Birds face many challenges from the process of urbanisation. Those species that are able to occupy urban areas offer opportunities to understand processes of acclimatisation to urban life and may help in the development of urban spaces for the benefit of wildlife. In many bird species, individuals that occupy territories in more urban areas show lower productivity and lower body condition of nestlings, which is thought to be mediated by food availability. Most of the studies exploring this issue were done on passerines and carried out in the global north, with very few studies exploring this topic on non-passerines, and even fewer in Africa. Studies addressing urban productivity in apex predators with slow life histories that are often of conservation concern are largely missing. Here, we explore the breeding performance of the African Crowned Eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) across an urbanisation gradient in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa. Specifically, we explored the hypothesis that living in an urban environment allows this species, which is typically a biennial breeder, to breed annually more often (i.e. increased breeding rate), and whether this might increase the productivity of this species. We also explore whether there may be any hidden costs of such a breeding strategy by examining the condition of chicks for pairs which had successfully bred in the previous year. We found that Crowned Eagles breeding in more urban areas attempted to breed more often (i.e., higher breeding rate), but that these birds also suffered from lower breeding success. These two contrasting responses counteracted each other and meant that overall productivity (number of young produced per occupied territory) was not influenced by urbanisation. Breeding annually did not appear to have a negative cost on the chick condition, as offspring in the year following a successful breeding attempt did not have lowered body condition. This species appears to be well adjusted to breeding in an urban environment. Crowned Eagles are currently considered vulnerable in South Africa, and ensuring that an urban population of this species is able to persist can help secure the conservation status of this charismatic species.

This research analyses attitudes to urban green spaces within the framework of compact city development models, using Uppsala as a case study and investigating the tension between growth and preservation. Compact city literature strongly promotes the importance of green space within urban environments for both social and ecological wellbeing and highlights what becomes an increasing requirement for this as populations within urban areas are densified, which is a concomitant goal of compact city models. Yet in Uppsala, a contradiction appears whereby the municipality has firmly embraced a compact city model of development yet urban green areas are still being developed. This thesis first provides an environmental history of development and planning within Uppsala, highlighting the socio-ecological forces that co-create urban environments. An examination of the comprehensive planning policy documents over the last thirty years is performed which aligns the plans of Uppsala Municipality with the key features of the compact city model. Interviews were also conducted with three relevant actors from the municipality and the discourse was analysed. A combined analysis of the plans and the interviews results in an understanding and interpretation of the approach of the municipality to urban green spaces along with the creation of narratives around development and planning that look to explain Uppsala’s decisions around urban green spaces. The conclusions are that growth appears to take precedence over preservation of green space, both discursively and practically, and that the balance is towards the socio-economic in defining development. This is discussed in relation to ideas of hegemony, neoliberalism, andsustainable development.

Age-friendly parks support older adults' health as places for urban outdoor recreation when more remote nature becomes inaccessible. I analyzed data from a previous survey (n = 266) to explore factors important for older adults' nature experience knowledge to find essential features of age-friendly park design. The data from the survey showed that many older adults had a functional impairment. Still, they used nature areas within walking distance for peace and tranquility and valued age-friendly design features. I also performed semi-structured interviews with planners (n = 6) at Östersund Municipality, Sweden, to understand how their work was affected as the proportion of older adults increased. The planners emphasized supporting older adults' independence through cross sectoral projects and more collaboration between public, private, and non-profit actors. Findings were discussed and implemented into Badhusparken and Surfbukten, urban green spaces in Östersund, to understand planning in practice and park features needed to support age-friendly outdoor recreation. My conclusion was that features regarding age-friendly parks are complex and equal participation is an issue that requires more interdisciplinary research, especially regarding possibilities with age-friendly projects and networks as ways to overcome challenges with an aging population. / <p>2023-06-09</p>

Implementing urban development projects in planning practice while simultaneously providing sufficient green spaces has proven to be challenging. As a result, there is a growing need for practical approaches and tools for the integration of urban green qualities in the on-going densification of cities. Environmental assessment, as a proactive decision aiding tool, can hold an important role in integrating green qualities in urban development plans and projects. However, in recent years environmental assessment has only added moderate value to planning issues regarding green space. Therefore, this thesis was designed to contribute to the knowledge and understanding on the role environmental assessment can have in the integration of green qualities in future urban development plans and projects in efforts to aid practitioners. This aim was achieved through examination of existing urban green space planning practice in the Stockholm region (Paper I) and the practice of environmental assessment in a selection of European countries in relation to the following factors identified to be important for practice: timing, quality control, alternatives, monitoring and public participation (Paper II). The findings from both studies were then analysed to identify possibilities of green space planning within the framework of these factors. A qualitative research was employed for this study including: semi-structured interviews with municipal planners in the Stockholm region and environmental assessment experts for the European Commission, literature review, document analysis and case study analysis. The case studies analyzed in Paper I were located in municipalities of Haninge and Huddinge, suburban areas located to the south of Stockholm. In Paper II, the experts interviewed were environmental assessment experts from the European Commission from: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia. Through analysis of the results from both studies, the potential role of environmental assessment in integrating green qualities in urban development plans and projects are explored and discussed in relation to the factors. The potential of environmental assessment to enhance public participation and dialogues amongst actors, or bring forth green space issues within alternatives are a few of the roles discussed. Furthermore, a selection of pathways is suggested for the integration of green qualities in future urban development through the application of environmental assessment. For example, the implementation of developer dialogues in the environmental assessment process and the development of knowledge exchange platforms for sharing experiences in relation to green space planning and environmental assessment. / <p>QC 20171122</p>

Increasing recognition of the worlds' expanding population and current global rural-to-urban migration necessitates a better understanding and integration of urban ecological process into the framework for urban design (Sandström, 2006). Incorporating ecological processes such as resilience and dispersal into urban design requires special attention be paid to green infrastructure for the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. In addition, biodiversity improvement promotes related ecosystem services (Opdam et al., 2006) and advocates biodiversity conservation and strengthening as a key part of the development of sustainable urban landscapes. This research developed a replicable and broadly applicable method for determining the ability of green infrastructure to increase abundance of the three target species, and by extension, biodiversity. By applying the urban biodiversity assessment method, green infrastructure can be designed to build neighborhood scale urban ecological networks, specifically designed for the target species in Boston’s highly fragmented urban landscapes. Green infrastructures such as urban parks, riparian corridors, street trees, and unused abandoned land have the ability to serve as important reserves of biodiversity. Using the spatial pattern analysis program FRAGSTATS, the assessment of green infrastructure demonstrates its potential for increasing biodiversity of three target species (Red-tailed Hawk, Song Sparrow, and Variegated Fritillary). The comparative analysis of the existing green infrastructure with the proposed scenarios will determine their potential for species-specific neighborhood scale biodiversity improvement. Additionally, the comparison of the proposed scenarios and their rating helps provide valuable information regarding the spatial configuration of green infrastructure and the effect that it can have on target species.

Ekosystemtjänster har varit ett sätt att försöka värdera naturens tjänster till oss människor men har samtidigt bidragit till en separation mellan natur och människa. Det är ett kvantitativt ramverk som har svårigheter att ta hänsyn till de sociokulturella värdena. Studier menar nu på att det krävs mer forskning kring andra sätt att se på människors relation till naturen bortsett från den binära dikotomin människa-natur. Denna studie undersöker därför hur äldre konceptualiserar naturen och vad för upplevelsevärden de söker i ett naturområde samt vilka hinder och motivationer de upplever inför att ta sig ut till naturen. På så sätt lyfts olika faktorer som påverkar äldres tillgänglighet till grönområden, till exempel deras relation till naturen. Studien är utförd i den naturtäta kommunen Tyresö för att också utforska närheten till naturens betydelse i frågor om tillgänglighet. Intervjuer gjordes med 10 pensionerade personer och resultatet presenteras sedan efter konceptualisering av natur, värdering av natur och den upplevda tillgängligheten till naturen. Upplevelsevärden används för att tematisera vilka kvalitéer som de söker hos ett naturområde och platskänsla och platsidentitet analyserar känslorna kopplade till naturen som rör sig över tid och rum. Resultatet presenterar många olika faktorer som påverkar tillgängligheten där deltagarnas relation till naturen står i centrum.

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As many cities face the challenges of urbanisation, effective provision of urban green spaces (UGS) is needed. There is an identified need to explore the potential to supply green spaces for municipalities and the challenges they face. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to look closer at the potential and challenges of supplying UGS from a social sustainability perspective in Stockholm municipality. The focus is to examine how the municipality can achieve their goal of supplying good access to UGS, that meets the diverse needs of people. To do so, the implication of good access for all people was first explored on a theoretical level with a literature review. Secondly, to establish a link from the theory and policy to the practical work, the experiences and knowledge of practitioners and consultants in the Stockholm context was explored with an interview study. Specifically, how planning tools and way of working can support, which was the main focus of the study. The results from the literature review indicates that different social factors may influence the perceived access and usage of UGS. Safety issues was the most noted factor that could have a negative effect for the perceived access to UGS. The interview study indicates that planning tools that are used within Stockholm municipality can enable to achieve the goal of good access for all people by a more intentional planning. However, the way of working in the planning process is critical. It requires a holistic mindset and the social perspectives needs to be integrated throughout the whole planning process. Social factors, such as safety concerns, are considerable for UGS planning, but also challenging to capture and incorporate into the planning process. To be able to reduce the gap between theory and practice, more unified research has to be done, to know more about what factors that influence perception of access, and the diverse preferences and needs that exists for UGS. This is needed to enable for practitioners to have a more solid knowledge ground for their work in providing UGS that can contribute to social sustainability in cities. / När många städer står inför utmaningarna med urbanisering, krävs det effektiv tillhandahållande av grönområden i urbana områden. Det finns ett identifierat behov av att utforska möjligheten för kommuner att tillhandahålla grönytor och de utmaningar de står inför. Därför är syftet med denna avhandling att titta närmare på möjligheterna och utmaningarna med att tillhandahålla urbana grönområden från ett socialt hållbarhetsperspektiv i Stockholm kommun. Fokus är att undersöka hur kommunen kan uppnå sitt mål om god tillgång till urbana grönområden, som möter människors olika behov. För att göra det undersöktes först implikationen av god tillgång för alla människor med en litteraturstudie. Därefter, för att förankra teorin och policyn till det praktiska arbetet, utforskades planerares erfarenheter och kunskaper i Stockholms med hjälp av en intervjustudie. Specifikt, hur olika planeringsverktyg och arbetssätt kan stödja att uppnå målet, vilket var studiens huvudfokus. Resultaten från litteraturstudien indikerar att olika sociala faktorer kan påverka den upplevda tillgången och användningen av urbana grönområden. Säkerhetsfrågor var den mest noterade faktorn som kan ha en negativ effekt på den upplevda tillgången. Intervjustudien indikerar att planeringsverktyg som används inom Stockholm kommun kan göra det möjligt att uppnå målet om god tillgång för alla genom en mer avsiktlig planering. Men sättet att arbeta i planeringsprocessen är avgörande. Det kräver en helhetssyn och de sociala perspektiven måste integreras i hela planeringsprocessen. Sociala faktorer, som säkerhetsproblem, är betydande för grönplanering, men också utmanande att fånga och integrera i planeringsprocessen. För att kunna minska klyftan mellan teori och praktik måste mer enhetlig forskning göras, för att veta mer om vilka faktorer som påverkar uppfattningen av tillgång och de olika preferenser och behov som finns av urbana grönområden. Detta behövs för att planerare ska kunna ha en mer solid kunskapsgrund för sitt arbete med att tillhandahålla urbana grönområden som kan bidra till socialt hållbara städer.

[pt] Avaliar a forma como as áreas verdes são distribuídas, sua quantidade e qualidade, na malha urbana das cidades brasileiras, traz a possibilidade de entender como a população local é servida por essas estruturas. Pretende-se discorrer sobre importância da infraestrutura verde na urbe criando uma metodologia de avaliação das áreas verdes urbanas, buscando na literatura existente premissas coincidentes que qualifiquem o verde urbano. A utilização de mapeamento de uso e cobertura do solo permite adquirir dados geográficos e o montante de áreas verdes, gerando índices como o IAV (Índice de Área Verde) e permitindo a apreciação dos volumes obtidos nas regiões e bairros da cidade de Niterói, no estado do Rio de Janeiro – cidade utilizada como estudo de caso. Ao examinar o quantitativo geral de IAV a cidade tem um bom desempenho, com 117,21m quadrados de área verde por habitante. Contudo na avaliação da unidade de bairro percebe-se que dezoito dos cinquenta e dois bairros apresentam quantitativo vegetacional inferior ao das premissas estabelecidas (mínimo de 15m quadrados de área verde por habitante) nesse estudo e ainda que dez locais não possuem nenhuma vegetação. São levantadas algumas proposições que poderiam auxiliar na qualidade de vida das vizinhanças nos bairros menos providos de área verde, como telhados verdes, hortas urbanas e jardins de chuva. / [en] Presenting a great relevance to the urban environment, green areas comprise a point of balance between built and non-built environments. Society, which lives in areas considered urban, needs not only the basic infrastructure for its survival (such as sanitary, road, health and education infrastructures), i/t also lacks the connection with nature, free construction spaces and an ecologically balanced environment. The benefits of green areas in urban areas go beyond the ecological aspect; such as air filtration, dust and microorganisms retention, reducing noise, balance temperature, absorb part of the sun s rays, retain moisture in the soil, which avoids erosion, floods, providing regulation of the water cycle, shelter for fauna and exchange of gene flow between natural areas; they also act on the psychological well-being of the human being with biophilia, the need for man to pursue non-building areas. Non-building and green areas have the ability to explain the relationship between man and nature, that is, for the purposes of this study, the relationship among society, natural physical means, vegetation, rivers, seas and other elements. In order to support this scientific research, explanations about how the distribution of green areas happen in some cities, such as Rio de Janeiro (having the basis of research carried out by Data Rio - an entity owned by the City of Rio de Janeiro, in 2017) were analyzed ) and by developing and applying this methodology in a specific study having the city of Niterói in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, as a basis for the analysis of its quantitative and the assessment of green areas in the urban environment. Having the municipality of Rio de Janeiro as a first example, by assessing urban green areas in Brazilian municipalities - there was a huge difference in the volume and distribution of green areas by neighborhoods.

Sweden has made a legal commitment to the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and, as such, should ensure children’s rights in urban planning. A vital aspect of a child-friendly city is access to urban green space. However, children’s access to green spaces is threatened by challenges in implementing the CRC in practice; children’s limited opportunities to explore public space; and the general trend of decreasing green spaces in cities. The purpose of this study is threefold: to examine Malmö’s urban planning strategies and their effectiveness in ensuring children’s access to green spaces; to analyse the current state of spatial accessibility; and to identify factors contributing to the perceived child-friendliness of green spaces. A mixed methods approach of content analysis, spatial analysis, observations and in-situ interviews with parents is used to examine children’s access to urban green spaces through various angles. This is further explored through the use of concepts related to spatial justice, children’s right to the city and attributes of a child friendly city. The thesis found ambiguity in the support from Malmö’s plans and strategies related to children’s access to green space and promotion of the child perspective. There seems to be an ambition to work with the child perspective, but challenges in translating this ambition into clear strategies and methods for including children in decisions beyond those relating to schools and kindergartens. Additionally, children were merely implicitly mentioned in relation to green space specifically, which lowers the support for children’s specific access to these spaces. The spatial analysis displayed that neighbourhoods in Malmö have access to some green space, but that the amount of green space differs. The amount of green space was higher in neighbourhoods with a high socioeconomic status and lower in child-dense neighbourhoods, which indicates spatial inequality and displays that children’s access to green space might differ depending on where they live. The perceived child-friendliness of the observed green spaces was largely dependent on the presence of the parents or other trustworthy adults. Additionally, the playground was central in green space usage and perceptions of child-friendliness. Lastly, there was a widespread fear among parents of letting the children visit the green spaces independently. This was related to traffic safety and revealed a duality related to ‘other people’ - strangers were seen as potential threats to their children’s safety, while certain strangers, especially other parents, were seen as increasing the safety of the green space.