Urban Horticulture and Nature-Based Solutions for Better Cities

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 10275

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, DISAFA, Horticulture and Landscape, University of Turin, UNITO, Largo Paolo Braccini, 2 (TO), Grugliasco, 10095 Torino, Italy
Interests: horticultural sciences; advanced production systems; protected cultivations; urban horticulture; postharvest of fresh produce
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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest, and Food Sciences, DISAFA, Ornamental Crops and Landscape Design, University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
Interests: landscape and urban horticulture; urban greening; parks and gardens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanization and land consumption, together with the increase of people living in and around cities, have enhanced the need to take care of the quality of the urban environment. Urban horticulture plays an important role in this context, defining what, where, and how plants must be used in order to provide multiple ecosystem services for the society. In this framework, nature-based solutions are promoted as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits” (IUCN). The aim of this Special Issue is to collect innovative scientific evidence on the application of ecosystem services and nature-based solutions approaches in urban horticulture, discussing challenges and opportunities for the future growth and management of sustainable urban greening. Reviews, as well as methodological and case studies are welcome in order to discuss the multifunctional role of urban green areas in providing food, biodiversity, pollination, climate change mitigation, water management, air quality, education, and well-being. Guidelines for planning and designing urban greening will also be considered.

Prof. Dr. Silvana Nicola
Dr. Federica Larcher
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nature-based solutions
  • environmental monitoring
  • edible cities
  • innovation
  • resilience
  • adaptation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 7116 KiB  
Article
The Role of Canary Island Date Palms in Physical Amenity Provisioning for Urban Landscape Settings
by Dirk H. R. Spennemann
Horticulturae 2021, 7(7), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7070201 - 19 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3425
Abstract
Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) have been planted as a landscaping feature plant throughout warm, temperate, and subtropical climates. The physical amenity provisioning of this species (shade effects, microclimate amelioration, water usage, etc.) has so far not been systematically assessed. [...] Read more.
Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) have been planted as a landscaping feature plant throughout warm, temperate, and subtropical climates. The physical amenity provisioning of this species (shade effects, microclimate amelioration, water usage, etc.) has so far not been systematically assessed. This paper reports on temperature and humidity measurements in both a suburban and a rural location in SE Australia. The study demonstrates the effects of the palm canopy as regulator of humidity and provider of shade and, thus, amenity values in urban landscape settings. Drawing on published energy savings and growth requirements of the plant, the paper argues that Canary Island date palms are landscaping plants suitable to ameliorate the microclimate in urban neighborhoods with varied socio-economic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Horticulture and Nature-Based Solutions for Better Cities )
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16 pages, 21508 KiB  
Article
Perceptions of Urban Green Areas during the Social Distancing Period for COVID-19 Containment in Italy
by Federica Larcher, Enrico Pomatto, Luca Battisti, Paola Gullino and Marco Devecchi
Horticulturae 2021, 7(3), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7030055 - 18 Mar 2021
Cited by 52 | Viewed by 5764
Abstract
The scientific community recognizes that urban green areas play an important role in supporting human wellbeing. Green spaces are used differently by citizens accordingly to their age, gender, education, or lifestyle. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic period in 2020, public green areas [...] Read more.
The scientific community recognizes that urban green areas play an important role in supporting human wellbeing. Green spaces are used differently by citizens accordingly to their age, gender, education, or lifestyle. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic period in 2020, public green areas were closed due to the limitations imposed by social distancing in Italy and people were forced to stay at home. The aim of this research was to investigate the importance of public green areas in the life of the population in relation to the limits imposed during the first lockdown in Italy. A participatory approach was used, and an online questionnaire focused on people’s perceptions about the public attendance in green areas and their main uses pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 emergency period was administrated randomly to the adult population. The questions focused on the habit, frequency, and duration of park visits and about the individual perceptions and feelings about the green areas close (maximum 200 m distance) to their residences. A total of 3286 responses were obtained and analyzed at national and regional levels (Piemonte). In order to have a general national overview, a basic descriptive statistic was applied using all answers, elaborated in the form of percentages. At the regional level, questions were selected and compared to determine if answers were in related. Statistical analyses with chi-square tests and correspondence analyses were performed. The results indicated that the social distancing period for COVID-19 containment in Italy influenced perceptions about urban green areas. The importance of having outdoor green spaces was highlighted and an increase in interest about urban green areas was observed. Future planning strategies will have to consider the need of designing urban green areas for having more livable cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Horticulture and Nature-Based Solutions for Better Cities )
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