Land | Special Issue : Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions

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20 pages, 6981 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach for Urban Water Features: Ecological Landscape Architecture Evaluation

by Reyhaneh Hashemi Sigari and Thomas Panagopoulos

Land 2024, 13(11), 1799; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111799 - 31 Oct 2024

Viewed by 472

Abstract

In recent decades, the issues of ecology and environmental sustainability have become a global concern in contemporary urban design. Among various urban elements, water features play a significant role in improving the ecological characteristics of their surrounding environment, especially in hot and arid [...] Read more.

In recent decades, the issues of ecology and environmental sustainability have become a global concern in contemporary urban design. Among various urban elements, water features play a significant role in improving the ecological characteristics of their surrounding environment, especially in hot and arid areas. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ecological characteristics of urban water features comprehensively and quantitatively, which has been overlooked in previous studies, taking their physical characteristics into account. To this end, a multicriteria decision-making method, an analytic network process, was proposed to quantitatively evaluate the ecological characteristics of water features. In this approach, four ecological criteria—microclimate, biodiversity, greenery, and human wellbeing—and ten physical characteristics of water features were considered. Twenty-one experts were asked to complete a questionnaire for pairwise comparisons of all ecological criteria and the influence of physical characteristics. The results showed that vegetation and scale, with the relative influencing values of 0.255 and 0.188, respectively, were identified as the most decisive features influencing ecological criteria. Conversely, texture, with a value 0.023, had the least impact. Moreover, it was shown that water features have the greatest impact on the microclimate compared with other ecological criteria. The results were used to compare water features at the Koohsangi Transregional Park, located in a hot and arid city of Iran. The results of this study lead to a framework that can help urban designers integrate ecological criteria into water feature planning to enhance urban ecology and sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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20 pages, 77639 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Edible Garden Cities: Rethinking Boundaries and Integrating Hedges into Scalable Urban Food Systems

by David Adams, Peter J. Larkham and Michael Hardman

Land 2023, 12(10), 1915; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101915 - 12 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2054

Abstract

Connecting to and extending recent debates around more-than-human thinking, this paper explores how porous boundary treatments and plot layouts might encourage ecological exchanges within new urban and peri-urban developments. This study therefore responds to suggestions for innovative plot designs that facilitate positive trans-species [...] Read more.

Connecting to and extending recent debates around more-than-human thinking, this paper explores how porous boundary treatments and plot layouts might encourage ecological exchanges within new urban and peri-urban developments. This study therefore responds to suggestions for innovative plot designs that facilitate positive trans-species interactions, especially considering wider anxieties surrounding biodiversity loss and recognition of the need for climate-resilient garden spaces. Focusing on a recent example of a large-scale residential development in the English midlands, this paper outlines the socio-economic, cultural and ecological significance of embedding different hedgerow designs into early planning considerations; revealing the need to move beyond current models. The discussion then turns to how such ambitions might encourage sustainable land use, particularly through creating potentially scalable urban agricultural systems that sustain healthy food choices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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21 pages, 7817 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Beyond Biodiversity: Eliciting Diverse Values of Urban Green Spaces in Flanders

by Thomas Bastiaensen, Ewaut Van Wambeke, Camelia El Bakkali, Jomme Desair, Charlotte Noël, Kaat Kenis, Lukas Vincke and Sander Jacobs

Land 2023, 12(6), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061186 - 6 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2534

Abstract

Nature-based solutions are claimed to offer an effective approach to tackle societal challenges and promote biodiversity. While research has mainly focused on biodiversity and material ecosystem services, non-material contributions and relational values of urban green spaces remain underexplored. How to balance the benefits [...] Read more.

Nature-based solutions are claimed to offer an effective approach to tackle societal challenges and promote biodiversity. While research has mainly focused on biodiversity and material ecosystem services, non-material contributions and relational values of urban green spaces remain underexplored. How to balance the benefits of nature, well-being, and relational values in their design and performance evaluation remains unclear. To elicit the values expressed in public communication regarding the benefits of urban nature projects in Flanders, three online repositories that feature diverse nature-based solutions projects in the region were chosen. Using coding and quantitative content analysis of standardized descriptions from these repositories, this study found that relational values were most abundant (55%), followed by instrumental values (30%) and intrinsic values (15%), consistently so over socio-demographic and physical contexts. It was also discovered that larger projects have a higher level of multifunctionality, which is calculated based on the variety of values and value dimensions expressed, and that participation—although considered key—rarely reports on inclusivity. The findings suggest that in Flanders, a greater emphasis is placed on relational values associated with urban nature. A broader value scope for the design, management, and evaluation of urban green spaces tailored to the local context is recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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20 pages, 3800 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Institutional Innovation on a Public Tender: The Case of Madrid Metropolitan Forest

by Sara Romero-Muñoz, Manuel Alméstar, Teresa Sánchez-Chaparro and Víctor Muñoz Sanz

Land 2023, 12(6), 1179; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061179 - 2 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1981

Abstract

The introduction of forests in cities has been an observable trend in recent years, with planned forest management projects proliferating around the world. The fact that many urban forests in the public space are traditionally managed by top-down bureaucratic procedures and guided by [...] Read more.

The introduction of forests in cities has been an observable trend in recent years, with planned forest management projects proliferating around the world. The fact that many urban forests in the public space are traditionally managed by top-down bureaucratic procedures and guided by expert knowledge raises questions about whether green areas should follow the same management approach as other urban infrastructures, such as mobility infrastructures, or whether they should explore a collaborative approach designed to engage diverse stakeholders. This article examines the challenges of innovating in urban forests, changing the management rules that may limit participatory and deliberative processes to support decision-making. In particular, we analyzed how introducing a co-creation stage impacted the traditional competitive public tender procedure in the Madrid Metropolitan Forest project, using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework. Results showed that the costs and benefits of innovation differ among involved actors, generating unintended deterrent effects for experimentation. To mitigate these decoupling effects, we suggest a strategic design of working rules and updating the shared incentive to move from a competitive and transactional logic to a more collaborative and co-creative form of connection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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25 pages, 7611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

(Un)Likely Connections between (Un)Likely Actors in the Art/NBS Co-Creation Process: Application of KREBS Cycle of Creativity to the Cyborg Garden Project

by Manuel Alméstar, Sara Romero-Muñoz, Nieves Mestre, Uriel Fogué, Eva Gil and Amanda Masha

Land 2023, 12(6), 1145; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061145 - 30 May 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3026

Abstract

NBS provides the technical basis for adaptation to climate change, and co-creation is the vehicle for the co-production of knowledge and innovation, both forming a strong binomial for the UE Green Infrastructures Strategy. Nonetheless, one of the main challenges for the implementation of [...] Read more.

NBS provides the technical basis for adaptation to climate change, and co-creation is the vehicle for the co-production of knowledge and innovation, both forming a strong binomial for the UE Green Infrastructures Strategy. Nonetheless, one of the main challenges for the implementation of effective co-creation strategies is the incorporation of knowledge from diverse social systems. Knowledge production has been approached through different methodological models, such as the quintuple helix innovation by Carayannis, or the diffuse/expert knowledge model by Manzini. These theoretical models are based on linear knowledge transfers, without sufficiently depicting alternative knowledge flows among (un)conventional actors. In view of these limitations, the research proposes a third strategy: the KREBS cycle of creativity defined by Oxman is a conceptual map capable of describing knowledge transfers across the four modalities of human creativity (i.e., science, engineering, design, and art). Providing sufficient “creative energy” in a co-creation process would guarantee the successful production of knowledge. Thus, the research seeks to illuminate different co-creation strategies to promote “creative energy” in the design of the Cyborg Garden (CG) in Madrid, giving a novel application to Oxman’s methodological framework based on the Carayannis’s and Manzini’s models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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27 pages, 3213 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

How Effective Risk Assessment and Management Is the Key to Turning Volcanic Islands into a Source of Nature-Based Solutions

by Marta López-Saavedra, Joan Martí and Llorenç Planagumà

Land 2023, 12(3), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030686 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3567

Abstract

Active volcanic islands are particularly vulnerable to multi-risk natural hazards, many of which are anticipated to become more severe as a result of climate change. It is crucial to create and put into action adequate risk mitigation plans based on comprehensive long-term hazard [...] Read more.

Active volcanic islands are particularly vulnerable to multi-risk natural hazards, many of which are anticipated to become more severe as a result of climate change. It is crucial to create and put into action adequate risk mitigation plans based on comprehensive long-term hazard assessments that include nature-based solutions in order to improve societal safety on these islands. Herein, we study the case of Tenerife. After a compilation and analysis of the potential resources of this island, as well as a study of its main natural hazards and how they are currently managed, we have determined that the most viable solutions are nature-based ones. Land management based on prior assessment of the island’s hazards is the key to strengthening Tenerife’s current risk mitigation plans. This will allow for a two-way relationship between the exploitation of sustainable tourism and the education of its population, both oriented toward the conservation of its geological heritage, and will promote the sustainable use of the energy and material resources currently being exploited. This contribution thus establishes the pillars from which to exploit the nature-based solutions offered by Tenerife as the only viable option for its sustainable economic development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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27 pages, 9212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Net Environmental and Economic Impacts of Urban Forests: An Online Decision Support Tool

by Javier Babí Almenar, Claudio Petucco, Tomás Navarrete Gutiérrez, Laurent Chion and Benedetto Rugani

Land 2023, 12(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010070 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2566

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are becoming popular in urban planning and policy making as cost-effective solutions capable of delivering multiple ecosystem services and addressing several societal challenges. So far, however, the cost-effectiveness of urban NBS projects has not been consistently quantified by built environment [...] Read more.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are becoming popular in urban planning and policy making as cost-effective solutions capable of delivering multiple ecosystem services and addressing several societal challenges. So far, however, the cost-effectiveness of urban NBS projects has not been consistently quantified by built environment professionals, who lack user-friendly tools to account for the environmental costs and benefits of NBS. This paper presents a prototype online decision support tool (NBenefit$^®) that calculates the negative and positive environmental impacts, externalities, and financial values of planned urban forests over their entire life cycle. NBenefit$ relies on a modelling framework that combines system dynamics, urban ecology, and life cycle thinking approaches, and it is presented as a visual web-based interface. An online map and a grid of cells is used to map the site of intervention, to delineate the size of the urban forest, and to define variations in abiotic, biotic, and management attributes in each site. Outputs are provided by year, for the entire site and NBS life cycle. The potential value of NBenefit$ as a supporting tool was exemplified with the calculation of 48 urban forest archetypes, a few of which were used to set scenarios for a hypothetical urban forest in Madrid (Spain). The results showcase the impact that decisions taken during the planning, design, or management of an NBS project may have on its long-term performance. Future works will expand the scope of NBenefit$, including other types of urban NBS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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Review

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39 pages, 3314 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Sensing and Measurement Techniques for Evaluation of Nature-Based Solutions: A State-of-the-Art Review

by Vidya Anderson, Manavvi Suneja and Jelena Dunjic

Land 2023, 12(8), 1477; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081477 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2763

Abstract

Sensing and measurement techniques are necessary to study, evaluate, and understand the complex physical and chemical interactions that must occur for the successful deployment of nature-based solutions (NbS). How NbS are measured can determine which solutions best address local environmental and societal challenges, [...] Read more.

Sensing and measurement techniques are necessary to study, evaluate, and understand the complex physical and chemical interactions that must occur for the successful deployment of nature-based solutions (NbS). How NbS are measured can determine which solutions best address local environmental and societal challenges, and how these solutions are prioritized and adopted by decision makers. Sensing and measurement techniques can provide useful meteorological and physiological data on nature-based interventions between different spatial, spectral, temporal, and thematic scales. Because NbS encompass research from across different fields, it is essential to reduce barriers to knowledge dissemination, and enable the circulation of information across different jurisdictions. In this study, a bibliometric and systematic analysis of the literature was undertaken to systemize and categorize sensing and measurement techniques for NbS. Opportunities and challenges associated with studying the effects of NbS have also been identified. Sensing and measurement techniques can provide evidence-based information on the efficacy of NbS, in addition to guiding policy formulation for the achievement of sustainable development across communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planning Sustainable Cities through Nature-Based Solutions)

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