Search Results (10)

Understanding the spatial association network structure and carbon balance zoning of land-use carbon emissions (LUCEs) is essential for guiding regional environmental management. This study constructs a LUCE spatial association network for Hubei Province using a modified gravity model to uncover the spatial linkages in carbon emissions. Carbon balance zones are delineated by integrating LUCE network characteristics with economic and ecological indicators. To further examine the network dynamics, link prediction algorithms are employed to anticipate potential emission connections, while quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression analyzes how intercity differences in socioeconomic, ecological, and land-use attributes influence LUCE connectivity. The results reveal a pronounced core–periphery structure, with potential carbon spillover pathways extending toward both eastern and western cities. Based on the carbon balance analysis, six functional zones are identified, each aligned with targeted collaborative mitigation strategies. The QAP results indicate that intercity differences in innovation capacity, industrial structure, and economic development are positively associated with the formation of LUCE spatial networks, whereas disparities in urbanization level, government expenditure, and construction land use are negatively associated with LUCE connectivity. This study provides a differentiated governance framework to address the dual challenges of carbon emissions and land-use transformation in agro-urban regions. Full article

The first flush (FF) phenomenon is commonly associated with a relevant load of pollutants, raising concerns about water quality and environmental management in agro-urban areas. An FF event can potentially transport contaminated water into a receiving water body by activating combined sewer overflow (CSO) systems present in the drainage urban network. Therefore, accurately characterizing FF events is crucial for the effective management of sewer systems and for limiting environmental degradation. Given the ongoing controversy in the literature regarding the delineation of FF event occurrences, there is an unavoidable necessity for further investigations, especially experimental-based ones. This study presents the outcomes of an almost two-year field campaign focused on assessing the water quantity and quality of two combined sewer systems in Northern Italy. For this purpose, various hydro-meteorological variables, including precipitation, flow rate, temperature, and solar radiation, in addition to water quality analytics, were measured continuously to capture stormwater events. Throughout the monitoring period, sixteen stormwater events were identified and analyzed using five indices usually adopted in the literature to identify FF occurrences. The results indicate that there is a strong positive correlation between the mass first flush ratios calculated for nutrients and three factors, including maximum rainfall intensity, maximum flow rate, and antecedent dry weather period. Furthermore, rainfall duration was found to possess a strong negative correlation with the mass first flush ratios calculated for nutrients. However, for the same rainfall event, the occurrence of FF has never been unanimously confirmed by the indices examined in this study. Moreover, different macro-groups of pollutants can behave differently. Thus, it becomes apparent that relying solely on a priori analyses, without the support of data from experimental monitoring campaigns, poses a risk when designing actions for the mitigation of FF occurrences. Full article

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary research which addresses the issue of sustainability within the design of urban agricultural landscapes through the joint solution of architecture and hydro-geomorphology for the management, accessibility and use of urban agricultural landscapes. If the traditional separation between urban and productive land has now been overcome by the inclusion of agricultural areas within the cities, what is still under discussion is how to make its planning sustainable, especially in densely urbanized contexts. This research was developed with a methodology able to combine different types of data in order to satisfy needs relating to the availability of water for land supply and to make this landscape—both rural and urban—accessible to the city. Historical traces, interpretative insights, and hydro-geomorphological reading models of the territory were analysed. Their interweaving has made it possible to develop a prototype of a water and landscape infrastructure that combines a system for subsurface water, cycle–pedestrian paths and small-scale architecture features around the water tanks. The research has been tested in the city of Pozzuoli (NA) in Southern Italy, within the Monteruscello neighbourhood. The result led to a design solution of an integrated system which contributes to implementing the green transition within cities. Full article

Using the Precolumbian lowland Maya model of urban soil connectivity discussed in Part I, we review how soil connectivity can transition into urban planning policy and, by extension, could ultimately become codified as vantages and guidelines for urban design. In Maya agro-urban landscapes, the interspersion of open and green space with construction and paving provides edges (or interfaces) between sealed and unsealed soils at which the potential for soil connectivity manifests. These edges create an undeniable opportunity for urban planning to determine methods, guidelines, and conditions that can enhance soil connectivity. We argue that adequate attention to soils in urban sustainability goals would counteract misconceptions about the compact city paradigm and compensation for soil sealing in urban practice. Through preserving and increasing urban soil availability, proximity, and accessibility, advisory policies can stimulate shared values and everyday behaviours that reinforce the responsible and productive use of urban soils. Such urban planning can enable and encourage widespread participation in urban soil management. To promote policymaking on urban soils, we assess the importance and challenges of using urban green space as a proxy for the presence of urban soils. Our review suggests that urban green space offers high potential for use in urban planning to develop habit architectures that nurture soil-oriented pro-environmental behaviour. However, we also acknowledge the need for consistent and systematic data on urban soils that match sustainable urban development concepts to assist the effective transition of soil connectivity into urban planning codifications. Formulating adequate soil-oriented planning guidelines will require translating empirical insights into policy applications. To this end, we propose methods for enhancing our understanding and ability to monitor urban soil connectivity, including onsite surveys of land-use and bottom-up experience of soils, the mapping of the edges between sealed and unsealed soils, and using landscape ecological scales of analysis. In conclusion, we position soil care and connectivity as a primary task for urban planning and design and digest our findings and empirical vantages into concrete starting points devised as instruments to support urban planning in achieving soil codification. Full article

Peri-urbanization is a global phenomenon strongly linked to socio-demographic and settlement dynamics. Although peri-urbanization is a topic widely debated in academic literature, especially in the field of urban and regional planning, there is no universal definition, and different types and interpretations of peri-urban areas can be found in the literature. Identifying physical limits and boundaries, as well as defining what is peri-urban and what is not, are important issues for planning these spaces at city and metropolitan levels but are not easy to solve due to their heterogeneity. Establishing land use rules for peri-urban areas is a crucial issue for maintaining and fostering primary and vital ecosystem services, especially in terms of functions provided to urban core areas. Developing a replicable method to identify and regulate peri-urban areas, exportable to other European countries, is the aim of this study. In this paper, the authors propose a method applied to the case study of Turin (Italy), based on a collaborative and place-based approach, the identification of certain peri-urbanization conditions, and the definition of rules and guidelines for peri-urban areas, in order to support decision-makers at different levels. These planning tools were adopted by the recent General Territorial Plan of the Turin Metropolitan Area (TMA). In conclusion, the authors highlighted not only the strengths and possible limitations of this method but also the role of the landscape planning approach in terms of the protection and management of peri-urban areas, considering some of the new challenges that will likely involve future peri-urban research and planning practices. Full article

This paper addresses the Multifunctional and Territorialised Agri-Food Systems (MTLAFS) in areas of direct urban influence, focusing on the metropolitan region of Madrid. MTLAFS are contextualised as alternatives to the hegemonic global model of mass production and consumption. They are created by combining two conceptual and theoretical bodies of knowledge that share many elements: the study of Local Agri-Food Systems (LAFS), a critical approach to agri-food economies and the re-territorialisation of agri-food systems. The paper analyses the factors that negatively affect the resilience of LAFS and it describes re-territorialisation strategies that enable MTLAFS to be built. By using a multi-criteria methodology to identify agri-environmental and food governance indicators, the research identifies and describes the characteristics that allow the case studies selected in the region of Madrid to be classified as MTLAFS. This has been carried out by gathering the main discussion points on the fractures and relocation strategies that accentuate the vulnerability or, on the contrary, enhance the resilience of the cases analysed. The paper concludes with some recommendations for strengthening the socio-ecological resilience of MTLAFS by using the systemic basis provided by the agro-urban project. This agro-urban project brings together different public policies, governance tools, territorial and food planning, as well as agrarian practices anchored to each specific territory. All these agrarian practices contribute to the configuration of an alternative territorial agri-food model that ensures food security and a shift towards the sustainable development of our planet. Full article

The relationship between food and cities has been recognized as an area of interest for urban planning only recently, thanks to measures adopted at various government levels, locally and internationally. Rethinking the processes of food production, distribution, sale, consumption and recycling in a sustainable and socially equitable way can contribute to making cities fairer, healthier and more resilient to climate change. Starting from these premises, our contribution explores, in particular, the hypothesis that rethinking the relationship between food and urban space can provide an opportunity to promote socio-spatial regeneration processes of public housing neighbourhoods, through projects and actions that involve their inhabitants. This hypothesis is argued starting from a project experience developed in Borgo San Sergio, a district of Trieste, Italy, which aims to consolidate and enhance practices of cultivation and distribution of food, but also of environmental education. The aim of the project is to create a short supply chain in which social agricultural enterprises are involved. The critical reflection stemming from the case study outlines some possible fields of intervention for an urban planning practice aimed at bringing the food system back to an urban and local scale—downscaling—with social and environmental justice goals consistent with the European Green Deal. Full article

Numerical models are employed widely to evaluate the hydrological components of a watershed but, traditionally, watershed models simplify either surface or subsurface flow module. In this setup, as a bridge between groundwater and surface water regimes, aquifer recharge is the most affected segment of the water balance. Since the watershed processes are increasingly changed, the need for a comprehensive model with detailed conceptualizing capacity of both groundwater and surface water flow systems is growing. This work focuses on the spatiotemporal groundwater recharge assessment in gauged and ungauged agro-urban watersheds in South Korea using the updated SWAT-MODFLOW model, which integrates the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT2012) and Newton–Raphson formulation for Modular Finite Difference Groundwater Flow (MODFLOW-NWT) in a single executable code. Before coupling, the setup, calibration, and verification of each model were performed separately. After integration, irrigation pumps and drain cells mapping to SWAT auto-irrigation and subbasins were initiated. Automatic calibration techniques were used for SWAT and MODFLOW-NWT models, but a manual calibration was used for the integrated model. A physical similarity approach was applied to transfer parameters to the ungauged watershed. Statistical model performance indicators revealed that the low streamflow estimation was improved in SWAT-MODFLOW. The spatiotemporal aquifer recharge distribution from both the stream seepage and precipitation showed a substantial change, and most of the aquifer recharge occurs in July–September. The areal annual average recharge reaches about 18% of the precipitation. Low-lying areas receive higher recharge consistently throughout a year. Overall, SWAT-MODFLOW exhibited reasonable versatility in evaluating watershed processes and produced valuable results with reasonable accuracy. The results can be an important input for policymakers in the development of sustainable groundwater protection and abstraction strategies for the region. Full article

The aim is to conduct a descriptive, population-based study in order to assess temporal and spatial changes in mortality due to granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) in Spain from 1984 to 2016. Mortality data were obtained from the Spanish Annual Death Registry. Deaths in which GPA was the underlying cause were selected using the 446.4 and M31.3 codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revision. Annual average age at death and age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated. Geographic analysis was performed at municipality and district level. Variations in mortality according to the type of municipality (urban, agro-urban or rural), district and geographic location (degrees of latitude) were assessed using standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and smoothed-SMRs. Over the whole period, 620 deaths due to GPA were identified. Age at death increased at an average annual rate of 0.78% over the period 1987–2016 (p < 0.05). Age-adjusted mortality rates increased by an annual average of 20.58% from 1984 to 1992, after which they fell by 1.91% a year (p < 0.05). The agro-urban category had the highest percentage (4.57%) of municipalities with a significantly higher GPA mortality rate than expected. Geographic analysis revealed four districts with a higher risk of death due to GPA, two in the North of Spain and two in the South. This population-based study revealed an increase in the age at death attributed to GPA. Age-adjusted mortality rates went up sharply until 1992, after which they started to decline until the end of the study period. Geographic differences in mortality risk were identified but further studies will be necessary to ascertain the reasons for the distribution of GPA disease. Full article

In the major U.S. and European cities (e.g., Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, London, Paris, etc.) that since 2007 have been feeling the effects of the international economic crisis, regeneration processes have been set up thanks, among other things, to the synergic impact generated by urban agriculture (UA). There are numerous and greatly varied effects, linked to localization, that are consistent with the paradigm of sustainable development, although the sporadic, spontaneous, and discontinued nature of UA conditions its capacity to strongly influence an entire community. With a view to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of urban agriculture, and to facilitating its planning, this study puts forward the implementation of an organized and multifunctional agro-urban system. The consent of the population involved is vital for the creation and implementation of the system, therefore ascertaining not only the existence but also the level of social appreciation of this resource is of paramount importance. With the aim of providing a suitable methodology for ascertaining the social appreciation of the stakeholders in the agro-urban system, the paper puts forward a deliberative monetary appraisal that combines an economic valuation based on hypothetic scenarios with direct, inclusive, and dialogic approaches. In this paper we present: (1) a general overview of the main characteristics of urban agriculture and related problems; (2) the principal methodological elements for defining and planning an agro-urban system; and (3) guidelines for a deliberative appraisal procedure related to an agro-urban system. Full article