Projecting Urban Natures is a compilation thesis in critical studies in architecture. It comprises three journal articles and four design proposals in which I have taken an active part. The point of departure for this thesis is the renewed emphasis on social-ecological interaction and resilience that is currently taking place within ecological systems science, and the opportunities that these paradigmatic insights in turn have opened up within urbanism and design. The thesis argues that although they are promising, these emerging integrative frameworks are seldom brought into mainstream planning and urban design practice. Instead, the structuring of “nature” and “city” into a dualistic balance relationship still permeates not only the general planning discourse, but also makes its way into planning documents, notably influencing distinctions between professions. In response, this thesis sets out to rethink and explore more integrated approaches to human/nature relationships, through the utilization of design-based and transdisciplinary research methods. While this core aim of the thesis remains the same throughout the work, the task is approached from different perspectives: through different constellations of collaborative work as well as through parallel case-based explorations that emphasize the relational, anti-essentialist and situated articulation of values of urban natures and how these forces come into play. The work has been propelled through workshop-based, site-specific, and experimental design processes with professionals and researchers from the fields of e.g. systems ecology, natural resource management, political ecology, urban design, architecture, and landscape design, as well as planners, developers, local interest groups, and NGOs. Specifically, projects performed within this thesis include: Nature as an Infrastructural Potential – An Urban Strategy for Järvafältet; Kymlinge UrbanNatur together with NOD, Wingårdhs, MUST and Storylab; Årsta Urban Natures with James Corner Field Operations and Buro Happold; and Albano Resilient Campus — a collaboration between Stockholm Resilience Centre, KTH and KIT. / <p>QC 20171102</p>

Ecosystem services, capturing the benefits and values of functioning ecosystems for human well-being, is a concept receiving increasing attention both in science and policy. This study investigates the utility of considering ecosystem service in the ecological restoration of a river affected by small-scale hydropower. While hydropower is a renewable energy source, it has impacts on the ecological status in water sheds and generates issues addressed e.g. by the EU Water Directive. To mitigate ecological impacts, and maintain hydroelectricity production that better correspond to the Water Directive, several restoration measures are carried out in river Billstaån, County of Jämtland, Sweden.   This study presents an ecosystem service perspective of the restoration process in river Billstaån linked to recommendations in terms of further interpretation, monitoring and communication of the assessment results. By applying evaluation of ecosystem services to the case of river Billstaån, it is examined to what extent ecosystem service descriptions can give support in monitoring and communication of the results of the ecological restoration efforts.   Ecosystem services were assessed for the restoration outcomes in river Billstaån using the two frameworks Corporate Ecosystem Service Review (ESR) and Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Assessment (TESSA), respectively. The ecosystem services deemed most important partly differed between the two frameworks due to different assessment perspectives. However, both ESR and TESSA pointed out ecosystem services connected to recreation and tourism as important, indicating a potential regarding recreational use of the area. Such socio-economic impacts of the restoration project was not included in the planning of the restoration, but if identified and utilized such “added benefits” might give opportunities for local rural development beyond the restoration work itself.   Contrasting the results from the ecosystem service assessment of river Billstaån towards the Swedish Environmental Objectives identified two direct and seven indirect connections. Through these connections the restoration project can be presented in relation to national goals. Indicating such connections can help in communicating the ecosystem service perspective. For future monitoring of project outcomes in river Billstaån, a set of potential indicators were identified using an ecosystem service approach, that can complement the planned monitoring of ecosystem functions. For future monitoring of ecosystem service development it is advisable to use a combination of indicators that reflect both the ecosystem function availability and the ecosystem service use. Three types of illustrations that can support different perspectives in future communication regarding ecosystem services in river Billstaån were identified in this study and termed system, overview and single service perspective. Example illustrations include a Causal Loop Diagram, a hot-spot map and a range of photos, respectively. The illustrations are deemed to present the assessment results in a more accessible way and can be adapted to a diversity of future communication settings. / <p>Betyg 2017-06-14</p>

En plus de vingt-cinq d’existence, le développement durable n’a pas produit les changements escomptés sur le plan structurel, institutionnel ou même scientifique. En ce qui concerne le plan scientifique, depuis la première formulation du concept en 1987, de nouveaux courants interdisciplinaires en sciences sociales ont émergé produisant de nouveaux concepts, proposant de nouvelles méthodologies et affirmant certains principes éthiques. La thèse s’intéresse tout particulièrement au courant du développement humain articulé autour des travaux d’Amartya Sen (approche par les capabilités) et de Manfred Max-Neef (approche par les besoins) et à celui de l’économie écologique duquel émerge une conception forte de la soutenabilité ainsique les concepts de fonctions et de services écosystémiques. Une articulation entre ces deux courants ainsi qu’une réflexion sur l’éthique de la responsabilité et la justice permettent de re-conceptualiser le développement durable, concept relativement mal défini et ambigu, sous la forme d’un développement humain responsable ancré dans la soutenabilité forte et la justice sociale. Cette articulation, réalisée dans une perspective transdisciplinaire, permet de proposer un nouveau cadre conceptuel qui pourrait d’une part,favoriser un aménagement responsable du territoire et, d’autre part, renforcer l’épistémologie de la géographie pour qu’elle puisse pleinement assumer son rôle d’étude des interactions Nature-Société. La réflexion théorique est mise en pratique au sein de deux réserves de biosphère périurbaines, l’une en France(Réserve de Biosphère de Fontainebleau-Gâtinais) et l’autre au Chili (Réserve de biosphère de La Campana-Peñuelas). / In twenty-five years, sustainable development has not delivered the expected outcomes in terms of structuraland institutional changes as well as scientific changes. Regarding scientific changes, since the firstintroduction of the concept of sustainable development by the Brundtland commission in 1987, newscientific fields of interdisciplinary reasearch in social sciences have emerged producing new conceptualtools, proposing new methodologies and asserting certain ethical principles. From the one hand, the thesis isinterested in the field of Human Development which is structured around the work of Amartya Sen (theCapability Approach) and Manfred Max-Neef (the Fundamental Needs approach). On the other hand, thethesis is interested in the field of Ecological Economics from which emerges a strong conception ofsustainability as well as the concepts of ecosystem functions and services. The thesis aims to establish a linkbetween these two fields of research to shift from sustainable development, a relatively ambiguous concept,to responsible human development clearly rooted in strong sustainability and social justice. This articulationis carried out in a transdisciplinary perspective. In the first place, this articulation enables to provide a soundconceptual framework that could help to strengthen the epistemology of geography for studying Nature-Society interactions. In addition, this articulation could help to promote a responsible land planning. Thisnew conceptual framework is tested in two peri-urban biosphere reserves in France (Biosphere ReserveFontainebleau -Gâtinais ) and Chile (Biosphere Reserve La Campana - Peñuelas).

Les zones humides sont des écosystèmes dynamiques en perpétuel changement, dans le temps et dans l'espace et demeurent parmi les plus menacés au monde. Ce travail de thèse est une contribution à la connaissance et la conservation des zones humides. Nous avons étudié la végétation de différents milieux, appartenant à un réseau de zones humides de Gironde, allant des landes humides aux prairies alluviales. Nous les avons choisies pour leur intérêt patrimonial et les enjeux de gestion qu'elles représentent dans le département. Nous avons utilisé plusieurs approches descriptives et expérimentales. La première partie vise à étudier l’organisation des communautés des deux grands systèmes, les landes humides et les prairies alluviales, le long de gradients environnementaux. Dans un deuxième temps, une approche combinant données anciennes et récentes, nous a permis de caractériser les changements de végétation à long terme selon différentes stratégies d’étude de la végétation. La troisième partie, par une approche expérimentale a été conduite sur une communauté végétale à fort enjeu patrimonial : les prairies à Molinie (code 6410 de la Directive Natura 2000). Cette troisième partie a permis de mettre en évidence la part respective des filtres stochastiques (dispersion de graines) et déterministes (compétition) dans une communauté soumise à de fortes contraintes environnementales (inondation). Enfin, dans une analyse prospective, nous avons considéré les enjeux de biodiversité ainsi que les services écosystémiques, cette fois, à l'échelle du département. Cette analyse envisage les outils à développer pour une approche multi-taxon et multi-services sur l'ensemble des zones humides de Gironde. L’ensemble de ce travail a permis de construire un dispositif de suivi de la biodiversité végétale au niveau départemental. Les résultats de ce travail contribuent aujourd’hui à considérer la gestion de ces communautés végétales de façon intégrée et proposent des outils d’aide à la décision pour la gestion de ces espaces. / Wetlands are dynamic ecosystems, constantly changing in time and space, and remaining among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. This thesis contribute to wetland knowledge and conservation. We studied the vegetation of different communities belonging to a network of wetlands in Gironde and ranging from wet heathlands to alluvial meadows. Wetlands were selected from the department council historical interest and management issues. We used several descriptive and experimental approaches. The first part aims to study the organization of the communities of the two major systems, heathlands and alluvial grasslands, along environmental gradients. Then, in a second time, an approach combining old and recent data allowed us to characterize long-term vegetation changes according to different strategies of vegetation study. The third part was conducted on a plant community with a strong conservation issue: Molinia caerulea wet meadow (Code 6410 of the Natura 2000 Directive) with an experimental approach. We highlight here the importance of stochastic filters (seed dispersion) and deterministic filters (competition) in a community controlled by environmental constraints (flooding). Finally, within a prospective analysis, we considered biodiversity issues and supply in ecosystems services at the departmental level. This analysis investigate tools to develop for a multi-taxon and multi-service approach in any Gironde wetlands. This work allowed us to create a monitoring device for plant biodiversity in the department. These results lead to consider nowadays the management of these plant communities in an integrated way and offer tools of decision support for the management of these communities.

The aim of this study was to generate knowledge about how teachers embark on new subject content and how their understandings of ecosystem services evolve and change in teaching practice, and also what it means to be able to discuss the relationship between the ecological and social in terms of ecosystem services in a teaching practice in middle school. The teachers used the learning study model and variation theory to explore the object of learning, by trying to design an instruction that offers fifth grade students the possibility to develop their knowledge of ecosystem services. The learning study model is an interventionist approach, where the focus is on an object of learning. A group of teachers worked together and tested students, planned lessons and implemented, evaluated and refined the lessons in an iterative process. The theoretical framework, variation theory, is a theory of learning that focuses on how discernment of aspects affects the way we perceive our world and how variation can be used to promote learning. However, since the study aims at contributing to enhancing our knowledge of how teachers can develop their skills and their meanings of a new content in practice, the empirical data from learning study was then analyzed with the help of activity theory, and the cycle of expansive learning. The result of the study shows that it can be complicated to introduce a new educational content. However, the learning study model proved to be aneffective tool for developing teachers' knowledge of ecosystem services and how to teach this. Ecosystem services were developed as teachers worked systematically with the content in their practice. For example, when the students did not respond to the exercises and to the reasoning of the ecosystem services that the teachers had planned, contradictions were created and changed the learning object's meaning for the teachers. The recordings from the lessons made the contradictions that arose during the lesson visible. Ecosystem services were developed from being primarily a tool to describe the human needs of the non-human nature to a tool to be able to discuss sustainability issues and the relationship between ecological, economic and social dimensions.

The South Florida Everglades is a unique ecosystem. Intensive water management in the system has facilitated agricultural, urban, and economic development. The Everglades offers a variety of ecosystem services (ES) to the people living in this region. Nevertheless, the ecosystem is under imminent threat of climate change, which would alter the way water is managed today and ultimately affect the ES offered by the system. On the other hand, substantial restoration is underway that aims to restore the Everglades closer to its historic condition. This research tried to map the public’s preference for Everglades restoration. Using a geocoded discrete-choice survey dataset, the study showed variation in the public’s preference by changing the levels of ES. Additionally, the general public’s attitude toward climate change risk to the Everglades and preference for mitigation were also assessed using the survey data.

L'Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) est un outil d'évaluation des impacts environnementaux. Il s'agit d'un outil robuste, souvent utilisé en éco-conception. Il permet de prendre en compte des impacts globaux, à toutes les étapes du cycle de vie d'un produit, « du berceau à la tombe ». Actuellement, cette méthode ne permet pas la prise en compte des impacts de l'occupation et de la transformation de l'espace par l'homme en milieu marin. Ce travail de thèse est donc le développement d'une nouvelle catégorie d'impact en ACV pour pallier ce manque : le "sea use". Dans la mesure où peu d'études avaient été réalisées sur le sujet, le cadre méthodologique de cette nouvelle catégorie d'impact a dû être clairement posé et défini. Ce cadre a été construit sur le modèle du land use, et en intégrant au maximum les avancées méthodologiques qui avaient été apportées en ACV de produits de la mer. Ainsi, un travail de revue détaillée a été mené sur le thème du land use et des ACV de pêcherie et d'aquaculture. Les chaînes de causalité permettant d'expliquer les liens entre les interventions humaines et les impacts potentiels qu'elles occasionnent sur leur environnement ont également été définies. L'une de ces chaînes de causalité a été étudiée en particulier, avec la volonté de construire une méthode opérationnelle d'évaluation de ces impacts. La méthode a ensuite été rendue opérationnelle pour l'évaluation des impacts de l'occupation et de la transformation de l'espace marin sur les fonctions de support de vie des écosystèmes. Du fait de l'importance des impacts relatifs à l'extraction de ressources biotiques en mer, la méthode a tout d'abord été appliquée au cas de la pêche. Elle a ensuite été appliquée au cas des macroalgues cultivées en mer dans l'éco-conception d'une filière de production de biométhane algal. Ainsi, cette thèse propose une méthode d'évaluation des impacts du l'usage de l'espace en mer qui est opérationnelle, et applicable à des cas d'étude concrets. / Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a robust tool often used for eco-design. It allows the assessment of environmental impacts, at a global scale, accounting for all stage of a product life cycle, “from cradle to grave”. There is a methodological gap in this method to account for occupation and transformation impacts in marine ecosystems due to human activities. The task accomplished during this PhD is the development of a methodological framework for a new impact category in LCA in order to overcome this lack: the sea use. As only a few studies have been carried out in this field, the general framework for sea use had to be defined. This framework has been built following the example of land use and integrating the new methods of assessment developed for LCA of seafood. Thus, a bibliographic work has been performed on the topic of land use and of LCA of fisheries and aquaculture. Cause-effect chains, linking human interventions to the potential impacts they can induce on their environment, were precisely defined. We focused on one of these cause-effect chains in particular, with the aim to build an operational impact assessment method. The method has then been made operational for the assessment of occupation and transformation impacts on the ecosystem life support functions. Because impacts of biotic biomass removal are an essential concern in marine ecosystems, the method has first been applied to fisheries. It was also exemplified on the case of offshore cultivated seaweed, as a case-study of ecodesign using LCA for seafood. Thus, a new operational methd of sea use impact assessment is proposed and can be applied to case-studies.

This thesis examines the impact of the concept of ecosystem services in the evaluation of the social costs and benefits of urban watercourse revitalization. Its possible use is shown on the specific selected project. The theoretical part explains the economic substance of ecosystem services, defines related terms, introduces different approaches of various economic schools to the concept and describes its historical development. The practical part then quantifies the net social benefits and costs of the selected project using cost- benefit analysis extended by the concept of ecosystem services. In the conclusion, the objective indicators are calculated and analysed in order to identify the strengths and weeknesses of using the concept of ecosystem services.

Orientador: Ademar Ribeiro Romeiro / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T02:34:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sarcinelli_Oscar_D.pdf: 2531244 bytes, checksum: c2af0c202ac2519e5bba954dd30cc5d1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O Sistema Produtor de Água Cantareira, um dos maiores sistemas de abastecimento de água para consumo humano do mundo, passa pela maior crise de capacidade de provisão de água em sua história. Especialistas apontam para o maior período de estiagem das últimas décadas como principal justificativa para esta situação. Entretanto, em um contexto de mudanças climáticas, como vem sendo alertado pela comunidade técnica internacional, é possível que esta situação permaneça por mais algum tempo e que volte a se repetir num futuro próximo. Desta forma, estratégias de conservação ambiental que tenham como objetivo a conservação dos serviços ecossistêmicos relacionados à regulação e provisão de recursos hídricos tornam-se prioridade para esta região. Esta investigação tem como objetivo principal identificar o cenário em que práticas direcionadas à conservação destes serviços ecossistêmicos dentro da área de drenagem do Sistema Produtor de Água Cantareira são adotas de forma mais custo-efetiva, ou seja, são capazes de ajudar na garantia da provisão de recursos hídricos ao menor custo possível. Para alcançar o objetivo a que se propõe, a presente investigação se apoia em uma das principais hipóteses da economia ecológica a qual considera que, para se alcançar a conservação dos serviços ecossistêmicos torna-se fundamental a conservação das estruturas que formam os ecossistemas naturais e os agroecossistemas manejados pelo homem. Desta forma, a investigação procede com uma análise dos impactos ambientais decorrentes do uso e ocupação atual do solo na região Cantareira para propor práticas conservacionistas que podem ampliar a resiliência ecológica das bacias hidrográficas que formam este Sistema e que, ao mesmo tempo, são compatíveis com a realidade socioeconômica da região. Os resultados obtidos para alguns indicadores ecológicos utilizados como referência para a conservação dos recursos hídricos demonstram que o cenário conservacionista mais custo-efetivo destinado à conservação dos recursos hídricos na região do Sistema Cantareira pode ser alcançado a partir da melhoria na cobertura vegetal do solo nas áreas atualmente ocupadas com pastagens. A atividade pecuária ocupa atualmente cerca de 40% das terras nesta região. Desta forma, os efeitos ecológicos esperados a partir de um programa de incentivos econômicos direcionados a promover melhoria das pastagens teria o potencial de reduzir em até 30% o total de sedimentos que anualmente são depositados nos rios, córregos e reservatórios que formam o Sistema Cantareira / Abstract: The Cantareira Water Supply System is one of the most important water supply systems for human consumption in the world. This system is currently passing through its biggest crisis of water supply capacity in its history. Experts are appointing to the largest dry season in decades as the main reason for this situation. In a context of climate change, as the international society has been appointing, the possibility of this critic situation still remains for a long time and happen again in the near future is strong. In this situation environmental conservation programs directed to conserve ecosystem services related to the regulation and provision of water resources becomes priority for this region. This research has an objective to identify the scenario in which practices involving the conservation of these ecosystem services into the Cantareira water supply system are more cost-effective. In this scenario conservation practices are able to ensure water provision at the lowest cost possible. To achieve this goal the investigation uses one of the main hypotheses of ecological economics which considers that the conservation of ecosystem services can be achieved conserving ecological structures that support natural ecosystems and the agro-ecosystems managed by humans. The investigation proceeds with an analysis of the environmental impacts of current land occupation in the Cantareira region to propose conservation practices that enhance the ecological resilience of watersheds that make up this System and at the same time are in the same direction of the socio-economic reality of the region. The analysis of the private cost for environmental conservation in the region and the results obtained for some ecological indicators analyzed by this investigation showed the more cost-effective scenario can be achieved by improving the ground cover in areas currently occupied with pastures. Livestock grazing occupies 40% of all land in the region. Thus the ecological effects expected from economic incentives directed to improve pastures has the potential to reduce 30% of the sediments that annually are deposited in rivers, streams, springs and reservoirs that sustain the Cantareira System and contributing to water provision security in this region / Doutorado / Desenvolvimento Economico, Espaço e Meio Ambiente / Doutor em Desenvolvimento Economico

O principal instrumento de avaliação dos impactos ambientais do ciclo de vida de produtos é a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Uma de suas fases, a Avaliação de Impacto do Ciclo de Vida (AICV) refere-se ao processo quantitativo e/ou qualitativo aplicado na caracterização e avaliação dos impactos associados ao inventário do ciclo de vida. Dentre os impactos ambientais avaliados, estão aqueles relacionados ao uso da terra. Um dos grandes desafios no campo da ACV refere-se diferenciação espacial e temporal nos métodos de AICV, sobretudo para impactos devido à transformação e ocupação da terra. Torna-se necessário o desenvolvimento de modelos de caracterização e/ou adaptação daqueles já existentes de maneira que possam considerar as características ambientais regionais de cada país, visando à obtenção de resultados mais consistentes e precisos. Assim, este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar a aplicabilidade e a regionalização dos principais modelos de caracterização de impactos do uso da terra para a Avaliação do Impacto do Ciclo de Vida no Brasil. Para tanto foi conduzida uma revisão bibliográfica sistemática, a qual subsidiou a descrição e análise de dezesseis principais modelos de caracterização para avaliação de impactos do uso da terra. Durante a etapa de análise, as informações referentes a cada modelo foram classificadas de acordo com diferentes critérios, como: abordagem midpoint/endpoint, área de cobertura, área de coleta dos dados, diferenciação bio-geográfica, tempo de recuperação, situação de referência, robustez científica e relevância ambiental. Observou-se que seis modelos, de abrangência de aplicação global, apresentam robustez científica e relevância ambiental satisfatória para a avaliação dos impactos nos serviços ecossistêmicos e na biodiversidade: Brandão & Milà i Canals (2013); Müller-Wenk & Brandão (2010); Nunez et al. (2010); Saad, Koellner, Margni (2013); Souza (2010); Souza et al. (2013). Outra contribuição do trabalho refere-se às recomendações para a adaptação de modelos de caracterização, visando a regionalização, para a qual uma série de elementos-chave deve ser considerada, tais como o mecanismo ambiental modelado, a tipologia de uso do solo, o nível de diferenciação bio-geográfica usado para o cálculo dos fatores de caracterização e a situação de referência utilizada. / The main technique for assessing the environmental impacts of the product life cycle is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). One of its phases, the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) refers to quantitative and / or qualitative process applied to the characterization and assessment of impacts associated with the life cycle inventory. Among the environmental impacts evaluated in LCA are those related to land use. A major challenge in the field of LCA refers to spatial and temporal differentiation in LCIA methods, especially for impacts due to land occupation and land transformation. It becomes necessary to develop models for the characterization and / or adapting existing ones so that they can consider regional environmental characteristics of each country, in order to obtain more consistent and accurate results. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the applicability and regionalization of the land use impacts characterization models in the Life Cycle Impact Assessment in Brazil. To achieve that, a systematic literature review was performed, which subsidized the description and analysis of sixteen major characterization models for land use impact assessment. During the analysis, the information regarding each model were classified according to different criteria, such as midpoint/ endpoint approach, coverage area, area of data collection, bio-geographical differentiation, recovery time, reference land use situation, scientific robustness and environmental relevance. It was observed that six models, with a global scope, present scientific robustness and environmental relevance sufficient for the assessment of impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services: Brandão & Milà i Canals (2013); Müller-Wenk & Brandão (2010); Nunez et al. (2010); Saad, Koellner, Margni (2013); Souza (2010); Souza et al. (2013). Another contribution of this work were the recommendations for adapting characterization models, for which a number of key elements must be considered, such as the modelled land use impact pathways, the land use typology, the level of bio-geographical differentiation used for the characterization factors and the reference land use situation.