Diversity within a habitat is determined largely by ecology and species interactions. Studies to date, however, rarely examined the role of intraspecific aggression in promoting coexistence and diversity. This is especially true in cities, where community ecology is poorly understood. This knowledge is important for basic understanding of how ecological principals come into play in our newly created habitats, as well as for reconciling human-dominated areas for wildlife.I studied the effect of human-made habitats on hummingbird abundance and diversity in Tucson, Arizona. To do that, I examined community organization and competitive interactions among four hummingbird species. I answer the questions: What is the community organization of hummingbirds in Tucson? How do characteristics of human habitats (e.g., landscaping and artificial resources) affect diversity? What mechanism underlies this pattern? And how can we apply this knowledge to conservation?To perform this study, I established a citizen science project - the Tucson Hummingbird Project (http://hummingbirds.arizona.edu). Trained participants reported abundance and behavior of hummingbirds in their backyards. Landscaping and resources (feeders and nectar plants) varied between yards.Results show that the distribution of hummingbirds in Tucson varies by species. Diversity, rather than merely abundance, increased with higher habitat heterogeneity and with more resources. Competitive interactions differ between species. Notably, intraspecific competition takes precedence over interspecific competition in the dominant and most common species, Anna's hummingbird.Based on the data, I suggest that Aggressive Resource Neglect (ARN) promotes coexistence and results in higher diversity when resources are augmented. When there are more feeders, they are distributed over a larger area. This reduces the ability of a territory-owner to defend these resources. While the territory-owner chases intruders, other individuals gain access to feeding opportunities. When dominant individuals prefer chasing conspecifics (as with Anna's hummingbird), this results in higher diversity.Besides discussing theoretical aspects, I apply this knowledge to conservation. Information on the community ecology enabled me to suggest ecologically-based ways to reconcile the city for native hummingbirds. By adding resources following an ecological protocol, we can promote biodiversity and surround ourselves with native wildlife, such as hummingbirds.

China has undergone significant urban growth and industrialization over the last 30 years and its incredible development continues to move ahead at an increasingly rapid pace. In terms of urban expansion, China has just recently surpassed the world’s average urbanization rate of 50%, as it moves its massive population from rural to urban areas at an astonishing speed. It’s massive population and fast urbanizing speed aside, China is also unique in terms of its socio-political system and historical-cultural context: it is a hybrid of government planning and market forces. Since it encompasses a large part of the global population and has had a vastly different urbanization experience than that of Western countries, around which most theories are based, studying China’s urbanization is an opportunity to contribute to the field of urban studies in an unprecedented manner. However, these differences also make it difficult to develop a comprehensive study of China’s urban system since the predominant theories in the field are best suited to Western cities. This research rises to this challenge by systematically studying the relationship between the socioeconomic and biophysical processes in the Chinese urban system to understand the interaction between human and physical factors, and the landscape patterns that result from these interactions. This complex urban system is examined using a hierarchical, top-down approach. At the highest level is a Macro-scale analysis of the national urban system, followed by a study of the regional urban system: the JingJinJi Metropolitan Area at the Meso-scale, and finally a Micro-scale examination with a focus on the city of Beijing. Since urban systems develop over both time and space, the urban system is analyzed spatio-temporally on all three levels. Research at the national scale is composed of two parts. First, the challenges and opportunities of China’s urban development since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 are investigated in a general context. The institutional barriers that impede the management and continuation of China’s urban development are also discussed. Rank-size Analysis and satellite images are used to present the structural transitions of city scaling and urban clusters. These changes come with a series of challenges that are also iterated and discussed. This is followed by an analysis of the spatial distribution and transition patterns of China’s urban system using Centrographic Analysis, particularly since the post-1979 reforms. Second, the Macro-scale research focuses on a study of the urban hierarchy that is based on inter-city interactions as determined by the Synthesized Gravity Model (SGM). Under this model socioeconomic variables are synthesized and represented by the Influential Factor, while the Function Distance is derived from a Network Analysis that is based on multiple transportation methods. As an improvement on the conventional Gravity Model (GM), the SGM is used to accurately establish and represent the nodal structure of China’s urban system, the evolution of its hierarchical structure, and the relationships that exist between the nodal structure and socioeconomic factors. The results based on the SGM indicate that China’s national urban system is characterized by the emergence of urban clusters with stronger inter-city interactions since the 1990s. However, development among cities within certain urban clusters is not even, although the general pattern indicates a lessening inequality among cities. Spatially, while most cities at the top of the hierarchy are located in the east of China, cities in the middle and west of the country are also gaining higher positions in the hierarchy over time. On the Meso-scale, the applicability of the Cellular Automata (CA)-based SLEUTH model for regional urban growth pattern is studied through a focus on the JingJinJi Metropolitan Area (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei). By integrating socioeconomic factors into a modified SLEUTH model, the urban growth dynamics and future development scenarios of the area are simulated and predicted. The results based on the CA model show that this region is characterized by a dynamic development pattern with high spreading and breeding growth rules that relies greatly on the growing transportation systems. It also allows for the projection of three possible future urban growth scenarios, each occurring under different environmental and development conditions, showing the future urban growth with or without further intervention. This research confirms that four factors play essential roles in the formulation of the urban growth mechanism of the JingJinJi Metropolitan Area: Urban policies, Industry restructuring, Rural-urban migration, and Reclassification of urban boundaries. The Micro-scale study of Beijing is conducted from two perspectives: the social and natural. The social aspect adopts the factorial ecology approach to identify the social landscape patterns and the factors that have shaped Beijing’s social space in 1990 and 2000. The social mosaic has experienced a significant change due to suburbanization, resulting in a more dynamic and complex internal structure since the 2000s. From a natural perspective, Beijing’s physical landscape patterns are extracted by processing remotely sensed images that have the same temporal span. The physical change through landscape metrics demonstrates that Beijing’s expansion has generated a more complex and fragmented land use/cover pattern. Meanwhile, transportation systems play a significant role in urban expansion, although the expansion across the space (zonal rings and directional sectors) is not even. Finally, the relationship between the social and physical landscapes is quantitatively defined by the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) technique, using physical landscape metrics as dependent variables and social areas as independent variables. The GWR is able to demonstrate the relationship between the social and physical landscapes at this level: as a city’s social mosaic becomes more varied over time it results in the fragmentation of that city’s physical space.

Urban open spaces are of strategic importance to the quality of life of our increasingly urbanized society. Trees and related vegetation are planted and managed within the communities and cities to create or add value to the busy lives of the city dwellers. Trees in towns and cities form an important part of complex urban ecosystems and provide significant ecosystem services and benefits for urban dwellers, for example: reducing particulate pollution, carbon sequestration, decreasing air temperature, decreasing water runoff, aesthetic value and an increase in human health. Trees are solarpowered technology that can help restore balance to dysfunctional urban ecosystems. Trees form strands in the urban fabric that connect people to nature and to each other. The urban environment puts tremendous strain on trees by trenching, limited space for root growth and emission of pollutants into the atmosphere, water and soil. The problem is that the real impact of the urban environment on the trees within our community is unknown. The aim of this investigation was to assess the overall anthropogenic and environmental impacts on urban trees by measuring the tree vitality of Acacia karroo using chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics (JIP-test) and the leaf water potential using a pressure chamber. Tree vitality was quantified as the chlorophyll fluorescence-based performance index (PIABS)T. ree vitality measurements were also correlated with soil physical and chemical data. In the comparative study, an urbanization gradient approach was followed in which results of trees in rural areas were regarded as controls. The gradient approach is used worldwide and provides a background for questions of ecological structure and function. The urbanization gradient was quantified using the V-I-S model, based on % cover of vegetation, impervious surface and soil. Additionally, a model to determine the monetary value of trees in urban environments (SATAM) was tested. All this information could eventually contribute to develop an urban tree management program for Potchefstroom. It was evident from the current study that urbanization has a negative impact on tree vitality. The leaf water potential of a tree was, however, not necessarily negatively impacted upon. Although trees in urban environments did not always have a high vitality (PIABS)t, hey still played a major role in the urban environment. According to the tree appraisal method (SATAM), some of these trees have a value of R60 000. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science (Ecological Remediation and Sustainable Utilisation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This thesis utilizes a theoretical framework which links biophysical and social domains of ecosystems via ecosystem services (ES), in order to conduct a socio-ecological assessment of urban watersheds in three communities in Chilean and Argentine regions of southern Patagonia. Results from this study show that expanding urban areas may be undermining the ability of local watersheds to provide for high quality ES posing potential risks to community wellbeing. Secondly, researchers and decision makers influencing regional natural resource management share similar values to general community members but do not capture the diversity of values that exist within the broader community, and dialogue between these groups on management issues is poor. A community-based management structure is recommended for the creation of adaptive and locally relevant management strategies.

Urbanisation is a key driver in the loss, fragmentation and modification of natural habitats resulting in the global loss of biodiversity. As the human population, and consequently the rate of urbanisation, continues to increase exponentially it is important to understand how to sustain and enhance biodiversity within the built environment. Cities comprise a complex assortment of habitat types yet relatively little is known of how its composition and spatial configuration can influence species presence or foraging activities. It is therefore necessary to examine habitat use and biodiversity patterns at multiple spatial scales to fully understand how species are responding to the urban matrix. There are few other orders of animals that are as strongly associated with people as bats (Chiroptera); for some bat species human habitations provide roosts and adaptations of the environment provide food sources. However bat species richness generally declines with increasing urbanisation indicating that many species are not able to persist in highly urbanised areas. In this thesis, I show that the behaviour, habitat preferences, and distribution of bats are strongly influenced by the built environment at both a local and landscape scale. Although many animal species are known to exhibit sex differences in habitat use, adaptability to the urban landscape is commonly examined at the species level without consideration of potential intraspecific differences. I found that female Pipistrellus pygmaeus show greater selectivity in foraging locations within urban woodland in comparison to males at both a local and landscape scale. There was a lower probability of finding females within woodlands which were poorly connected, highly cluttered, with a high edge: interior ratio and fewer mature trees. The results have important implications for our understanding of how to manage areas for breeding females and highlight the need to supplement acoustic monitoring with trapping data to assess sex differences in habitat use. Determining how morphological or behavioural traits can influence species adaptability to the built environment may enable us to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts. The morphological similarities between P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus suggest that both species should respond similarly to the urban matrix, however I found differential habitat use occurring within a variety of urban habitats (e.g. woodland and waterways) and at a landscape scale. In urban woodland there was a higher probability of P. pygmaeus activity relative to P. pipistrellus in woodlands with low clutter and understory cover which were surrounded by low levels of built environment. Many bat species are strongly associated with aquatic or adjacent riparian habitats yet we know little about the utilisation of urban waterways by bats. After surveying urban waterways throughout the UK, I was able to show that the built environment can negatively affect a variety of bat species from the riparian zone up to 3km from a waterway. This indicates that beneficial urban waterway rehabilitation schemes for bats require management at multiple spatial scales, from retaining a vegetated riparian zone at the local scale to highlighting the necessity for conservation funding to be spent on the implementation of landscape scale environmental improvement schemes that encompass the entire urban matrix. Undertaking surveys to confirm species presence or to estimate population sizes can be difficult, particularly for elusive species such as bats. I was able to demonstrate a variety of ways to increase surveying efficiency (e.g. the use of an acoustic lure to increase bat-capture rate) and a significant relationship between bat activity and the relative abundance of certain species of bat which can maximise the knowledge of diversity in an area whilst minimising wildlife disturbances. Urbanisation has also had strong negative effects on many insect groups, such as moths, which are important components of the diets of many bat species. I found that woodland vegetation characteristics were more important than the surrounding landscapes in determining the abundance, species richness, and species diversity of moth assemblages within urban woodland. This indicates that management at a local scale to ensure provision of good quality habitat may be more beneficial for moth populations than improving habitat connectivity across the urban matrix. The findings presented in this thesis have important implications for our understanding of the adaptability of species to the built environment and for the management and monitoring of bat populations. It also highlights that even common bat species are negatively affected by urbanisation and much greater attention should be paid to securing their future within the urban landscape.

Ce travail explore le rôle des enjeux environnementaux dans les transformations de l'action publique urbaine.Basé sur quatre études de cas (Nantes et Saint-Étienne en France, Leicester et Manchester au Royaume Uni),il analyse l'émergence des questions environnementales sur les agendas urbains et leur influence sur latransformation des politiques urbaines et des modalités de gouvernement des villes. En croisant lesperspectives théoriques de la sociologie de l'action publique et des travaux portant sur le gouvernement desvilles et l'économie politique urbaine, cette thèse montre que trois emblèmes se sont succédé dans la gestionurbaine de l'environnement : l'emblème "écologie urbaine" avec son cadrage militant dans les années 1970et 1980, l'emblème "développement durable" avec son cadrage entrepreneurial dans les années 1990 et2000 et, enfin, l'emblème « changement climatique » avec son cadrage néo-managérial depuis 2005. Cettepériodisation de la gestion de l'environnement en ville et de ses transformations souligne l'importancecroissante des villes en tant qu'échelles de régulation et de construction de la problématiqueenvironnementale. Toutefois, cette montée en puissance des villes ne s'accompagne pas du renforcementdes espaces publics locaux dans le domaine de l'environnement. Si on assiste bien à une recomposition desrapports politique/société, elle prend plus la forme d'une distanciation des liens entre élites politiques etsociétés urbaines. En participant au recentrement des activités des élus urbains sur la production despolitiques urbaines et au filtrage des acteurs considérés comme n'étant pas« responsables», les politiquesurbaines d'environnement accompagnent la mise en place de formes oligarchiques et post-démocratiques degouvernement des villes. / This dissertation provides an analysis of the influence of environ mental issues on the transformation of urbanpolicy-making. Based on four case studies (Nantes and Saint-Etienne in France, Leicester and Manchesterin the United Kingdom), it examines the rise of environ mental issues on urban agendas and its influence inthe transformation of urban policies and urban governance. Built around three main theoretical perspectives- public policy analysis, urban political science and urban political economy -, this work shows that urbanenviron mental management has been shaped by three different emblems : the emblem of« urban ecology »with its grass roots frame in the 1970s and 1980s, the emblem of « sustainable development » with itsentrepreneurial frame in the 1990s and 2000s, and, finally, the emblem of « climate change » with its newmanagerial and control frame since 2005. This periodisation of urban environmental management stressesthe rise of cities as prominent scales of environ mental regulation and construction. However, this rise has notbeen synonymous of a strengthening of local public spaces around environ mental issues. It is argued thatthe reshaping of state/society relationships has led ta a gap between urban political elites and urbansocieties. By helping ta reshape political elites' activities towards the production of urban policies and tamarginalise actors who are not considered as «responsible», urban environmental policies have supportedthe roll out of oligarchie and post-democratie patterns of urban governance.

Located in the Hillbrow health precinct, the Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Centre serves the Hillbrow community which is currently subject to various social ills – such as crime, violence, substance abuse, and poverty – which often times are the root cause of unhealthy lifestyles, sickness, and disease amongst the citizens of Hillbrow. The proposed site for the building is an existing parking lot, adjacent to the Hillbrow Community Health Centre/Clinic. There is an existing rehabilitation department in the clinic, consisting of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, paediatrics department, speech and hearing specialists, social workers, and psychologists. The new proposal seeks to incorporate this rehabilitation department within the new development, while expanding its program to incorporate greater social upliftment programs and employment options through vocational rehabilitation.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / Cemeteries consume vast amounts of land and contest with other land uses deemed more urgent; yet they are rarely addressed in international policy dialogues. They are generally not viewed as part of the open-space system and are mostly mono-functional. Resilience thinking has become an important discourse influencing the way in which urban policy and planning is conceptualised. There is potential to use these ideas to further develop the new approaches to cemetery provision, which are influenced by the application of sustainability concepts, and see them as part of green infrastructure. However, resilience thinking needs to go beyond technical solutions to consider local institutional and socio-cultural contexts that affect their application. South African apartheid policies facilitated segregation that resulted in unsustainable approaches to cemetery planning and provision. New approaches that engage sustainability perspectives are being explored. This research explores the experience of implementing these approaches in the Johannesburg context, and what it might mean to reconceptualise cemetery planning further through a social-ecological resilience lens. This is achieved by establishing the relationship of cemeteries to social-ecological systems; investigating how the current design and provision of cemeteries can be reconceptualised in the context of resilience thinking; understanding whether newer cemetery planning approaches and designs adequately meet needs of users, and whether they would be willing to accept new ways of interment, and identifying barriers that would prevent the uptake of approaches that are consistent with resilience thinking. The study employs a case-study methodology focusing on a primary case - Waterval Cemetery, to understand the applicability of resilience thinking in cemetery planning in South Africa. Through engagements with key respondents in the municipality, interviews and focus groups with cemetery users, it seeks diverse participants’ perceptions of newer cemetery planning approaches, and alternatives to conventional burial. A secondary case examines Diepsloot Memorial Park, which integrates more innovative elements. Results show that the application of resilience in cemetery planning requires a strong understanding of local socio-cultural contexts. Although the idea of cemeteries contributing to the resilience of cities is conceivable, it could take longer for transformation to happen and for innovative ideas to be fully accepted. / MT 2018

Com a modernização da agricultura, uma consequência foi o grande êxodo rural que ocorreu no Brasil e na América Latina na segunda metade do século XX. Dessa maneira os alimentos começaram a viajar maiores distancias, consequentemente encarecendo os preços, principalmente dos mais perecíveis, como as hortaliças. Nesse contexto surge a agricultura urbana ocupando espaços vazios urbanos e produzindo alimentos frescos próximos a centros consumidores. O presente trabalho foi realizado no município de Piracicaba, onde existe uma grande quantidade de hortas urbanas; também motivou o início deste trabalho a existência de quintais agroflorestais urbanos, e o conhecimento dos benefícios ambientais que trazem para as cidades de maneira geral, partindo do pressuposto de que existem diversos benefícios ambientais, sociais e econômicos na agricultura e agrossilvicultura urbana. Pensando na questão ambiental, os quintais agroflorestais urbanos podem parecer insignificantes inicialmente, pela própria dimensão física limitada; entretanto, em conjunto eles desempenham uma grande função ambiental, promovendo infiltração da água das chuvas e melhorias no microclima, além do acréscimo de biodiversidade ao ecossistema urbano. As hortas urbanas têm seu potencial ambiental, entretanto a questão estéticas, sanitária e de segurança alimentar são mais facilmente visualizadas, pois efetivamente aumentam a oferta de hortaliças frescas a preços acessíveis dentro das cidades, melhorando a alimentação da população. Entretanto, a questão dos agrotóxicos dentro do ambiente urbano é uma discussão um pouco complexa, que também deve ser trazida em nível de política pública. O presente trabalho parte da hipótese de que políticas públicas que contemplem a multifuncionalidade da agricultura e agrossilvicultura urbana e periurbana trariam o efeito positivo dessa prática para dentro dos municípios. O presente trabalho para da hipótese de que uma política pública de saneamento favorece uma agricultura multifuncional dentro da cidade. Essa tese é dividida em capítulos que constituem artigos. O primeiro capítulo quantifica em área os quintais agroflorestais urbanos dentro da cidade, mostrando que 20% da cobertura arbórea urbana está contida em quintais agroflorestais. O segundo capítulo faz uma análise de dados referentes a classe social de mantenedores de quintais permeáveis nas residências, mostrando que aparentemente a classe média tem menor tendência a manter quintais permeáveis. O terceiro traz um diagnóstico das hortas urbanas de Piracicaba, e a tipificação dos agricultores, como subsídios para conversão para agricultura ecológica. O quarto capítulo faz uma análise de uma política pública ligada com hortas urbanas dentro de Piracicaba, mostrando seus pontos fortes e fragilidades, entre os pontos fortes se destacam o emprego de mão-de-obra, o efeito paisagístico, de limpeza, estética e saneamento e a produção de hortaliças frescas próximas do mercado consumidor reduzindo custo energético com transportes, e das fragilidades a presença de aplicação de defensivos agrícolas dentro da área urbana. Para contemplar a multifuncionalidade das hortas urbanas é importante a existência de políticas locais que contemples a diversidade de aspectos ecológicos econômicos e ambientais da agricultura e agrossilvicultura urbana. / With the modernization of agriculture, a consequence was the great rural exodus that occurred in Brazil and Latin America in the second half of the twentieth century. In this way the food began to travel greater distances, consequently increasing the prices, especially of the more perishable ones, like the vegetables. In this context, urban agriculture occupies empty urban spaces and produces fresh food close to consumer centers. The present work was carried out in the municipality of Piracicaba, where there is a great amount of urban gardens; also motivated the beginning of this work the existence of urban agroforestry yards and knowledge of the environmental benefits they bring to cities in general, based on the assumption that there are several environmental, social and economic benefits in urban agriculture and agroforestry. Thinking about the environmental issue, urban agroforestry yards may seem insignificant initially, by their own limited physical dimension; however, together they play a major environmental role, promoting infiltration of rainwater and improvements in the microclimate, as well as adding biodiversity to the urban ecosystem. Urban gardens have their environmental potential, however, the aesthetic, sanitary and food safety issues are more easily visualized, since they effectively increase the supply of fresh vegetables at affordable prices within cities, improving the population\'s nutrition. However, the issue of pesticides within the urban environment is a rather complex discussion, which must also be brought to the public policy level. The present work is based on the hypothesis that a public policy of sanitation favors a multifunctional agriculture within the city. This thesis is divided into chapters that constitute articles. The first chapter quantifies in the area the urban agroforestry quintals within the city, showing that 20% of the urban tree cover is contained in agroforestry yards. The second chapter analyzes data on the social class of permeable backyard keepers in households, showing that the middle class seems to be less likely to keep backyards permeable. The third brings a diagnosis of the urban gardens of Piracicaba, and the typification of the farmers, as subsidies for conversion to organic farming. The fourth chapter presents an analysis of a public policy linked to urban gardens in Piracicaba, showing its strengths and weaknesses, among the strengths are the employment of labor, the landscape effect, cleaning, aesthetics and sanitation and the production of fresh vegetables close to the consumer market, reducing energy costs with transport, and from the weaknesses the presence of agricultural pesticides in the urban area. In order to contemplate the multifunctionality of urban gardens, it is important to have local policies that contemplate the diversity of the ecological, economic and environmental aspects of urban agriculture and agroforestry.

A remoção da vegetação para dar lugar a edificações e superfícies pavimentadas implica na anulação de diversos serviços ambientais. Entre eles está o sombreamento, que impede a aquecimento do ar derivado da re-emissão da radiação solar pelas superfícies. O ar quente e seco contribui para o aumento da sensação de desconforto e favorece a incidência de doenças respiratórias. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar valores de temperatura e umidade do ar, comparando-se dados coletados por estações meteorológicas automáticas instaladas em regiões arborizadas e áridas da cidade, durante a ocorrência de episódios representativos do clima da região. Os procedimentos metodológicos, baseados na Climatologia Dinâmica, consistiram em relacionar a sucessão de tipos de tempo meteorológico de escala regional às diferenças observadas entre os pontos de estudo, provocadas por fenômenos provenientes das atividades humanas. Isto permitiu a clara identificação de variações climáticas críticas para o conforto e a saúde humanos, tais como grandes amplitudes térmicas e baixos valores de umidade do ar. Os resultados mostraram amplitudes térmicas menores nas áreas arborizadas (em média 3ºC) e, em alguns casos, umidade do ar mais elevada em comparação aos valores observados nas partes áridas estudadas. Estas verificações reforçam a afirmação da necessidade de ampliação das áreas verdes de São Carlos, que contribuem na atenuação as condições climáticas de desconforto e insalubridade. Em conseqüência, aumentam a qualidade de vida da população e as condições de sustentabilidade do ambiente urbano. Tal afirmação vem ao encontro da legislação ambiental brasileira e dos anseios da população são-carlense. Espera-se que as constatações deste trabalho sejam um elemento adicional na adoção de políticas públicas mais comprometidas com a saúde humana e ambiental. / Removal of vegetation giving place to buildings and pavement involves the cancellation of many environmental services. One of them is shading effect, which avoids the air heating due to solar radiation re-emitted by surfaces. Hot and dry air promotes human discomfort and rise on incidence of respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze temperature and air humidity values, comparing data from automatic meteorological stations installed on wooded and arid areas of the city, during representative climatic episodes. Methodological procedures were based on the Dynamic Climatology principles. They allow relating the enchaining of weather patterns (at zonal scale) with differences observed in the urban sites (considering a smaller scale) promoted by human activities. So, it was possible to specify critical climatic variations to human comfort, such as great thermal amplitudes and decrease of air humidity values. Results showed smaller thermal amplitudes in wooded areas (average of 3ºC) and, in some cases, higher values of air humidity in comparison to values observed in the arid sites. These measurements reinforce the idea to improve São Carlos\' green areas, since they contribute to attenuate the uncomfortable and unhealthy climatic conditions. As a consequence, life quality and urban environment sustainability conditions will also increase. This matches with Brazilian\'s environmental laws, as well as with the desires of São Carlos\' inhabitants. The conclusions of this study will support the adoption of public policies concerned with human and environmental health.