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[Display omitted] • We offer insights into public willingness to pay for landscape benefits. • People are willing to pay 22-28 euro a year for 2%-4% increase in coverage of new public forest in their municipality. • The paper combines participatory mapping and choice experiments to value preferences and improve economic understanding. • Outdoor activities often occur near homes, highlighting forest landscapes' key role for residents. • Rural residents value landscape services that provide nearby activity spaces and reduce travel to basic services. Like ecosystems, landscapes provide benefits that significantly influence human well-being. However, these benefits are often taken for granted and not accounted for in monetary terms. This project explores how local communities use the surrounding landscapes and the frequency and value of using different types of landscapes for various activities. In a participatory mapping questionnaire, inhabitants of 6 research areas in the Lower Silesia region indicated places where they carry out different activities in selected types of landscapes. Using a discrete choice experiment, we then investigated the public's willingness to pay for increased provision of landscape services related to the landscape's spiritual, educational, cultural, aesthetic, and recreational value. Respondents perform the highest number of activities in landscape units where they live. The value of forest landscape is highest, and it is also perceived as multifunctional. There is a significant difference between urban, suburban, and rural respondents, especially in valuing travel time to basic facilities and the importance of place of social integration. Results guide directions for future changes in local landscapes as well as considerations for identifying and valuing landscape benefits in different landscape types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of blue–green infrastructure (BGI) is essential for mitigating urban heat islands; however, it encounters operational challenges that demand effective, locally-adapted strategies. Existing literature does not completely assess the factors influencing the cooling mechanisms of blue, green, and integrated BGI types across various local climate zones (LCZs). This study evaluates the most influential characteristics shaping the cooling potential of BGI according to different LCZs, considering BGI characteristics (type, geometry, spatial density, vegetation features) and basic weather conditions. We focused on all BGI components in Wroclaw, Poland using the PlanetScope time-series from April to October (2020–2023). The thermal characteristics were analyzed using Landsat 8/9 time-series land surface temperatures. The variations in urban morphology were assessed using the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools LCZ Generator. BGI cooling characteristics such as high-intensity cooling distance and intensity, cooling area, and the cooling efficiency were calculated using a custom Python script based on the ArcPy library and a watershed algorithm. The results indicate significant variations in the impact of the studied characteristics on cooling effectiveness, depending on the LCZ and BGI types. The most pronounced cooling was observed in highly urbanized LCZs. Larger and more densely vegetated BGI objects with complex shapes exhibited stronger cooling effects. The presence of water within the BGI significantly enhanced cooling potential. Despite the impact of basic weather conditions, the hierarchy of the influence of BGI characteristics remained consistent. This holistic approach may enhance our understanding of cooling mechanisms in various types of urban development. • BGI objects are identified using GEOBIA and categorized by LCZ and BGI type. • Four cooling effect indicators are calculated using the watershed algorithm. • BGI characteristics are evaluated for cooling effectiveness using PCA. • Effectiveness of BGI characteristics vary by LCZ and BGI type. • The hierarchy of BGI characteristics remains consistent in all weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Analysis of landscape changes in Poland (2005–2020), with political, socio-economic, and cultural forces as key drivers. • Study combined quantitative mapping and qualitative surveys to assess landscape changes and their driving forces. • Political, socio-economic, cultural, technological, and natural forces shaped urban, rural, and mosaic landscapes differently. • Political forces were found to be the most significant drivers of landscape changes in the studied period. • Urbanization, afforestation, and succession were seen positively, while industrialization received more negative views. Over past 20 years analysis of driving forces of landscape change have become a popular research topic, but there is still insufficient amount of research on this issue in the countries of Eastern Europe. This is all the more important as a number of factors have accelerated changes in the landscape in the countries that have joined the European Union in recent years. The results of the research presented in the article concern the identification of those forces that significantly influenced the shape of changes from the perspective of residents living in different types of municipalities from the Lower Silesia region. The research approach used was to identify the landscape transformations that took place in the 3 time intervals 2005–2010, 2010–2015, 2015–2020, and then to present them in the form of a questionnaire to the inhabitants of the 6 municipalities that lived in the study area during the study period, asking them to identify which of the indicated phenomena or processes contributed to the indicated landscape transformations. The driving forces most often indicated by residents of the analyzed municipalities can be categorised as political forces (40.66 %), socio-economic forces (20.74 %) and cultural forces (16.61 %). However, the results showed differences in the reported drivers of landscape change depending on the type of landscape in which the changes occurred. In urban landscapes, the proportion of cultural drivers increased significantly, in contrast to agricultural or forest landscapes where natural and political forces were more important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although the macroeconomic consequences of short-term fiscal stimulation packages have been thoroughly analysed in the literature, still relatively little is known about their environmental effects. We discuss an important channel through which short-run expansionary fiscal policy influences greenhouse gas emissions. We show that fiscal policy exerts its impact not only by increasing general level of economic activity, but also by changing the composition of factors of production – capital and labour. Using the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model of economy, we demonstrate that fiscal expansion results in a shift from capital-intensive to more labour-intensive technologies. Our panel study proves that the latter tends to be associated with lower emissions of greenhouse gases per unit of production. Hence, our analysis demonstrates that an extensive use of fiscal stimulus during recessions can significantly reduce the environmental burden of the additional units of GDP. Highlights • The short-term fiscal stimulation packages shift economies from capital-intensive to more labour-intensive technologies. • We empirically show that labour-intensive technologies are associated with lower emissions per unit of production. • Fiscal policy, due to its impact on labour-capital mix, is an environment-friendly tool of boosting the economies. • Expansionary fiscal measures can significantly reduce emissions that are associated with additional units of GDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing landscape units and their characteristics is essential for understanding the interaction between landscape assessment and land use policy. By identifying the groups, types and sub-types of landscape character units, we attempt to qualify the characteristics and values of the landscape in the municipality of Popielów, Poland. Due to a variety of natural and cultural heritages in the research area, land use policy requires a holistic approach, and preserving landscape values remains a top preservation task. Priority landscapes were calculated by assessing three evaluation criteria: unique cultural values, unique natural values and representativeness. The results showed that land use policy and development plans have negative, neutral and positive impacts on priority landscapes. Negative impacts largely occurred on agricultural landscapes through the introduction of new functions, such as the area of exploitation, service buildings and production facilities. Neutral impacts included new residential housing, tourism services and production in small villages. Positive changes in the landscape included the expansion and increased connectivity of forest areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic literature review aimed to investigate the extent to which transport-related interventions induced a reduction in car use. Both qualitative synthesis and meta -analysis were employed. The synthesis included 31 original studies, while the meta -analysis included 21. Of the qualitatively synthesised studies, 74 % demonstrated that interventions were effective in reducing car use. The pooled estimates of the effects showed a significant reduction in car usage with a mean effect size of Hedges' g = -0.117 (p = 0.024). The effect strongly varies across the studies due to considerable heterogeneity (I2 =.98, with a 95 % prediction interval from −0.589 to 0.355). At the moderator level, no significant differences were identified in the mean effect sizes for any subgroups, and the key factors could not be distinguished. The current body of evidence highlights that transport-related interventions can significantly influence car usage reduction, while literature suggests that this may benefit environment and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Steel reinforced polyurethane (SRPU) is an innovative composite material which comprises a unidirectional steel textile and a polyurethane matrix. By the virtue of the high flexibility of the polyurethane, which redistributes the shear stresses between reinforcement and substrate, SRPU has recently proved effective for specific externally bonded strengthening applications. The long-term SRPU bond performances, however, have not been sufficiently investigated to date. Nevertheless, they are of the utmost importance for mitigating the risks and the costs associated to damage and repair/substitution in the long-term. This is crucial for the sustainability of the building stock and of the rehabilitation measures developed for its lasting safeguarding. In this work, the durability of the bond of SRPU applied to masonry substrates was investigated. Single-lap shear bond tests were carried after drying, immersion in alkaline or substitute ocean water solutions, exposure to high humidity, and freeze-thaw cycles. Bond tests and SEM and EDS analyses showed that artificial aging did not generally affect the SRPU bond performance. The zinc coating, however, proved sensitive to the prolonged attack of alkali, which modified the interface between steel cords and polyurethane, suggesting the need of protecting the fabric by a complete covering with the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing interest and application is nowadays found for composite systems in construction and rehabilitation industry. The consensus on fibre reinforced composite systems was mainly based on high tensile strength, light weight, relative ease of installation, and resistance to corrosion. However, some drawbacks related to the epoxy (hence, organic) matrices of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) have been solved by inorganic ones yielding to novel fibre reinforced composites. In these materials the composite action is mainly achieved through mechanical interlock between the matrix (e.g. a cement- or a lime-based mortar or a geopolymer with the option of chopped fibres and/or low-content polymer addition) and the mesh-like fibrous structure (a textile) that allows the mortar to protrude through the grid's openings. Aiming at the investigation of the mechanical properties and the development of testing procedures for this new family of materials (termed herein as Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM)) the present paper presents the results of an extensive experimental program on different combinations of basalt fibre textiles and inorganic matrices organized by RILEM TC 250-CSM (Composites for the Sustainable strengthening of Masonry) involving ten European laboratories. The tests involve more than 100 specimens: half are tensile tests and the other half are bond tests carried out on prisms made of clay bricks, on three different basalt-based FRCM configurations comprising readily available commercial systems provided by different producers. The scope of this work is aimed not only at presenting a comparative performance assessment of different Basalt FRCM systems, but also at providing meaningful criteria to reliably design and analyse retrofit applications. The relevant round robin test program provides valuable data generated during the experimental activity and statistical analysis thereof; then, based on the various testing approaches employed, the advantages/drawbacks of certain testing factors are summarized and critically assessed, reflecting the experience of involved institutions. It is believed that this represents a crucial step in improving knowledge on innovative retrofit applications and developing standard test methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibre-reinforced composite materials have gained an increasing success, mostly for strengthening, retrofitting, and repairing existing structures. However some problems may arise with the use of traditional FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer), particularly when the compatibility with the substrate and the reversibility of the intervention are required, as in case of cultural heritage buildings, or specific exposition conditions may compromise the long term effectiveness of the reinforcement, as in presence of high temperature and humidity. Starting from these considerations new composite materials are emerging as a more effective solution in certain fields of application and under specific service conditions; in this context, mortar-based composite systems, consisting of one or more layers of uni- or bi-directional fibre nets embedded in cement/lime-based matrix layers, can be used as reinforcement of both concrete and masonry structures. However, the research work dealing with these emerging materials and their performances when used as a strengthening system for existing structures is still limited. Both experimental and theoretical investigations are needed in order to deliver reliable design methodologies. In this work, a Round Robin Test aimed to the characterization of both bond with the existing substrate and tensile performance of glass fabric (in the form of grids) coupled with inorganic mortar matrices is presented. The investigation was conducted at fifteen laboratories involved in the RILEM Technical Committee 250-CSM (Composites for the Sustainable Strengthening of Masonry). With the aim of studying the bond behaviour between Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) composites and masonry substrate, single and double lap shear tests were carried out on brick-masonry prisms. Results provide useful informations about the mechanical properties, the bond capacity and the failure mechanisms of different commercially available glass FRCM systems. Finally, critical aspects are underlined to address the progress of the research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]