Residents’ perceptions and attitudes toward waste treatment facility sites and their possible conversion: A literature review

The siting a landfill or waste treatment facility and the redevelopment of a brownfield or former landfill site are generally treated as independent issues in the research literature. Nonetheless, the two are important elements of community development and urban revitalization efforts. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated review of the current literature on attitudes toward waste treatment sites and their potential conversion for recreation use. We begin by examining research on residents’ perceptions of and attitudes toward proposed and existing waste treatment facility sites, including the perceived impacts and determinants of attitudes toward these sites. Next we summarize work that has explored the subsequent conversion of former landfills or brownfield sites, with a particular emphasis on repurposing these sites for green space and recreation use. We conclude by summarizing key issues and implications for future research and policy development.     

Role of social networks in urban forest management collaboration: A case study in northern Japan

Public participation is crucial for sustainable forest management. In particular, in urban forest areas, it is an important tool for overcoming conflicts among diverse needs regarding the forests through collaboration between citizens and governments. Such collaboration requires social learning. Social learning is dependent upon the presence of social networks that serve as an infrastructure for social capital. This study analyses the role of the social network in a participatory forest management approach of the Nopporo Forest Regeneration Project (NFRP) in the urban Nopporo National Forest in Hokkaido, northern Japan, aimed at restoring a typhoon damaged forest.Within the framework of the participatory approach the project hascreated a network of several citizen organizations for exchanging information. Outside this formal NFRP network several additional citizenorganizations are concerned about the Nopporo Forest management. The article describes the overall social network that has evolved around the Nopporo Forest and compares the attitudes and evaluations of the NFRP network organizations and the not formally NFRP related organizations towards their collaboration with government agencies and other citizen organizations. The overall social network around the Nopporo Forest had a multi-nodal character with the National Forest Agency and Hokkaido Prefectural Government acting as main central nodes. Only a few citizen organizations had direct relations to both central nodes; many organizations had links to either the National Forest Agency or the Prefectural Government. The organizations involved in the formal NFRP network had close ties with the National Forest Agency. This contributed to a positive evaluation of present forest management approach and the collaborative activities of the government agencies. In contrast, the organizations that were not involved in the formal NFRP network were found to have fewer ties with the National Forest Agency. The lack of opportunity to form a direct social learning relation hindered the formation of social capital and resulted in a lower evaluation of the participatory management approach as well as of the collaborative activities. Thus, although the participatory forest management approach of establishing formal social networks enhanced collaboration between the National Forest Agency and several citizen organizations and social learning, it was less successful in encouraging a democratic process involving all interested citizen organizations.     

Two faces to the greenery on housing estates–mitigating climate but aggravating allergy. A Warsaw case study

Interest in the climate and an awareness of the beneficial cooling influence exerted on it by biologically-vital areas is growing, as climate change progresses, hot weather is more frequent as well as the urban heat island more intense. It is necessary to protect existing greenery in the cities and to introduce new planting. However plants in a warmer climate can produce larger amounts of pollen and are more readily able to initiate an allergic reaction among those prone to them. That means—not every greenery is advantageous for humans in the cities. In the research two housing estates built at different times and differ in type, density and age of buildings, as well as in the composition and the percentage of biologically vital area and the species planted were examined. Detailed inventory of tall greenery entailed the trees and shrubs and next their assumed allergenic potential was made. Cooling effect likely is derived from the difference in greenery, but the other factors such as differences in the density of buildings and spatial organization of the estate could also influence it. The older estate with the ratio of biologically vital areas of 54.3% is characterised by more favourable local climate than the newer estate, with the ratio of biologically vital areas equals 40.7% and young vegetation. On the newer one the perceptible thermal conditions did not differ significantly compared with the city centre. Unfortunately, on Koło Estate trees creating mild thermal conditions are also the trees promoting allergies most severely: birches, poplars and limes. And they are planted usually around playgrounds and kindergarten. The trees of high allergenicity should be partially removed, even risking small worsening thermal conditions.     

Influence of tree crown characteristics on the local PM10 distribution inside an urban street canyon in Antwerp (Belgium): A model and experimental approach

Apart from influencing the amount of leaf-deposited particles, tree crown morphology will influence the local distribution of atmospheric particles. Nevertheless, tree crowns are often represented very rudimentary in three-dimensional air quality models. Therefore, the influence of tree crown representation on the local ambient PM₁₀ concentration and resulting leaf-deposited PM₁₀ mass was evaluated, using the three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model ENVI-met^® and ground-based LiDAR imaging. The modelled leaf-deposited PM₁₀ mass was compared to gravimetric results within three different particle size fractions (0.2–3, 3–10 and >10 μm), obtained at 20 locations within the tree crown. Modelling of the LiDAR-derived tree crown resulted in altered atmospheric PM₁₀ concentrations in the vicinity of the tree crown. Although this model study was limited to a single tree and model configuration, our results demonstrate that improving tree crown characteristics (shape, dimensions and LAD) affects the resulting local PM₁₀ distribution in ENVI-met. An accurate tree crown representation seems, therefore, of great importance when aiming at modelling the local PM distribution.     

Characteristics and motivations of potential users of urban allotment gardens: The case of Vila Nova de Gaia municipal network of urban allotment gardens

Demand for urban allotment plots has recently increased in Portugal but little is known about the characteristics and motivations of the demanding population, and if and how its characteristics affect its motivations.In this article, we use the Municipal Network of Urban Allotment Gardens (MNUAG)¹ launched by the Portuguese municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia for an exploratory Case Study research. Based on the data collected in the MNUAG application forms submitted in the period 2012–2013, we describe the characteristics and the motivations of the population demanding for urban allotment gardens (UAG)² and run a logit model to find if and how the motivations are influenced by the characteristics.The population of applicants to the MNUAG is quite diverse. It has a balanced gender distribution and an average age of 47 years. Most of the applicants are between 25 and 64 years old, and belong to households with 2–4 members.To supplement family budget, occupation of leisure times, and access to organic farming are its most important motivations, followed by environmental concerns, the practice of physical exercise, and education.Motivations are influenced by the characteristics. This study has identified two groups of applicants with contrasting motivations. Food security is the only significant motivation for the unemployed and low-income applicants. Food safety, health concerns, environmental concerns, recreation, and education are common and frequent motivations among the upper and intermediate professional groups.Results can have future implications on the MNUAG, namely on the UAG location and typology, plot number, and plot size. To meet the demand of all the types of applicants, while fostering social cohesion, the municipality should reinforce its current small UAG structure and add to the MNUAG one or two productive parks.     

Green justice in the city: A new agenda for urban green space research in Europe

In this short communication, we discuss European urban green space (UGS) research from an environmental justice perspective. We show that European UGS scholarship primarily focuses on functional values and managerial aspects of UGS, while paying less attention to equity in the enjoyment of and decision-making around UGS. On this basis we discuss potentials for European urban green space research to take up a more explicit environmental justice framing to shed much-needed light on injustices in European cities and inspire change in policy and practice.     

全球变化背景下生物入侵对城市生态系统的影响

主要阐述生物入侵在与其他全球变化因子(如臭氧层损耗、CO2浓度增加、酸雨、土地利用方式变化等)的作用下,对城市生态系统稳定性的影响。     

基于耗散结构理论的西北城镇发展策略研究

在对城镇耗散结构基本特征进行深入分析的基础上，阐释了城镇系统时空演化的实质规律与作用机制。基于耗散结构基本原理，针对西北地区城镇发展现状问题，从城镇自我发展路径选择，动力机制和城镇地位作用以及与周边关系等内、外两方面提出了西北城镇发展的基本策略，即内要优化控制内部要素，提升软实力，内涵式、集约化发展；外要扩大对外开放程度，加强要素流动。     

以沈阳泰山路绿地为例探讨精品绿地在城市绿化中的发展

本文以沈阳泰山路绿地为例,从绿地的模式、栽植植物的种类和数量、以及绿地建成后对专业和非专业人员进行的绿地质量评价调查等多方面进行分析,得出精品绿地的建设有利于提高绿地景观水平和植物多样性,并适于在城市绿化中建设发展。     

会说话的石头——从城市景观中的石头看法国南部城市发展逻辑

法国南部城市有着悠久的使用石头建造城市景观和建筑的历史,石头以其稳重而灵活的特性成为构成城市意向的骨架。本文描述了法国南部城市中,石头在传统和现代景观中的存在形式,并总结了现代法国人如何用石头延续城市历史的3种方式。从中可见法国城市发展过程中的连续性逻辑,以及法国人对待历史的谦虚态度。