[pt] A floresta que recobre o Maciço da Pedra Branca, localizado no município do Rio de Janeiro, é formada em sua maior parte por florestas secundárias de diferentes idades, que foram intensamente manejadas por um grupo social específico no passado. Foram utilizadas para a produção de carvão nos séculos XIX/XX e, após o abandono desta atividade, se regeneraram, restando, atualmente, apenas poucas evidências deste uso pretérito. No interior da floresta deste maciço, que possui aproximadamente 12.500 hectares, já foram inventariados mais de 1.000 vestígios de antigas carvoarias. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a composição florística e a estrutura do estrato arbustivo e arbóreo de áreas que foram utilizadas para a produção de carvão. Foi investigado se este tipo de manejo interferiu na forma que a floresta se regenerou, avaliando-se os rumos da sucessão eco-lógica. Além disso, foram verificados os potenciais usos e buscou-se identificar as marcas dos antigos carvoeiros na atual floresta. Foram selecionadas e inventaria-das três áreas que apresentam idades aproximadas, mesma orientação de encosta e declividade semelhantes. Em cada uma delas foram realizadas cinco parcelas em transecção (60 x 5 m) formando um semicírculo no sentido a montante da encosta, resultando em uma área amostral de 1.500 m2 (no total 4.500 m2). Apesar das três áreas terem sofrido um mesmo último uso, a floresta, atualmente, apresenta resultantes florísticas e estruturais bastante distintas entre si, mas que revela, em varia-dos aspectos, a ação pretérita deste grupo social. / [en] The forest that covers the Pedra Branca massif, located in Rio de Janeiro, is consisted mostly by secondary forests of different ages who were intensively managed by a specific social group in the past. This is due to the partial logging that occurred by making charcoal, especially among nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and after the abandonment of this activity, it regenerated, leaving, currently, just a few evidences of this past use. In the forest of this massif, which has approximately 12,500 hectares, have been inventoried over 1,000 traces of old charcoal kilns. The objectives of this study were investigate how the ecological succession occurred in the Pedra Branca massif after the charcoal activity and verify the potencial uses of the species that constitute the current forest. In this research, were explored three areas of ancient charcoal-makers, currently covered by secondary forests. These areas have similar ages, same orientation and similar slope steepness. In each of these areas were performed five transects forming a semi-circle oriented to the highest part of the slope, as it is believed that the charcoal makers used to fell trees downhill. The dimensions of each axis being 60 x 5 meters and the total inventoried was 0,45 hectare. Although the three areas have suffered the same last use, forest currently present with floristic and structural resulting quite distinct from each other, but that shows in many respects the preterit action of charcoal-makers in this massif.

[pt] A presente pesquisa objetiva compreender o papel dos caminhos no processo de transformação da paisagem florestal do Maciço da Tijuca. Para isso, foi feito um (re)conhecimento sobre a história da área de estudo e seus personagens históricos através da pesquisa documental, complementada pela identificação, sistematização e análise espacial de vestígios encontrados em trabalhos de campo. Ainda utilizamos a fitossociologia para análise do componente arbóreo ao redor dos caminhos, procurando compreender as resultantes ecológicas do encontro entre a dinâmica social e natural. Foram encontrados diversos caminhos antigos, sendo 18 segmentos de caminhos desativados e quatro segmentos de caminhos em uso. Além disso, outros legados socioecológicos foram identificados, como 377 anti-gas carvoarias, 149 vestígios de assentamento humano, 38 figueiras remanescentes e 1.207 pontos com ao menos um indivíduo de jaqueira, tendo sido contabilizados 8.978 indivíduos. A análise fitossociológica evidenciou que o legado do uso pretérito também se reflete na estrutura e composição da vegetação, principalmente através do estabelecimento de novos ecossistemas de jaqueira que, por sua vez, possuem sua distribuição totalmente atrelada à presença humana pretérita e ao seu padrão de dispersão. No entanto, o público que frequenta o Parque Nacional da Tijuca não conhece a história dos caminhos de que usufrui. Com isso, propomos três produtos – vídeos, redes sociais e narrativa criativa - que podem auxiliar no processo de disseminação desse conteúdo, trazendo à tona personagens invisibilizados e cativando os frequentadores da Unidade de Conservação frente aos diferentes atrativos histórico-culturais. / [en] The present research aims to understand the role of paths in the process of trans-formation of the forest landscape of the Tijuca Massif. For this, it was a recognition about the history of study and its historical characters through documentary research, complemented by the identification, systematization and analysis of tra-ces found in fieldwork. We still use phytosociology to analyze tree components, comprised around ecological and natural groups. Several old paths were found, with 18 segments of paths activated and four segments of old paths in use. In ad-dition, other socio-ecological legacies were identified, such as 377 charcoal kilns, 149 ruins, 38 remaining fig trees, 1,207 points with less than one individual of jackfruit, having been counted 8,978 individuals. The phytosociology analysis shows that the legacy of past human use is also reflected in the structure and com-position of the vegetation, mainly through the establishment of jackfruit novel ecossystems, which, in turn, have their distribution totally linked to the past pre-sence and its scatter pattern. However, the public that frequents the PNT does not know the history of the paths it enjoys. Therefore, we proposed three products – videos, social media and creatuve storytelling – that can help in the process of disseminating this content, bringing to light characters made invisible by traditio-nal historiography and captivating visitors to the Conservation Unit in view of the different historical-cultural attractions.

[pt] A dicotomia na relação sociedade-natureza se projeta consideravelmente sobre as florestas tropicais, que muitas vezes são consideradas uma natureza estática, sem história e com poucos habitantes, onde sua complexidade estrutural e funcional se deu apenas por processos naturais. O presente trabalho investigou: i. a transformação da paisagem de Grumari, bairro localizado no extremo sudoeste do Maciço da Pedra Branca (RJ), que possui, atualmente, a maior área de cobertura vegetal do município e ii. os legados socioecológicos encontrados na floresta, com o intuito de desvendar quais e como as interações humanas com meio físicobiológico contribuíram para a construção da atual paisagem florestal. Para isso foram usadas metodologias oriundas da Geografia, História e Ecologia que perpassaram a investigação de documentos históricos com fontes primárias e secundárias extraídos de Arquivos Históricos, complementados pela identificação e sistematização de vestígios materiais encontrados em trabalhos de campo, segundo a metodologia da leitura da paisagem. Por fim, utilizou-se a fitossociologia para análise do componente arbóreo ao redor dos vestígios encontrados, no sentido de compreender as resultantes ecológicas do encontro entre a dinâmica social e natural. Foram inventariadas oito unidades amostrais da vegetação arbórea perfazendo 0,32 ha. Foi encontrado um total de 90 espécies, sendo Guarea guidonia, Piptadenia gonoacantha, Sparattosperma leucanthum, Gallesia integrifolia e Joannesia princeps as mais conspícuas. A encosta florestal de Grumari foi habitada por populações humanas, possivelmente desde os povos sambaquieiros; passando por indígenas Tupinambás; colonizadores portugueses; instituições religiosas de poder; latifundiários e pequenos lavradores posseiros - que até hoje ocupam o território – e, mais atualmente, o Poder Público, que exerce a governança ambiental através das Unidades de Conservação. Alguns efeitos da modificação dos ecossistemas para a sobrevivência e atividades econômicas referentes a distintos momentos históricos estão impressos na paisagem através de vestígios como: depósitos malacológicos, resquícios de carvoarias, ruínas e antigos caminhos, geralmente associados à presença de espécies exóticas, e espécies nativas que apresentam padrão de dominância na comunidade vegetal. A associação desses elementos encontrados na paisagem conta histórias para além da história escrita. Depois de mais de 200 anos de intenso uso do solo para agricultura, fornecimento de energia e água e habitações humanas, a vegetação avançou sobre áreas de antigas roças, carvoarias e pastos abandonados. A floresta seguiu sucessões ecológicas únicas, que expressam a história e a cultura em sua composição e estrutura. A complementaridade de fontes – escritas, materiais, biológicas e fotográficas – contribuíram para a compreensão da complexidade da paisagem e dos fatores histórico-ambientais que a levaram à configuração atual. Além disso, permitiu dar luz a grupos sociais sistematicamente invisibilizados que foram importantes agentes de transformação do espaço com suas práticas culturais. A reunião dessas informações e a sistematização de vestígios materiais revelam as complexidades e dão concretude à discussão sobre florestas como paisagens culturais. / [en] The dichotomy in the society-nature relationship is projected considerably over tropical forests, which are often considered to be a static nature, with no history and with few inhabitants, and whose structural and functional complexity occurred only through natural processes. The present work investigated: i. the transformation of the landscape of Grumari, a neighborhood located in the southwestern corner of Maciço da Pedra Branca (RJ), which currently has the largest vegetation area in the municipality and ii. the socioecological legacies found in the forest, in order to discover which and how human interactions with physical-biological environment contributed to the construction of the current forest landscape. For this, methodologies from Geography, History and Ecology were used, which permeated the investigation of historical documents with primary and secondary sources extracted from Historical Archives, complemented by the identification and systematization of material traces found in fieldwork, according to the landscape reading methodology. Finally, phytosociology was used to analyze the tree component around the traces found, in order to understand the ecological results of the encounter between social and natural dynamics. Eight sampling units of tree vegetation totaling 0.32 ha were inventoried. A total of 90 species were found, with Guarea guidonia, Piptadenia gonoacantha, Sparattosperma leucanthum, Gallesia integrifolia and Joannesia princeps being the most conspicuous. The forested slope of Grumari was inhabited by human populations, possibly from the sambaquieiros peoples; passing by indigenous Tupinambás; Portuguese colonizers; religious institutions of power; landowners and small-scale tenant farmers - who still occupy the territory today - and, more recently, the Public Power, which exercises environmental governance through Conservation Units. Some effects of the modification of ecosystems for survival and economic activities referring to different historical moments are imprinted on the landscape through traces such as: malacological deposits, remnants of charcoal production, ruins and ancient paths, usually associated with the presence of exotic species, and native species that present a dominance pattern in the plant community. The association of these elements found in the landscape tells stories beyond written history. After more than 200 years of intense use of the soil for agriculture, energy and water supply and human habitation, the vegetation has advanced over areas of old fields, charcoal fields and abandoned pastures. The forest followed unique ecological successions, which express history and culture in their composition and structure. The complementarity of sources - written, material, biological and photographic - contributed to the understanding of the landscape complexity and the historical-environmental factors that led to its current configuration. In addition, it allowed to give light to systematically invisible social groups that were important agents of transformation of the space with their cultural practices. The gathering of this information and the systematization of material traces reveal the complexities and give substance to the discussion about forests as cultural landscapes.

[pt] O Vale do Paraíba recebeu no século XIX o empreendimento cafeeiro, profundo transformador das paisagens da região, que em menos de cem anos se esvaneceu da paisagem. Ao explorarmos as agências costumeiramente negligenciadas, novas possibilidades de análises sobre a ecologia histórica das áreas que resultaram do declínio cafeeiro emergem. Abordagens que consideram as relações multiespécies têm a oportunidade de revelar interações socioecológicas ocultadas pela historiografia,e (re) contar a história da paisagem. Assim, o objetivo geral desta tese foi compreender a distribuição de gramíneas africanas e os legados socioecológicos a elas associados na paisagem atual do vale em uma perspectiva temporal ampla. Para tanto foram utilizados levantamentos documentais iconográficos e textuais em acervos históricos em conjunção com a observação da paisagem em trabalhos de campo para aquisição de dados vegetacionais e de compactação do solo. Foram observadas relações entre pessoas negras e a prática de pecuária nas propriedades de plantation, assim como usos variados para gramíneas de origem africana nos registros históricos. A atividade econômica do tropeirismo produziu significativa mudança em áreas de difícil acesso da Serra do Mar, indicando a incrível necessidade de pastos distribuídos por rotas comerciais para que se efetivassem. A densidade aparente de pastagens e de locais que foram pastagens há no mínimo 30 anos mostram a heterogeneidade destes ambientes. Concluímos que as agências humanas e não humanas trazem perspectivas que podem auxiliar na explicitação da paisagem atual da região. / [en] In the nineteenth century, the Paraíba do Sul Valley received the coffee enterprise, a profound transformer of the region s landscapes, which in less than one hundred years has faded from the landscape. By exploring the usually neglected agencies, new possibilities for analyses of the historical ecology of these areas emerge. Approaches that consider multispecies relationships can reveal social-ecological interactions hidden by historiography and (re)tell the story of the landscape. Thus, the general objective of this thesis was to understand the distribution of African grasses and their associated social-ecological legacies in the current landscape of the valley from a broad temporal perspective. To this end, iconographic and textual documentary surveys in historical collections were used in conjunction with landscape observation in fieldwork to acquire vegetational and soil compaction data. Relations between Black people and the practice of cattle-raising on plantation properties were observed, as well as varied uses for grasses of African origin in the historical records. The economic activity of tropeirismo - the commercial trade made by free man in association with mules - produced a meaningful change in difficult access areas in the Serra da Bocaina, regional name for the larger Serra do Mar, indicating the dependence on pastures distributed by trade routes for their effect. Today, the apparent density of pastures and sites that were pastureland at least 30 years ago show the heterogeneity of environments in which ranching occurs or occurred, indicating multiple trajectories for land uses from grazing. We conclude that human and non-human agencies bring perspectives that can assist in explaining the current landscape of the region.

Submitted by SBI Biblioteca Digital (sbi.bibliotecadigital@puc-campinas.edu.br) on 2017-03-24T17:54:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ALESSANDRA ARGENTON SCIOTA.pdf: 14278315 bytes, checksum: 7b50c1b9e4fde7b265c67cf68b0d8a21 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-24T17:54:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ALESSANDRA ARGENTON SCIOTA.pdf: 14278315 bytes, checksum: 7b50c1b9e4fde7b265c67cf68b0d8a21 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-12 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / Pontif?cia Universidade Cat?lica de Campinas ? PUC Campinas / The present thesis aims to problematize the gated communities model (produced in Brazil as condominium and closed parceling, among others), named here by ?closed urban nucleus?, and to construct arguments to questioning the effects generated by these communities closed by walls. It is the hypothesis that is possible to measure the impact of this model taking with categories of analysis of the changing in the urban landscape, in the urban mobility and in the integration to the urban dynamic. Using the objective criteria associated to urban morphology, the valuation of the effects caused by this model reproduction, alone or in group, intend to cause the creation of arguments that sustain technically the oppose to this model, criticized for different areas of knowledge. Throughout the process of this study, has been developed a method to read the effects caused by these ?closed urban nucleus? in the city. The punctuation criteria established to evaluate the resultant effects of this urban design permit problematize and question the limits of this urban development model. This research analyzed 85 ?closed urban nucleus? located at Valinhos, belonging to Campinas Metropolitan Region, S?o Paulo State. / A presente tese tem por objetivo problematizar o modelo dos empreendimentos imobili?rios que se fecham entre muros (conhecidos como condom?nios horizontais e loteamentos fechados, entre outros) e denominados aqui de n?cleos urbanos fechados e construir argumentos no questionamento quanto aos efeitos gerados por esses empreendimentos. Tem-se como hip?tese que ? poss?vel medir o impacto deste modelo, a partir do conceito de morfologia urbana, tomando como categorias de an?lises as transforma??es provocadas na paisagem urbana, na mobilidade urbana e na integra??o ? din?mica urbana. Por meio de crit?rios objetivos e relacionados ? morfologia urbana, a valora??o dos efeitos causados pelo empreendimento, de forma isolada ou em conjunto, visa provocar a constru??o de argumentos que suportem tecnicamente o enfrentamento a este modelo de urbaniza??o, criticado por diferentes ?reas do conhecimento. Ao longo do trabalho foi-se desenvolvendo um m?todo de leitura dos efeitos causados pelos n?cleos urbanos fechados na cidade. Os crit?rios de pontua??o estabelecidos para valorar os efeitos resultantes do desenho urbano implantado permitem problematizar e questionar os limites desse modelo de ocupa??o. S?o analisados 85 n?cleos urbanos fechados no munic?pio de Valinhos, pertencente a Regi?o Metropolitana de Campinas no estado de S?o Paulo.

En la tesi es presenta una anàlisi de l'evolució dels canvis succeïts en el paisatge costaner de la Costa Brava (22 municipis litorals) en els darrers cinquanta anys (1956-2003); un estudi de la seva estructura ecopaisatgística, actual i passada, amb una especial èmfasi en la diagnosi de les conseqüències geoambientals de l'esclat urbanístic iniciat a la dècada de 1960, i s'ha determinat quina ha estat la tendència de canvi en els darrers vint-i-cinc anys la qual s'ha utilitzat per a elaborar models explicatius de la dinàmica territorial seguida i projectar-los cap al futur tot dissenyant escenaris probables.A les Bases teòriques s'exposa en quina parcel·la del coneixement científic es situa aquesta recerca i es repassa l'evolució dels diferents corrents i enfocaments que han precedit, dins la Ciència Geogràfica, els estudis sobre transformació del paisatge. Es posa especial en els principis i metodologies que plantegen les dues escoles d'anàlisi del paisatge en que es basa aquesta tesi: la Landscape Ecology i la estructurada a l'entorn del programa internacional Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC). S'ha dissenyat una pauta metodològica per a l'anàlisi paisatgística d'un territori a diferents escales: des de l'àmbit regional de tota la Costa Brava (66.230 ha), on es poden detectar les tendències generals, fins l'estudi detallat a escala local, on s'ha pres com a àrea d'estudi tres municipis del centre de la Costa Brava (6.960 Ha): Palamós, Calonge i Castell-Platja d'Aro. Els principals resultats obtinguts són els següents:Una cartografia d'usos i cobertes del sòl de tres períodes temporals i la conseqüent interpretació espacial per a cada etapa: 1957 (situació preturística), 1980 (inici de les actuacions dels ajuntaments democràtics) i 2003 (actualitat).Una anàlisi quantitativa de la transformació del paisatge i de les relacions espacials associades al canvi, a partir de la cartografia d'usos i cobertes del sòl dels tres períodes mapificats (1956, 1980, 2003). Amb l'objectiu d'arribar a definir quina ha estat la dinàmica dels canvis ocorreguts al llarg dels darrers gairebé cinquanta anys. Una anàlisi de l'estructura del mosaic paisatgístic de cadascun dels talls temporals per mitjà de l'aplicació dels principals índexs de l'Ecologia del Paisatge. S'ha analitzat la geometria de la conversió dels usos del sòl i s'han posat de manifest les repercussions ecològiques i paisatgístiques d'aquests canvis. Per una banda, a partir del càlcul i interpretació dels índexos esmentats s'ha analitzat l'evolució de la morfologia i la distribució territorial dels quatre principals usos i cobertes del sòl de la Costa Brava. Per l'altra, per a la Costa Brava centre s'ha analitzat l'estat dels dos sistemes naturals del litoral amb més pressió antròpica: la franja estrictament costanera i les masses forestals. Respecte als tres municipis de la Costa Brava centre s'han tingut en compte en l'anàlisi de l'evolució del paisatge a escala local, les actuacions desenvolupades en l'àmbit urbanístic municipal i les seves conseqüències paisatgístiques i ambientals.A partir de la informació ja processada, s'han detectat les tendències de canvi a partir de models de canvi d'usos i cobertes del sòl. S'han incorporat també els factors biofísics i antròpics, socials i econòmics, condicionants i responsables d'una determinada utilització del territori en cadascun dels tres períodes. Mitjançant l'anàlisi multivariable s'ha intentat descobrir el conjunt de factors que influencien en la taxa i el patró espacial de canvi d'usos i les seves conseqüències territorials.Finalment s'ha aplicat un model de simulació, basat en els automatismes cel·lulars de Markov, per tal de projectar les tendències de canvi i plantejar escenaris futurs, una eina bàsica per a la planificació futura del territori i per al control de les problemàtiques ambientals. Aquestes mesures serveixen per a definir, per a la Costa Brava centre, un patró espacial dels canvis d'usos del sòl a nivell local, i, per al conjunt de la Costa Brava, per a predir, mitjançant models de simulació quantitativa, els possibles desenvolupaments i per estimar els impactes. / In this work, an analysis of changes occurred in the coastal landscape of the Costa Brava (22 towns) is presented. Furthermore, one research about the ecological structure of the current and former landscape is introduced, with an special outline in the diagnosis of the geoenvironmental consequences of the urban sprawl started in the decade of 1960. The trends of changes occurred in the last 25 years have been used to built models of those land dynamics and its projection to the future under the framework of several possible sceneries.In the chapter on the state of the art, the main geographic schools about landscape studies are presented. Concepts and methodologies used by Landscape Ecology and the international research programme Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) are explained.A methodology orientated to the analysis of the landscape at different scales was prepared. From the regional scale of the whole Costa Brava (66.230 ha), where general trends could be detected, until a detailed analysis at the local scale where an area formed by three coastal towns from the centre of Costa Brava (6.960 Ha): Palamós, Calonge i Castell-Platja d'Aro, were selected. The main results obtained in this work are the following:A cartography of land-use and land-cover of three different periods with the corresponding spatial interpretation for each stage: 1957 (pretouristical steady), 1980 (beginning of the democratic councils) and 2003 (current period).A quantitative analysis of the landscape changes and the spatial relations related with these changes derived from the land-use and land-cover mapping in the three periods mapped (1956, 1980, 2003). The main goal was to describe the dynamics of changes over the last 50 years.An analysis of landscape pattern for each one of the selected periods through the framework delivered by the Landscape Ecology theory, basically the fractal indexes. Environmental consequences of the landscape pattern were outlined. Furthermore, for the central sector of Costa Brava, changes in coastal zone and forest covers were analysed with a great detail.Trends in land-use and land-cover changes were modelled integrating biophysical and socio-economical factors. Multivariant analysis was used to find main driving forces of changes. Finally, a simulation model based on cellullars automata of Markov was used with the goal to built some sceneries of future, a basic tool in the landscape planning and in the environment management. This cluster of measures are useful to define a spatial pattern of land-use changes, as at a local scale as for the whole of Costa Brava region.

Since the introduction of economic reforms in the late 1970s, China has experienced phenomenal economic growth along with rapid urbanization. The accelerated urbanization coincides with remarkable social-economic transformations and urban landscape changes. A city, as an urban system, is composed of social and physical subsystems that interact with each other. Equally assessing each component is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the urbanization process. The goal of this thesis research is to deconstruct the urbanization process through a social-ecological perspective. More specifically, this study examines social transformations, physical evolutions, and their relationships. Four research questions are proposed as (1) How does urban social landscape transform in time and space? (2) What trends are apparent in the urban land growth process and spatial heterogeneity? (3) How does social transformation relate to urban land growth, within a spatio-temporal perspective? and (4) How do social-demographic features relate to residents’ use and perception of urban green open spaces, focusing on the ecological services provided by and the need to improve those spaces? Given the lack of research on second-tier cities’ growth processes, this study selects Wuhan, a megacity in central China, as a case study, with a focus on its urban development zone (UDZ). A social-ecological approach is applied to study the multi-dimensional features of an urban system. The thesis is in paper format, containing five chapters. Besides the Introduction (Chapter 1) and Conclusion (Chapter 5), the main body consists of three articles. These three articles correspond to the four research questions proposed. Chapter 2 responds to the first research question by addressing how the urban social landscape transforms. Chapter 3 seeks to answer the second and third questions by evaluating urban land growth and its links with social factors from a spatio-temporal perspective. Chapter 4 matches the fourth question by seeking to understand residents’ preferences and feelings toward the urban green open space. Chapter 1 introduces the research context, reviews the urban ecology theory and relevant empirical research, as well as assesses the social-ecological approach related to studying the urban system. In this chapter, we also propose an improved social-ecological system (ISES) framework which guides the equally weighted study of both social and physical subsystems in an urban area. Chapter 2 (the first paper) seeks to investigate progressive transformations in the social dimensions of Wuhan UDZ while also focusing on their spatial transformations, using national census data in 1990, 2000, and 2010. We used varimax rotated principal component analysis (PCA) for the extraction of social dimensions and ArcMap for spatial visualization. This allows us to further analyze the spatial distribution of social clusters. The results suggest that industrial relocation, educational attainment increase, population aging, and migration are the main characteristics of social transformation during 1990 and 2010. Industrial relocation along with the spatial separation appeared as principal social dimensions in the 1990s but became more prominent in the 2000s, accompanied by the improvement of workers’ education levels. Aging population presented spatial movement outward from the city center. Population mobility increased significantly, and immigration became an important social dimension and presented spatial expansion in the 2000s. The socio-spatial patterns transform with a combination of concentric rings and sectoral clusters in different stages. These transformations are formed by the regional push-pull forces and the centripetal-centrifugal forces inside the city. We conclude that the social landscape transforms in a way with diversity and inclusion. Government dominates socio-spatial transformations in the initial stages, while market plays an increasing role in the later stages. To build a more inclusive society requires continuous and systematic improvement of relevant policies. Chapter 3 (the second paper) discusses urban land growth patterns and answers how social factors are associated with the evolution patterns between 1990 and 2010. We extract land cover information based on Landsat images with the vegetation area – impervious surface –water area (V-I-W) model and examine the urban growth patterns during various stages using landscape metrics of the area, aggregation, and shape. Then, we apply geographically weighted regression (GWR) to depict the link between urban land metrics and social factors. The results show that urban land coalescence and diffusion simultaneously exist; the city center is dominated by redevelopment, infilling, edge expansion; and the peripheral areas by outlying expansion. GWR coefficient surfaces show little differences in the models between social factors and urban land area metrics PLAND while remarkable differences are present in the coefficients of GWR models for the urban land patch shape irregularities and social factors. Urban land growth patterns relate to the government-led land supply system, the functional zoning of urban space planning, and the agglomeration and dispersion of social space under the market orientation. The authors conclude that urban management should consider the coexistence of different spatial growth modes and introduce factors such as social preferences in the urban land layout. This may apply to rapidly urbanizing areas. Chapter 4 (the third paper) aims to understand social-natural relationships, with a focus on how socio-demographic features can shape residents’ preference toward green open spaces and their perceptions of ecological services and improvements. Data is collected through online questionnaire surveys and interviews. The results indicate that preferences toward green open spaces vary among different social groups. Demands for improvement to green open spaces are rooted in residents’ appreciation for daily relaxation and health benefits, and link with their preference for visiting. However, how residents perceive green open spaces’ benefits does not rely only on an in-person visit. Interaction experience with nature and knowledge of natural development affect perception of daily use and health-related services. Residents’ perceptions of green open space’s ecological functions are associated with the changes in nature reported by those respondents. Responses to improving green open space reflect the residents’ pursuit of the aesthetics and practicality of such spaces. Though respondents are commonly aware of the ecological importance of green open space, there are differences in their willingness to voluntarily participate in its management. We conclude that to encourage the public to participate in configuration and improvement of green open spaces through a variety of ways, including considering residents’ opinions, is an efficient way in order to better social-ecological relationships. Chapter 5 reviews the main findings and conclusions, research limitations as well as future possibilities. This study establishes a dialogue between urban social and physical subsystems, with an integrated quantitative study of the urbanization process, emphasizing the relationships between two urban subsystems. It provides a comprehensive social-ecological view on a second-tier city based on the social and physical transformations that occurred in Wuhan during a transitional period of a socialist market economy. We conclude that the development of China's second-tier cities between 1990 and 2010 is characterized by the transformations of social dimensions and landscape, the coexistence of multiple urban spatial development modes, and the spatial differentiation between the center and the periphery of the city. The GWR models present spatial non-stationary relationships between social factors and the urban patch shape regularities. The further examination of social-natural relationships finds that residents’ social-demographic features and environmental experience affect their perceptions toward green open space, especially ecological services and improvement necessity. The evolution of urban social and physical systems and their relationships has brought increased attention to inclusive urban social management, public participatory planning, and people-centered social and ecological interactions. This research provides a constructive rethinking of second-tier cities’ growth in China and may serve as a reference for other rapidly urbanizing areas.

[pt] A Agenda Ambiental Global tem como uma das principais diretrizes a redução da pegada ecológica para a produção de alimentos. Parte desse desafio está associada a vastas áreas de pastagem degradadas. No Brasil, 70 porcento da área total de pastagem utilizada pela pecuária é diagnosticada como degradada, representando 118,3 milhões de hectares. Nesse contexto, algumas estratégias podem ser usadas para reverter esse cenário, sendo uma delas a transição para um sistema de produção agroecológico sustentável, como o Sistema Silvipastoril (SSP). Como Estudo de Caso para esta pesquisa, foi escolhida uma paisagem tropical e montanhosa na região Sudeste do Brasil, com baixo potencial de mecanização, fato que diminui sua competitividade no agronegócio, contribuindo para um longo período de declínio social, ambiental e econômico, principalmente a partir da década de 1950. O objetivo da pesquisa consistiu em avaliar o SSP como uma ferramenta estratégica para a recuperação de terras degradadas da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Paraibuna (BHRP), considerando as três dimensões da sustentabilidade: social, ambiental e econômica. Para isso, foram levantados dados de 6 fazendas de gado alimentado, exclusivamente, a pasto: 2 (duas) de pecuária degradada em monocultura (PDM); 2 (duas) de pecuária produtiva em monocultura (PPM); e 2 (duas) de pecuária produtiva em Sistema Silvipastoril (PPSP). Um conjunto de indicadores foi desenvolvido e utilizado para avaliar princípios e metas que orientam a transição de sistemas de produção convencionais para sistemas sustentáveis. Os resultados apresentaram uma escala progressiva de evolução na sustentabilidade entre todos os sistemas de produção pesquisados como: PPSP (0,75) maior PPM (0,61) menor PDM (0,42), nos aspectos social, ambiental e econômico, sendo 0,7 o ponto de equilíbrio para a sustentabilidade e 1,0 o máximo. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa apresenta o alto potencial do SSP como ferramenta estratégica para recuperar as 3 dimensões da sustentabilidade em terras degradadas. Os principais benefícios são: a adoção de boas práticas de produção; a capacidade produtiva do solo; a diversificação da paisagem; a vegetação nativa; a saúde e segurança no trabalho; a rentabilidade e segurança do investimento; e a lucratividade. / [en] One of the main guidelines of the global environmental agenda is lowering the ecological footprint for food production. Part of this challenge is associated with vast areas of degraded pasture. In Brazil, 70 percent of the total pasture area used by livestock is diagnosed as degraded, representing 118.3 million hectares. Some strategies can be used to reverse this scenario. One of these is a transition process for a sustainable agro-ecological productions system, such as Silvopastoral Systems (SPS). As a case study it was chosen a tropical landscape in a mountainous region in the southeast of Brazil. It has low potential for mechanization, which decreases its competitiveness in agribusiness, contributing for a long period of social, environmental and economic decline, especially after the 1950 s. This paper aims to evaluate SPS as a strategic tool for the recovery of degraded lands in the Paraibuna River Basin (BHRP), considering the three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. We surveyed data from six grass-fed cattle farms: two of degraded monoculture pasture (DMP); two of productive monoculture pasture (PMP); and two of productive Silvopastoral System (PSPS). A set of indicators was developed and used to evaluate principles and goals that guide the transition from conventional production systems to sustainable systems. The results presented a gradual scale of sustainability evolution among all production system surveyed such as PPSP (0.75) PMP (0.61) DMP (0.42), in social, environmental and economic aspects, with 0.7 being the breakeven score for sustainability and 1.0 the maximum. In this way, this research presents the high potential of SPS as a strategic tool to recover the three dimensions of sustainability in degraded lands, being the main benefits, a better: production practices adoption; soil productive capacity; landscape diversification; native vegetation; health and safety at work; profitability and security of investment; and diversification income.