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21 pages, 8568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Productive Landscape in the Desert Margin for the Sustainable Development of Rural Settlements: An Innovative Greenbelt for Maranjab Desert in Iran

by Mahnaz Sarlak, Laura Valeria Ferretti and Rita Biasi

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2077; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042077 - 15 Feb 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3958

Abstract

About two billion rural individuals depend on agricultural systems associated with a high amount of risk and low levels of yield in the drylands of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Human activities, climate change and natural extreme events are the most important drivers [...] Read more.

About two billion rural individuals depend on agricultural systems associated with a high amount of risk and low levels of yield in the drylands of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Human activities, climate change and natural extreme events are the most important drivers of desertification. This phenomenon has occurred in many regions of Iran, particularly in the villages in the periphery of the central desert of Iran, and has made living in the oases so difficult that the number of abandoned villages is increasing every year. Land abandonment and land-use change increase the risk of desertification. This study aims to respond to the research questions: (i) does the planning of green infrastructures on the desert margin affect the distribution and balance of the population? (ii) how should the green belt be designed to have the greatest impact on counteracting desertification?, and (iii) does the design of productive landscape provide the solution? Through a wide-ranging and comprehensive approach, this study develops different scenarios for designing a new form of green belt in order to sustainably manage the issues of environmental protection, agricultural tradition preservation and desertification counteraction. This study proposes a new-traditional greenbelt including small low-cost and low-tech projects adapted to rural scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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21 pages, 6417 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Re-Inventing Water–Ground Relations in Landscape Architecture Projects

by Fabio Di Carlo, Alfonso Giancotti and Luca Reale

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10358; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410358 - 11 Dec 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 6226

Abstract

In recent decades, the relationship between soil and water has been at the center of many landscape architecture projects and, more in general, of urban transformation. With an ever-increasing recurrence, the interventions reflect on the positive effects of this dialectic, to the point [...] Read more.

In recent decades, the relationship between soil and water has been at the center of many landscape architecture projects and, more in general, of urban transformation. With an ever-increasing recurrence, the interventions reflect on the positive effects of this dialectic, to the point of making it the constitutive element, both in terms of morphologies and of the reciprocal conditions of quality and resilience, combining ecosystem effects and cultural values. This paper thus examines some cases where the use of these elements has assumed the role of “raw material” in those design processes where they are called to specifically question the relationship between nature and human settlements. Three case studies, which with different declinations represent turning points and paradigmatic passages in this context, are here analyzed: the Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam, the Cheong Gye Cheon canal in Seoul, and the Candlestick Park in the San Francisco Bay. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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25 pages, 9495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil and Water as Resources: How Landscape Architecture Reclaims Hydric Contaminated Soil for Public Uses in Urban Settlements

by Isotta Cortesi, Laura Valeria Ferretti and Federica Morgia

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8840; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218840 - 24 Oct 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 7493

Abstract

Soil is one of the fundamental components for life on Earth, but today, as a consequence of humans’ unsustainable actions, soil is polluted, distressed and spoiled. In contemporary practice design, we recognize the importance of the soil quality to structure new discourses in [...] Read more.

Soil is one of the fundamental components for life on Earth, but today, as a consequence of humans’ unsustainable actions, soil is polluted, distressed and spoiled. In contemporary practice design, we recognize the importance of the soil quality to structure new discourses in landscape practice. The central role in this process is undoubtedly played by the value a healthy soil has for the community and for the environment. The strategic design of wet and hydric landscapes is certainly an essential aspect for the regular and exceptional management of the effects produced by pollution and climate change. The research develops the soil as a key subject in the landscape design, specifically in hydric environments where water represents an important factor. The essay is divided into three parts: resources and opportunities of disturbed wet soil, successfully built public space where soil remediation transformed heavy polluted industrial urban sites in fertile public ecosystems within the dense urban structures, and soil design as a domain of urban resilience. The landscape project as an integrated project has spread the seeds of a new approach to the consideration of the contemporary city in an ecological manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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22 pages, 4285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SiSMI Project–Technologies for the Improvement of Safety and the Reconstruction of Historic Centres in the Seismic Area of Central Italy

by Cristina Imbroglini, Lucina Caravaggi and Leone Spita

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7852; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197852 - 23 Sep 2020

Viewed by 2169

Abstract

The project SISMI-Tecnologie per il miglioramento della Sicurezza e la ricostruzione dei centri Storici in area sisMIca (technologies for the improvement of safety and the reconstruction of historic centres in the seismic area)–aims to provide tools and methods for risk reduction and seismic [...] Read more.

The project SISMI-Tecnologie per il miglioramento della Sicurezza e la ricostruzione dei centri Storici in area sisMIca (technologies for the improvement of safety and the reconstruction of historic centres in the seismic area)–aims to provide tools and methods for risk reduction and seismic improvement of Lazio’s cultural assets and centres, causing research, intervention policies, and planning to interact in order to support reconstruction choices and foster dialogue with local parties and enterprises. One of the SISMI project’s main elements of innovation consists of preparing modes of integration of knowledge and assessments relating to the various components of a territory’s vulnerability and seismic hazard that can be used in other seismic territories. SISMI project, tested in seismic territories of Central Italy, is a methodology of integrated, multidimensional, and transdisciplinary investigation, in the conviction that the safety of the territory and of historic and cultural assets is the result of a dynamic risk reduction process capable of guaranteeing and promoting the local communities’ resilience, in which both physical/structural and sociocultural elements collaborate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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15 pages, 1514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Forms of Land Grabbing Due to the Bioeconomy: The Case of Brazil

by Eva Cudlínová, Valny Giacomelli Sobrinho, Miloslav Lapka and Luca Salvati

Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3395; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083395 - 22 Apr 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5150

Abstract

The present study discusses new forms of land grabbing related to biofuel production in the light of bioeconomic development. With a specific focus on Brazil, this article debates whether biofuel production is associated with (i) an expansion of agricultural land use—regarded as a [...] Read more.

The present study discusses new forms of land grabbing related to biofuel production in the light of bioeconomic development. With a specific focus on Brazil, this article debates whether biofuel production is associated with (i) an expansion of agricultural land use—regarded as a process of unsustainable crop intensification or (ii) an increase in crop yield, driven by technical innovation with stable land use—intended as a form of sustainable intensification. We conclude that, in the case of Brazil, the current bioeconomy cannot be assumed to be environmentally sustainable. Starting from Brazil’s experience, the (apparent and latent) relationship between bioeconomy and land grabbing requires a refined investigation in both wealthier and emerging economies, with the aim of proposing effective strategies to achieve truly sustainable development in the primary sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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17 pages, 2152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon Mineralization under Different Saline—Alkali Stress Conditions in Paddy Fields of Northeast China

by Sining Wang, Jie Tang, Zhaoyang Li, Yuqing Liu, Zihao Zhou, Jingjing Wang, Yunke Qu and Zhenxue Dai

Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 2921; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072921 - 6 Apr 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3422

Abstract

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization (conversion of carbonaceous material to carbon dioxide) plays a central role in global carbon cycle. However, the effects of SOC mineralization under different saline–alkali stress conditions are poorly understood. In order to understand the carbon mineralization processes, four [...] Read more.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization (conversion of carbonaceous material to carbon dioxide) plays a central role in global carbon cycle. However, the effects of SOC mineralization under different saline–alkali stress conditions are poorly understood. In order to understand the carbon mineralization processes, four paddy fields with different saline and alkali degrees were chosen as the experimental samples and the soil CO₂ emission fluxes at nine different time steps of the whole simulation experiment were observed. The physical and chemical properties of soils of four field conditions were compared for the dynamic changes of CO₂ flux in the progress of paddy field cultivation simulations. The results showed that the first three fields (P1, P2, and P3) were weakly alkaline soils and the last one (P4) was strongly alkaline soil. The SOC content of each plot was significantly different and there was a near-surface enrichment, which was significantly negatively correlated with the degree of alkalization. The accumulation process of the SOC mineralization during the incubation time was consistent with the first-order kinetic model. In the initial stage of mineralization, the amount of CO₂ released massively, and then the release intensity decreased rapidly. The mineralization rate decreased slowly with time and finally reached a minimum at the end of the incubation period. This study indicates that the SOC mineralization process is affected by a variety of factors. The main factors influencing SOC mineralization in the saline–alkaline soils are the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), followed by enzyme activities. Salinization of the soils inhibits the rate of soil carbon cycle, which has a greater impact on the carbon sequestration than on the carbon source process. The intensity and completeness of the SOC mineralization reactions increase with increasing SOC contents and decrease with increasing ESP levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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18 pages, 2614 KiB

Open AccessCommentary

Going toward Resilience? Town Planning, Peri-Urban Landscapes, and the Expansion of Athens, Greece

by Samaneh Sadat Nickayin, Antonio Tomao, Giovanni Quaranta, Luca Salvati and Antonio Gimenez Morera

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10471; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410471 - 15 Dec 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4220

Abstract

The long-term expansion and the evolution of town planning of a contemporary European metropolis (Athens, Greece) has been analysed in this study in order to evaluate how sustainable urban growth has been taken into account in sequential strategic master plans. During the last [...] Read more.

The long-term expansion and the evolution of town planning of a contemporary European metropolis (Athens, Greece) has been analysed in this study in order to evaluate how sustainable urban growth has been taken into account in sequential strategic master plans. During the last decades, the mostly unplanned urban growth and massive housing construction have favoured a slow evolution towards a less compact and mono-centric spatial asset, typical of several Mediterranean cities. Despite efforts to guide urban growth, a series of structural challenges have remained: (i) a gap between planning and implementation; (ii) a gap between spatial planning and socio-economic planning; (iii) a relevant pressure on natural environment; (iv) a lack of participatory planning. In order to face these problems, current strategies for the city of Athens try to foster city resilience providing guidelines for more sustainable management of the built and natural landscape. In particular, the Resilience Strategy for 2030 proposes a list of actions to improve the well-being of citizens and to increase sustainability at the urban and territorial levels. A major role was given to the enhancement of the environmental quality of the metropolitan area and to the involvement of inhabitants in the various phases of decision-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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19 pages, 2005 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceCommentary

A New ‘Lexicon’ of Land Degradation: Toward a Holistic Thinking for Complex Socioeconomic Issues

by Gianluca Egidi, Luca Salvati, Pavel Cudlin, Rosanna Salvia and Manuela Romagnoli

Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 4285; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104285 - 23 May 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3569

Abstract

Land degradation is perceived worldwide as a key process of resource depletion, representing a paradigmatic issue in national and supra-national political agendas for the 21st century in both advanced and emerging economies. Trying to delineate a ‘new lexicon of land degradation’, the present [...] Read more.

Land degradation is perceived worldwide as a key process of resource depletion, representing a paradigmatic issue in national and supra-national political agendas for the 21st century in both advanced and emerging economies. Trying to delineate a ‘new lexicon of land degradation’, the present study contributes to a holistic thinking of driving forces in local communities and regional contexts through a refined analysis and discussion of (apparent and latent) factors of land degradation. Rethinking the importance of five notions (time, space, scale, systems, and response) having an intimate linkage with land degradation allows a refined understanding of socio-environmental dynamics and the most appropriate actions to combat (or mitigate) land resource depletion. The conclusions summarize the rationale proposed in this work, and provide a brief outlook on future research addressing land degradation, its drivers and consequences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Ecosystem Services, Land Planning, Landscape Design and Management)

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