Article
Environmental Studies
Juan Sebastian Canavera Herrera, Kristen MacAskill
Summary: This paper highlights the importance of adapting transport systems to climate change for the future of cities, and identifies barriers and opportunities for effective adaptation planning through a socio-technical perspective. The study conducted in Bogotá, Colombia reveals challenges such as incomplete information, limited resources, and the significant influence of institutional structure. The findings suggest potential for replication in other regions to support effective systemic intervention for adaptation.
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART D-TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wen Zhou, Wendong Yu, Ziyi Zhang, Wei Cao, Tao Wu
Summary: Urban green space is considered an effective nature-based solution to mitigate the urban heat island effect. However, inconsistent relationships between landscape factors and the thermal environment, as well as the unfeasibility of common conclusions, hinder practical applications. This study compared the cooling intensity of urban green spaces in four Chinese cities and identified influencing factors and absolute thresholds of cooling. Results showed that local climate conditions affect the cooling effect, and factors such as patch characteristics, water bodies, neighboring greenspace, vegetation abundance, and planting structure can explain a significant proportion of the cooling variations. Absolute thresholds for area, neighboring greenspace, and vegetation abundance were identified, providing landscape strategies for urban heat island mitigation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jana Brenner, Stefan Schmidt, Christian Albert
Summary: This study applies a socio-ecological approach to explore and prioritize suitable opportunity spaces for roof greening in order to mitigate urban heat island effects. The findings indicate a significant area of high vulnerability to heat in Krefeld, with potential expansion until 2030. However, the majority of evaluated roofs lack vegetation cover, highlighting the need for prioritizing green roof implementation.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
S. Bouketta
Summary: The rapid urbanization of cities has led to changes in local climate, resulting in high temperatures and a lack of water and vegetation in urban environments. This study focuses on evaluating the cooling effect of plant cover and water in urban spaces, and their impact on the microclimate of the built environment.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Development Studies
Mia Prall, Marta Olazabal, Martin Lehmann
Summary: Urban climate change adaptation efforts often fail to address the social, economic, and environmental impacts of adaptation, exacerbating the inequitable impacts of climate change. This article argues that incorporating equity and justice concerns, as well as socio-economic data, into adaptation planning can promote just urban adaptation. Conducting a systematic review, the authors find that while socio-economic projections have not been explicitly linked to justice outcomes, they have the potential to support distributive, procedural, and recognition and restorative justice. An operational framework is proposed to promote justice-centered urban adaptation.
HABITAT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
ByungMook Hwang, Hong-Duck Sou, Jeong-Hak Oh, Chan-Ryul Park
Summary: Air pollution and climate change worsen the urban heat island effect, which harms human health. Urban forests are important for reducing the heat island effect, but their quantitative impact on temperature reduction in relation to time and space has not been studied. This study aimed to measure the actual thermal environment in urban forests using temperature and humidity loggers installed in 17 urban forests in Seoul for a year. The results showed that urban forests and parks consistently reduced temperature, with lawns having a greater cooling effect in autumn-winter. The study also revealed differences in cooling effect based on the type and location of urban forests and the vegetation structure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ming Yan, Liding Chen, Song Leng, Ranhao Sun
Summary: Vegetation plays a critical role in climate regulation, but its association with temperature and humidity remains poorly understood. This study investigated the climate regulation potential of vegetation in Beijing, China, using indices such as cooling intensity, cooling efficiency, humidifying intensity, and humidifying efficiency. The results showed that vegetation had insignificant climate regulation effects at night, but during the day, the ratios of maximum cooling intensity, cooling efficiency, humidifying intensity, and humidifying efficiency varied across seasons. The coupling of temperature and humidity also influenced the climate regulation of vegetation.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nanlin Hu, Guodong Wang, Zijun Ma, Zhibin Ren, Meiling Zhao, Jingci Meng
Summary: This study quantified the cooling effects of waterbodies in different climate zones in China and identified the driving factors and threshold values of efficiency. The results showed geographical variations in the cooling effects of waterbodies among climate zones. The characteristics of the waterbody were the most important factor explaining the variation in cooling effect. Anthropogenic factors were more important in humid and hot climate zones. The study provides quantitative guidance for improving urban resilience and mitigating urban heat island effects.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Flannery Black-Ingersoll, Julie de Lange, Leila Heidari, Abgel Negassa, Pilar Botana, M. Patricia Fabian, Madeleine K. Scammell
Summary: This article reviews field studies on urban cooling interventions, including cooling centers, misting stations, cool pavements, and cool or green roofs. The studies found that misting stations and cool pavements can reduce temperatures, but there is still a lack of evaluation on personal thermal comfort and costs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joyce Yang, Lei Zhao, Keith Oleson
Summary: Urban climates are becoming hotter and drier due to climate change, which increases heat stress. However, the combined impact of urbanization and climate change on humid heat and adaptation is still unclear.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bo Pang, Jingyuan Zhao, Jianxin Zhang, Li Yang
Summary: Urban green spaces play an important role in mitigating the urban heat island effect. In cold regions of China, green spaces containing water bodies have a stronger cooling effect compared to those without water. The cooling intensity of green spaces without water is related to the background temperature and green space area, while the area of the internal water body is the key influencing factor for green spaces containing water bodies.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Xintong Chen, Zhitai Wang, Yu Bao
Summary: The study found that natural mountains in urban areas can generate a cooling effect within a certain range, benefiting surrounding communities. The landscape structure and patch density of the surrounding buffer matrix can significantly influence the intensity of mountain cooling islands.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Ayman Aslam, Irfan Ahmad Rana
Summary: The study reviews methods and data sources used in empirical research on local climate zones (LCZ), with a focus on identifying recurrent themes. It finds that most LCZ research has been conducted in Chinese cities and that Landsat and WUDAPT methodology are commonly favored due to their simplicity and availability of global datasets. The review also reveals various software and methodologies for identifying climate-sensitive areas in urban settlements. LCZs are being used in crosscutting phenomena such as thermal comfort, urban planning, climate change adaptation, and energy use.
Article
Urban Studies
Michael Osei Asibey, Frank Mintah, Isaac Osei Adutwum, Rejoice Selorm Wireko-Gyebi, Jacob Nchagmado Tagnan, Lily Lisa Yevugah, Kwasi Osei Agyeman, Abdulai Jahanfo Abdul-Salam
Summary: This paper examines the perspectives and planning responses of urban planners in Accra, Ghana on managing climate change impacts and building adaptive capacities. The findings reveal that urban planning regimes in Accra are inefficient, reactionary, and unsustainable in building resilience and adaptive capacities to climate change impacts. Weak institutional coordination, inadequate funds and logistics, and lack of human capacity contribute to the inability to manage climate change impacts effectively.
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Ayyoob Sharifi, Minal Pathak, Chaitali Joshi, Bao-Jie He
Summary: This study reviews the health co-benefits of urban climate change adaptation measures and finds that existing evidence is mainly related to some categories while other categories are relatively underexplored. It also recognizes the potential health trade-offs of some adaptation measures which need further study.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xuezheng Zong, Xiaorui Tian, Xianli Wang
Summary: Climate change has caused longer fire seasons and more intense wildfires worldwide, leading to significant economic and environmental impacts. A study conducted in Southwest China evaluated the effectiveness of different fuel treatment designs in mitigating wildfire risk under varying fire severity conditions. The results showed that fuel treatments were effective in reducing risk under low and normal fire severity scenarios, but their effectiveness was limited under high fire severity conditions.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jian Peng, Xiaoyu Wang, Huining Zheng, Zihan Xu
Summary: This study developed an index system to evaluate the trade-off between grain production service and water purification service in the Dongting Lake Basin. The results showed that converting cropland with high nitrogen output into forest land can minimize this trade-off.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Francois Chiron, Romain Lorrilliere, Carmen Bessa-Gomes, Piotr Tryjanowski, Joan Casanelles-Abella, Lauri Laanisto, Ana Leal, Anskje Van Mensel, Marco Moretti, Babette Muyshondt, Ulo Niinemets, Marta Alos Orti, Pedro Pinho, Roeland Samson, Nicolas Deguines
Summary: In cities, green areas play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, and the heterogeneity of land cover is an important factor. The relationship between area and heterogeneity affects the richness of bird species in urban green areas, with urban avoider species benefiting from large and heterogeneous patches.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Aleksandra Lis, Karolina Zalewska, Pawel Iwankowski, Katarzyna Betkier, Paulina Bilska, Viktoriia Dudar, Aleksandra L. Lagiewka
Summary: Appleton's prospect-refuge theory suggests that the presence of dense vegetation, topography, and people in a park can influence the safety and privacy felt by visitors in different ways. This study aimed to understand the relationship between observation point height, vegetation location, presence of other people, and perceived privacy and safety. The results showed that flat or lower ground without the presence of others was considered the safest, while landscapes higher up with dense vegetation and no other people were rated highest in terms of privacy. The findings have practical implications in terms of providing privacy without compromising safety.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jianting Zhao, Guibo Sun, Chris Webster
Summary: This study developed a geospatial database to document the locations and urban environments of pandemic-induced street experiments on a global scale, and conducted quantitative analysis based on spatial and temporal visualizations. The study aims to enhance comparability of built environment indicators between cities and provide a robust foundation for future research on tactical urbanism.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Huaqing Wang, Louis G. Tassinary
Summary: This study investigated the influence of urban greenspace spatial morphology on non-communicable diseases and found that neighborhoods with more connected, aggregated, coherent, and complex-shaped greenspace had a lower prevalence of these diseases. Such associations were mediated by air pollution and physical inactivity. The results suggest that the spatial morphology of designed urban greenspace plays a significant role in neighborhood health.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Chiwei Xiao, Yi Wang, Mingyan Yan, Jeffrey Chiwuikem Chiaka
Summary: Regional integration initiatives, such as cross-border transportation corridors, have significant impacts on land use changes and landscape patterns. This study examines the China-Laos Railway as a case study to evaluate the extent and significance of these impacts. Using land-use data and geospatial analysis, the study quantifies and compares the effects of the railway on land use changes within a buffer zone along the corridor.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Review
Ecology
Astrid Zabel, Mara-Magdalena Hausler
Summary: Developing a green infrastructure is an important environmental policy goal in many countries around the world. Different countries have different requirements on the spatial allocation of conservation sites for green infrastructure. Price-type and procedural instruments are commonly used, but the utilization of incentive mechanisms that internalize the benefit of clustering is relatively low. There is a need for more studies on incentive mechanisms and green infrastructure policies in the global South.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Timothy Fraser, Olivia Feeley, Andres Ridge, Ava Cervini, Vincent Rago, Kelly Gilmore, Gianna Worthington, Ilana Berliavsky
Summary: This study examines the inequality of social infrastructure in Boston, finding significant racial and income disparities in access. These disparities have implications for the health and resilience of neighborhoods.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Yutian Lu, Running Chen, Bin Chen, Jiayu Wu
Summary: The inequitable distribution of urban green spaces has become a significant concern, with variations found between cities in different development stages, and socioeconomic factors playing a crucial role in the spatial equity of urban green spaces.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Di Chen, Jie Yin, Chia-Pin Yu, Shengjing Sun, Charlotte Gabel, John D. Spengler
Summary: Observational and experimental studies have shown that exposure to greenness is beneficial for long-term health and well-being. However, more evidence is needed regarding the short-term health impacts of nearby nature in urban areas. This study used immersive virtual reality technology to investigate how transitions between built and natural environments affect urban residents. Results showed that transitioning from built to natural environments led to reductions in negative mood and transient anxiety, while transitions from natural to built environments had the opposite effect. Additionally, participants showed more emotional responses to nature through physiological measures. The study also highlighted the influence of contextual factors, such as physical health conditions, stress levels, experience with nature, and growth environments, on stress recovery. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence supporting the promotion of nearby nature in urban built environments.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Daniele Codato, Francesca Peroni, Massimo De Marchi
Summary: This study examines climate justice in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region (EAR), highlighting the multiple injustices caused by oil extraction activities. Using spatial analysis, the study shows that the EAR has been a major producer of oil since 1972, leading to environmental impacts such as oil spills and pollution. The results emphasize the need to include these territories in climate justice discussions and promote the rights to a non-toxic environment.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Jingli Yan, Wendy Y. Chen, Zixiao Zhang, Wenxing Zhao, Min Liu, Shan Yin
Summary: Vegetation barriers are an effective strategy in urban planning to mitigate traffic-induced air pollution and reduce exposure. This study uses field measurements and numerical modeling to show that constructing vegetation barriers with short bushes can effectively reduce PM2.5 pollution in open-road environments, while higher coverage of tall bushes may worsen the pollution.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2024)