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Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:25:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Ricardo_ Decker_ Cruz.pdf: 12162112 bytes, checksum: 0975a21caf72286cb9cd4c037c2fb34e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-09-08 / The nowadays model of development has as a basic principle an economically based growth focused in the technological development, having the GIP as the main indicator of development of a nation. This model is known for promoting an accelerated degradation of the quality of the environment under pressure. The present work aims the identification; quantification and classification of the severely degraded land in the Capão do Leão municipality RS, Brazil, through the use of geotechnologies. In order to achieve that, the following base layers were used: roads, hydrography, river basins, numerical terrain model, vegetation, geology, soils, and degraded land. The degraded land areas were identified and delineated in Google Earth images and subsequently characterized in the field. Through the degraded land data collected a land degradation classification scheme was conceived based on the causing agent, degradation degree, the activity status of the degrading agent, and the possibility and type of reclamation needed. Crossing the land degradation database with the other base maps generated new maps and information. A number of 746 degraded areas were identified, varying in size, shape and degree, totaling 474,9ha of severely degraded land, mostly due to mine activities (361,4 ha or 76% of the total) - sand, granite and gravel. Other important type of degradation were those of borrow materials (61,8 ha 13% of the total). Soil units more affected were those of Entisols and Ultisols, due to granite and gravel mining, respectively, and of Spodosols, located in the São Gonçalo plain, due to sand mining. From the total degraded areas, 224,7ha in 69 occurrences are in an extremely degree of degradation under strong or very strong erosive activity, needing a restoration that includes a continuous intervention with reconditioning of the surroundings, that in some cases may need a change of use. / O modelo atual de desenvolvimento tem como princípio básico o crescimento acelerado centrado no desenvolvimento tecnológico, um modelo de base econômica, sendo o PIB o principal indicador de desenvolvimento de uma nação. Esse modelo comprovadamente promove uma acelerada degradação da qualidade ambiental dos meios pressionados. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo identificar, quantificar e classificar a degradação ambiental severa no município de Capão do Leão, através do uso de geotecnologias. Para tal, foram utilizados os seguintes planos básicos de informação: base cartográfica (malha viária), hidrografia, bacias hidrográficas, Modelo Numérico do Terreno (MNT), vegetação, geologia, solos e áreas degradadas. As áreas degradadas foram identificadas a partir de imagens disponíveis do Google Earth e caracterizadas em campanhas de campo. A partir dos planos básicos foram gerados outros planos de informação como o mapa de declividades, de altitude e os cruzamentos com as áreas degradadas. A partir da integração dos dados foi elaborada uma classificação para as áreas degradadas no município cujas diretrizes basearam-se no agente causal, grau de degradação, status da atividade causadora da degradação e possibilidade e tipo de recuperação. Foram identificadas 746 áreas degradadas, variáveis em tamanho, forma e intensidade. Em termos globais encontrou-se um total de 474,9ha de áreas severamente degradadas, destacando-se aquelas ligadas as minerações (361,4ha ou 76% do total), de areia, granito e saibro, além de áreas de empréstimo (61,8 ha 13% do total), principalmente para barragens e estradas. As unidades de solos mais afetadas foram as de Neossolos Litólicos e de Argissolos, nas terras altas, por mineração de granito e saibro, respectivamente, e de Espodossolos, na planície do São Gonçalo, por mineração de areia. Das 746 áreas identificadas, 69 (224,27ha ou 47%) encontram-se em grau de degradação extrema com atividade erosiva forte ou muito forte, necessitando de uma recuperação que envolva uma intervenção continuada com conformação de entorno, podendo haver necessidade de redirecionamento de uso.

Abstract Boreal urban forests are becoming more and more fragmented and, at the same time, are exposed to low-level but long-term nitrogen and sulphur deposition. Natural mid-boreal forests are dominated by few tree and shrub species, while herbs and grasses are rare. Soils in mid-boreal forests are rich in ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, forming a symbiotic relationship with forest trees, which is important for the nutrient cycle especially in nutrient-poor ecosystems. Aims of this thesis were 1) to study differences between mid-boreal urban and rural forests in composition of macrofungi and structure of plant communities, 2) to explore whether responses of Scots pine seedlings to excess N are mediated via soil or via air, and 3) to study if partial removal of vegetation and humus layer alleviates the adverse effects of excess N on plant and fungal communities, and promotes performance and regeneration of Scots pine in urban forests. The growth responses of seedlings and their mycorrhizal colonization were studied in both field and greenhouse experiments. Peroxidase (POD) activity was used as a root stress indicator. Urban forests were poor in number of fruiting ECM fungal species, but rich in herbs and grasses in the field layer, as compared to rural forests. These differences were thought to result from changes in soil properties. ECM fungal colonization in Scots pine roots did not respond significantly to high nitrogen load in soil, but high root POD activity indicated changes in root physiology. ECM macrofungal diversity in urban forests was not markedly increased during a five-year survey after a partial humus removal treatment. On the other hand, fruiting of Cortinarius semisanguineus is a positive response to the treatment. Scots pine seedling emergence was poor due to rapid revegetation at the urban sites, but the treatment promoted both root and shoot growth of planted Scots pine seedlings in urban forests. Decreased root POD activity in Scots pine seedlings in the humus removal treatment possibly indicates lowered root stress. Soil manipulations may result in a risk of nutrient leakage, and a risk of invasion by non-typical plants. Also, small stand size with high recreation pressure causes a risk for tree regeneration in urban forest stands. These risks need to be considered when planning management of urban coniferous forests.

This thesis analyses major U.S. military bases closed by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission since 1988. The study focuses on geographic patterns of pre-existing versus BRAC bases, statistical attributes, environmental restoration, and reuse of bases. Comparative case studies supplement the analysis, highlighting rural versus urban location, success versus failure, politics, conflict, and local versus national goals. Thesis findings are that: 92 bases closed versus 97 commonly published; a fairly even national closure pattern occurred, indicating Commission efforts to achieve equity, except for three closure clusters indicating efforts to consolidate functions in some regions and leave others; base reuse, while commonly perceived negatively, has been positive in most cases; the BRAC process is becoming more efficient, such that allowed years between BRAC closure decisions and base closures should be reduced from six to three years to benefit both communities and the Defense Department.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Environmental Design & Planning Program / Lee R. Skabelund / The Restorative Urban Design (RUD) calls for a new urban design and planning approach targeting environmentally responsible re/development of urbanized areas through ecologically responsive impact mitigations. If implemented in a systematic manner, such re/developments can help move urban areas toward the successful restoration of the natural environment of which they are an inseparable part. The RUD model advocates more rigorous assessment and mitigation of urban impacts by carefully evaluating the environmental performance of urban re/developments within five primary dimensions: Atmosphere (emissions, pollutants, ozone depletion); Hydrosphere (stormwater, domestic water, wastewater); Lithosphere (land use, land cover, food and wastes); Ecology (habitat resilience, biodiversity, population and resources); and Energy (renewability, reduction and efficiency, transportation). The model relies on a scenario-comparison process in order to evaluate and optimize the performance of urban re/development projections through four critical scenarios, which are respectively: 1) Natural Baseline (NBASE); 2) Historic Progression (HPROG); 3) Trajectory Forecast (TFORE); and 4) Restorative Projection (RPROJ). The RUD Case Study illustrates how the principles and strategies of Restorative Urban Design can be applied specifically to a typical (densely developed) urban area, namely River North District in Chicago Metropolitan Area. The case study focuses exclusively on mitigation of a single critical human impact on the natural environment: Anthropogenic CO₂ Emissions. The case study focuses on the design assumptions by which the restorative urban re/development scenarios might exceed beyond the full mitigation of emissions into the global remediation by 2040. The restorative projections illustrate that only a certain portion of emissions can be effectively mitigated onsite (5 to 55%), and that the remainder of projected emissions (45 to 95%) need to be mitigated offsite in order to achieve the necessary sequestration and storage. The restorative research suggests that the mitigation of major human impacts on the natural environment – not only CO₂ emissions but also other major impacts – are likely to require significant urban transformations. Moving beyond the strategies of preservation and/or conservation, the restorative approach asserts that comprehensive environmental restoration is achievable if urban impacts are adequately estimated and then entirely mitigated onsite as well as offsite through a systematic process of urban re/development.

Over the years, every major city turns into a knot of intractable problems: overpopulation, traffic jams, environmental degradation. Some countries make a faster conversion from an industrial development to an information growth phase, than the infrastructural changes take place. Therefore, environmental design and construction would not be short-termed, but rather will be the long-term targets for all the groups associated with the construction. The healthy living is one of the most important reasons to start a complicated long-term reconstruction of eco-cities. Successful ecological reconstitution requires a knowledge about already implemented exemplary solutions. For this purpose, the dissertation analyzes the basic ecological problems of settlements, analyzing the examples of approaches to improve the environmental performance of cities on the reference of foreign experience and creates criteria and principles for designing urban structures for healthy living in CR.