Urban green spaces (UGS) can produce health-improving (salutogenic) and equigenic effects that narrow the health gap between disadvantaged and affluent neighbourhoods. Yet, the magnitude of such effects relies on the quality of a UGS. Various studies have found UGS quality to be worse in low-income neighbourhoods. Thus, the equigenic potential is often negated. This thesis examines if these findings can be replicated within the city of Stockholm. For this, two quality domains were identified. (1) The accessibility to a UGS determines the exposure to health benefits, as barriers to entry afford usage only to some individuals. (2) The salutogenic potentiality, determined by various qualities, influences the UGS’s ability to produce health-improving effects. For the assessment of these domains, the UGS Quality Audit Tool (UQAT) was developed, which uses GIS analysis and in-situ audits to assess 64 indicators. The UQAT produces an accessibility score, salutogenic potentiality score, total score, and individual inclusivity scores. In this thesis, the tool was used in a comparative case study of twelve UGS in six Stockholm neighbourhoods. The UGS were sorted into three groups depending on their neighbourhood’s socioeconomic status (SES) and health resilience. The aim was to determine whether the quality of the UGS differed significantly between groups. The results replicate findings from other countries, showing a significantly lower salutogenic potentiality for the UGS in low-SES neighbourhoods. Similarly, UGS gender-inclusivity scores were also significantly lower in low-SES neighbourhoods. While similar tendencies were identified concerning salutogenic potentiality and health resilience, these findings were not conclusive. Lastly, no significant relations to neighbourhood health or SES were found for accessibility or the other inclusivity categories. The findings suggest that investments into the quality of UGS in low-SES neighbourhoods are needed to create a more equitable and inclusive Stockholm.

In vielen Städten erfordern fortschreitende Urbanisierung und Klimaerwärmung ein besseres Verständnis des urbanen Wasserkreislaufes zur Entwicklung nachhaltiger Wassernutzungskonzepte. Jedoch erschwert die Komplexität urbaner Wasserflüsse die Nutzung hydrologischer Tracer. In dieser Arbeit werden stabile Isotope des Wassers, hydrochemische und -klimatische Daten genutzt, um die Wasserverteilung und -speicherung in Berlin in den Trockenjahren 2018–2020 zu untersuchen. Auf kleinräumiger Skala wurden Unterschiede bei Evapotranspiration, unterirdischen Fließwegen und Wasserspeicherung unter urbanen Grasflächen, Sträuchern und Bäumen deutlich. Im peri-urbanen Fluss Erpe erschwerte die geringe Variabilität von Abfluss- und Isotopendynamiken die Bestimmung von Verweilzeiten und Mischprozessen. Während warmer, trockener Sommer führte ein hoher Klarwasseranteil zu einer Verschlechterung der Wasserqualität. Auf der stadtweiten Skala wurde der Einfluss von Grundwasser, Niederschlag und Abwasser auf verschiedene Flüsse untersucht. Große Variabilität der Isotopendynamiken wurde in Einzugsgebieten mit Flächenversiegelung und Regenwassereinleitung beobachtet. Die Anreicherung schwerer Isotope in Spree und Havel im Sommer und Herbst verdeutlichte den Einfluss von großskaligen Klimadynamiken und Verdunstung im stromaufwärts gelegenen Einzugsgebiet. Ein nachhaltiges Management urbaner Grünflächen sowie die Speicherung von Regenwasser können dazu beitragen, den Einfluss von Klimaänderungen auf Berlins Wasserressourcen auf lokaler Ebene abzumindern. Jedoch werden großskalige Nutzungskonzepte in den Einzugsgebieten der Spree und Havel benötigt, um Wasserverluste zu minimieren und Abflussraten aufrecht zu erhalten. Weiterführende isotopenbasierte Studien haben großes Potential, das Verständnis von Wasseralter, Abflussentstehung, Verdunstung und langfristigen Dürrefolgen, sowie der Übertragbarkeit der Erkenntnisse auf andere Metropolenregionen, weiter zu verbessern. / In urban areas, progressing urbanisation and climate warming call for a comprehensive understanding of urban water cycling to establish sustainable water management strategies. However, the complexity of urban water fluxes complicates the application of hydrological tracers. This thesis used stable isotopes of water, combined with hydrochemical and climatic data, to characterise water partitioning and storage in Berlin, Germany, during the exceptionally warm and dry 2018–2020 period. At the plot-scale, differences in evapotranspiration, subsurface flow paths and storage under urban grassland, shrub and trees were evident. In the peri-urban river Erpe, low variability in discharge and isotopic dynamics limited the applicability of transit time and end member mixing approaches. During warm and dry summers, high contributions of treated wastewater effluents caused a deterioration of water quality. At the city-scale, contributions of groundwater, storm runoff and effluents to different local streams were studied. Isotope dynamics were most variable in catchments with high levels of imperviousness and connectivity to storm drains. In the Spree and Havel rivers, the isotopic enrichment in summer and autumn reflected the impact of large-scale climate dynamics and evaporative losses in the upstream catchment. To mitigate climate change impacts on Berlin’s water resources in the future, the sustainable management of urban green spaces and better capturing of urban rainfall may limit water consumption at the local scale. However, maintaining discharge in the Spree and Havel rivers during warm and dry periods will require catchment-scale management practices that limit water consumption and losses in upstream areas. Future isotope-based research in urban areas has great potential to improve the understanding of urban water ages, source contributions to urban streamflow, evaporation and long-term drought recovery, as well as upscaling the results to other metropolitan areas.

Background: Urban green spaces (UGS) have been shown to benefit both social cohesion and health outcomes. A new framework by Jennings and Bamkole (2019) suggests that social cohesion might act as a social determinant of health mediating the health benefits provided by UGS. Aim: To investigate associations between UGS, social cohesion, and self-rated health (SRH) in Swedish adults. Methods: A cross-sectional survey for adults living in Västerås (n=106) was conducted. Questions about UGS covered type, visit frequency, proximity, time spent, and UGS quality. Social cohesion was measured using a 13-item scale developed by de Vries et al. (2013). SRH was assessed with one Likert-scale item. Results: A t-test showed that forests were associated with higher social cohesion (M=46.44, SD=8.25) compared to parks (M=42.34, SD=6.56; p=.006), while logistic regressions revealed higher social cohesion was associated with better SRH when adjusted for age (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.03 - 1.18, p = .008). No relationships between UGS and SRH were identified, and social cohesion did not affect that relationship further. Discussion: The small sample size, convenience sampling, and limited assessment of possible confounders have to be considered. Conclusion: The results from this study partially support Jennings and Bamkole’s (2019) framework, indicating its merits and confirming the need to investigate social cohesion as a central factor in the relationship between UGS and health outcomes further.

No description available.

In this thesis I have analyzed how the phenomenon level of contrast, a consequence of the relation between level of light and distribution of light, works within urban green areas. For this particular site, the too high level of contrast is a result of the high level of light distributed 1) in the direction of oncoming pedestrians and 2) in a single zone of light and 3) on a too condensed surface area and 4) in a space with multiple vertical elements (in a dark space with low reflectance values). Being in the only lighted area surrounded by trees (vertical elements absorbing or reflecting light), with eyes adapted to its level of light, consequently, makes it impossible to see beyond the path. This since our eyes always adapt to the brightest spot in our field of view, which in all directions is a spot very close to the user. And since adapting to the emitted and reflected light our eyes cannot also adapt to the darkness beyond this enclosed space. Another perspective on this, also related to the very basics of our vision has to do with the task oriented lighting solutions. We humans have two different types of vision - central and peripheral. The central vision is approximately 2% of our field of view, it is the small spot where our gaze focus, the rest is peripheral vision. The strange thing is that modern urban lighting design have focused almost solely on task lighting and the central vision, and left the peripheral vision literally disorientated. Because, in order for the peripheral vision to help us navigate and collect spatial information, it needs variable lightning with multiple zones of light, creating differences in shade, revealing form and depth. The main contribution of this thesis, beyond defining knowledge regarding how light acts in these specific situations, is the development of a lighting design method specifically for urban green areas from a practice based design perspective (see figure 16). And that I have started the work of creating practical knowledge and answers to the question: How can the method be used in practice?

In this research, I explored the spatial relationships between urban green spaces (UGSs) accessibility and the demographic characteristics of the 26 municipalities across Stockholm Region (SR). I selected seven demographic variables for this research: age, gender, employment, income, education, country of birth and household status. I collected spatial and demographic data from available open-access online sources. I defined a threshold of 300 m, as the maximum acceptable distance between each residential building and the nearest UGS and used UGS per capita and inequity rate of access to UGS as two metrics for measuring environmental justice in terms of access to UGS. Using a network analysis, hotspot analysis, and correlation analysis, I mapped the spatial distribution of inequities in terms of access to UGSs; identified and characterized the hotspots and coldspots of inequity in terms of access to UGSs; and examined possible relationships between UGSs and the demographic characteristics of the 26 municipalities across SR. The results of my research indicated that despite the abundance of UGSs in SR, the spatial distribution of UGSs in SR is uneven and therefore, access to UGSs is not equitable for all residents. The results also indicated that access to UGSs in municipalities with higher percentages of the elderly, women, high-income groups, and people born in Sweden is easier. In contrast, access to UGSs in municipalities with higher percentages of retirees, middle-income groups, younger people, employed individuals, and people born outside Europe is worse. My research suggests that UGS accessibility is influenced by complex factors and need local-scale interventions in each area depending on the local issues of concern. Future research should focus on more localized data and finer spatial scales, incorporating a more detailed consideration of UGSs and accessibility to better investigate the interactions between UGSs and demographic variables. / I denna forskning undersöker jag de rumsliga relationerna mellan tillgängligheten till urbana grönområden (UGS) och demografiska egenskaperna hos de 26 kommunerna i Stockholmsregionen (SR). Jag valde ut sju demografiska variabler för denna forskning: ålder, kön, sysselsättning, inkomst, utbildning, födelseland och hushållsstatus. Jag samlade in rumsliga och demografiska data från tillgängliga online källor med öppen åtkomst. Jag definierade en tröskel på 300 m som det maximalt acceptabla avståndet mellan varje bostadshus och den närmaste UGS och använde UGS per capita och ojämlikhetsgrad i tillgång till UGS som två mått för att mäta miljörättvisa avseende tillgång till UGS. Med hjälp av nätverksanalys, hotspot-analys och korrelationsanalys kartlade jag den rumsliga fördelningen av ojämlikheter i förhållande till UGS; identifierade och karakteriserade hotspots och coldspots för ojämlikheter i förhållande till UGS; och undersöker möjliga relationer mellan UGS och demografiska egenskaper hos de 26 kommunerna i SR. Resultaten av min forskning visade att trots ett överflöd av UGS i SR är den rumsliga fördelningen av UGS i SR ojämn och därmed är tillgången till UGS inte rättvis för alla invånare. Resultaten visade också att tillgången till UGS är enklare i kommuner med en större andel äldre, kvinnor, personer med höga inkomster och personer födda i Sverige. I motsats till detta är tillgången till UGS sämre i kommuner med ett högre andel pensionärer, personer med medelinkomster, yngre människor, anställda och personer födda utanför Europa. Min forskning antyder att tillgången till UGS påverkas av komplexa faktorer och kräver lokala insatser i varje område beroende på lokala omständigheter. Framtida forskning bör inriktas på mer lokaliserade data och finare rumsliga skalor, inkludera en mer detaljerad betraktelse av UGS och tillgänglighet för att bättre undersöka samspelet mellan UGS och demografiska variabler.

3 ABSTRACT Title of project: Visitors of the Nature Park Ladronka and their interest in movement activities Aim of project: The goal of this Thesis is a socio-demographic analysis of the visitors of the Nature Park Ladronka and their motives for movement activities in this location in different season. Methods of project: All necessary data were collected by means of interviews directly in the Park Ladronka during this three weeks 25. - 31. 10. 2011 from 10:00-17:30, 23. - 29. 5. 2011 from 10:00-20:00 and 8. - 14. 8. 2011 from 10:00-20:00. The results were statistically processed using relative and absolute frequency. Results: The total number of respondents is 1,425. They are mostly - 32 % of visitors aged 20-29 - interested in the on-line skating track. The most common means of transport was for 40% of the visitors their car. The preferred sport for men (47 %) is running 42 % and gym 27 %, and for women (53 %) in-line skating 79 %. 14,5 % of visitors aged 20-29 are from housing estate. The park is visited mostly by students 32 % and people working on their computers 24 %. Key words: Natural fitness gym - sport for everyone - health grounds - outdoor activities - fitness trail - urban green - socio- demographic analysis

永續發展的概念現今已被運用於都市，其中，都市綠地在環境、生態、景觀、社會各層面之機能皆可提升都市永續性，在快速的都市化下，都市內綠地減少，土地利用變遷帶來之環境衝擊影響已自個體單元累積到全球。然而，過去研究中未有關注在綠地的變化趨勢與其他土地利用間的互動關係，以及在不同區域下的變化差異。因此，本研究採用GIS和景觀指數看在1995年至2006年間台北都會區綠地變遷趨勢，並分區探討土地利用間的互動關係，最後藉由二元羅吉斯迴歸分析綠地變化可能原因。 研究結果顯示，在1995年至2006年間，台北都會區整體發展是建地增加，林地也呈上升趨勢，而草地是土地利用轉移下被犧牲掉最多的土地，綠地轉移成其他土地利用情形以都會邊緣地區最嚴重。不同綠地型態在1995年至2006年間的變遷仍有差異，林地在整個台北都會區屬於景觀中的基質，主導性未受動搖，僅在都會中心減少並受破壞；而農地面積略微下降，呈破碎化發展，尤其以都會中心外圍區農地被破壞情形最明顯；草地面積亦下降，破碎化情形較農地更嚴重，在都會郊區、次中心之草地被破壞嚴重，草地各方面機能降低。透過二元羅吉斯迴歸分析發現自然環境、社會經濟與計畫環境皆影響台北都會區的綠地變遷。根據研究結果，建議未來政府於都市計畫上應將綠地空間納入考量，對於不同綠地型態應有不同管制措施，考量各區域綠地型態之差異性，以及自然環境、社會經濟和計畫環境對於綠地變遷的影響，以促進都市朝向永續發展。 / The concept of sustainable development has been applied in cities. Urban green space plays an important role in enhancing the sustainability of the city in regards to the environment, ecology, landscape and society aspects. Under rapid urbanization, green space has greatly declined in cities. Environmental impact resulting from land use change has grown from local to global proportions. However, researches did not pay attention to interactions between green spaces and other land-use change trends or different types of change in different areas. This research used GIS and landscape metrics to investigate the green space change trend and interactions among different land use types in the Taipei metropolitan area from 1995 to 2006. Furthermore, this research analyzed possible reasons that may have caused green space change through logistic regression. The results showed that, from 1995 to 2006, the built up area and the forest increased in Taipei Metropolitan Area; however, the grass decreased because of land use change. Urban fringe was the place that green space changed to other land-use most. There were differences of land use change for different types of green space. Forest was the matrix in the landscape of Taipei metropolitan area. It still kept the predominant role, only decreased and was destroyed in the center of metropolitan area. Farmland slightly decreased and became fragmented, especially in the periphery of the urban center. Grassland area decreased and became fragmented much more than farmland. In suburb and sub-center, grassland was destroyed seriously and became less functional. Through binary logistic regression, the study found that natural environment, socio-economic and government planning do have influence on green space changes in the Taipei metropolitan area. According to the result of the study, the recommendation was that government should take green space into consideration when doing urban planning. For different types of green space and different areas, the government needs to have different measures and needs to consider the impact factors of green space change in order to accelerate sustainable development in cities.

No description available.

Le défi de ce travail réside dans l’application conjointe de deux approches d’évaluation de la double-valeur des espaces végétalisés urbains (EVU) en s’inscrivant dans une dimension dualiste «éco-anthropocentrique». Cette posture a permis d’appréhender le fonctionnement de ces espaces et d’en quantifier les services et des services écosystémiques rendus à la société humaine. Ces deux approches se sont basées sur une démarche ascendante fondée sur la caractérisation de deux types de végétation : les pelouses et les arbres urbains. Le manque de connaissance sur le fonctionnement des pelouses urbaines a imposé la mise en place d’un protocole de suivi permettant d’établir un état des lieux initial sur les communautés prairiales qui s’y installent et sur leur dynamique. Bien qu’il n’ait révélé qu’une partie du fonctionnement de la flore prairiale, le protocole de suivi a eu le mérite d’en déterminer sa composition et sa structuration en précisant l’impact de plusieurs facteurs environnementaux et anthropiques. Quant à la végétation arborée, elle a été étudiée en quantifiant les services et des services écosystémiques en appliquant le modèle i-Tree Eco. Fondé sur des indicateurs biophysiques le modèle a fourni des informations sur le taux de stockage et de séquestration du carbone, le taux d’élimination des polluants atmosphériques et le taux d’émissions biogéniques par les arbres urbains. Bien que le recours au modèle soit empreint d’incertitude, il a permis de démontrer le rôle des arbres dans l’amélioration de la qualité de l’air. Mais, pour parvenir à rendre efficacement ce service, la plantation et la gestion des arbres peuvent être intégrées dans une réflexion de planification plus globale. L’objectif opérationnel d’une telle thèse ne se conçoit que par l’apport de connaissances concrètes à disposition des acteurs de terrain. Nous avons donc tenté de fournir quelques indications à ce propos, alliant ainsi recherche et dissémination des connaissances acquises. / This research work provides two assessment tools based on both ecocentric and anthropogenic approaches. We argued that these approaches are complementary and they lead not only to understand ecological functions of urban green spaces but also to quantify ecosystem services provided to society. Based on bottom up approach, two urban habitats were assessed : lawns and urban forest. Due to the lack of knowledge about ecological functions of urban lawns, it was required to implement a monitoring protocol that helps to provide a baseline and measure the changes of flora composition and structure across urban green spaces. Although monitoring protocol had some limitations, it intended to highlight the response of lawn flora to environmental patterns and to particular human activities such as management techniques and trampling. Urban forest was assessed by quantifying it structure and some ecosystem services and desservices using i-Tree model Eco. Based on biophysical indicators, the model quantify the total carbon stored and the annually carbon sequestered, the annually amount of pollution removal, and the annually amount of biogenic emissions by trees. Although some uncertainty remains about the application of this model, it was shown that urban trees improve local air quality. However, to alleviate air pollution within urban area, planting and managing trees should be associated with an integrative planning strategy that takes into account other factors. Our study also incorporates operational items, so we have tried to provide some guidance to planners and green spaces managers with reference to our assessment results.