The research programme was relevant to urban planning and in particular to the design of stormwater management schemes that are more environmentally and socially acceptable. It examined social and perception issues relating to stormwater management techniques within residential areas, and in particular to the application of SUDS, mainly ponds, and river management schemes. The thesis arose from a project funded by the Environment Agency of England and Wales through SNIFFER under a programme titled “Social impacts o f stormwater management techniques including river management and SUDS”, SNIFFER Code: SUDS01. The public perception of construction is becoming a matter of increasing importance both in the UK and internationally since socio-economic parameters and public consultation both have to be taken into consideration in the planning and implementation of relevant projects. This research programme endeavoured to match the relevant legislative goals with society’s actual needs. The main aims of the research programme were to obtain an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the perceptions of popular stormwater management practices (SUDS and river management), and to evaluate these techniques from a social perspective. To satisfy these aims the following objectives were set: • To assess public awareness and perceptions of SUDS (particularly retention ponds) in the UK; • To assess professional perceptions of SUDS in the UK; • To assess perceptions of different stormwater management techniques, in three European cities; • To compare perceptions of different stormwater management techniques, SUDS and river management practices; • To link the research findings with trends in perceptions of nature and water. To meet the programme’s aims and to satisfy the objectives, the perceptions of SUDS in the UK (principally ponds) were investigated over a wide range of locations. In addition, the different river management approaches used in three heavily urbanised European cities, Glasgow, London, and Athens were investigated. The results of this research programme provide a means to understand perceptions of stormwater management and to appreciate what types of schemes will be more readily accepted by the public. The research has shown that members of the public hold strong views as to what they like or dislike about SUDS and water management installations in their local area, in spite of the fact that there were demonstrably low levels of public awareness of SUDS. The amenity, recreational value and aesthetics of new schemes seem to be of major importance for public acceptability, while function, efficiency, and maintenance are primarily important in areas facing flooding problems. Other key findings include the fact that there is a general preference for sustainable urban water management and for river restoration schemes compared with more conventional, ‘hard engineering’ approaches, such as culverting of rivers. This preference was expressed both by members of the public and by professionals involved in their planning and implementation. Another important result was that although unfamiliarity can produce negativity, education can influence attitudes positively even in sensitive issues such as safety, and can be used by authorities and planners as a means of enhancing the acceptability of new schemes. Consequently, the results of the surveys can be used as arguments towards the application of informative campaigns which should be taken into account prior to scheme implementation. This information can be utilised not only for stormwater management design, but also for other environmentally friendly constructions which the public may have a low level of awareness. Recommendations are made with respect to public and professional attitudes for improving the public acceptability of new and modified stormwater management systems. Recommendations and barriers to the uptake outlined in this thesis mainly refer to the appearance of schemes rather than technical issues. They are therefore of most use as guidance for improving aesthetics and increasing public acceptability. The outcomes of this research will be of use to policy makers, water companies, local authorities, environment agencies, planners, developers, consultants active in urban development, and researchers in applying wider-accepted practices for the assessment of public perception. Some findings from this research have been presented at several stakeholders’ meetings, at 4 conferences, and are published in the form of papers and reports, including the DTI SR 622 report titled “An Assessment of the Social Impacts of Sustainable Drainage Systems in the UK”, and the Environment Agency & SNIFFER report, SUDS01, 2005, titled “Social Impacts of stormwater management techniques including river management and SUDS”. This publication also constitutes Environment Agency R&D Technical report P2-258.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Diversos estudos em epidemiologia têm investigado a influência do ambiente urbano na saúde da população. Os benefícios dos espaços verdes têm sido um dos aspectos estudados recentemente. Uma das principais vias apontadas é através da promoção da prática de atividades físicas. Outros benefícios incluem a melhoria das condições psicossociais e da qualidade do ar. Esses fatores, por sua vez, têm comprovada associação com a saúde cardiovascular. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho é investigar a associação entre espaços verdes e mortalidade por doenças isquêmicas do coração (DIC) e doenças cerebrovasculares (DCBV) no município do Rio de Janeiro, entre os anos de 2010 e 2012. Foi realizado um estudo do tipo ecológico, tendo os setores censitários como unidade de análise. Como variável desfecho foi calculada a razão de mortalidade padronizada (RMP) por sexo e idade, pelo método indireto. Como medidas de exposição às áreas verdes foram utilizadas a média e a variabilidade do Índice de Vegetação por Diferença Normalizada ou NDVI (sigla em inglês) médio referente ao período de estudo, em buffers de 100 metros das bordas dos setores censitários. Os dados foram analisados por um modelo linear condicional autorregressivo, que considera também a estrutura de dependência espacial. Foram incluídas no modelo as covariáveis Índice de Desenvolvimento Social (IDS); densidade de vias de tráfego veicular, divididas entre vias coletoras e locais e vias estruturais primárias e secundárias, utilizadas como proxy de poluição em buffers de 100 metros dos setores; e o indicador de setores censitários litorâneos. Após o ajuste do modelo controlando os possíveis fatores de confusão, foi verificada a redução de 4,5% (CI95%: 7,3%, 1,6%) da mortalidade nas áreas com exposição referente ao intervalo interquartílico mais alto da média do NDVI; e de 3,4% (IC95%: 6,2%; 0,7%) nas áreas referentes ao intervalo interquartílico mais alto da variabilidade, ambos em comparação com o intervalo mais baixo. Esse resultado indica a associação inversa entre a exposição aos espaços verdes e a mortalidade por DIC e DCBV no município do Rio de Janeiro. Além disso, o aumento da mortalidade está associado a piores condições de vida e à poluição do ar.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Diversos estudos em epidemiologia têm investigado a influência do ambiente urbano na saúde da população. Os benefícios dos espaços verdes têm sido um dos aspectos estudados recentemente. Uma das principais vias apontadas é através da promoção da prática de atividades físicas. Outros benefícios incluem a melhoria das condições psicossociais e da qualidade do ar. Esses fatores, por sua vez, têm comprovada associação com a saúde cardiovascular. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho é investigar a associação entre espaços verdes e mortalidade por doenças isquêmicas do coração (DIC) e doenças cerebrovasculares (DCBV) no município do Rio de Janeiro, entre os anos de 2010 e 2012. Foi realizado um estudo do tipo ecológico, tendo os setores censitários como unidade de análise. Como variável desfecho foi calculada a razão de mortalidade padronizada (RMP) por sexo e idade, pelo método indireto. Como medidas de exposição às áreas verdes foram utilizadas a média e a variabilidade do Índice de Vegetação por Diferença Normalizada ou NDVI (sigla em inglês) médio referente ao período de estudo, em buffers de 100 metros das bordas dos setores censitários. Os dados foram analisados por um modelo linear condicional autorregressivo, que considera também a estrutura de dependência espacial. Foram incluídas no modelo as covariáveis Índice de Desenvolvimento Social (IDS); densidade de vias de tráfego veicular, divididas entre vias coletoras e locais e vias estruturais primárias e secundárias, utilizadas como proxy de poluição em buffers de 100 metros dos setores; e o indicador de setores censitários litorâneos. Após o ajuste do modelo controlando os possíveis fatores de confusão, foi verificada a redução de 4,5% (CI95%: 7,3%, 1,6%) da mortalidade nas áreas com exposição referente ao intervalo interquartílico mais alto da média do NDVI; e de 3,4% (IC95%: 6,2%; 0,7%) nas áreas referentes ao intervalo interquartílico mais alto da variabilidade, ambos em comparação com o intervalo mais baixo. Esse resultado indica a associação inversa entre a exposição aos espaços verdes e a mortalidade por DIC e DCBV no município do Rio de Janeiro. Além disso, o aumento da mortalidade está associado a piores condições de vida e à poluição do ar.

abstract: The global increase in urbanization has raised questions about urban sustainability to which multiple research communities have entered. Those communities addressing interest in the urban heat island (UHI) effect and extreme temperatures include land system science, urban/landscape ecology, and urban climatology. General investigations of UHI have focused primarily on land surface and canopy layer air temperatures. The surface temperature is of prime importance to UHI studies because of its central rule in the surface energy balance, direct effects on air temperature, and outdoor thermal comfort. Focusing on the diurnal surface temperature variations in Phoenix, Arizona, especially on the cool (green space) island effect and the surface heat island effect, the dissertation develops three research papers that improve the integration among the abovementioned sub-fields. Specifically, these papers involve: (1) the quantification and modeling of the diurnal cooling benefits of green space; (2) the optimization of green space locations to reduce the surface heat island effect in daytime and nighttime; and, (3) an evaluation of the effects of vertical urban forms on land surface temperature using Google Street View. These works demonstrate that the pattern of new green spaces in central Phoenix could be optimized such that 96% of the maximum daytime and nighttime cooling benefits would be achieved, and that Google Street View data offers an alternative to other data, providing the vertical dimensions of land-cover for addressing surface temperature impacts, increasing the model accuracy over the use of horizontal land-cover data alone. Taken together, the dissertation points the way towards the integration of research directions to better understand the consequences of detailed land conditions on temperatures in urban areas, providing insights for urban designs to alleviate these extremes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2018

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka sambandet mellan Stockholms parker och offentliga grönområdena i relation till den rådande förtätning staden genomför. Stockholm har en tydlig strategi på att skapa en tät stad vilket medför effekter på stadens parker och offentliga grönområden. Studien diskuterar de värden som tillkommer och går förlorade när exploateringen av staden ökar samtidigt som den totala arealen grönområden minskar. Vidare diskuteras det offentliga grönområdenas funktion i den täta staden. De metoder som använts i studien består av semistrukturerade informantintervjuer i kombination med telefon- och e-postintervjuer följt av en bred litteraturundersökning. Materialet i studien utöver vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderar planer, styrdokument och program på lokal, regional, nationell och internationell nivå. Den täta staden kan såväl generera en bättre livsmiljö och minska en negativ miljöpåverkan likväl som att den kan bli ohållbar och skapa sämre livsmiljöer. Parker och offentliga grönområden fyller viktiga funktioner för Stockholm. Parallellt minskar mängden grönområden i städerna och centrala värden förbises i den fysiska planeringen. Med bra planering går det emellertid att utveckla en tätare stad och samtidigt skydda grönområden.

The Power of a Small Green Place is an ethnographic case study among the volunteers and urban wilds of Ottawa’s Fletcher Wildlife Garden (FWG). Through the conceptual lens of the geographical concept of place – with its wide range of physical, relational and deeper meaningful considerations – this urban wildlife habitat project emerged as a place of profound significance. Volunteers working to create and maintain the FWG’s diverse habitats benefit from opportunities to engage in physical outdoor activity, establish social connections, make contact with the natural world, find deep personal satisfaction and meaning, and experience healthier and mutually beneficial relations with nature. This case study fills a knowledge gap in geography regarding the significant relationships that can emerge between people and the land they work with, thereby contributing to geography’s “latest turn earthward” examining practices and relationships of cultivation with the land. The case study also contributes to a growing interdisciplinary dialogue on human-nature relations and their implications in the context of future environmental and societal uncertainties.

The densification of cities in Sweden often result in loss of green space and puts the beneficial values of urban green space under risk. Especially affected are the inhabitants residing in the city core. Through a qualitative case study of Sundbyberg city, this study aims to explore which features of green spaces that becomes important for residents in a city undergoing fast densification. As well as how the needs are answered from a planning perspective. In order to illustrate both perspectives, the study consists of interviews with planners and residents. The results of the study show that the few green spaces in the city core in large have been compensated with small spaces working as multifunctional places. One example of a multifunctional place is a pocket park. This, planners and residents show both a positive and negative view on. The benefits are simply about that it is needed. The disadvantages raised are mainly about the feelings of those places as private and closed space for some people, although these places origins as open space. The study shows that many similarities prevail between the planners and residents views on the different importance’s of the city’s green spaces. It also shows that there is a discrepancy between the residents experienced needs of green spaces and the planner’s vision of the citys future development. While the residents seem to want more quiet places and places for spontaneous activities, especially to meet the needs of elderly and young. The planner’s visions of the citys development seem to go more towards creating small, to some extent green, safe places which connects different parts of the city.

No description available.

Public health is an essential urban issue attracting the increasing attention of scholars and decision-makers while urban planning is an important mechanism to promote health since mounting evidence has shown the planning elements, such as urban green spaces (UGS), could have a positive influence. In previous literature, the studies concerning the impacts of UGSs can be divided into two aspects: the first is to reveal the relationships between UGSs and health using statistical models based on self-reported data, while the second is to take their relationships as presumption and visualize the spatial distributions of UGSs in a geographical information system (GIS) to indicate the existence of health inequalities. I attempt to combine the two pathways, using GIS-based analyses to quantify and visualize UGSs, and subsequently employing the quantified indicators of UGSs to calculate their associations with public health by multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis in SPSS. The study describes a detailed methodology that could be taken as a generic approach to analyze other urban elements and services. A case study is conducted in Linköping central urban area with base areas selected as the spatial unit of analysis. As a consequence, although the elaborate relationships between different indicators of UGSs and public health are not directly provided by the regression models, the correlations between them are indicated to be weak and subtle and require larger samples to reveal. Potential improvements, including the application of panel data and other kinds of regression models, are also summarized for further research.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第24908号 / 農博第2571号 / 新制||農||1102(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科森林科学専攻 / (主査)教授 柴田 昌三, 教授 北島 薫, 教授 小杉 賢一朗 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM