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.

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>

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.

Public urban green spaces are crucial parts of cities due to the many connections existing between urban greenery and well-being. Additionally, public urban green space represents a wide range of spatial concepts, such as parks, urban forests, commons, in-between-spaces, and gardens. This study explores challenges for contemporary public urban green space in an increasingly urban world, with high demands on urban growth, and simultaneously the need for more sustainable societies and cities. The aim is to problematize the complex reality for contemporary public urban green space from an urban planning perspective in times of urban densification strategies, global competitiveness between cities and trends of ‘re-naturing’.   The scope of this thesis is based on four high profile case studies. The Green Walkable City in Stockholm and The Green Living Spaces in Birmingham constitute planning strategies with a holistic approach to urban green space, including a strong focus on well-being. The High Line in New York and Parklets in San Francisco represent urban green space concepts, influential both at the local level and in the larger urban planning debate. The results point to a need to acknowledge the complexity inherent to urban green space provision, design, and management. This study contributes with insights of direct connections between narratives of nature, materialized urban greenery projects and conceptualizations of functionality of nature in urban planning projects. From the post-industrial, pristine flirting, crafted wilderness of the High Line; a symbolic but cosmetic scrambling with planters and narratives of parks of parklets; dualistic argumentations of natural values connected to quality over quantity of nature in a densifying and growing Stockholm; to pragmatic yet emotional and ambitious conceptualizations of human nature in biohilic urbanism and green space planning in Birmingham. Gentrification, publicness and production of public space and densification strategies are central themes in urban studies – and public urban green space can play an active role in these processes. / <p>QC 20160518</p>

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

Urban green space has been proven by the field of environmental psychology to have high value for human well-being. Green space is also important for biodiversity. However, the management of urban green space is commonly focused on present aesthetic values and not on the level of naturalness and its consequences for humans and biodiversity. This study compares the green space situation in relation to human well-being and biodiversity in Lviv, Ukraine and Stockholm, Sweden. By sampling urban green space gradients, from unnatural to natural, as well as collecting data about visiting people and bird taxa in those areas, comparisons between these two response variables and the level of naturalness were made. The results show correlations between the level of naturalness and the social structure of human visitors as well as to the bird taxa present. The results thus indicate that both human well-being and biodiversity is positively related to the level of naturalness of green space. Since more and more people live in urban areas decision-makers should leave sufficient amounts of green space, for the inhabitants’ well-being, both people and other species, in physical planning. Given generally low levels of green space in urban settings, areas for recreation and rehabilitation should be enhanced further.

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

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

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