Landscape and Urban Planning最新文献

The increasing heat stress in cities due to climate change and urbanisation can prevent people from using urban green spaces. Irrigating vegetation is a promising strategy to cool urban green spaces in summer. Irrigation scheduling, such as daytime vs night-time irrigation and the frequency of irrigation in a day, may influence the cooling benefit of irrigation. This study aimed to investigate whether irrigation scheduling can be optimised to increase the cooling benefit and determine how the cooling benefit changes with weather conditions. A field experiment with twelve identical turfgrass plots (three replicates × four irrigation treatments) was set up to measure the afternoon cooling benefits of irrigation. The four treatments included: no irrigation, single night-time irrigation (4 mm d^–1), single daytime irrigation (4 mm d^–1) and multiple daytime irrigation (4 x 1 mm d^–1). The cooling benefit was defined as the air temperature difference measured at 1.1 m above the turfgrass between the irrigated and unirrigated treatments (air temperature sensor accuracy ± 0.2 °C). The afternoon (12:00–15:59) mean cooling benefit of multiple daytime irrigation (–0.9 °C) which was significantly stronger than that of single night-time irrigation (–0.6 °C) and single daytime irrigation (–0.5 °C). Regardless of irrigation scheduling, the afternoon mean cooling benefits of irrigation were greater for days when background air temperature, vapour pressure deficit and incoming shortwave radiation were greater. The findings suggested that irrigation scheduling can be optimised to increase the cooling benefit of urban green space irrigation without increasing overall water use.

The objective of our study was to verify: (1) whether adding ambient lighting in addition to path lighting has a positive impact on preferences, sense of safety and related feelings experienced by park visitors after dusk (H1) and whether this impact is differentiated by the features of the space (H2); (2) what features of the park space may influence the feelings tested (RQ1).

For this purpose, we conducted an experiment in the Botanical Garden in Wrocław, where 114 study participants – randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control) – assessed nightscapes based on 13 variables (feelings). The experimental factor was the addition of ambient lighting (in addition to path lighting also present for the control group). The experiment was based on assessments made in three different places in the park – an open space, semi-open space and non-closed space. Thanks to this, we were able to check whether the features of the space differentiate the effects of the experimental factor and then consider their impact on people's feelings.

The research found that the impact of the experimental factor (ambient light) is not obvious – it was only apparent in some cases. This factor increased preference for corridor landscapes (semi-open and semi-closed space), but lowered preference in the open landscape. The experimental factor had the strongest effects in the semi-closed, least lit space, and enhanced preferences, surprise and fascination.

Moreover, comparison of the ratings of these three places showed that some spaces were rated as the safest while others were assessed as the most attractive. The safest turned out to be the semi-open space with typical park lighting, with the highest path illumination intensity, whereas the least safe was the semi-closed space with the least lighting. When it came to most of the other dimensions related to attractiveness and desire to stay in the area (mystery, contact with the surroundings, willingness to spend time there, surprise, fascination and contemplation), the place with an open view, visually attractive landscape and subtle linear point lighting was rated the highest. The remaining spaces were rated lower.

The findings of the experiment indicate that (1) adding light does not always increase preference for a particular space – sometimes it lowers it, thus indicating the benefits of darkness and natural night light in park landscapes; (2) there are differences between the features of safe nightscapes and attractive and leisurely landscapes.

Different urban morphologies significantly influence urban spatial growth, yet existing studies seldom directly address this issue. To fill this gap, we develop a novel methodology to analyze the processes and intrinsic mechanisms of urban spatial growth under varying urban morphologies. This study initially identifies urban morphologies through multisource data fusion, then examines urban spatial growth processes based on Morphological Center Indices, and finally analyzes the mechanisms driving urban spatial growth across different urban morphologies. The results indicate, firstly, that among the newly defined six urban morphologies in China, monocentric–dispersed is predominant, with the polycentric urban morphology not developing as anticipated. Secondly, the process of urban spatial growth varies across different urban morphologies, with higher polycentricity correlating with more infilling development, leading to more intensive land use and less influence from the infilling growth model. Conversely, lower polycentricity results in more edge-expansion and spontaneous growth, causing more dispersed land use. Thirdly, the growth patterns and influencing factors differ among various urban morphologies, but overall, urban growth is driven by a complex interplay of multiple factors, which significantly intensifies when these factors interact. This study enriches the theoretical understanding of urban morphology and spatial growth, offering practical insights for differentiated urban development planning in urban spatial growth.

Peri-urban parks play a crucial role in enhancing urban living conditions and promoting contact with nature. However, assessing environmental equity and visitor disparities in peri-urban parks requires a thorough understanding of visitation patterns, which has been lacking in previous research. To bridge the gap, this study utilizes mobile phone big data from over 40,000 visitors to peri-urban parks in Tokyo. We applied Local Moran's I, Lorenz Curve, Gini coefficient, and K-means clustering methods to scrutinize accessibility and disparities among residents of Tokyo's 23 special wards and within distinct visitor groups. The findings reveal significant insights: Firstly, mobile-based indicators expose disparities, underscoring the relevance of human activities in assessing peri-urban park accessibility, variations in these indicators highlight the need for a multi-dimensional approach. Secondly, Gini coefficient analysis of mobile-based and two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) indicators suggest that extending the service radius beyond 10 km could mitigate environmental inequity. Furthermore, visitation disparities are more distinctly illustrated through mobile-derived visitor subgroups compared to age-demographic groups. These findings offer valuable insights for decision-makers in park planning policy, enabling the development of strategies that address accessibility inequity while establishing effective classifications for peri-urban park visitor groups.

As climate change continues to impact cities, nature-based solutions (NBS) are being advanced as important adaptation strategies for mitigating these negative effects. As is the case throughout Europe, Flemish cities have enacted adaptation policies and plans outlining the importance of NBS. Nevertheless, the implementation of NBS has been slow. Local governments identify financing as an important barrier. Although private financing is often proposed as a solution, few studies have applied a public-financing perspective to generate insight into and remedies for such issues. In this article, we examine how four Flemish cities are financing NBS implemented in public spaces as climate adaptation strategies. Based on a multiple case study approach, our results uncover that different financing strategies are employed during the design, implementation and maintenance phase of developing NBS projects. Additionally, we learn that the interplay between policy and financing becomes an important catalyst for investments in public NBS. We identified three approaches administrations use to secure (public) resources. During the design phase, support is developed within the administration and politically through (1) fostering internal collaboration by developing integrated spatial NBS designs. In the implementation phase resources are attracted by (2) putting the developed spatial designs to work and seizing available funding opportunities. During the maintenance phase (3) strategic partnerships are established with NBS beneficiaries to alleviate costs for municipalities. We conclude that, in the absence of more long-term forms of public financing, these approaches offer smaller cities tools to overcome the financial barrier.

Urbanization has altered natural landscapes and serves as an environmental filter that selects species with specific traits. Coloration is an important trait associated with biotic interactions and thermoregulation, enabling species’ survival and reproductive success. However, few studies have focused on how species coloration changes in response to urbanization. Here, we used 547 passerine bird species from 42 cities and their corresponding non-urban communities in China to test whether urban species are darker and if they have duller plumage colors than their non-urban counterparts. Furthermore, we examined whether and how urbanization influences avian plumage color homogenization and the extent to which urbanization has altered the strength of the color–latitude geographic pattern in passerine birds across China. We found a 3.2% loss in the coloration space of birds after urbanization, although there were no significant differences in the individual dimensions of colorfulness and lightness between urban and non-urban birds. Avian communities in cities exhibited more plumage color homogenization than those in non-urban communities. There were significant latitudinal gradients in plumage colorfulness and lightness in non-urban communities, but these correlations were weaker in urban communities. Non-urban communities that were more colorful and lighter tended to be duller and darker in urban environments, and vice versa. Our results provide national-scale evidence that urbanization has led to reduced color diversity, increased color-based community similarity, and altered geographic patterns of avian plumage color gradients in China. These findings provide new insights into how rapid human-induced environmental changes have affected animal coloration during the Anthropocene.

Planning for outdoor recreation requires knowledge about the needs and preferences of recreationists. While previous research has mainly relied on stated preferences, recent advances in spatial data collection and analysis have enabled the assessments of actual usage patterns. In this study, we explored how landscape characteristics interact with the attributes of recreationists to determine their area choice for recreation. Using a public participation GIS (PPGIS) approach we asked residents of a Swedish city in the boreal region to draw typical recreational routes and identify favourite places for recreation on a digital online map (1389 routes, 385 individuals). We employed a novel methodology, where LiDAR data was used to calculate what was visible along all routes and at favourite places (viewsheds) in order to more realistically capture the landscape that each recreationist had experienced. Using machine learning modelling, we compared landscape characteristics of experienced areas with areas available to each recreationist. Our novel approach yielded accurate models that revealed that water environments, recreational infrastructure and deciduous forests increased the probability of choosing an area for recreation, while urban environments, noise, forest clearcuts and young forests had the opposite effect. Characteristics of the recreationists such as age, gender, level of education, or of the activity, such as type of activity performed, did not meaningfully influence area choice. Our findings suggest that it is possible to improve the conditions for recreation by developing recreational infrastructure, maintaining recreation opportunities close to waters, and adapting forest management in areas important for recreation.

Natural landscapes are linked to health and well-being outcomes. This research investigated emotional responses to colour in the landscape. An online questionnaire (with 715 respondents) was employed to capture participants' preferences and positive psychological reactions to key flower colours and combinations. Images were created using combinations of pansy flowers in various colours. Flower combinations explored the effects of complementary, analogous and warm/cool colour harmonies. Orange flowers (a warm colour) provided a strong uplifting emotion in participants: an emotional response that was maintained even when up to 50 % of the orange flowers were replaced by the complementary (and cool) colour of blue. In contrast, the relaxing effect of 100 % blue flowers was lost when 25 % or more of the flowers were replaced by orange. Using analogous cool colours, it was evident blue provided more feelings of relaxation than purple, and adding purple to a blue combination (50:50) reduced the capacity of the floral composition to promote relaxation. The colour found to be most relaxing, however, was white; but again mixing this colour with either blue or purple tended to reduce its capacity to relax. Thus, the study suggests that certain patterns of colours and combinations provide a generic response in enhancing emotional well-being of individuals; a point that can be exploited in designed therapeutic landscapes. The data also indicated, however, that cool colours scored quite highly for positive uplifting emotion (mean score > 6.5) and people’s favourite cool colour/combination was often described as uplifting (7.4), indicating the subjective nature of colour preference and emotional response. Thus, whilst understanding key principles about colour and therapeutic responses, designers also need to take account of personal preference and should provide some variety of colours/colour combinations in different parts of a garden/park. These findings provide valuable insights for horticultural design practices, emphasizing the importance of colour selection and user preferences in creating supportive environments for mental well-being.

Background

This study explores the relationship between perceived and objective greenspace exposure, and how sociodemographic traits and environmental attitudes influence peoples’ perceptions of greenspace.

Methods

We leveraged a cross-sectional survey on greenspace exposure among residents of Denver, CO that ran from November 2019 through April 2021. We measured objective greenspace using the average NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), average percent vegetation, and median GVI (green view index) within 300, 500, and 1,000 m of participants’ residences, and in participant-drawn polygons representing their neighborhoods. We measured perceived greenspace exposure using survey responses from questions about greenspace abundance, visibility, access, usage, and quality near participants’ homes. We assessed relationships between perceived and objective greenspace measures using linear models. Then, we used latent class analysis to create perceived greenspace exposure classes, and used linear models to evaluate the relationship between these classes and sociodemographic and environmental attitude variables.

Results

We found that the relationship between perceived and objective measures (NDVI in the 300-meter buffer) was strongest for abundance (OR: 5.14, [4.0, 6.28]) and visibility (OR: 3.71, [2.58, 4.84]) compared to perceived access (OR: 2.17, [1.02, 3.32]), usage (OR: 2.28, [1.19, 3.37]), and quality (OR: 2.33, [1.25, 3.41]). In fully adjusted models, objective greenspace exposure and environmental attitudes predicted perceived greenspace exposure classes, but sociodemographic variables—other than age—did not.

Conclusion

Our work suggests that objective greenspace exposure is only one factor influencing peoples’ perceived greenspace exposure, and that environmental attitude variables may play an additional role in shaping peoples’ perceptions.