Search Results (25)

Living close to green infrastructure (GI) components might be the dream of many people who are often exposed to cities’ pollution, congestion, or lack of green amenities. Due to its multiple benefits, green infrastructure plays a significant role in driving people’s decisions to leave inner-city areas and move to suburban locations. However, how GI components are used once people move into the suburbs must be better understood. Thus, this study explores residents’ rationales for leaving the inner city and moving to the suburbs and how they use suburban GI components. A survey was undertaken in six suburbs from three European cities: Poznań (Poland), Salzburg (Austria), and Bucharest (Romania). We found that people self-reported that green amenities were the main reason for choosing a suburban residence. Furthermore, those residents who moved to the suburbs were more interested in using their private gardens than larger parks and prefer natural green areas with high potential for recreation to agricultural landscapes for leisure. This study advocates for investment in private green spaces in suburban developments due to their deep interweaving with residents’ leisure preferences. Full article

In this study we focused on the need to fill a knowledge gap among Italian botanical studies namely that of ornamental species census. In particular, we addressed one of the regions in southern Italy with less knowledge in the field of such studies and with an obvious presence of non-native species. A widespread census of the Apulian territory was carried out between 2021 and 2024 in both urban and suburban areas including street trees, parks, and private and historic gardens. The inventory of ornamental trees, shrubs, and succulents of Apulia (southern Italy) was carried out in six provinces, i.e., Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, and Taranto. The checklist comprises 287 taxa (including 265 species, 6 varieties, 5 subspecies, and 11 forms) included in 179 genera belonging to 78 families. We evaluated the number of taxa per families and genera, the presence of each taxa in the provinces of Apulia, the number of taxa per occurrence status, growth forms, geographical origin, and the number of native and alien taxa and also the artificial hybrids. Remarks of the most significant taxa and evaluation of geographical distribution in Italy were also taken into consideration. A large number of surveyed taxa (51.74%) are comprised in the list reported in the recent study on allochthonous vascular flora in Italy with a marked prevalence of Neophyte Casual Alien and Neophyte Naturalized Alien species. Full article

A couple of air quality (AQ) parameters were monitored with two types of low-cost sensors (LCSs) before, during and after the garden fence rebuilding of a dwelling house, located at the junction of a main road and a side street in a suburban area of Budapest, Hungary. The AQ variables, recorded concurrently indoors and outdoors, were particulate matter (PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀) and some gaseous trace pollutants, such as CO₂, formaldehyde (HCHO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Medium-size aerosol (PM_2.5-1), coarse particulate (PM_10-2.5) and indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratios were calculated. The I/O ratios showed that indoor fine and medium-size PM was mostly of outdoor origin; its increased levels were observed during the renovation. The related pollution events were characterized by peaks as high as 100, 95 and 37 µg/m³ for PM₁, PM_2.5-1 and PM_10-2.5, respectively. Besides the renovation, some indoor sources (e.g., gas-stove cooking) also contributed to the in-house PM₁, PM_2.5-1 and PM_10-2.5 levels, which peaked as high as 160, 255 and 220 µg/m³, respectively. In addition, these sources enhanced the indoor levels of CO₂, HCHO and, rarely, VOCs. Increased and highly fluctuating VOC levels were observed in the outdoor air (average: 0.012 mg/m³), mainly due to the use of paints and thinners during the reconstruction, though the use of a nearby wood stove for heating was an occasional contributing factor. The acquired results show the influence of the fence renovation-related activities on the indoor air quality in terms of aerosols and gaseous components, though to a low extent. The utilization of high-resolution LCS-assisted monitoring of gases and PM_x helped to reveal the changes in several AQ parameters and to assign some dominant emission sources. Full article

To mitigate the adverse impacts of urban stormwater on streams, watershed managers are increasingly using low-impact development and green infrastructure (LID-GI) stormwater control measures, such as rain gardens—vegetated depressional areas that collect and infiltrate runoff from rooftops and driveways. Their catchment-scale performance, however, can vary widely, and few studies have investigated the cumulative performance of residential rain gardens for event runoff control in intermediate-sized (i.e., 1–10 km²) suburban catchments. We modeled three years of continuous rainfall-runoff from a 3.1 km² catchment in Columbia, MD, USA, using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Various extents of rain garden implementation at residential houses were simulated (i.e., 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% coverage) to determine the effects on peak flow, runoff volume, and lag time. On average, treating 100% of residential rooftops in the catchment reduced peak flows by 14.3%, reduced runoff volumes by 11.4%, and increased lag times by 3.2% for the 223 rainfall events during the simulation period. Peak flow reductions were greater for smaller storm events (p < 0.01). Our results show that residential rain gardens can significantly improve the runoff response of suburban catchments, and that they represent an effective and relatively low-cost option for urban watershed management and restoration. Full article

It is generally accepted that mycobiota diversity in urban greenhouses is poorer than in natural ecosystems, but our knowledge on this field of research is fragmentary. Here, we present the results of a long-term study of aphyllophoroid macrofungi (Basidiomycota) forming fruitbodies on non-native sub/tropical woody and herbaceous plants in the greenhouses of Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and Ekaterinburg botanical gardens located in the hemiboreal vegetation subzone of Eastern Europe. Over 20 years of research, fruitbodies of 58 species of aphyllophoroid fungi have been identified. Fungal species that developed on the wooden structures of greenhouses and building materials made of local wood are discussed separately. The list of fungi on non-native substrates is dominated by saprobes (93.1% of total list) as well as mycorrhizal with basidiomata on plants (8.6%). Phytopathogens have the lowest number (7.0%), and ¾ of species are widespread locally. Non-native plants are dominated by native fungal species (78.9%), while the percentage of non-native species is low (21.1%). In the three surveyed cities, the area of the studied greenhouses is 2.8 ha, and not a single species of fungi has been found twice on the same substrate. Half of the identified species are characterized by a single specimen (29 species/50.9%). Hymenochaete rheicolor was discovered in Russia for the first time and its known distribution is discussed. Only six (Antrodia gossypium, Hyphodontia arguta, Lyomyces sambuci, Peniophora cinerea, Ramariopsis kunzei, and Trechispora farinacea) local species (10.5%) were collected in all the three cities. The α-diversity of mycobiota (mean number of species per site, Shannon Index, and Menhinick Index) in the Ekaterinburg’s greenhouses is 1.2–3.0 times lower compared to suburban forest parks and old-growth natural forests, while β-diversity (Whittaker Index, Jaccard Index, and Morisita–Horn Index), on the contrary, is 2.1–7.7 times higher. With the plants’ age, the probability of detecting fungi on them increases significantly. In greenhouses, phytopathogenic aphyllophoroid macrofungi are collected on woody plants only, but the probability of their development is not related to the plants’ age. Full article

The rapid and significant expansion of urban areas is observed worldwide; however, considerable differences are detected within the characteristics of the process. The rural–urban fringe is changing most dynamically from the aspect of land use and this tends to be relevant in the case of post-socialist cities in Central Europe even with a stagnating or decreasing population. Debrecen (Hungary) and its hinterland adequately represent the migration trends of Hungarian cities and the great administrative area provided wide intra-urban suburbanization processes. The current study put the emphasis on the analysis of the spatial pattern of built-up areas and the distribution of residents. In order to discover the processes of the post-socialist transition period, detailed point layers were created to illustrate every built-up parcel in the rural–urban fringe of Debrecen (for the years 1980, 2000, and 2020). The most important characteristics were discovered with the help of GIS methods—Kernel-density, grid pattern analysis of the object density, and analysis of land cover/land use changes using Corine Land Cover Change (CLCC) databases. The dynamic and extended expansion of built-up areas was seen until 2000, in which the outskirts (including hobby gardens) densified spectacularly. The urban sprawl has been less intensive since the millennium and the increase in built-up areas has become more concentrated. As a consequence of the transition period, extended territories—primarily the least dense parts of the rural–urban fringe—are faced with the disappearance of buildings due to agricultural cultivation reasons. Full article

Despite the growing interest in Chinese gardens, there is a lack of research on Changsha Gardens. Through document retrieval, review, and map analysis, we reconstructed the Changsha Gardens during the Ming Dynasty. Our findings reveal that gardening flourished in Changsha during this period. The royal gardens, dominated by literati aesthetics, set the trend for development, while the landscaping techniques were influenced by Jiangnan Gardens. Private gardens placed more emphasis on artistic mood and cultural implications. Landscape architects incorporated towers, terraces, and suburban mountain gardening to borrow scenery. The use of spring water to create landscapes and the rectangular shapes of the water bodies reflected Neo-Confucianism and practical functions. Planting design focused on meaning over form, with landscapes used to commemorate sages and promote the farming and reading culture and other Confucian values. However, it relied too much on borrowing natural scenery and the pragmatism of the Hunan culture, which might have affected the progress of landscaping techniques and the development of Changsha Gardens. Changsha Gardens were not as skilled as Jiangnan Gardens, and the style was not as prominent as other regional schools of gardens. This might be the reason why Changsha Gardens have not become one of the regional schools of gardens in China. Full article

Among various heavy metal sources the metallurgic industry is the most threatening because emitted metals presented are the chemical forms in which metals are found in soil are more bioavailable and thus very easily are introduced into the environment and spread in both soils and plants. In this study such a situation is presented and the potential negative effect of emitted metals on soil and vegetables is estimated. Therefore, the following indicators were used: bioconcentration factors calculated for the total amount of metals (BCF) as well as daily intake of metal (DIM) and health risk index (HRI). Analyzed soils and vegetables originated from allotment gardens located at different distances from local industrial plants. The greatest amounts of metals in investigated materials (soils and plants) were found for the industrial zone and the lowest for samples representing the suburban zone. Among the analyzed metals Zn showed the highest (223.94–2645.13 mg·kg⁻¹ for soils and 9.14–49.28 mg·kg⁻¹ for plants), and Cd the lowest levels (1.77–15.2 mg·kg⁻¹ for soils and 0.05–0.46 mg·kg⁻¹ for plants). Regardless of the metal, the lowest BCF values were calculated for plants from the industrial zone and the highest from the urban site. Generally, BCF values calculated for vegetables were low and comparable for carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage. BCF values obtained for beetroots were higher in comparison to other vegetables. Regardless of plants, DIM values for Cd and Pb were low and comparable. DIM values for Cu and Zn were higher, but simultaneously strongly differentiated depending on the analyzed vegetables. A similar tendency was found in the case of HRI. The highest values were recorded for Cu and Zn in tomatoes. Regardless of the individual metals, the calculated values for DIM and HRI indices increased in the following sequence: beetroot < cabbage < carrot < tomato. The Zn and Cu contents in the studied types of vegetables do not exceed the maximum permissible levels recommended by WHO/FAO. In contrast, Pb concentrations were higher than the imposed standards in all the analyzed vegetable samples. On the basis of obtained DIM and HRI indices, consumption of vegetables cultivated in industrial areas should be restricted due to health risks related to heavy metals contained in plants. Full article

Interest in vernacular architecture and vernacular buildings has grown significantly during recent decades. Nevertheless, despite the number of important studies that have been proliferating, there is a lot of material in various geographic localities that still requires further scrutiny. Vernacular architecture in the post-Soviet/post-communist space is one such area. In the Lithuanian context, vernacular buildings have been long neglected and marginalized in research projects, even though traditional Lithuanian architecture (previously often referred to as “folk architecture”) has been quite well-researched and remains an object of interest. There are, however, certain particular forms of contemporary vernacular architecture—urban and suburban in particular—that have rarely been scrutinized for numerous reasons. The former suburb of Šnipiškės, now being converted into a new center of the city of Vilnius, is an area where modern housing and office towers co-exist with older vernacular buildings. Having been constructed in different historical periods and socio-cultural contexts, they represent the features of local vernacular architecture as well as certain relations to rural vernacular architecture. As an urban quarter, Šnipiškės is comparable to the kampungs (or urban villages) that exist in Indonesia and some other countries. The peculiarities of vernacular buildings in Šnipiškės are discussed in this article. The other type of vernacular discussed is the suburban “collective garden” house, largely constructed during the Soviet period when city-dwellers were allowed to maintain small pieces of land for individual semi-urban farming and erect simple structures on their sites. After the fall of the regime, this type of house underwent numerous changes: some of them, designed with the help of architectural professionals, were eventually reshaped and reconstructed by their owners according to the “Do it yourself” principle. Both types represent a culture of contemporary urban and semi-urban vernacular architecture. As cities in the eastern part of Europe, including Lithuania, are undergoing rapid and often heedless transformations, understanding the value of vernacular buildings and preserving some legacy of surviving vernacular structures of various types is culturally important. Full article

Currently, there is no method available that can systematically score the available ecosystem services in streets or street segments in suburban districts. In this study, different climate adaptation measures and their ecosystem services were categorized into green, blue, and grey categories and weight was given to each category based on their impact on the microclimate. This study took place in the Hillesluis district in the city of Rotterdam and the Paddepoel district in the city of Groningen. In Rotterdam, 21 streets, composed of 42 street segments, were assessed. In Groningen, 17 streets, composed of 45 street segments, were assessed. The available ecosystem services of each street segment were scored from 0–100. The scorecard method that was developed and tested during this study provided insight in the variation of available ecosystem services of streets and street segments. Individual street scores were very low in the city of Rotterdam and ranged between 3 and 50, with the average score for the street segments of 29. In Groningen, the scores were considerably higher with a range between 23 and 70, with an average score of 47 per street segment. The presence of larger green trees, front yards, and façade gardens in the green category are the most distinctive variable, while adaptation measures in the blue category were absent in both cities. The scorecard proved to be very useful in the adaptation labeling of street segments and entire streets. After assessing a neighborhood, the least adaptive streets can be identified relatively easy. Based on the score a label can be given between A+++ and G. The scorecard informs residents and decision makers about which streets are most adaptive and which streets have an adaptation potential. The method can easily be duplicated and used by local governments and community groups to have better insight in the level of climate adaptation of their street. Labels for entire streets can be used to create awareness and encourage residents to take action and expand the number of climate adaptation measures in their street. Full article

Nowadays, agricultural landscapes of suburban zones may undergo rapid urbanization that destroys their identity. This phenomenon is particularly problematic for areas connected compositionally with historical residences. The aim of the research is to determine a framework for urban policies appropriate for cultural landscapes of agricultural origin associated with significant historic palace-garden complexes. As an example of such a landscape, the area around the historic Wilanów residence was chosen for study. The research focused on the degree of preservation of the agricultural surroundings of this historic site, the directions of contemporary urban policies towards it, and its potential to provide cultural ecosystem services to local residents and tourists. The research showed that the character of the landscape under study is changing—apart from cultivated fields, wastelands have appeared, indicating a gradual abandonment of agricultural use. The analysis of local spatial development plans confirmed that many fragments of the landscape are not sufficiently protected, which causes their degradation. The study of the potential of this area to provide cultural ecosystem services using statistical methods proved its many values: aesthetic, cultural, educational, spiritual, recreational, and touristic which predestine it to perform Urban Green Spaces and Informal Green Spaces functions. The research was compared to the findings of other authors, studying analogous landscapes. Based on our results, general guidelines were developed for further protection and maintaining function of cultural landscapes of agricultural origin associated with significant historic palace-garden complexes in similar situations to that of Wilanów. Full article

Leafy vegetables cultivated in kitchen gardens and suburban areas often accumulate excessive amounts of heavy metals and pose a threat to human health. For this reason, plenty of studies have focused on low accumulation variety screening. However, identifying specific leafy vegetable varieties according to the foliar uptake of air pollution remains to be explored (despite foliar uptake being an important pathway for heavy-metal accumulation). Therefore, in this study, the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contents, leaf morphology, and particle matter contents were analyzed in a micro-area experiment using 20 common vegetables. The results show that the Pb content in leaves ranged from 0.70 to 3.86 mg kg⁻¹, and the Cd content ranged from 0.21 to 0.99 mg kg⁻¹. Atmospheric particles were clearly scattered on the leaf surface, and the particles were smaller than the stomata. Considering the Pb and Cd contents in the leaves and roots, stomata width-to-length ratio, leaf area size, enrichment factor, and translocation factor, Yidianhongxiancai, Qingxiancai, Baiyuanyexiancai, Nanjingjiangengbai and Sijixiaobaicai were recommended for planting in kitchen gardens and suburban areas as they have low accumulation characteristics. Identifying the influencing factors in the accumulation of heavy metals in vegetables through foliar uptake is important to help plant physiologists/environmentalists/policy makers to select suitable varieties for planting in air-polluted areas and thus reduce their threat to human health. Full article

This paper explores home gardening geography in metropolitan outskirts, seen as a major asset and challenge of the alternative suburban city model. Studies that estimate the domestic production of backyard gardens are scarce, but they all confirm the persistence of an ancient and “ordinary” phenomenon still firmly rooted in the food landscape of the globalised North cities. To fill a gap in European alternative urban and food systems studies, we focus on the case of two subsectors of the extended suburban belt of greater Paris agglomeration. We designed and performed a spatial analysis protocol that differentiates vegetable garden types to test spatial relationships between environmental and intrinsic factors and assess clustering patterns. We had to overcome several methodological barriers by building an original vegetable gardens database and applying distinct qualitative and quantitative methods. Our results show spatial home gardening patterns differentiation at three intertwined levels: At the micro-level of domestic space (according to the size and share of vegetable plots); at the house block level (according to their socio-economic and built environment profile); and at the level of the housing estates or urban agglomeration (according to the geography of social specialisation). Full article

Sustainable stormwater management approaches in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) allow a source control to handle the quality and quantity of the runoff at local level or near the source. The most popular technologies applied in Europe are green roofs, porous pavements, retention basins and bioswales/raingardens. In this article, two of these solutions (retention tank with reuse, and rain garden, respectively), applied to single dwelling case studies in a suburban area in the Silesia Region (Poland), are illustrated and analyzed. The selected cases consider technical and economic aspects as the most important factors for decision on the selection of onsite stormwater management approach. Both systems have been operational for approximately two years. The retention tank proved a good solution, reducing stormwater overflows and allowing local water reuse for lawn irrigation; however, investment and maintenance costs in this case are relatively higher. The raingarden proved to work efficiently in this small scale implementation and implied much lower initial investment and costs. The economic sustainability of these interventions at single dwelling scale was analyzed, showing interesting returns, with outcome depending on the degree of possible water reuse (lower water bills) and availability of fiscal or fee incentives. Introduction of financial incentive schemes will encourage homeowners and developers to implement stormwater control solutions, allowing rapid amortization of investment costs with additional benefits to the community, such as reduced environmental impact of stormwater overflows and possible economies in the construction and management of stormwater systems. Full article

Domestic gardens supply pollinators with valuable habitats, but the risk of exposure to pesticides has been little investigated. Artificial nesting shelters of a red mason bee species (Osmia bicornis) were placed in two suburban gardens and two commercial fruit orchards to determine the contamination of forage sources by pesticides. Larval pollen provisions were collected from a total of 14 nests. They consisted mainly of pollen from oaks (65–100% weight/sample), Brassicaceae (≤34% w/s) and fruit trees (≤1.6% w/s). Overall, 30 pesticides were detected and each sample contained a mixture of 11–21 pesticide residues. The pesticide residues were significantly lower in garden samples than in orchard samples. The difference was attributed mainly to the abundant fungicides pyrimethanil and boscalid, which were sprayed in fruit orchards and were present on average at 1004 ppb and 648 ppb in orchard samples, respectively. The results suggested that pollinators can benefit from domestic gardens by foraging from floral sources less contaminated by pesticides than in adjacent croplands. Full article