social cohesion. Edible cities address social spatial and socio ecological transformation. Mainstreaming edible cities provides strategies for sustainability acceleration. |
S1618866719301311 | This study was conducted to address the relationship between socio economic variables and invasive plant species occurrence in parks and natural areas in two cities of Metro Vancouver British Columbia Canada . Invasive plants inventory data in parks and natural areas were acquired from the cities of Surrey and Coquitlam . Four socio economic variables were extracted from the 2011 Canada Census the 2016 National Household Survey and the 2016 Survey of Household Spending median household income population density single detached house density and household expenditure on gardening . Ten topographic park variables were obtained for each invasive plant observation point . Using an inhomogeneous Poisson point process modelling approach the relationships between these socio economic and topographic park variables and the occurrences of three priority invasive plantsEnglish ivy knotweed species and yellow archangelwere evaluated . Population density had positive associations with knotweed species occurrence in both cities as well as English ivy occurrence in Surrey . In Coquitlam single detached house density and median household income were identified as significant socio economic variables for English ivy and yellow archangel respectively . Results indicate that relationships between socio economic variables and species occurrence vary with site and target species . This case study demonstrates a possible approach for linking common invasive plant field survey data and socio economic data to establish relationships . The results can help land managers to establish cost effective management strategies by providing valuable information needed for monitoring and pro active management of invasive plants . | Population density housing and income significantly explained invasive plant occurrences. The set of significant socio economic factors varied by city and target species. Invasive plant occurrences mostly positively associated with socio economic factors. Species and city specific invasive plant management strategies are required. |
S1618866719301475 | Vacant land in growing cities is commonly targeted for development because it is perceived as wasted land that provides no benefit for people or nature . However vacant sites might contribute to biodiversity conservation . To help inform biodiversity sensitive urban development we examined whether vacant land provided suitable habitat for birds in the Latin American city of Santiago Chile a growing capital city located in a Mediterranean ecosystem identified as a global biodiversity hotspot . We posed the following questions How do species richness and abundance of native and exotic birds vary among vacant lands urban parks and residential areas And does vacant land support a different bird community compared with urban parks and residential areas We found that vacant lands helped conserve local birds . Vacant lands exhibited high species richness and abundance of native birds and maintained significantly fewer exotic species than urban parks and residential areas . In addition vacant lands supported a different bird community than urban parks and residential areas including several native birds associated with grasslands and rural areas that are rare in the city . Although vegetation in vacant land was dominated by exotic herbaceous plants they provided important resources for native birds . Our findings demonstrate that vacant land covered by spontaneous vegetation provides habitat for native birds . Given that vacant lands offer opportunities for biodiversity conservation and to connect urban residents with nature close to home we discuss strategies to help maintain the benefits provided by vacant lands through urban design land use planning and urban growth policies . | Land covered by spontaneous vegetation provides habitat for local birds. Vacant lands maintain mainly native and a few exotic bird species. Bird communities in vacant lands differ from formal greenspaces and residential areas. Vacant lands support species that are not common in the city. Vacant lands have the potential to help recover people nature interactions in cities. |
S1618866719301517 | Contact with nature and care of gardens are assumed to have important therapeutic functions . This work is an open pilot study exploring the potentiality of caring local biodiversity in a healing garden as a tool to promote multi purpose ecosystem services and social benefits . A group of Biodiversity Custodians composed by young people with autism spectrum disorder was constituted to realize a healing garden in Morrano di Orvieto with the aim to carry out an integrated approach for conservation of crop landraces . This approach provided opportunities for nature contact and synergistic inter personal exchanges in a more biodiverse environment and socio cultural context leading to a significant improvement of the rehabilitative objectives effectiveness in the participants especially regarding their social skills and interpersonal relationships . In addition a series of agronomical plant physiological and biochemical nutritional functional traits were determined and proposed as cost effective and reliable tools to set up screening and evaluation tests of landraces germplasm . Hence the care of life diversity at plant human and socio cultural level in the healing garden was the basis for the promotion of ecosystem services and health care roles pursuing two main crucial goals i the improvement of health subjective well being and interpersonal relationships in highly vulnerable people of local community and ii the conservation and valorisation of local biodiversity by the care of crop landraces the acquisition of relevant historical and functional data useful for local farmers breeders and researchers and by transfer of this heritage to future generations . Therefore this pilot study demonstrated as proper management of healing gardens may represent a concrete way to promote health care intervention and both agro biodiversity and cultural diversity leading to a widespread improvement of the environmental protection and human well being . | Autism spectrum disorder ASD subjects were constituted as Biodiversity Custodians. ASD subjects were involved in the care of landraces within an enabling garden. Plant functional traits were determined for evaluation of landraces germplasm. ASD subjects improved their independence adaptive behaviour and interaction skills. Caring of landraces promoted the role of ecosystem services in human well being. |
S1618866719301657 | Urban greening practices are often adopted to mitigate the negative impacts of increasing impervious surfaces in urban areas . In the United States green approaches are prevalent in the field of stormwater management as some cities are required to install green stormwater infrastructure to meet regulatory requirements . While the primary function of GSI is to address stormwater quality and quantity issues stormwater managers often tout the ancillary social and environmental benefits or co benefits when promoting their green approach . Co benefits are difficult to quantify because they span a diverse set of categories and can not be easily measured using any single metric . Drawing from existing techniques in the field of ecosystem services this study uses the normalized difference vegetation index to establish trends in ecosystem services in ten US cities with GSI programs and to evaluate the impacts of GSI interventions on urban greenness . Results show that only two of the ten study cities are getting greener likely due to maturing vegetation . A case study for one of the 10 cities Philadelphia utilizes a stormwater control measure inventory of GSI installations and shows decreasing greenness at the city wide scale . This case study demonstrates that 62 of GSI project area is composed of non vegetated SCMs . High resolution imagery and spatial GSI data identifies densification trends in Philadelphia where non vegetated SCMs are installed to control post development stormwater resulting in a decrease in NDVI . Smaller vegetated SCMs contribute to greenness and related co benefits when installed in series especially when near larger vegetated vacant lots . Moving forward decision makers are encouraged to incorporate NDVI into their planning processes to move beyond water quality and quantity control measures and directly incorporate and incentivize co benefits into GSI goals . | NDVI can provide context for ecosystem services trends and tracking GSI. In Philadelphia the majority of stormwater control measures are non vegetated. Greenness goals should accompany volume based GSI goals to promote co benefits. |
S1618866719301748 | The contribution of single landscape features for supply of cultural ecosystem services is well researched . However only few studies do exist that identified the role of both natural and humanmade physical landscape features for CES of urban forests . Advancing knowledge on the contribution of urban forest elements and their ensemble for values people assign to forest areas can help forest managers prioritize and balance management objectives . Furthermore enhancing understanding on urban forest visitors preference and spatial behavior has the potential to improve existing forest management tools such as forest function maps that are used to address interests of the public . We examined the linkages between CES hotspots and physical landscape features to help urban forest managers identify natural resource management synergies and conflicts and to focus management efforts on features that matter . We elicited spatial CES of urban forests by collecting Public Participation GIS data from city dwellers in three case studies in Germanys Southwest . We derived biophysical characteristics landform and land cover from OpenStreetMap inventory maps high resolution LiDAR satellite imagery and forest function maps of the federal states forestry administration . We used Breiman and Cutlers random forest for regression to assess the contribution of urban forest characteristics for supply of CES . We found humanmade infrastructure like historic sites and sports infrastructure as well as bluespace being most important for the supply of CES whereas natural features and biophysical characteristics were less important . Natural features were most important for cultural heritage inspirational and spiritual values . We conclude that forest managers may promote CES in urban forests best when simultaneously enhancing infrastructure besides considering aesthetic preferences in silviculture . | We examined 21 urban forest characteristicsin a single statistical model to rank their relative importance for cultural ecosystem services supply. We used a random forest for regression and kernel density estimates which is an innovative approach in the field of research. 3354 participants mapped 10800 places they found relevant for cultural ecosystem services supply. We found humanmade infrastructure being most important while forest characteristics derived from inventory data were least important. Findings of this paper have the potential to better incorporate public demands into urban forest management |
S1618866719301839 | Urbanization often leads to soil compaction and reduces soil water infiltration rates which then increase runoff and flooding . Comparison of infiltration rates associated with tree root systems with different root distributions can help establish predictive models and improve species selection to mitigate runoff and flooding in urban environments . In Shanghai 90 trees of 10 different species were scanned using a Ground Penetrating Radar . Soil properties were measured as well as the characteristics of the tree root systems and their effects on infiltration were analyzed . Compared to the turf tree roots increased the initial infiltration rate and steady infiltration rate . Trees with deep root distributions improved infiltration the most followed by medium and shallow root distributions . Soil porosity and bulk density the two most important factors that affect soil infiltration below 15 cm became increasingly unfavorable to infiltration as the soil depth increased which could be counterbalanced by the root systems . Relationship models of roots and soil infiltration in different soil layers were established to rapidly predict the infiltration of different tree species . Mixed planting of trees with different root distribution characteristics should be popularized to ensure root systems develop at different soil depths thus optimizing the infiltration effects of urban trees . | Roots increased the initial infiltration 53330 and saturation infiltration 892167 . Trees with deep root distributions improved infiltration the most. Soil porosity and bulk density affected soil infiltration below 15 cm the most. Root systems could counterbalance the unfavorable factors to infiltration. Relationship models of roots and soil infiltration in different soil layers were established. |
S1618866719302079 | The decline of industrial manufacturing left large areas of vacant land in the peri urban belts of many European cities becoming an economic social and environmental concern . In the meantime available fertile soils are being over used to produce energy crops and municipal organic wastes are accumulating in landfills actions that hamper the development of wealth creating and sustainable societies . Phytomanagement has emerged as a valuable | Phytoremediation assisted by bio stabilised material increases the agro economic potential of vacant urban soils. Bio stabilised material is a useful amendment for sustainable plant production as it increased leaf area of. Application of bio stabilised material increased microbial activity of peri urban soils. The lower application rate of bio stabilised material 50t ha. resulted in high improvements in plant and soil parameters. It is possible to redevelop peri urban vacant soils by using energy crops and properly treated urban solid wastes. |
S1618866719302316 | In addition to their role as critical ecological resources the forests and wetlands of urban parks are integral to the social and psychological well being of many city residents . In this study we use randomized field interviews with 955 New York City park users to explore differences in park use and motivations for park visitation according to site type and gender of respondents . We find that natural areas offer different experiences and social meanings to park visitors compared to the ballfields lawns and playgrounds of landscaped areas . Visitors to urban forests and wetlands are more likely to value a sense of refuge place attachment and the opportunity to experience nature while those in landscaped areas are drawn to a particular park quality or activity . Park users who do not visit natural areas cite their preferences for landscaped park areas as well as specific concerns that these sites of wild urban nature are not safe or accessible for themselves or their children . Our research also reveals differences in the ways that women and men use urban parks and perceive urban natural areas . Women are more likely to visit parks with children and are less likely to visit natural areas than men . In addition people who participate in environmental stewardship groups are more likely to visit urban natural areas than those who do not engage in stewardship . These results provide context for urban natural resource managers as they seek to enhance park access visitor experience and perceptions of safety for all park users . | Urban natural areas offer a sense of refuge place attachment and nature experience. Landscaped park areas provide space for sports activities socializing and children. Women are more often in parks with children and less often in natural areas. Those who do not visit natural areas may be concerned with safety or accessibility. Environmental stewardship group participants are more likely to visit natural areas. |
S1618866719302365 | Tropical Pacific island countries many of which are less developed are experiencing invasions of alien plant species at rates faster than areas of comparable size elsewhere . In this paper we examine the relationship between the presence abundance and richness of 14 invasive woody plant species and level of urbanization and road type in the Greater Suva Urban Area Fiji . One hundred and fifty four sample locations within a 29km transect traversing urban peri urban and rural land sectors on local collector and arterial roads were surveyed . We analyzed the 14 species for frequency of occurrence across the urban rural gradient and found spatial patterns of IWP presence differed by species . We analyzed the abundance of seven species using multivariable regression and found abundance was more often influenced by urban rural sector than road type though road type had a significant effect for some species . We conclude by offering plausible explanations for differences attributed to modes of dispersal introduction history and human activities . We include supplementary material providing detailed characterization of biology ecology and history of the 14 target species . These findings are expected to help inform risk assessments and management of IWP in other tropical urban rural gradients and especially small island developing states . | 14 problematic invasive woody plants can be classified into 4 spatial patterns. Presence and abundance on urban rural gradient type differs by plant species. Abundance of IWP is explained more by urban rural gradient type than road type. IWP species may be common in urban sector type but not necessarily abundant. Overall abundance of target species in urban sector lower than other sectors |
S1618866719302444 | Urban green space provision is fundamental for the well being of people living in cities and for sustainable urban development . Assessing quantifying and monitoring UGS is relevant for researchers practitioners and city administrations . To date a great deal of research has been concerned with UGS provision and accessibility . Several studies compare UGS across different cities while local governments look for benchmarks to boast about their UGS in national and international marketing strategies . However two major obstacles in comparing the cities performances in terms of UGS provision can be identified the mismatch between administrative borders of cities and the actual urbanized area the criteria for defining UGS and the heterogeneity of databases . We proposed spatially explicit delineations of the contiguous urban fabric of eight metropolitan agglomerations as a comparable spatial reference independent of administrative boundaries to analyze potential distortions in the UGS calculation . Using a standardized methodology we then compared qualitative and quantitative differentiations of UGS spatial patterns as well as the overall UGS provision in a set of eight metropolitan areas in Europe . Our investigation shows the relevance of clear spatial and conceptual assumptions while assessing UGS provision and accessibility providing strong ground to inform urban planning . | Adequate indicators remain a crucial point when comparing green infrastructure. Spatial reference areas for indicators are delineated using a standardized method. Delineation of contiguous urban fabric independent of administrative boundaries. Qualitative and quantitative differentiations of green infrastructure spatial patterns. Relevance of clear spatial and conceptual assumptions for UGS planning is shown. |
S1618866719302572 | The cooling effect of blue green space has been recognized as a promising approach to mitigate the urban heat island while the quantitative role is still uncertain . This paper aims to present the latest progress and controversies on the studies of the cooling effects of waterbodies greenspaces and parks . In order to do this research international search engines were employed to systematically search peer reviewed articles including the cooling effect of blue green space and threshold size based UHI mitigation studies . After that the inductive analysis is used to analyze the relevant literature . We found that previous studies concentrated on the correlations between different landscape types temperature variations and the quantification of cooling intensity etc . However threshold size based research has received less attention which limits the ability to make specific recommendations for actionable planning and management usingthe smallest blue green space for the best cooling effect . The review also revealed the controversies over the effects of blue green space size shape landscape composition and configuration on cooling effect . Besides we pointed out that the uncertainties and the reasons of controversial results of the cooling effect need to be further investigated . We also suggested that more attention should be paid to quantify the contributions of local background climate and landscape characteristics to the cooling effect of blue green space . This review would give us a deeper understanding of the field and provide insights into actionable climate adaption planning . | The cooling effect of urban blue green space and threshold size based studies are reviewed. The controversies and uncertainties on the cooling effect of urban blue green space are revealed. The basic framework and perspective of the urban cooling effect studies are proposed. The new technology and method for furthering urban cooling effect studies are suggested. The implications of the threshold size of blue green space for actionable climate adaption planning are discussed. |
S1618866719302596 | Impervious surfaces in modern cities can be used for revegetation . However the ecological quality of belowground ecosystem components and constrained soil space are crucial factors that limit habitat restoration . The long term development of Bonsai trees has resulted in mature theories and techniques that suggest optimal root canopy ratios . Considering the similarities with constrained pot landscapes some enlightenments or key findings derived from Bonsai theory can also be applied to urban special revegetation . In this study we analyzed the root shoot correlations of the different styles of Bonsai trees and provide and assessment on the relationships between Bonsai theory and USR . Using an on site survey and biomass experiment nine enlightenments from Bonsai theory are proposed positive root canopy correlation environmental stress increasing the root shoot ratio connectivity of the tree bark water line rebalancing after disruption of the root canopy balance precise root and canopy design artificial auxiliary fixation of the root control of growth horticultural reshaping skills and plant diversity . In particular for the successful establishment of urban rebuilt environments it is essential to understand the mechanisms of root canopy correlations . Therefore we suggest that the four main types of USR should follow the core principle based on the root shoot balance to effectively design both the root and canopy . | Impervious surfaces in modern cities can be used for revegetation. Bonsai Penjing is an ancient art that has relevant lessons for urban revegetation. Limited substrate and pot sizes are key challenges in bonsai and revegetation. There is a correlation between root size and shoot size. Control of growth vigour is critical. |
S1618866719302614 | There is a current concern that the capacity of urban forests to recover from the effects of climate change may be diminishing . New management options are needed so that they can continue to provide ecosystem services to local communities . After a windstorm occurred on June 2014 pre and post disturbance stand conditions of the historical old growth holm oak forest of Parco Gussone were analysed by combining ground and satellite based methodologies . Results highlighted that Parco Gussone was primarily valued for its historical importance and despite the phytosanitary conditions of the trees no silvicultural treatments were made since 1986 most probably due to conflicts arisen between different stakeholders . Therefore in 2014 the windstorm damaged 406 trees and it was stand replacing on 1.53ha . Windthrows heterogeneously distributed and unequally sized 103 canopy gap ranging between 6 to 1632m | Capacity of urban woodlands to recover to storm damages needs to be considered. Extreme windstorms in the Mediterranean basin might affect historical urban forests. Forest Ecosystem Services might decline due to conflicts between stakeholders. Management options of historical urban forests need to be carefully tailored. Resilience of historical old growth urban forests could be restored and improved. |
S1618866719302997 | This study aims to focus on a case study of Istanbul province in order to reveal the most important factors affecting the planning and management of urban forests by means of a multidimensional approach . First of all 67 variables which affected the planning and management of urban forests were developed by taking the literature review and expert opinions into consideration . These variables were grouped under five main headings and questionnaire forms were prepared accordingly . The questionnaire forms were applied to 201 people from three different stakeholder groups through face to face interviews . In the study a factor analysis was conducted with 67 variables and approximately 71 of the respondents opinions on the planning and management of urban forests were explained with 8 factors by taking 32 variables as basis as a result of the reliability analysis . According to their level of significance these factors are as follows | This study reveal the most important factors affecting the planning and management of urban forests using a multidimensional approach. This study puts forward the main aim of urban forests in terms of their functions. In the study a factor analysis was conducted with 67 variables. Linear regression analysis was also conducted in order to determine which factors and to what extent affect the main purpose of urban forests. The results obtained can be compared with other similar studies. In addition the methods used can be used in similar studies. |
S1618866719303267 | This study reports a comparative analysis of trees used in public squares located in Brazilian cities where the Atlantic Forest is present . This overview uses databases including SciVerse Scopus Web of Science Scientific Electronic Library Online and Google Scholar using the following descriptors vegetation AND public square AND qualitative analysis AND Atlantic forest . Each species had its origin investigated originating species from the Brazilian biomes or species not belonging to the Brazilian biomes . The Kruskal Wallis test did not show significant differences between the numbers of species or individuals considering their origins in the analyzed public squares . More than 15 of the species are endemic to the Atlantic Forest including | We analyzed the urban forest and note the historical influence of the selection and domestication of species. Both native and exotic species are also used in the composition of the squares evaluated. More of 20 of the tree species used in the urban races are endemic to the Atlantic Forest. |
S1618866719303516 | A plethora of socioenvironmental issues and growing concerns over the effects of climate change are forcing cities to rethink conventional urban water management practices . However change towards more sustainable practices has been remarkably slow . This paper examines two cases of greening projects aimed at urban rehabilitation in Stockholm and Barcelona which have turned into examples of innovative approaches to urban rain management . Both cities share high densities and flooding problems in certain neighborhoods . Specifically the paper attempts to answer three questions 1 what were the driving forces and key factors that facilitated the breakthrough of urban rainwater harvesting schemes based on the two cases 2 who were the actors involved and what were their roles in moving towards URH schemes and 3 how can URH schemes become part of multifunctional sustainable urban systems To answer these questions the paper uses concepts of adaptive context and capacity and of actor agency drawn from the transitions literature and opportunistic and guided flexibility planning drawn from the planning literature . Empirical material for both case studies was obtained from policy documents and semi structured interviews with key actors . The main results show first political support for flexibility in public planning the adaptive context and the capacity of the actors especially in taking advantage of windows of opportunity for the materialisation of new ideas . Second the design and implementation of these systems widened the number and scope of actors in urban water management incorporating new professionals such as architects and involving more city agencies and organizations . Third small scale URH systems contributed not only to control urban drainage but performed other functions such as the much needed greening of dense areas in both cities . | Political decisions and support for experimentation to solve socio environmental problems have potentials to provide innovative solutions. Small scale projects combining urban drainage and rainwater harvesting are possible in the built environment and suited to dense areas as well. Urban planners rather than water planners may be able to push forward for sustainable drainage projects. Planning for blue green infrastructure opens windows of opportunity towards urban sustainability to multiple urban challenges. Urban rain and urban drainage should be considered a resource and not a hazard. |
S1618866719303607 | Increasing temperatures and exposure to sunlight in spring causes many deciduous broadleaf plant species in temperate climates to foliate decreasing temperatures and exposure to sunlight in fall prompts complete defoliation . Evergreen plants defoliate seasonally yet retain green foliage throughout the year . Ones mood may also be affected by seasonal changes though few studies have investigated whether seasonally induced visual changes to plants affect landscape preference and measures related to attention restoration . To address this need we manipulated three variables in a Latin square to model nine color digital landscape views . Stimuli depicted scattershot clustered or formal compositions of defoliated foliated or evergreen plant species quantities that equaled zero two or four bits of Shannons Information Entropy a mathematical measure of complexity . The dataset contained 59 respondents ratings of preference and restorative potential from September and 47 respondents ratings of preference and restorative potential from January . Mann Whitney test results indicate that September respondents rated evergreen scenes significantly lower in restorative potential than January respondents . Wilcoxon test results indicated that the foliage type and plant entropy values significantly affected preference and restorative potential ratings in September and January results varied between the evaluation date and preference and restorative potential ratings . The results of simple mediation analyses indicated that only the depiction of defoliation indirectly affected September and January restorative potential ratings through preference . | Evergreen models had more restorative potential RP in January than in September. Preference rose significantly between 0 2 and 4 bits of plant palette entropy. RP rose significantly between 0 and 2 bits of plant entropy. Foliated models had higher preference and RP than defoliated. Defoliation was indirectly associated with RP through preference. |
S1618866719303619 | Research on urban forests has expanded in the last 30 years in the US Canada Europe and Australia . Nonetheless urban forestry has been explored to much less extent in the Latin America and the Caribbean region despite being one of the most urbanized and biodiverse regions in the world . We address this gap by providing a baseline understanding of urban forest research in the region based on a systematic review of the academic literature . Of the 55 000 studies found 195 were selected for review and 182 were analysed and synthesized . These studies came from 13 countries and were published from 1970 to mid 2018 in English Spanish and Portuguese . Almost half of the studies were based in Brazil followed by Mexico and Chile . To comparatively assess article output by country we accounted for country population and Brazil Chile Nicaragua and Puerto Rico had higher than average per capita article output . Most articles were ecological studies that used field surveys to research urban vegetation diversity . Most ecological studies did not include any social or management considerations . Only a few studies focused on spatiotemporal dynamics or the direct opinions of stakeholders . We observed a notable increase in article output from the region during the last decade . The units of analysis targeted by these studies mostly focused on single trees in public areas . Understanding urban forests regionally could be strengthened by scaling up research across multiple units of analysis and across regional cities which could provide a better understanding of regional spatiotemporal dynamics . To respond to current global trends and nurture regional strengths research could also focus on a wider range of ecosystem services provided by urban forests and the relationship of urban forests with poverty crime climate vulnerability biodiversity loss and social equity . These findings can inform key stakeholders in the region managing urban forests and trees about research trends and gaps to be filled . This article shows that the region indeed has an important body of research in urban forestry that should be recognized in global assessments . | 182 academic articles from 13 countries published from 1970 to 2018 were reviewed and synthesized. Most studies 42 were from Brazil Mexico 17 and Chile 15 . Brazil Chile Nicaragua and Puerto Rico had higher than average per capita article output. Most studies have been ecological and field based surveys of vegetation diversity social studies have appeared more recently. Urban forest research in the region will be strengthened by integrating social ecological data from its regional cities. |
S1618866719303668 | In urban areas one way of mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution is the sustainable rooftop practice known as green roofs . How green roofs can help reduce carbon emissions in urban areas directly and indirectly is the focus of this review which draws on recently published studies . The direct impact of green roofs on carbon sequestration involves vegetation and soil media which can capture and store air pollutants on a building scale . The indirect impact includes the long term green roof effect which can include reducing building energy consumption leading to a reduction in fossil fuel consumption . Consequently this process could reduce CO | An extensive review of the carbon sequestration of the green roof. An evaluation of the direct and indirect impact of the green roof on carbon emission reduction in urban areas. Analysis of carbon sequestration assessment of green roof. Dissemination of extensive reviews findings. |
S1618866719303681 | Hospital is one of the areas that affect the mental and psychological conditions of the children and the poor design of these environments may affect physical and psychological health . This study investigated the effect of a typical Dish Garden as a surrogate for green spaces in improving the physical and neuropsychological characteristics of hospitalized children . For this purpose 54 hospitalized children were randomly divided into intervention and control groups . The children in the experimental group were placed in a pre designed room with a Dish Garden for 72 h and the control group did not receive any intervention . In this research a pre test and post test design were applied . The results showed that the group exposed to the Dish Garden was significantly healthier than the control group in terms of physical and neuropsychological factors . The recorded vital signs including systolic and diastolic blood pressures heart and respiration rates decreased to normal rates in the experimental group . The neuropsychological indices in the experimental group included the emotional index the cognitive index and the non symptom index . The Dish Garden enhanced physical and neuropsychological health of the children through visual distraction . Therefore using Dish Gardens can be suggested as low budget and low risk tools to create favourable environments in children s hospitals . | The effect of dish gardens on the health of the hospitalized children was examined. The recorded vital signs decreased to normal rates in the experimental group. The neuropsychological indices in the experimental group were also improved. A suitable landscape surrogate can create a healthier hospital for children. |
S161886671930384X | Studies from high income mostly westernised countries tend to report health benefits from urban green spaces . Generalizability of this evidence for the 125 low and middle income countries is debatable . This systematic review explored and synthesized the quality of green space health studies reported from LMICs . Following PRISMA guidelines 22 studies were found through a systematic search and after applying inclusion criteria by two researchers . Quantitative and qualitative synthesis of these studies included a study quality assessment using the National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross sectional studies . The 22 studies were conducted in 11 LMICs and mostly of the cross sectional design . Health outcomes include mental and physical health wellbeing . Green space and health outcomes were mostly measured by the subjective tool such as by the perception of the sample population most reporting green space benefits except the study conducted on a slum population and two studies measured physical health outcomes . Only 14 studies adjusted different moderating variables in the quantitative analysis . Three studies explored mediation analyses and reported physical activity and perceived restorativeness of UGS to be the strongest potential pathways to better health . Lack of adherence to observation study design protocols resulted in the studies to have moderate to low quality . The enquiry on the potential health benefits of green space in LMICs is an important gap in knowledge . The evidence in the LMICs is limited by the quality of the studies . More research especially longitudinal studies that make use of objective indicators of green space design utilisation and health indicators in a wider range of LMICs is warranted . | We systematically reviewed 22 studies of green space and health set in LMICs. Most studies used subjective measures to assess urban green space and health variables. Association between mental health and wellbeing with urban green space was reasonably consistent. Only one study focused on the health of children and three studies focused on elderly people. All the studies are cross sectional and low in the observational study criteria. |
S1618866719303905 | Reconstructing spatial and temporal pollution gradients in natural and anthropogenic areas is of paramount importance to undertake proper mitigation strategies . To this end air biomonitoring based on chemical analysis of selected bioaccumulators provides useful information not only on the pollutant concentration gradients but also on their possible effects on biota and ecosystems . | Specific industrial activities locally affect As Mn Ni and Pb air concentrations. In urban sites diffuse pollution sources determine high concentrations of several PTEs. Remote areas are affected by high Cd air concentrations. Air PTE concentrations are decreasing as generally observed in Europe. |
S1618866719303917 | Urban and peri urban forests and woodlands provide an important recreational service for citizens . However these forests are facing increasing pressure due to the ongoing land use encroachment and increased demands for wood based products . Same time the world is getting more urbanized and living in cities is associated with mental health problems and exposure to air pollution and noise . Conversely forests are known to create more healthy environments and the need for effectively restorative forests is even more evident . In this study we investigated whether the restorative effects of forests on people vary according to the forests different management decisions and or ages . We selected four spruce dominated forests that represent well the different management outcomes 1 an urban recreation forest 2 a mature commercial forest 3 a young commercial forest and 4 an old growth forest in its natural state . The study participants visited each forest once . The experiment included 15 min of observation followed by 30 min of walking . We measured the restorative effects perceived restorative outcomes vitality and positive and negative emotions . The restorative effects increased significantly in all forests . The old growth forest and mature commercial forest were significantly most restorative . The urban recreation forest was less restorative than these two but more restorative than the young commercial forest which was at least restorative . In conclusion it is important to preserve forests with old stands close to residential areas . As the forest management decisions and stand age affect restorative qualities they should be taken into account in forest management and land use planning . | All the forests were restorative. The old forests were significantly more restorative than the young forest. The old growth forest and mature commercial forest were equally restorative. The urban forest was significantly less restorative than the same age class rural forests. |
S1618866719304029 | Urban Green Infrastructure serves both inhabitants and visitors numerous and various needs . This research aimed to enhance knowledge regarding the role of UGI in urban tourism . The research questions addressed tourists perceptions of UGI their understanding and uses of UGI and the ways that this understanding influenced their travel choice to specific urban destinations . A cross cultural comparative study among urban tourists was carried out in eight European countries . The selection of case studies followed a roughly comparative logic employing the same on site questionnaire survey administered in a sample of large and medium size cities in Southern European Central European and Northern European countries . Looking from the perspective of the tourists countries of origin our findings validate a well established trend in international tourism namely the fact that neighbouring countries tend to be the most significant tourist markets of an urban destination . The other major finding confirmed the most well known tourist movement patterns of Northern and Central Europeans travelling to the Mediterranean for tourism purposes . While the study revealed that the majority of the tourists interviewed were not very familiar with the term Green Infrastructure nor with specific UGI features offered in the visited cities the importance of UGI was acknowledged and viewed in a mostly very positive light . The majority of respondents enjoyed visiting UGI and used it for some light physical activity or for purposes of relaxation socialization and in order to explore the culture and society of the destination city . The fact that most UGI in the case study cities is located around or within a short distance from important heritage sites provided UGI with an indirect possibility of being included in the tourists visiting plans . In conclusion the results of this study may prove to be very helpful to local and regional authorities in considering how to plan manage and promote an urban tourism destinations green infrastructure as part of the tourism offer . | The paper enhances knowledge regarding the role of UGI in urban tourism perspective. A cross cultural comparative study among UGI tourists is conducted in eight European countries. Our findings validate well established trends in European urban tourism. Neighbouring countries tend to be the most significant tourist markets of urban destinations. Tourists enjoyed visiting UGI for some light physical activity relaxation and socialization. |
S1618866719304479 | Concerning Central European conditions the mitigation of daytime heat stress for pedestrians by evenly positioned plane trees on both sidewalks of a shallow and a deep E W street canyon is quantified by scenario simulations . Using the ENVI met model v4.0 BETA they were performed for a previous heat wave day in Freiburg . Related to both sidewalks the simulations are focused on the impact of the spacing between two adjacent tree crowns which in turn depends on the size and number of trees . It determines the coverage of both sidewalks by tree crowns . The simulation results each averaged over 1016 CET also refer to the aspect ratios of both street canyons and two values of the inflow speed into the simulation domain . Human thermal comfort is determined by the mean radiant temperature T | The impact of spacing between the crowns of plane trees on the reduction of daytime human heat stress is simulated. The scenario simulations are focused on pedestrians on both tree lined sidewalks of a shallow and a deep E W street canyon. Trees are the most effective at mitigating human heat stress on the S facing sidewalk of a shallow E W street canyon. The mitigation of human heat stress increases with crown coverage i.e. as the crown spacing decreases. On the N facing sidewalk shading by the S bordering building masks the mitigation of human heat stress by tree crowns. |
S1618866719304698 | Urban residents are suffer from increased heat stress because of urban heat island intensification in combination with global climate change . Trees have been widely used for improving human thermal comfort . However when it comes to practical design it is not always clear what characteristics of trees are most important or how trees should be arranged to optimize thermal conditions . This study undertook an in depth analysis of several tree species in various configurations . Fifty scenarios were evaluated in terms of how each tree and each configuration affected the energy fluxes of a person on hot sunny days . Results showed that the largest effect in all scenarios was on radiation flux with a much smaller effect on the convective and evaporative fluxes . An even distribution of trees was found to be overall most effective as it maximized the shaded area by avoiding unnecessary overlap . While the solar radiation reduction was the largest effect a detailed analysis provided additional insight into the sometimes large effect of terrestrial radiation . Taller trees with low branching height and dense crowns had the largest effect on solar radiation reduction . Terrestrial radiation was most affected by leaf albedo and sky view factor . Buildings surrounding a treed area increased both solar radiation and terrestrial radiation . The results are universally applicable as the tree characteristics are not species specific and the energy fluxes are based on first principles . | In depth analysis of thermal effect of trees for design decision making. Trees mainly affect energy budget by radiation flux especially by solar radiation. Even distribution is the most effective reducing the most absorbed solar radiation. Taller trees with low branching height and dense crowns is the preferable tree species. The shadow analysis of urban environments should be before tree planting design. |
S1618866719305035 | Cycling for recreational or commuting purposes has multiple benefits . Understanding the factors that influence the use of bicycles is important to formulate policies and promote their use . Previous studies have reached a consensus on the impact of built environments on the use of bicycles . However very few studies have used actual cycling data to measure bicycle use and differing opinions exist on the impact of greening on cycling . In this study a large sample of actual shared bicycle use data is adopted to study the factors associated with the use of shared bicycles particularly the influence of greening factors . Taking Shenzhen as an example travel information on 248 000 shared bicycles in the city is obtained by using a web crawler and a total of 901 760 trips are identified . Regression analysis confirms the positive impact of eye level greening on cycling and finds that the Green coverage index has no significant impact on cycling . This study suggests that in order to build a cycling friendly urban environment more attention should be paid to three dimensional eye level greening rather than to traditional plane greening such as urban green land . It also shows the web crawled shared bicycle use and street green view image are novel and reliable data source for measuring eye level urban greenness and its association with cycling which is also applicable to cycling studies in other cities . | Obtained 248 000 shared bicycles information identified 901 760 actual cycling trips. Confirmed the positive impact of streetscape greening on cycling and the green coverage rate has a minimal impact on cycling. Greenway and urban road network densities have no significant influence on cycling. Enhancing three dimensional greening could promote the use of shared bicycle. |
S1618866719305096 | Large old trees are keystone ecological entities and cultural heritages that provide vital services to humans in settlements . We investigated the abundance species diversity distribution patterns and environmental and anthropogenic determinants of large old trees in Wuchuan Gelao and Miao Autonomous County in southwest China . We examined the role of large old trees in the local culture systems and their management and protection practices through in depth sociological interviews of local villagers . The 5105 large old trees from 80 species originated either from natural forests or cultivation . Species distribution differed by elevation and topography units . Cultivated trees e.g . | 5105 large old trees from 80 species were identified in Wuchuan County. Natural vegetation and human selection shaped species composition. Village and artificial habitats as refugia for large old tree. Most of the large old trees protected as sacred tree and fengshui tree. The protection and management depended on traditional taboo local institutions and clan organization. |
S1618866719305126 | This paper examines the perceived spill over effects of proximity to golf courses on life satisfaction based on a large scale individual survey conducted in Beijing in 2013 . We find a positive association between residential proximity to golf courses and life satisfaction . This association is more pronounced for residents living at the closest distance margins and tends to vary by housing and golf landscape characteristics . Additional results quantify the evidence on potential complementary effects of public green spaces and golf courses . Findings of this study suggest that club based green amenities should be considered in land use policies aiming to improve urban greenness and landscape . | Spillover effects of golf courses on life satisfaction are significant and decay over space. Association between golf courses and life satisfaction is varied across social and golf landscape dimensions. Complementary effects of public green space and private green space are considered in the perceived evaluation. |
S1618866719305254 | Urban trees and grass have different ecological functions and services . Remote sensing provides a feasible way of quantifying urban vegetative cover and distribution at large scale . Most previous studies have used supervised classification based on high resolution images to map urban trees and grass . However due to the lack of specialized features for distinguishing coarse and fine vegetation the classification accuracy of urban trees and grass is consistently low . Although adding 3D topographical information can improve accuracy such data has limited availability . This paper developed a tree grass differentiation index to facilitate the fast and effective classification of urban trees and grass . We examined the performance of the new index by applying it to different classification methods . We compared the classification of Method 1 supervised classification without TGDI Method 2 supervised classification with TGDI and Method 3 rule based classification with TGDI . The results showed that the overall accuracy of Method 1 Method 2 and Method 3 were 84 88 and 90.5 respectively . Using the new index can improve the classification of urban trees and grass regardless if TGDI is used alone for rule based classification or added as a feature for supervised classification . The main advantage of using TGDI is to reduce the misclassification of sunlit portions of trees into grass . The producer accuracy of tree and the user accuracy of grass can be improved by more than 10 when TGDI is applied to supervised classification . This study synthesized texture and spectral features which enhances the traditional approach of index construction based on spectral features alone and without the requirement of detailed 3D surface data . The results suggest a novel way forward for developing indexes that can yield improved accuracies and expand the utility of remote sensing for illuminating patterns of ecological structure and function in urban environments . | We developed an index that can effectively differentiate tree and grass at fine scale. We combined spectral and texture features to construct the index. The index works well in both supervised classification and rule based classification. The index can reduce the misclassification of sunlit portions of trees into grass. |
S1618866719305497 | In many US cities urban forest management efforts are commonly supported by citizen advisory groups which are often generically referred to as tree boards . Very little is known about tree boards and the volunteers who serve on them consequently this study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating a sample of urban forestry tree boards that were part of the Arbor Day Foundation Tree City USA program . Surveys distributed to Tree City USA tree boards inquired about basic structure of the boards demographics of the individuals who serve on them and their motivations to serve . Results provided insights into what Tree City USA tree boards looked like and offered a profile of their typical board member . Compared to national demographic data board member composition was considerably less diverse in race and ethnicity indicating that these citizen advisory groups may not accurately represent the communities impacted by their decision making . Survey responses indicated that the majority of tree board members were motivated to volunteer on their respective board because they were interested in the management of their urban forest . Additional analysis revealed that certified arborists and individuals in the natural resources profession were most likely to volunteer in order to gain career related experience and opportunities when compared to non certified arborists and individuals in different professions . Findings also suggest that volunteer motivations can be used to direct member recruitment thereby improving effectiveness of community input in urban forest management . | Compared to national demographic data tree board member composition was considerably less diverse in race and ethnicity. The majority of tree board members responding were motivated to volunteer because they were interested in the management of their urban forest. Natural resources professionals were most likely to volunteer on tree boards in order to gain career related experience and opportunities. |
S1618866719305722 | Bornova metropolitan district is one of the most urbanised districts in Izmir metropolitan city Turkey with unknown e ects on the potential ecosystem services along urban rural areas . This study mapped the condition of ecosystem services potential and analysed their spatiotemporal dynamics and patterns between 1990 and 2018 for Bornova district . The methodology used in this study was based on an existing potential ecosystem services mapping methodology and spatially explicit index using open access available spatial data . The spatiotemporal changes in the potential ecosystem services along the urban rural gradient of Bornova district were assessed by global climate regulation microclimate mitigation and ecological integrity . The total vegetation cover in Bornova district increased from 18.41 to 27.95 to the last 28 years particularly in peri urban areas . Accordingly two of the selected ecosystem services potential has increased throughout the district except for ecological integrity . These changes were closely related to the deliberate efforts of the Bornova Municipal Council in increasing the amount of urban green and open spaces throughout the Bornova district in coordination with Izmir Metropolitan City Councils commitment to build a healthy and climate friendly city in the near future . | Strong relationships found between land cover pattern intensity and ecosystem services. Spatially explicit maps highlight the multiple ecosystem service supply deficit areas. The method is easy to replicate and can be applied to larger areas. |
S161886671930603X | The Fu Forest Trail in the Chinese city of Fuzhou completed in 2018 is a new pedestrian recreational system in an urban mountain forest area . Construction of the walkway was guided by identification of key sightlines between the mountains and the city . These sightlines controlled the interaction with the skylines around the walkway building height volume and density and while also assisting with coordinated development of mountain forest area and surrounding urban areas . In the present study a three dimensional city model of the urban area with Fu Forest Trail was developed based on Geographic Information System . Combined with the principle of the real vision of human eyes we obtained six skylines correspond to three observation areas from viewpoints along the forest trail . At the same time the three indicators on the skyline aesthetic evaluation of silhouette complexity layering equilibrium degree and fractal dimension have been evaluated . Analysis led to the identification of several problems in the skyline around Fu Forest Trail the outline is too flat the proportion of layers is unbalanced and there is a lack of satisfactory fluctuations and influential high rise buildings . During the past 20 years high intensity development of real estate projects had resulted in a disproportionate share of excessively high very large and homogeneous residential buildings around the mountainous area . Buildings almost fully surround the mountain which also explains the latter problem . We suggest that the government takes zonal control measures to restrict the development of the surrounding mountains in different gradients according to the distance from the mountains . Our findings can provide support for further study and governmental decision making while also providing inspiration for similar projects in China and elsewhere . | A three dimensional city model was created of the urban area with the Fu Forest Trail. Simulated skylines combined with GIS and the principle of the real vision were used. Three indicators are used to evaluate the skyline and provide suggestions. Excessive residential construction has become a major barrier for ideal skyline. |
S1618866719306211 | Urbanisation is one of the most rapidly expanding forms of landscape modification by humans and leads to large scale loss and fragmentation of native habitat . This can alter the structure composition and function of remnant habitat . Therefore understanding the influence of both landscape and patch characteristics is important for understanding factors affecting the distribution of organisms in urbanised landscapes . Consequently the aim of this study was to establish the responses of forest dwelling mammals to landscape and habitat structure in an urban forest mosaic in the EThekwini Municipality Area Durban South Africa . Using presence and absence data of mammals from camera traps we modelled occupancy of species using the occupancy modelling framework . The occupancy by | Habitat and landscape characteristics affects species distribution in urban landscapes. Responses of forest mammals to landscape and habitat structural variables in an urban forest mosaic were investigated. Using the occupancy modelling framework we modelled the occupancy of various mammal species. Some species appeared less vulnerable to the loss and degradation in habitat quality while others were vulnerable. Landscape management approaches that consider multiple species are likely to be more successful. |
S161886671930648X | Urban forests play a vital role in terms of environmental quality related to particulate matter and studies on this area are increasing . This review discusses how urban forests influence atmospheric PM at three scales including the single tree scale stand scale and regional scale . Additionally the PM analysis was divided into vertical and lateral directions at the stand scale . As individuals trees capture particles mainly by the leaves the extent of which is determined by the characteristics in foliar structure such as hair trichomes wax stoma shape and others . At the stand level the effects of urban forest vegetation showed differences in the two directions and the predicted values of deposition velocity in the vertical direction differed with various models which resulted from the input of numerous influencing factors . At the regional scale the removal capacity of atmospheric particles by urban forests was dependent on the pollution level vegetation coverage area leaf area index and underlying surface type . The PM removal capacity of different vegetation types was usually in the following order coniferous forest evergreen forest deciduous forest . The analyses at different scales indicated that the roles of urban forests on PM could not be simply deemed positive or negative because they need to be considered by combining various factors at different scales . Therefore multi scale analyses on the effects of atmospheric particles could help to better understand the roles of urban forests as a complex system and provide the foundation for future studies . | The effects of urban forests UFs on atmospheric PM are discussed at three scales. Leaf morphology characteristics are crucial for capturing PM at the single tree scale. UFs had differing effects on PM in vertical and lateral direction at the stand scale. The roles of UFs at multiple scales on atmospheric PM were both positive and negative. |
S161886671930651X | Public open space constitutes a significant part of the sustainable urban environment . Urban green spacewhich includes parks sports fields and wetlandsis a crucial type of public open space in a healthy urban ecosystem . Most studies on urban green spaces comprise large scale objective evaluations with relatively few related theoretical studies from the perspective of human behavior . This is predominantly due to the technical constraints involved in obtaining small scale public open space population activity data . To address this issue this study examines the crowd activities of an urban green space by combining Wi Fi probe and location data to discern population distribution characteristics . This study uses Yanfu Greenland Park a green space in a central area of Shanghaia typical high density cityas a case study . This study proposes a technical method for measuring population distribution in a small scale public space demonstrating its applicability through an analysis of the population density distribution and activity trajectory in an urban green space . The methodology demonstrated in this study can help urban planning designers and managers create more successful public open spaces . This technical method may also assist urban planning and related research on different scales . | Proposes a new method for examining population behavior in public open space POS . Uses Wi Fi probe data to analyze population activity in Yanfu Greenland China. Identifies when and how spaces are used to evaluate green space design and planning. Method enables study of population density and activity trajectory in small spaces. Can aid POS design and research by mitigating funding and sample size limitations. |
S1618866719306545 | Contemporary changes to climate pose increasing hydro meteorological risks to cities . In Glasgow key hydro meteorological risks include alluvial and pluvial flooding and overheating . While the need to address these risks are clear it is equally important to tackle these in a climate just manner . Having understood the benefits Green Infrastructure can provide in tackling the impact of climate change while ensuring environmental equity for Glasgow we attempt to assess the equitability of GI distribution in Glasgow especially in relation to the potential for GI to reduce vulnerability and exposure of deprived communities to climate risk in terms of flooding and overheating . We map potential of ecosystem services within urban areas to provide cooling and increase resilience to surface flooding and highlight the geographical mismatch between social deprivation and the preponderance of these ecosystem services . We explore the implications for a climate just transition using GI as a performance indicator . | Green Infrastructure GI can provide ecosystem services to tackle key urban climate change concerns. GI could indicate the geographical correspondence between deprivation and ecosystem service potential. Thus GI could serve as a proxy to monitor climate just transition. |
S1618866719306570 | Failure of a tie in point in tree climbing can have severe consequences yet few studies have quantified the loads borne by and load bearing capacity of TIPs . In two separate experiments loads borne by the TIP during abrupt stops while a climber descended and simulated climber falls were quantified for a variety of TIPs rope types and rope lengths . Peak load ratios up to 10.6 were recorded a potentially dangerous value with respect to both TIP failure and personal injury . Peak load ratios decreased as the length of rope between the TIP and the location of the simulated fall increased and when trees were in leaf . Minimizing the potential fall distance during ascents is the surest way to reduce the likelihood of TIP failure and personal injury . | Two experiments demonstrated the effect of relevant parameters on loads during climbing and simulated climber falls. Maximum loads were 4.3 times the climbers weight for an abrupt stop during a descent and 10.6 times the weight dropped to simulate a falling climber. The magnitude of loads particularly when dropping a mass to simulate a falling climber were dangerously high and could cause failure of the tie in point or injury to the climber. |
S1618866719306612 | Urban parks are of great importance for residents health and well being . As two main factors influencing park visits distance to parks and park size have been studied and adopted in practice such as park planning and guidelines . This study aims to examine how travel distance and park size associated with park visits and how these effects may vary across different types of park visits in Beijing China . We conducted a city wide survey in 78 neighborhoods and interviewed 7362 residents on their park visit behaviors . Constraint line analysis Pearson correlation analysis and significant differences analysis were employed . We found that travel distance had an exponential limiting effect on park visits . The maximum park visits dropped exponentially as the travel distance to parks increased . No such effect was observed for park size . Visitors to nearby medium distance and distant parks varied significantly in terms of park visit frequency travel mode time spent in parks and activity . Their destination parks also differed in size vegetation cover and whether water body is present . Furthermore we identified four cut off points based on the constraint line functions as the accessible and maximum travel distance regarding different travel modes and visit frequencies of park visits . Our findings provided empirical evidence on the association among travel distance park size and visits which have important implications for future park studies and planning . | The maximum park visits decreased exponentially as the travel distance to parks increased. Larger parks received more visits only if travel distance was taken into account. The effects of travel distance on park visits varied across different visit types. For people walking to parks over 50 of them chose parks within 1km. For people visiting parks daily over 95 of them chose parks within 5km. |
S161886671930665X | Urbanization fundamentally alters soil physiochemical properties but little is known on how this human effect alters soil biota . Microarthropods are important bioindicators due to their sedentary life form and sensitivity to environmental changes . Taxonomic richness abundance diversity distribution of microarthropod communities were investigated in three urban land use types remnant forests low maintenance grass highly disturbed open spaces and were compared to deciduous forest stands outside the city that served as reference . In general habitats with more disturbed soil decreased the diversity of mites and springtails compared to the native vegetation sites . The leaf litter layer both in reference and remnant forests benefited the microarthropods through providing food resources and favorable habitats . Among soil properties soil organic carbon and bulk density had significant effects on mites while for springtails soil pH and soil moisture were significant factors . Soil temperature was the common significant constrained variable for both mites and springtails . Our study highlighted the effects of anthropogenic activities especially that of soil disturbance in cities and the importance of retaining natural vegetation patches in urban green spaces . | Diverse soil habitats are an important component of urban green space heterogeneity. High diversity of soil fauna reflects a variety of land covers and management types. Mites and springtails showed similar trends along a disturbance gradient. |
S1618866719307034 | Urban ecosystems provide green landscapes that are important to global biodiversity conservation . In tropical urban ecosystems exotic plants are widely used in landscaping and this can have several negative effects on the native plant and pollinator communities . Here we aimed to investigate the origin sexual and reproductive systems and fruiting of tree species occurring in 17 urban green spaces in the city of Recife Pernambuco located in the northeastern Brazilian Atlantic forest . A total of 114 tree species were registered in the urban green spaces 78 out of them were observed for fruiting . Overall 49.1 of the species are native to Brazil and 50.9 are exotic while 86 do not occur naturally in the northeastern Brazilian Atlantic forest . In terms of abundance of individuals these values were 37 native 63 exotic and 80.5 not occurring in the northeastern Brazilian Atlantic forest . Most of the species native or exotic are hermaphrodite and self incompatible . From the 78 species observed for fruiting 77 set fruits 43.7 had sub annual pattern all exotic species set fruits even the 13 exotic species that are self incompatible . Our results reveal that factors such as the high use of exotic species that successfully set fruits in tropical urban green spaces may indicate risks for plant animal interactions threaten the reproductive success of native plant species increase the risk of biological invasion and consequently impair the maintenance of biodiversity . We suggest that decision makers pay attention and consider the impacts of using exotic plant species in the dynamic of tropical urban ecosystems . | Exotic trees predominate in tropical urban spaces. 100 of self incompatible exotic trees set fruit in tropical urban ecosystem. Exotic trees pose risk to native species and threaten urban and natural ecosystems. Native plants should be the first choice in tropical urban ecosystems. |
S1618866719307423 | This study was conducted with the purpose to evaluate the hypothesis that the air pollution deposition in the remaining Brazilian Atlantic Forest surrounded by diversified land uses has altered the nutritional status of its tree species . The leaf concentrations of macronutrients and micronutrients were determined to estimate Concentration Factors CF and leaf nutrient ratios of the most abundant tree species found in four remnants at the Metropolitan Region of Campinas SE Brazil Cosmopolis Holambra Paulnia and Campinas . The leaf samplings occurred during three dry and wet seasons . Multivariate analysis of variance determined if CF for nutrients and ratios varied between forest remnants and seasons . Variations in CF values indicated that the nutritional status of the forest remnants is defined by both physical chemical soil attributes and atmospheric deposition . The clay soils of the Campinas forest appeared to provide the highest buffering capacity against acidic deposition and nutritional imbalances induced by the anthropic activities . The air pollution emissions from diversified land uses has increased the CF medians above a reliable baseline of the nutritional plant soil relationship in the forest remnants studied . Agriculture activities seemed to be responsible for increasing P K Ca and Mg depositions industries for N S and Mn depositions soil resuspension for Ca Fe and Mg . Considering these sources Paulnia and Campinas seemed to be the most and least forest remnants affected by air pollution respectively . | Urban and peri urban Atlantic forest remnants are affected by air pollution deposition. Air pollution emissions from diversified land uses have caused nutritional imbalances. Clay soils provided the high buffering capacity against anthropic deposition. Agriculture activities have increased P K Ca and Mg deposition in forests. Industrial activities contributed to enhance N S and Mn in forests. |
S1618866719307642 | Mapping individual tree species is critical to understand the ecosystem services value of the urban forest and improve management . The main aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of integrating multi seasonal high resolution Pliades satellite images with airborne LiDAR data for improving urban tree species mapping in the City of Tampa FL USA . In this study we evaluated and compared the abilities of multi seasonal individual and combined Pliades satellite images with airborne LiDAR data for classifying seven urban tree species to understand effects of season and tree canopy height information on tree species mapping accuracy . A multi level classification system was adopted to classify image objects of the tree species and groups . To efficiently utilize seasonal change information of tree species a seasonal trajectory difference index was developed with multi seasonal images . Species mapping accuracy was compared and evaluated among individual seasonal Pliades images and combined dry wet season images and between feature types 6 canonical variables only transformed by canonical discriminant analysis algorithm ii 6 canonical variables plus 2 normalized Digital Surface Model derived variables and iii 6 canonical variables plus 2 nDSM variables and 4 STDI band indices . The 6 canonical variables were extracted from all spectral and textural features including tree species fraction features . Random Forest and Support Vector Machine classifiers were used to classify the seven tree species with tree crown image objects . The research results demonstrate that with additional 2 nDSM variables and extracted 4 STDI band indices the accuracy of mapping urban tree species could be further improved and with the 6 canonical variables tree species mapping accuracies could be significantly improved using late spring season image compared to all other seasonal images combined dry wet season images performed even better . Our results further confirm that there exists a significant seasonal effect on tree species classification and that the 2 nDSM variables and the newly developed STDI in this study are useful to improve mapping urban tree species . | Demonstrating the potential of integrating multi season Pliades images with LiDAR data for mapping urban tree species. A newly developed seasonal trajectory difference index STDI is useful for improving the urban tree species. Height information extracted from LiDAR data is helpful for improving mapping urban tree species. The canonical discriminant analysis algorithm is effective in data dimension reduction process for mapping urban tree species. |
S1618866719308428 | The negative impacts of urbanization on biodiversity can be mitigated via afforestation particularly if the trees provide food e.g . flowers and fruits . However it is necessary to highlight the effectiveness of the tree species in attracting and supporting primary consumers in cities . Addressing animal tree interactions in urban areas is useful for identifying such efficacy and consistently selecting native tree resources . Here we investigate the role of the native tree species | Visits to. flowers by urban birds were investigated. This native tree provide nectar and water for birds from different lifestyles. Interactive categories were identified particularly perching bird pollination. Nectar was foraged during resource scarcity at the height of the dry season. might be a management tool to promote urban biodiversity |
S161886671930843X | Heritage trees are recognized as elements of cultural landscapes and as keystone ecological entities in human dominated landscapes often bestowing high socio cultural and ecological values . Current understanding of species distribution patterns and broad scale species assemblages of heritage trees is limited . This study analyzed the diversity distribution patterns and origins of heritage trees and assessed the underlying factors contributing to their occurrence at the national scale in China . Data were drawn from published and online sources representing 561 regions across China . There were 1140 species including 105 endangered ones preserved as heritage trees . Heritage trees originated from four sources of species provenance natural forest species 73.51 of total species native ruderal species domesticated species and exotic species . The origin of heritage trees differed across climatic zones . At the national and climatic zone scale species similarity among regions was low constrained by geographic distance climate and anthropogenic factors . Mean annual precipitation mean annual temperature population density and GDP per capita were the main determinants of species provenance . Most heritage tree species serve tangible uses especially domesticated and exotic species . Species assemblages of heritage trees were mainly associated with the local plant species pool climate socio economic development status and human preference . As living heritage the trees need dedicated protection measures based on their main tangible and cultural values for human primary threats and statutory protection degree at the species level . Regional culture belief and customary laws should be considered in formulating policies for protection and conservation of these trees . | Human dominated areas can support exceptionally high diversity of heritage trees. Heritage trees were dominated by natural forest species. Origins of heritage trees differed across climatic zones. Most heritage tree species have tangible values. Species assemblage associated with local plant species pools and human preference. |
S1618866719308568 | Land cover change accompanying large scale and rapid urbanization has caused major losses to biodiversity with urban planning that incorporates biodiversity conservation being urgently needed . Understanding how land cover impacts the distribution and dynamics of breeding sites of biodiversity indicator species could facilitate the creation of long term landscape scale urban planning to enhance biodiversity . Here we identified land cover factors that influence the distribution and dynamics of the breeding sites of goshawks a biodiversity indicator species in the urban areas of Kanagawa Japan . We analyzed how breeding site presence and absence data were correlated with land cover factors using a logistic regression model . To evaluate the dynamics in breeding site distribution a meta population dynamics model was used to analyze the relationship between breeding site occupancy history and land cover factors over 6 years . Forest cover open land and highly vegetated urban cover positively affected the distribution of goshawk breeding sites . However the relative importance of highly vegetated urban cover was not as high as forest cover or open land . Forest cover negatively affected local extinction probability while forest cover and open areas positively affected local colonization probability . In comparison highly vegetated urban cover had low relative importance for the distribution of breeding sites with no relationship being detected for breeding site distribution dynamics . The importance of forest cover and open land for both the distribution and dynamics of goshawk breeding sites emphasizes the importance of these land cover types for the breeding of urban dwelling goshawks . Therefore managers should focus on maintaining forests and open land to conserve goshawk breeding sites in urban areas to facilitate their long term viability . Highly vegetated urban cover was considered to be less important for the long term viability of goshawk breeding sites . | The viability of the breeding sites of goshawk was examined at the landscape scale. Forest and open areas enhanced the viability of goshawk breeding sites. Protecting viable goshawk breeding sites might provide habitats for other species. |
S1618866719308787 | Public urban green spaces are crucial for citizens wellbeing and are an important part of daily life in cities . To maximize their benefits to quality of life a thorough knowledge of citizens preferences and preference heterogeneity is crucial in the planning and design of urban green spaces . This study investigated visitors perception of typical green spaces with a focus on vegetation structure and the presence of typical historic city walls as well as preferences within the context of perceived stress and safety . We conducted this study in the historic city of Padua in north eastern Italy . In 2017 face to face interviews of citizens were held and choice sets based on modified images of different green space scenarios were used to test users preferences connected to both stress relief and safety perception . The study highlighted that general stress relief and safety perception related preferences of the respondents depend on different site characteristics . Respondents preferred a complex but not too wild scenario with sparse trees and aesthetically appealing features such as colourful flowers . Historic walls had a negative effect on general preferences . While general preferences were very similar to stress relief preferences preferences within the context of safety differed for some attributes . It seems that the vegetation structure and the presence of features linked to human recreational uses are important factors in planning and designing urban green spaces . Management and planning should take into consideration what users demand from green spaces as this will influence their suitable design . | General and stress relief preferences seem to be relatively consistent. Presence of people in green spaces is a very important feature for visitor preferences. People and presence of manmade elements are positive features for perceived safety. |
S1618866719308970 | Rapid urbanization particularly in developing countries is widely regarded as one of the most critical global issues in the 21 st century . It is known to exacerbate urban heat island effects a phenomenon that could affect the livability of cities and the lives and comfort of more than half of the world population who are now living in urban areas . The issue on how to mitigate the impacts of this phenomenon and help urban dwellers adapt to it has been and continues to be an important topic in the context of landscape design and urban planning . This study sought to examine the cooling effects of different land cover types from the perspectives of landscape composition and configuration using Landsat 8 OLI TIRS data . Various spatial and statistical approaches including urban rural gradient grid based landscape metrics and scatter plot were employed to analyze the derived land cover and land surface temperature maps . The results showed that both forest and water had a cooling effect during daytime in Hangzhou . The heat core in Hangzhou was situated close to the central business district and the variance in LST in urban and rural recorded at 3.22 . The correlation of forest density with mean LST could be detected in both large and small grids whereas the correlation of water density with mean LST was only observed in small grids . In general forest with high aggregation and complex shape behave best in cooling LST while huge and complete water bodies had better cooling effect than scattered water patches . Besides the minimum cooling scale of forest and water were proximately 120 m and 150 m from the cooling resources to the neighboring areas respectively . The findings were considered valuable for urban planners to spatially and architecturally build and arrange the cooling land cover resources eventually to fulfill the Chinese governments new plan of building livable cities . | Forest and water were the cooling land cover types in Hangzhou during daytime. Forest with high aggregation and complex shape behave best in cooling LST. Complete water bodies had better cooling effect than scattered water patches. The minimum cooling scale of forest and water were 120 m and 150 m. |
S1618866719309197 | There is a renewed interest in urban gardening in the past decade stimulated by the increased awareness of benefits that it brings to the city local communities and individuals . Previous studies have shown different perspectives on urban food growing in the context of developed and developing countries but less is known about the countries in transition in Southeast Europe . Specifically no published research has coped with the perspectives of the possible future users of allotment and community gardens . This paper fills the gap to a certain extent by providing first insights into the demand for collective urban gardens in the city of Belgrade . There are no institutional tools at present to support the development of such gardens although there has been an almost century long process of advocating collective urban gardening among the experts in city planning . By looking into the possible future needs and motivations of the potential gardeners specifically those who are not involved in allotment or community gardening this study also aims to contribute to the efforts made in the past . The survey was conducted among 300 randomly selected respondents in three municipalities in Belgrade . Data were analysed using factor analyticmultiple regression approach to establish correlations between personal characteristics of potential gardeners and their motivations for gardening . Results indicated a potentially high demand for collective urban gardens with individual plots slightly preferred to shared gardens . Commonly mentioned motivations are access to healthy and fresh food followed by recreation and light physical activity . People with previous experience in agriculture or gardening are more willing to get involved . Older respondents seem to be more motivated by subjective well being specifically in terms of relaxation and pleasure from gardening . The results of the study could serve as an input for the regulation and planning of collective urban gardens specifically considering the needs and motivations of the senior population in cities . | The study explores motivations and needs for collective urban gardens of Belgrade residents. Allotment and community gardens are not traditional in Serbia. There is a high interest of respondents in collective urban gardening in Belgrade. Previous experience in agriculture or gardening affects positively peoples interest in urban gardening. Older respondents are more motivated for gardening by subjective well being than others. |
S1618866720300315 | Previous studies that quantified or simulated loads on a tie in point during climber ascents abrupt stops during descents and falls considered crown anchored stationary rope systems . But climbers also use basal anchored SRS when working in trees and because both parts of the ropelead and fallcarry a load the TIP presumably bears a greater load than on a crown anchored SRS . In this study tension in the fall and lead of a rope used in a basal anchored SRS was measured during climber ascents and abrupt stops during descents . As expected loads borne by the TIP were greater than on a crown anchored SRS . Loads also varied among three species selected for varying degrees of bark roughness greater loads were borne on the TIPs of a smooth barked species . It was also noteworthy that pre loading a TIP to determine its safety which climbers do before ascending increased the total load during ascents presumably because tension set during the pre load was not released in the fall of the rope prior to the ascent . To reduce the likelihood of TIP failure climbers are advised to take care when selecting a TIP that will support a basal anchored SRS . | This is the first study to quantify tension in the lead and fall of a rope as a climber ascended and stopped abruptly during descents. During ascents combined rope tension was as high as 2.4 times the climbers weight during descents the multiple was as high as 4.8. Combined rope tension expressed as a multiple of the climbers weight was greater on species with smooth bark and less on species with rough bark. |
S1618866720301187 | Urban trees provide natural shade and moderate human exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation . To date most studies quantifying UV attenuation by urban tree canopies have taken place in Australia with no studies in North America . Few studies have utilized sensors sensitive to UV B radiation although the shorter wavelengths are more important in determining erythemal UV . We collected solar UV radiation exposure data beneath 64 individuals of 16 tree species commonly planted in the City of Toronto s schoolyards and public parks using UV electronic logging dosimeters that have a spectral response closely matching the erythemal action spectrum . Additional data were collected on canopy structure . UV protection factor varied 2.6 fold among species ranging from 1.33.4 . Statistical models for variation among trees indicated that crown transparency the ratio of crown breadth to height to live crown and species shade tolerance were important predictors of PF . | Logging dosimeters were used to measure UV protection factor PF . PF varies 2.6 fold among sampled tree species. Crown transparency and the ratio of crown radius height to live crown predict PF. Shade tolerant tree species have higher PF values than shade intolerant species. |
S1618866720301564 | The growing evidences suggest an association between street green space and health in cities . Pollen released by street trees has a considerable adverse impact on human health . This study aims to analyze the characteristics and assess the seasonally allergenic risk of street trees in Qingyang District Chengdu City . There are 495 streets in Qingyang District which have been divided into five categories according to their width . Fifty seven species were identified belonging to 46 taxa and 28 botanical families in these streets . However no significant differences in average diameter at breast height tree height and crown width of street trees were found among the five defined street categories . Both the street trees per capita and the number of tree species are significantly higher than that in many Chinese cities . The Shannon s diversity index of street categories are clearly different ranging from 0.94 to 3.84 . Street category 5 has the highest tree density area ratio and SHDI of all street categories . In addition Chengdu City is exposed to high allergenic risk of street trees . The index of urban green zone allergenicity I | The street trees of Chengdu City show an uneven distribution. Chengdu City is exposed to a high allergenic risk of street trees. The highest allergic risk of street trees is observed in spring. The value of I. can exceed the upper limit 1.00 . Area ratio and tree density as the crucial factors affect I |
S1618866720303472 | Though the urban forest resource has been the subject of numerous studies quantifying ecosystem benefits and assessing tree canopy cover little is known about the managers of this resource the urban foresters . Literature from more well established professions shows they routinely reflect on their own profession to identify opportunities and areas for improvement . A few examples of topics addressed by these reflections are recruitment of youth into the profession monitoring of workforce conditions and employment trends as well as comprehensive self reflection . To address this gap in the urban forestry profession we studied municipal employees whose primary responsibilities directly involve planning managing and implementing urban trees and greenspaces . The purpose was to determine who is managing urban forests and if the professional identity of urban foresters could be outlined . Survey topics included usage of professional support mechanisms such as certifications conferences and memberships . Less than half of respondents were arborists or urban foresters . Over half of respondents were from locations that were being managed by non tree professionals such as public administrators civil engineers landscape architects and urban planners . This group had low rates of participation in tree centric education certifications conferences or memberships suggesting that urban forest expertise may not be their priority . A regression analysis showed a distinction in the usage of professional support mechanisms between urban foresters and all other professionals including arborists . We identified the support mechanisms urban foresters use to define their professionalism in lieu of a certification tailored to them . Recommendations include creating mechanisms for non tree professionals to develop tree centric skills and knowledge and creating a certification for urban foresters . | More than half of the respondents who manage urban forests did not identify as urban foresters or arborists. Urban forestry is an open profession approachable from any education background. Urban foresters and arborists both strongly identify with their job title. Professional urban forestry organizations e.g. International Society of Arboriculture could grow by reaching out to non tree professionals who manage urban forests. |
S161886672030577X | Green Roofs are a form of sustainable low impact development . They can reduce peak stormwater runoff and improve the quality of the runoff from buildings and developments . The water captured by the GRs can be used as a resource for irrigation and domestic water by installing rainwater tanks under the drainpipe of the roof . However few studies have focused on the relationship between GRs modelling and the management or design for rainwater tanks to avoid roof runoff . | .In this study in order to give some useful advices to optimize the management or design of rainwater tanks the three models were tested to get the one that best reflects the truth of GRs. In this part a one reservoir conceptual interflow model CI MODEL considering the interflow of the GRs was used to predict the performance of GRs and been compared by the Storm Water Management Model SWMM and the physical process model HYDRUS 1D based on observed rainfall and runoff data. After the comparison from 0.4 to 2.0 mm min rainfall intensities it was concluded that the CI MODEL is a useful tool in modelling GRs. According to those conclusions of CI MODEL some advices could been given to affect the management and design of rainwater tanks to limit the waste of runoffs that can be reused. When it rains the runoff start time is short. So that the wisest thing is to empty rainwater tanks before it rains. If this is difficult it is acceptable to empty it within 25 minutes of the onset of rain 2 The volume of the rainwater tanks is better larger than 0.045 m. for per unit area m. of GRs. Besides this value is calculated by the area and depth of the GRs in this study. The volume of the rainwater tanks is better larger than 0.045 m. for per unit area m. of GRs. Besides this value is calculated by the area and depth of the GRs in this study. |
S1618866720305781 | Green spaces in urban parks are an essential part of urban planning not only meeting the environmental demands of urban dwellers but also absorbing greenhouse gases generated in urban regions . Mineralization of soil organic carbon is one of the most important processes of C cycling and links C sequestration and emission . However few studies have been focused on SOC mineralization in urban parks especially in scenarios involving rising temperature . Here soils from different ages of deciduous forest evergreen forest and lawn were collected from the urban parks of Chengdu megacity . A soil incubation study was conducted to examine SOC mineralization in three temperature regimes three vegetation types and three vegetation ages making 27 treatments in total . Results demonstrate that increases in temperature stimulated the daily SOC mineralization rate cumulative SOC mineralization and mineralization intensity in the soils from urban green spaces especially in soils under the 5 year old plantings . Furthermore results from principal component analysis showed that the soil labile organic carbon fraction especially readily oxidizable carbon soil enzyme activity and soil pH are the major factors influencing SOC mineralization . During the incubation the average temperature sensitivity | SOC mineralization rate increases with increasing incubation temperature. Soil microorganisms are preferred to mineralize ROC at higher temperature. Soil ROC enzyme activity and pH are primary factors controlling SOC mineralization. SOC stored in lawn soils is less susceptible to climate warming. |
S1618866720305793 | The use of throwlines has made it easier for climbers on the ground to set a tie in point near the top of the tree . But doing so may increase the likelihood of TIP failure because smaller branches have less load bearing capacity and close inspection of the TIP from the ground is difficult . We measured rope tension during climber ascents on stationary rope systems on ten TIPs from two species . The climber ascended using three techniques and we repeated trials when trees were in and out of leaf . From the load time history of each trial we computed the magnitude and frequency of loading and we counted the number of peak loads . Ascending with two foot ascenders and a hand ascender induced greater loads than footlocking or using two foot ascenders and gripping the rope by hand and there were distinct loading frequencies when using two foot ascenders but not footlocking . The presence of leaves was associated with more peak loads but not when footlocking . The presence of leaves increased the maximum load induced when ascending on foot and hand ascenders but decreased the maximum load when footlocking . Our results both align with and address important limitations of previous work . | Two experiments demonstrated the effect of ascent technique and the presence of leaves on the magnitude and frequency of loading during climber ascents into ten trees five individuals each of two species . Consistent with previous work measured loads were maximally 1.5 times the climbers weight with his climbing gear . Loading frequency was different when using two foot ascenders which featured two distinct frequenciesone approximately twice the other compared to footlocking which showed an approximately six fold range of loading frequencies . |
S1618866720305811 | Climate change and urbanization are the two major drivers that can alter vegetation growth processes in the urban environment . However the effects of these two drivers on the continuous vegetation dynamics in the urban environments are not well understood especially at a high spatial resolution . This study identified the urban fringe zones and explored the spatiotemporal variations of vegetation dynamics and the mechanisms underlying these variations in the urban core areas and urban fringe zones of China during 20002013 . The results suggested that from 2000 to 2013 rapid urbanization regions in Yangtze River Delta experienced a high probability of vegetation degradation . However some rapid urbanization areas in other parts of China did not undergo such sharp vegetation degradation . We demonstrated that about 63 of the vegetated areas in urban environments showed increasing trends and the greening trend in the urban core areas was higher than that of urban fringe regions . Furthermore the relative contributions of climate change urbanization and other factors to vegetation variation in the urban area were 33 24 and 43 respectively . The contribution of urbanization was higher in urban fringe zones than in urban core areas while the climate change and residual factors were both higher in urban core areas . Our results verified that the urbanization process would not necessarily result in large scale vegetation degradation . The vegetation in urban environments was mainly determined by climatic variables rather than urbanization . Based on these findings we propose that the development of fringe areas outside the urban core areas should be avoided as much as possible to effectively mitigate vegetation degradation and the positive influences of urbanization on vegetation growth through effective urban landscape planning should be encouraged . | The relative contributions of urbanization and climate on vegetation dynamics in the urban areas are not well understood. Prevalent vegetation greening 63 of the total urban areas was observed in urban environments from 2000 to 2013. The greening trend in the urban core areas was higher than that of urban fringe regions. The climate change and urbanization explained the 33 and 24 vegetation variation in the urban area respectively. The contribution of urbanization was higher in urban fringe zones than urban core areas. |
S1618866720305823 | The subject of the paper are gardens associated with the Roman Catholic parish churches of the Warsaw Archdiocese . Church gardens derive from tradition of former churchyards which are principally characterized as places of burial . With passing years churchyards have lost their function of burial place and were transformed into designed green areas . The church gardens scattered throughout the urban tissue may constitute significant part of urban green spaces . Despite their fairly small size the church gardens can function as a compliment to larger public green spaces . The research aims to verify how the church gardens of the Warsaw Archdiocese contribute to urban residents quality of life improvement . The data collection by means of on site study included identification of garden layout types of vegetation symbolical elements furniture and other architectonic elements . To identify each church lot size and the surface covered by green space within respective church lot the orthophotomaps were used . Information on social functions of the gardens was acquired from the parish websites and their profiles in the social media and was supplemented by on site observations carried out in the gardens . The size of the church gardens is diverse but the majority of them has at least a small size green space . The gardens which host social events are larger and have larger green space surface but do not differ with respect to the percentage of the green space surface . Social events take place more frequently in gardens with woody plants . Bigger absolute green space surface and presence of trees favors social events . The results show that Warsaw Archdiocese church gardens constitute important part of small urban green spaces structure . | Warsaw church gardens are part of small urban green spaces structure and promote ecological benefits. Church gardens provide the convenient environment for the individual worship and restoration. Church gardens host both the religious and the liturgical events. Bigger absolute green space surface and presence of trees favors social events. |
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