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Urban Green Space and Sustainable Forest Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (3 December 2024) | Viewed by 9062

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Landscape Management, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: landscape management; forest management; recreation and tourism; nonwood forest products; environmental protection
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Guest Editor
Department of Landscape Architecture, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, ul. Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: design; construction; maintenance and protection of urban green areas; green roofs; woodlots; vegetation of green areas and recreation comfort

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The main scope of this Special Issue is to combine the topic of urban green spaces (UGSs)—urban parks and gardens, woodlots, etc.—with the specifics of the sustainable management of municipal forests.

Historically, the principle of sustainability indicates that a forest’s production should be managed to a specific limit in order to prevent as much undesirable damage as possible to the residual stand and overall ecosystem, and the detailed regulations (such as annual allowable cut, improving logging methods, and forest zoning) are determined based on the concepts of guiding principles [5]. Ecologists, economists, landscape architects and planners, as well as social scientists agreed on the broad definition of urban green spaces (UGSs), which contain public and private open spaces in urban areas primarily covered by vegetation and directly (e.g., active or passive recreation) or indirectly (e.g., positive influence on the urban environment) available for the users [1]. Globally, a dramatic demographic shift towards urbanization is occurring [2]. Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of people living in urban areas is projected to rise from 46.6 to 69.6% [3]. The following fulfil a vital role in the relationship between citizens and urban green: (a) behavior pattern; (b) the level of perception on the part of the residents towards the green system in their city; and (c) the social representations which they construct within their social context [4].

The European Commission has adopted the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 [6] as a flagship initiative of the European Green Deal [7]. The New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 aims to “set a vision and concrete actions to improve the quantity and quality of EU forests and strengthen their protection, restoration and resilience”. The Strategy places forest demands in the context of changing environmental conditions due to climate change and meeting socio-economic needs.

The articles published in this Special Issue will present new ideas in urban green areas and forest management.

Reference:

  1. Tuzin, B.; Leeuwen, E.; Rodenburg, C.; Peter, N. The Pulsar Effect. Proceedings of the 38th International Planning Congress on Planning with Peaks, Athens, Greece, 21–26 September 2002.
  2. Galea, S; Vlahov, D. Urban health: evidence, challenges and directions. Annu. Rev. Public Health  2005, 26, 341–65.
  3. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision.  Available online: https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/unpd_egm_200801_presentation_heilig.pdf (accessed on 1 February 2023).
  4. Lalli, P. L’ecologia del pensatore dilettante. Rappresentazioni sociali della natura e dell’ambiente; Clueb: Bologna, Italy, 1995.
  5. Ong, R.C.; Lagan, P.M.; Glauner, R.; Kleine, M.; Uebelhör, K. Examples of sustainability criteria for dipterocarp forest management. In Dipterocarp forest ecosystem: towards sustainable management; Schulte, A., Schöne, D., Eds.; World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.: Singapore, 1996, pp. 274–292.
  6. New EU Forest Strategy for 2030. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, COM(2021) 572 Final; European Commission: Brussels, Belgium, 2021. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52021DC0572&from=EN (accessed on 1 February 2023).
  7. The European Green Deal. COM(2019) 640 Final; European Commission: Brussels, Belgium, 2019. Available online: https://www.eea.europa.eu/policy-documents/com-2019-640-final (accessed on 1 February 2023).

Dr. Jitka Fialova
Dr. Jan Łukaszkiewicz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • sustainability
  • bioeconomy
  • urban forests
  • visitors
  • citizens

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 18578 KiB  
Article
Spatial Justice of Urban Park Green Space under Multiple Travel Modes and at Multiple Scales: A Case Study of Qingdao City Center, China
by Shimei Li, Xueyan Zeng, Xiaoguang Zhang, Jiancheng Jiang, Furong Wang, Tianci Zhang and Jiacheng Zhang
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1428; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041428 - 8 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1286
Abstract
Improving the justice of public parks is of great significance to the well-being of residents, and it is also an important goal of green space planning. In this paper, the spatial justice of park green space under five travel modes and at three [...] Read more.
Improving the justice of public parks is of great significance to the well-being of residents, and it is also an important goal of green space planning. In this paper, the spatial justice of park green space under five travel modes and at three scales was analyzed using the travel-behavior-based Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method (TB-G2SFCA) and Gini coefficient method for Qingdao City Center. The main results are as follows: Under walking mode, walking–bus mode, and walking–subway mode, there were unserved areas in terms of urban park green space, while there were no unserved areas in the cases of cycling and driving. Residents’ choice of travel time and travel mode would affect the service scope of the park green space, and the increase in travel time would reduce the unserved areas in the urban park green space. The choice of travel time and travel mode affected the accessibility of urban park green space for residents in each residential patch, as well as the justice of the distribution of park green space resources at the scales of street blocks, districts, and the whole study area. The increase in residents’ travel speed and travel time could promote the equitable allocation of urban park green space to a certain extent. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for the planning and construction of urban park green space in Qingdao City. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Space and Sustainable Forest Management)
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11 pages, 6295 KiB  
Article
Foraging Routine of Two Common Urban Birds on Berries of Exotic Livistona chinensis: A Winter Supplement in an Urban Landscape
by Amin U. Khan, Fiza Pir Dad, Ramla Hasnain, Faiza Sharif and Asma Mansoor
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14521; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914521 - 6 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1441
Abstract
Chinese Fan Palm, Livistona chinensis, was introduced as an ornamental plant towards the end of the nineteenth century in Pakistan, and since then, it has been used as a popular plant in urban landscaping. It dominates the green belt of parks, recreational [...] Read more.
Chinese Fan Palm, Livistona chinensis, was introduced as an ornamental plant towards the end of the nineteenth century in Pakistan, and since then, it has been used as a popular plant in urban landscaping. It dominates the green belt of parks, recreational gardens and road verges in Lahore, Pakistan. Recent trends in the plantation of fast-growing palm species and other exotics have replaced L. chinensis in urban landscaping. In this study, observations made on the daily routine of foraging of L. chinensis berries by two common urban birds, the red vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) and the house crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), showed that their consumption of berries peaked in December and January, but the duration of foraging was shown to be longer in house crows as compared to red vented bulbuls. This period of consumption corresponds to the time when the pulp of the berries has become soft, and during this period, no other fruits are available in the urban landscape. Nutrient analysis showed that the pulp of the ripened berries is a rich source of nutrients, and these berries are providing an ideal winter food to counter the increased energetic demands experienced by urban birds during the coldest part of the year, thus helping birds avoid the risk of starvation. This dietary intake of berries by birds also provides a rationale to popularize L. chinensis as an essential component of the planting palette of the urban landscape. This research can be considered as starting point for broad public support to improving landscape planning for managing nature in cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Space and Sustainable Forest Management)
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14 pages, 2059 KiB  
Article
Artificial Intelligence and Urban Green Space Facilities Optimization Using the LSTM Model: Evidence from China
by Shuhui Yu, Xin Guan, Junfan Zhu, Zeyu Wang, Youting Jian, Weijia Wang and Ya Yang
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8968; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118968 - 1 Jun 2023
Viewed by 2538
Abstract
Urban road green belts, an essential component of Urban Green Space (UGS) planning, are vital in improving the urban environment and protecting public health. This work chooses Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to optimize UGS planning and design methods in urban road green belts. [...] Read more.
Urban road green belts, an essential component of Urban Green Space (UGS) planning, are vital in improving the urban environment and protecting public health. This work chooses Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to optimize UGS planning and design methods in urban road green belts. Consequently, sensitivity-based self-organizing LSTM shows a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 1.75, 1.12, and 6.06, respectively. These values are superior to those of LSTM, XGBoost, and SVR. Furthermore, we configure three typical plant community models using the improved LSTM model and found that different plant community configurations have distinct effects on reducing PM 2.5 concentrations. The experimental results show that other plant community configuration models have specific effects on reducing PM 2.5 concentrations, and the multi-layered green space with high canopy density in the community has a better impact on PM 2.5 reduction than the single-layer green space model with low canopy density. We also assess the reduction function of green road spaces on PM 2.5, which revealed that under zero pollution or slight pollution (PM 2.5 < 100 μg.m−3), the green space significantly reduces PM 2.5. In UGS planning, the proposed model can help reveal UGS spatial morphology indicators that significantly impact PM 2.5 reduction, thereby facilitating the formulation of appropriate green space planning strategies. The finding will provide primary data for selecting urban road green space plant configuration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Space and Sustainable Forest Management)
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Review

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20 pages, 1725 KiB  
Review
Taxonomy Regulation as a New Instrument for the Sustainable Management of the Forest Environment in Europe
by Jarosław Brożek, Anna Kożuch, Marek Wieruszewski, Roman Jaszczak and Krzysztof Adamowicz
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 8799; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208799 - 11 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1203
Abstract
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament, also known as the Taxonomy Regulation, facilitates environmentally sustainable investments. It is part of the concept of the European Green Deal and a ‘tool’ for financial institutions, enterprises, and investors, facilitating the assessment of the environmental [...] Read more.
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament, also known as the Taxonomy Regulation, facilitates environmentally sustainable investments. It is part of the concept of the European Green Deal and a ‘tool’ for financial institutions, enterprises, and investors, facilitating the assessment of the environmental impact of a particular project. The Regulation contains the criteria an activity must meet to be considered environmentally sustainable. The role of the Taxonomy Regulation is to enable the flow of public and private capital towards ecological and sustainable activities. The document does not need to be implemented into the legal order of individual EU member-states, which results in its direct application. The main financial instruments enabling the achievement of the goals of the Taxonomy Regulation may be green bonds and other forms of capital raising by entrepreneurs and forest ownership structures. The assumption of the Regulation is to achieve the principles of sustainable environmental activity when spending funds obtained from private investors. It is an issue of key significance to identify the areas of management and financial accounting in the operational activities of forest enterprises that can be qualified for the Taxonomy Regulation. Forestry activities, including the processes mentioned therein, the objectives of the New EU Forest Strategy, and the LULUCF Regulation, are to play an essential role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The role of forestry in the supply chain in its broad sense is also considered. Forestry and forest management can receive capital for sustainable development due to the threat resulting from exclusions that strengthen the protective function of the forest (the protection of biodiversity). These processes will occur at the expense of production and numerous social functions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Space and Sustainable Forest Management)
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16 pages, 3649 KiB  
Review
Extensive Green Roofs (EGRs) and the Five Ws: A Quantitative Analysis on the Origin and Evolution, Aims, Approaches, and Botanical Views
by Amii Bellini, Flavia Bartoli and Giulia Caneva
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031033 - 25 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1735
Abstract
Extensive Green Roofs (EGRs) are nature-based solutions that provide several environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. This review of about 1430 scientific papers, based on the five Ws, When, Where, Why, Who, and Which, aims to understand how [...] Read more.
Extensive Green Roofs (EGRs) are nature-based solutions that provide several environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. This review of about 1430 scientific papers, based on the five Ws, When, Where, Why, Who, and Which, aims to understand how interest in these important green infrastructures originated and developed, as well as the nature of such academic research. Special attention was paid to the way researchers approached plant selection. Furthermore, this review made a detailed quantitative evaluation of the growth in interest for such green infrastructures within the scientific literature, which began mainly in Europe around the middle of the last century before spreading to America and Asia, growing rapidly during recent decades. The main impulse behind the study of EGRs came from the fields of engineering and architecture, especially on the themes of thermal mitigation and runoff reduction. In decreasing order, we found the categories aimed at ecological and environmental issues, substrate, and pollution reduction. We also found little evidence of collaboration between different disciplines, with the result that botanical features generally receive little attention. Despite the ecological benefits of plants, not enough attention has been given to them in the literature, and their study and selection are often limited to Sedum species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Space and Sustainable Forest Management)
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