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The Algerian urban renewal policy, supported by the law on urban orientation, aims to rebuild the city on itself to exploit urban wastelands. From this perspective, open spaces, wastelands, and urban interstices become major planning issues; their requalification makes it possible to ensure the economic management of space and to improve the attractiveness of the city. The results of this article are based on a case study represented by the "Modernization Plan of the Metropolis of Constantine". This new development strategy is primarily based on a program of activities centered on the rehabilitation and upgrading of central urban spaces, as well as the residential proximity of central districts, and the realization of international significant projects that would change the city's image and bring it into the modern era. Ideally, urban public places should be designed to promote unity rather than division. conviviality and community involvement among cities are significant for urban development projects.

The Algerian urban renewal policy, supported by the law on urban orientation, aims to rebuild the city on itself to exploit urban wastelands. From this perspective, open spaces, wastelands, and urban interstices become major planning issues; their requalification makes it possible to ensure the economic management of space and to improve the attractiveness of the city. The results of this article are based on a case study represented by the "Modernization Plan of the Metropolis of Constantine". This new development strategy is primarily based on a program of activities centered on the rehabilitation and upgrading of central urban spaces, as well as the residential proximity of central districts, and the realization of international significant projects that would change the city's image and bring it into the modern era. Ideally, urban public places should be designed to promote unity rather than division. conviviality and community involvement among cities are significant for urban development projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike urban planning processes have actively used empirical approaches, the urban park design and planning still uses the conceptual research approach; therefore, discrepancies often arise between the designer's intention and real phenomena. In this work, we examine and propose a trade-off method for sustainable urban park design and planning that integrates conceptual and connectivity analyses, specifically for the Yongsan Park master plan. Yongsan Park is a mega-scale urban park project with a unique history as being a military post-industrial site for a long time. To re-link the isolated park site to current urban context, the park connectivity requires careful consideration both conceptually and empirically during the design and planning process. We used the spatial network analysis and statistical methods to investigate the potential visitation proposed by the park master plan and to understand the correlations with built environment factors. The results indicate that an iterative process is needed between conceptual design ideas and empirical connectivity analyses to properly reflect the designers' intent and improve the long-term outcomes of large urban park design and planning. The trade-off method also provides insights of the urban planning strategies for nearby neighborhoods to enhance park connectivity and potentially contribute to the park management phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions in Malaysia are escalating due to rapid urbanisation wherein their sources are claimed to be generated by the construction industry, including urban park development. Upon completion of the urban park project, the vegetation will supposedly function immediately as a carbon sequester. However, the processes of building, maintaining, and renewing built features and plantings can emit additional carbon dioxide (CO2) than the storage. Rigorous CO2 release across the maintenance and renewal stages may be contributed by park management activities, such as planting grooming, built feature rectification, and park maintenance works. This study investigated carbon footprint derived from built features and planting works during the construction, maintenance, and renewal stages of park management. Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya and Taman Aman Petaling Jaya were chosen as the study sites as they were located at urban areas. Continued use of the parks resulted in a swift deterioration of its facilities, whereby this scenario would ensure recurrent maintenance and renewal works were conducted for them. As-built drawings were utilised to identify the lists of inventories and work breakdown structure for every built feature and planting work to approximate the indirect CO2 emissions, which was aided by EToolLCD software. This study revealed that the amount of CO2 sequestered by the manicured vegetation was only 28.7% out of the total CO2 emission produced since its construction stage. Hence, urban parks can be perceived as a carbon source instead of a carbon sink medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of the 20th century, most industrial cities faced a massive phase of de-industrialisation, resulting in abandoned areas. However, these areas, rich in history and heritage, can represent significant resources for the regeneration of entire territories. Adaptive Reuse (AR) is one of the most appropriate strategies for the sustainable regeneration of brownfield sites: it gives new life to a 'dead' land, extending its use value so that it can continue to be enjoyed both by present and future generations. Decision-making processes concerning Industrial Heritage Adaptive Reuse (IHAR) cannot ignore the role that 'intrinsic value' plays in orienting development choices in such areas. Adopting participatory decision-making processes enables the inclusion of different values and interests of the stakeholders and, at the same time, increasing their awareness about the decision-making problem, thus reducing conflicts. This contribution intends to propose an evaluation framework to assess the multidimensional impacts of IHAR, considering the different values characterising them, and to support decision-making processes for the identification of the 'preferable' transformation scenario. This evaluation framework is applied, through the use of the TOPSIS multi-criteria evaluation method, in the case study of the ex-Italsider area in Bagnoli district (Naples, Italy), an industrial steel plant decommissioned in the early 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressing challenges posed by climate change in Cabanatuan City, including extreme flooding events, necessitate a multifaceted approach to mitigation. While traditional flood control infrastructures were implemented, they may carelessly lead to unintended consequences, emphasizing the need for a balanced and sustainable strategy. Drawn inspiration from the solutions of sponge city as the umbrella concept using Ecopuncture and Japan's evolving flood control methods, the integration of green spaces, particularly the integration of wetlands emerged as a promising solution. From these inspirations, the researcher carefully formulated considerations for extreme flood events and adopted relevant criteria in determining the most suitable locations for flood retention and green spaces in the City of Cabanatuan, this paper exhausted solutions and approaches from works of literature addressing issues aligned with climate crisis specifically flood mitigation. With practices and criteria applicable to the locale of the study adopted, the researcher was able to analyze available maps and the most significant flooding over time in the city which delineated the flow of the flood, susceptible areas to flooding considering elevation were determined, and finally the researcher was able to recommend locations for wetland parks that are suitable to demonstrate the intent of flood mitigation thru the integration of green spaces, reconnection between people and the river, and introduction of added parks with a hybrid approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gender & Development is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Phitsanulok has been renowned for its leadership in urban green space development. Phitsanulok Central Park (PCP) is the latest urban park project initiated in 2012 to enliven the unused green spaces and to create connection to the waterfront. PCP was developed to become the new city landmark that is: 1) engaging with diverse user groups o by offering a variety of activities for people from all ages, 2) inclusive for everyone especially those with disabilities for having safe and convenient access to PCP, and 3) meaningful to enhance place identity by linking to the urban heritage and being a learning environment. The incorporation of design strategies in PCP is investigated to demonstrate how three design principles are embedded in the main features of this urban park. The analysis of PCP's elements was performed according to nine design strategies. It is found that PCP consists of engaging, inclusive, and meaningful spaces as the new urban park offers places for children to play, adults to enjoy and seniors to relax. It also gives opportunities for all users including the disabled people to conveniently access, have social interaction, connect to the city's history, share memorable moments together, and learn about environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of Ecosystem Services (ES) for the population's well-being have been studied from different perspectives. One of these perspectives is the relationship between urban green areas and levels of well-being among users of urban parks. The objective of this study was to analyze possible associations between the perception of cultural ES and aspects related to well-being among users of a set of urban parks in a Latin American metropolis. 481 surveys were carried out with users of ten urban parks in the City of Recife, Northeast Brazil. The questions addressed the profile of the visitors, the perception of the characteristics of the parks, the influence of ES on environmental dimensions, the self-perception of health, and the willingness to pay (WTP) for the benefits of the services. Data were analyzed in Stata 14, and four ordinal logistic regression models were generated. The results showed that the better the self-perception regarding mental health and stress levels, the greater the perception of the benefits of ESs in parks. Also, it was evidenced that more acceptance of WTP was correlated with a better perception of ES. The findings suggest that users of urban parks in the studied metropolis know the benefits of ES, associating them with improvements in well-being and urban environmental quality. These results can serve as a base line for decision-makers to incorporate the value of ES in urban planning strategies, especially in the context that the management of urban parks in the city will be granted to non-governmental actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taman Saujana Hijau (TSH), Putrajaya is a 41-ha urban park planted with various coniferous species from around the world. Insect pests and disease incidences of this park are unknown and there is a need for an evaluation of the health status of this urban park. This study assessed the level of pest and disease incidents of coniferous species in 12 plots of 7 species (Araucaria bidwilii, Araucaria haterophylla, Araucaria cunninghamii, Pinus caribaea, Pinus merkusii, Podocarpus polystachyus, and Podocarpus costalis). Termites, canker disease, and foliar disease are three major problems. The highest pest and disease incidence (PnDI) was foliar disease with a 0.49 coefficient correlation between the total number of trees and the PnDI, followed by canker disease with 0.40, and termites with 0.36. Of the seven conifers, A. haterophylla was the most infected followed by A. bidwilii and A.cunninghamii. It was concluded that the incidence of pests and diseases in TSH was moderate. To our knowledge, this may be the first baseline inventory of pests and diseases of coniferous species in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research dealt with the concepts of time and architectural thought and the extent of the influence of Ideas derived from the element of time on the variation and differentiation of architectural movements and schools, by reviewing a group of vocabulary such as nostalgia, present, and looking forward to the future, the null of the present and immortality in architecture and the null or deferred future, and the study of the duration of its reflection on architectural thought to lead to the differentiation of each of the architecture of Mesopotamia, Classical architecture, Modern architecture, Postmodernism, and Autonomous architecture, Deconstruction architecture according to these terms. The problem of the research was the lack of clarity on the influence of the element of time and its role in the differentiation of architectural thought. The main goal of the research is to focus on the role of the element of time in the differentiation and uniqueness of architectural thought. As for the research hypothesis, it focused on emphasizing the role of thought that distinguishes time in the differentiation of architectural thought, which in turn guarantees the uniqueness of societies, and the most important finding of the research is that Classical architecture is distinguished by its interest in the principle of nostalgia, and that there are some trends in Contemporary Iraqi Architecture based on the principle of nostalgia represented by nostalgia for formal elements, and that modern architecture urged in most of its buildings nostalgia for the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apart from offering a positive impact on general well-being, public parks play critical roles in community and social. The previous study has always focused on the parks' effect on property values, which is quantifiable, but little is known about the profit-able value of public parks on the urban community, particularly in the context of business activity. This research aim is to discover the potential of public parks for a business activity for the community in Kuala Lumpur as a case study. Therefore, the research objectives are: i) To identify the attributes factors of business activity in public park, ii) To determine the types of business activity. The research employed a quantitative approach by distributing online questionnaires to the random urban community. Significantly, 170 respondents have responded to the questions based on the sampling method applied for the random size of the population. The findings show that park attributes are derived from the aspects of attracting the urban community to public parks and influencing business activity through community participation. The urban community prefers to have added program value as part of the park's business activity while also recognizing the value of preserving passive activities by not over-commercializing the park. The findings also show that repurposing a public park as a business district can be innovative, but it takes preparation and a suitable system from the park's management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals undergoing healthcare-related quarantine often experience heightened anxiety and stress. While biophilic indoor environments have shown potential in reducing stress, their effectiveness within healthcare quarantine settings remains uncertain. Additionally, the economic value associated with implementing biophilic interventions in healthcare environments remains largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the effects of biophilic interventions in indoor quarantine environments on the perceived outcomes of individuals (such as preference, perceived restorativeness, and satisfaction) and their willingness-to-pay (WTP). Participants were asked to imagine themselves in quarantine and were subsequently assigned to one of four indoor rooms, each featuring a different level of biophilic intervention (non-biophilic, low, medium, and high indoor green). Their perceived outcomes and WTP were then evaluated. The findings consistently demonstrated that incorporating biophilic interventions had a significantly positive impact on perceived outcomes and WTP compared with non-biophilic interventions within healthcare quarantine settings. Among the three levels of biophilic intervention, high indoor green spaces had the highest influence, while low indoor green spaces had the lowest. Moreover, perceived restorativeness consistently played a role in influencing WTP across all three biophilic indoor rooms. Further analysis indicated that a medium level of biophilic intervention would be more advantageous and practical in the design of healthcare indoor environments. This study offers valuable insights into both the monetary and nonmonetary values of biophilic interventions in healthcare settings, aiding designers in selecting appropriate biophilic designs to create enhanced restorative indoor environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proximity and access to urban green spaces (UGSs) provide city dwellers with multiple benefits related to health and well-being. Understanding what (and how) characteristics of these spaces affect individuals' perceived preferences and sense of well-being (subjective well-being) could be critical for relevant future planning interventions, policy design, and investments in green spaces. This scoping review aims to summarize, synthesize, and compare previous research findings about the application of (stated) preference-based methods, using non-market valuation techniques (e.g., willingness-to-pay methods), and non-preference-based measures of well-being (e.g., subjective well-being) to evaluate UGSs. By comparing these two methodologies, we aim to explore the differences and similarities among the determinants of benefits associated with UGS design and planning. We also seek to identify the most commonly used research approaches for measuring and/or projecting the impact of (new or rejuvenated) UGSs on people's welfare and well-being. The review focuses on peer-reviewed empirical scientific work published during the period from 2010 to 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green infrastructure of the city of Novi Sad is characterized by a significant presence of ornamental invasive alien species, which might lead to their uncontrolled spread and suppression of autochthonous dendroflora. This study aimed to determine the ecosystem services and disservices of ornamental dendroflora in Novi Sad, as well as how they can affect urban green areas. Of the total ornamental dendroflora in Novi Sad, 88.33% of species with a good adaptation were determined, while 10% had a medium and 1.67% had a very good adaptation. Thirty-four allochthonous species showed very high (38.24%), moderate (47.06%), and low (14.71%) invasive potential according to the conducted invasiveness risk assessment. These species are also characterized by high (2.94%), moderate (67.65%), and low (29.41%) allergenic potential. On the contrary, 26 ornamental autochthonous species are characterized by moderate (38.46%) and low (61.54%) rates of spread on public green areas, while also characterized by high (26.92%), moderate (50%), and weak (23.08%) allergenic potential. Ornamental dendroflora provides many more positive ecosystem services, such as urban afforestation, climate regulation, decorative-aesthetic value, air and water purification, ecotourism and recreation, and other services that are of great benefit to the residents of that city. The highest calculated values of ecosystem services in allochthonous and autochthonous species were 27 and 26.5 (out of possible maximal value 40), while ecosystem disservices accounted down to the value of − 13.5 (out of possible minimal value − 22). Therefore, intrinsic disservices such as the production of large amounts of green waste of ornamental dendroflora can be shifted into a novel ecosystem service–green solutions based on nature, to avoid unsuitable deposition of seeds in the soil and creation of suitable vegetation on public green areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gyeongui Line Park is an urban park project that the City of Seoul has adopted as a means to revitalize declining neighborhoods. This study aims to analyze the project's effects on housing prices. Unlike extant hedonic studies, this analysis focuses on revealing the heterogeneous effects of the project by the development process, from inception to completion, to understand when and to what extent the park has influenced housing values in the host neighborhood. Findings indicate that the Gyeongui Line Park project has resulted in generally positive externalities to both apartments and multi-family dwellings, with the magnitude varying by relative locations. The effects differ according to the project's phase and housing type: in the apartment market, values increased about 15% per 100-m approach to the park, starting with the announcement of the park's procurement plan in 2006; continued to increase through Phase I completion; then decelerated to 0–3% at the beginning of Phase II construction. For multi-family homes, the project corresponded with positive, but smaller increases on housing values (about 2%) starting with Phase I construction in 2012, with the magnitude remaining at 1–2% from 2012 to the present. Findings from this study and its methodology will be valuable in determining the course of future planning efforts to maximize the positive effects of projects in urban revitalization practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons for visiting the urban park Antonis Tritsis in Athens, Greece, focusing on visitors' motives and perceived characteristics of the park. When urban parks are located in areas that are particularly densely populated are characterized as green lungs and are easily accessible to the residents of the municipality. Therefore, the aim of the study is to analyze both the motives and perceived characteristics that visitors attribute in the case of the biggest urban park in Athens, Greece. Design/methodology/approach: The survey was conducted from August 2018 to March 2019 and the responses of 377 visitors were collected. Antonis Tritsis Park is the largest metropolitan park in the Attica, Greece. A principal component factor analysis was used and two-factor models were developed to determine the reasons for visiting the Tritsis Park. Findings: The application of factor analysis revealed the presence of three components in case of the motives for the visit and six components concerning the perceived characteristics of the park. Results suggest that visitors' motives are related to environmental and social benefits. The park contributes to increased real estate value. Educational and cultural activities are also found as important benefits, whereas lack of safety and limited infrastructure are considered important barriers to revisit the park. Research limitations/implications: Recognizing the motivations of visitors, policymakers will be able to configure the park infrastructure according to the stated preferences. Practical implications: Recognizing the motivations of visitors and the perceived characteristics of the park, policymakers will be able to configure the park infrastructure according to the stated preferences. If the services provided by the Tritsis Park are based on the preferences of its visitors, their satisfaction can be maximized and consequently improve the quality of life and contribute to sustainable development. Originality/value: The innovation of the study is to analyze not only the perceived positive characteristics of the park but also barriers that affect visitors' revisit intention toward the urban park of Antonis Tritsis. This is important in the case of metropolitan areas because the researchers understand what benefits are provided to them and how public administration should manage barriers to visiting urban parks so as to promote effective sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces provide multiple benefits but incur some negative impacts. We employed the contingent valuation method to investigate Hong Kong residents' willingness‐to‐pay to improve urban green space provision. A questionnaire collected 316 responses from urban‐park visitors. It assessed perceptions of positive benefits and negative impacts and influences on willingness‐to‐pay. Health benefits attracted top scores, followed by environment and ecology. For negative impacts, road safety ranked first, followed by risks and hazards, and health and sanitation concerns. More educated and younger respondents were more willing to pay. One third of respondents, mainly the less educated and older people, registered protest votes for diverse reasons. Logistic regression was used to analyse the probability of positive bids with a socio‐demographic model and an extended model incorporating explanatory perception variables. Ordinal regression identified willingness‐to‐pay determinants. Both statistical tests found perceived environmental and ecological benefits as key willingness‐to‐pay predictors. The perceived negative impacts of health and sanitation concerns were correlated with willingness‐to‐pay, indicating a desire to improve and contradicting past studies and expectations. The results highlighted the importance of exploring willingness‐to‐pay from a rarely studied perspective of valuating the potential improved utility of urban green space through suppressing negative impacts. The findings can inform park and urban management to meet user expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous urban expansion, the conversion of open land to built-up areas and increased energy consumption have diversified the microclimates of cities. These phenomena combined with climate change hazards increase the vulnerability of cities, in a spatially heterogeneous way. Therefore, cities should become more resilient to those threats, by identifying and prioritising highly vulnerable areas. The main purpose of this study is to develop a spatial-based approach to assess the vulnerability of climate-related hazards in the urban environment of Thessaloniki (Greece). In this context, spatial and temporal patterns of land surface temperature were estimated through the calculation of various spectral indices, to conduct an analytical Urban Heat Island vulnerability assessment. Furthermore, the FloodMap-Pro application was used to identify coastal areas that are vulnerable to sea level rise, while historical floods were digitised in order to identify potential urban (flash) flood zones. The most important outcome of this paper is the creation of an integrated spatial vulnerability index, which identifies the urban areas that are prone to all these hazards. The final vulnerability map illustrates how the city of Thessaloniki is exposed to several climate-related hazards and that many areas/neighbourhoods are prone to one or more risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the impermeable sidewalk area increases in urban areas, diverse problems related to water occur. The purposes of this research were to increase the rainwater infiltration rate through water balance analysis and estimate the runoff coefficient according to land cover types in urban parks. The regression equations and runoff coefficients relative to the rainwater infiltration rate were estimated according to the land cover types and applied to eight urban parks. In the results of the experiment, the runoff coefficient was 0.245 for vegetation areas, 0.583 for permeable sidewalks, 0.963 for sidewalk blocks, and 1.000 for impervious sidewalks, which had 100% outflow. The results show that the vegetation area in urban parks is significantly related to rainfall–runoff, infiltration, and evapotranspiration. The average of eight urban parks was 126.52 mm, indicating that 11.80% of the rainfall was recharged into groundwater. Additionally, the average runoff rate was 498.56 mm, indicating that 46.52% was leaked externally. Therefore, it is suggested to decrease the impermeable sidewalk areas in urban parks. Additionally, extending the waterway, swamp, and gravel sidewalk areas is suggested. Urban parks should be developed in order to contribute to hydrological control through the water balance in urban land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration development of urbanization, the infrastructure construction plays an increasingly crucial role in the expansion process of cities. However, the existing decision-making methods of urban infrastructure investment still stay at the static level, resulting in a huge waste of resources, which does not meet the needs of dynamic urban development and management. Based on geometric Brownian motion, option function and the theory of real option, this paper establishes a dynamic differential optimal investment opportunity decision model applied to urban infrastructure construction. An example was then conducted to test the operability and application of the proposed model. The results confirm that the proposed approach contributes to improving the scientificity of urban infrastructure planning and construction, and realizing the maximization of infrastructure's social value. Meanwhile, this paper contributes to promoting the development of city infrastructure investment decision-making methods from static to dynamic, and from partial to overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of En Blanco: Revista de Arquitectura is the property of Universidad Politecnica de Valencia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Focusing on the low-cost nature of social media participation, previous studies have described social media as providing opportunities for nonprofit organizations to gain support for their campaigns, such as asking to click a button. However, the question remains whether and how social media participation subsequently encourages community-based (offline) participation. Extending previous studies' focus on the actual cost of social media participation, we examine how perceived costs and benefits of social media participation motivate individuals to participate in community-based participation. Our analysis of two-way between-subjects ANCOVA demonstrated that the perceived benefits of initial social media participation, rather than its actual or perceived costs, drive individuals to identify with the issue and engage in subsequent community-based participation. This finding suggests that the meaning of social media participation does not lie in whether it allows for low-cost actions, but in how individuals perceive and appreciate the benefits from their actions and identify with the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequality in the spatial distribution of urban greenspaces occurs globally, with greater greenspaces in neighbourhoods with higher socioeconomic status. This is problematic, as greenspaces provide numerous ecosystem services, including benefits to human health. However, greenspaces can also trigger allergenic responses, inducing negative economic, medical, and social costs. Using geospatial information, we investigated 91 elementary schools in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to answer: (1) Does the amount and type of greenspaces and greyspaces surrounding schools vary with median household income? and (2) Does the surface area of allergenic greenspace surrounding schools vary with median household income? We characterized landcover within a 300 m radius of public elementary schools using a high spatial resolution urban landcover map of Vancouver derived from a combination of RapidEye imagery from 2014 and airborne laser scanning. Beta regression and analysis of variance models were used to explore associations between household incomes and greenspaces, as well as allergenic vegetation near schools. Schools in areas with higher median annual household incomes (>$80,000 CAD) were surrounded by an average of 14% more greenspaces and 16% less greyspaces than schools located in areas with lower household incomes (<$50,000 CAD). Schools in higher income areas were also surrounded by an average of 81% more cover of allergenic vegetation than schools in lower income areas. Greenspaces are a valuable source of ecosystem services for urban residents and should be distributed equally to optimize their benefits; however, they must be planned carefully to avoid the introduction of disservices from allergenic vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased urbanization and human population growth of the recent decades have resulted in the loss of urban green spaces. One policy used to prevent the loss of urban green space is ecological compensation. Ecological compensation is the final step in the mitigation hierarchy; compensation measures should thus be a last resort after all opportunities to implement the earlier steps of the hierarchy have been exhausted. Ecological compensation should balance the ecological damage, aiming for a "no net loss" of biodiversity and ecosystem services. In this study, we develop a simple model that can be used as tool to study the welfare effects of applying ecological compensation when green space is at risk of being exploited, both at an aggregate level for society and for different groups of individuals. Our focus is on urban green space and the value of the ecosystem service--recreation--that urban green space provides. In a case study, we show how the model can be used in the planning process to evaluate the welfare effects of compensation measures at various sites within the city. The results from the case study indicate that factors such as population density and proximity to green space have a large impact on aggregate welfare from green space and on net welfare when different compensation sites are compared against each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban Green Spaces (UGS) can be a source of ecosystem service provision that exerts a positive impact on the wellbeing of users. The present study assessed the willingness to pay (WTP) for the UGS of Maria Luisa Park, located in the city of Seville (Spain). Compared with previous case studies, this UGS is characterized by the importance of the tourist attractions inside the park and its significant heritage value for the city. WTP is a concept derived from welfare economics that is used in the economic valuation of environmental goods. The results showed that respondents had a mean WTP in the range of €1.92 (double-bounded dichotomous-choice method) to €2.08 per visit (open-ended question on the maximum WTP). Within the socioeconomic factors considered, the results showed that average income and residence location constituted significant variables in the explanation of respondents' WTP. In addition, the level of environmental awareness positively affected the elicited WTP. Finally, frequency of visit and its duration also represented significant determinants of respondents' choices, thus affecting WTP elicitation. The results contribute to the existing literature by identifying significant socioeconomic and perception factors that affect the WTP of UGS users. These findings will be valuable for urban-planning decision makers regarding the potential establishment of an entrance fee to cover the increasing conservation and maintenance costs of UGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public spaces that include neighbourhood parks have a significant function in supporting and enhancing social life. They facilitate interaction between people and their environment, thus improving social connectedness and promoting residents' well-being. However, there were raising concerns on the under-utilisation of parks over the years where it has become a crucial part of the global urban agenda. To this end, comprehending place attachment is crucial to enhance the meaning, functions, and attraction of places. This qualitative study attempts to provide thorough contextual insights on the attachment process from park users' perspective. A sample of 28 park users was selected purposively within the neighbourhood of Precinct 9, Putrajaya, Malaysia. In-depth semi-structured interviews were performed face to face and later transcribed verbatim, then analysed through an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach. Two themes and five sub-themes emerged from the interviews. First is the park's attachment process, including emotional attachment, park's meaning, and functional attachment. Second is the cognitive aspect of park use, including attitudes and beliefs related to parks. Findings revealed that the process of park's attachment is interrelated while the functional attachment is the key concept to attract residents to the neighbourhood park and the trigger of the whole attachment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some parks suffer from overuse, which raises safety issues. Municipalities introduced access-control policies such as entrance fees and women-only days. We studied the impact of these policies on the volume of visitors in one park and the consequent reduction of physical activity. A year-long timestamped categorized visitor log allowed for before/after comparisons tested for statistical significance at a 99% confidence level. We used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to quantify physical activity at the park and estimated the amount lost due to the new admittance policies. The number of park visitors declined 86% after the introduction of entrance fees, with a consequent loss of 24% of an individual's weekly physical activity, reducing the efficiency of the park. Unexpectedly, women-only days are associated with an increase in the ratio of children per woman from 1.4 to 2.33, reflecting a change in parental behavior, which suggests an increased sense of security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses issues concerning the Istanbul Land Walls Component Area, part of the World Heritage Site of the Historic Areas of Istanbul. The discussion focuses on the conservation status of the historic vegetable gardens (bostanlar in Turkish) in the area adjacent to the monument. The central concern is with the problematical situation, where the agricultural space and culture of the gardens are being denied heritage status, and are presently in the process of being destroyed. The immediate threat to the gardens comes from the forces of urban renewal projects that have been unleashed in Istanbul over the last two decades. It has been extremely difficult for various heritage experts and organizations to effectively challenge the commercial and political imperatives of urban regeneration. First, there is the issue of confronting an institutional and legal edifice with a singular commitment to urban renewal, characterized by an insensitivity to the complexities of urban sites. Furthermore, the core issue resides at the conceptual level, pertaining to the tension between an architectural and monumentalist approach to conservation, on the one hand, and an approach sensitive to cultural landscape, on the other. The fate of the bostanlar will depend upon some form of negotiation and reasonable accommodation between these two contrary perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economía (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán) is the property of Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Facultad de Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) explicitly acknowledges the role of economics in the process of achieving the water quality targets it sets. At the same time, stakeholder participation in water resources management is emphasized in the Directive. In this paper, we examine farmers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for ecological status improvement at a river basin scale. Based on a Contingent Valuation survey aims first to estimate the value farmers place on water quality improvement as it is envisaged by the WFD. Then through the use of different econometric models it was attempted to address zero responses and to find a robust estimate for the mean WTP. In a sample of more than 300 respondents, we found that 64.57% of them expressed zero responses. Further findings indicate that the mean values irrigators are willing to pay, for reaching the water quality targets set by the Directive, range between 11.5€/ha and 22.0€/ha (on an annual basis). Through the present research, farmers' willingness-to-pay for improvements in water quality directly investigated for the first time in Greece. Therefore, the results are provided can be useful for central decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay is concerned with the shaping, the framing and the fashioning of the discourse on urban futures in Cape Town, South Africa. I outline the multiple sources and diverse elements that feed into this discourse: specifically, metropolitan theory and local experience. Focusing on the praxis of the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town, I argue that there is a convergence between the language of crisis and the vision that comes across in policy and futurist scenariobuilding. I point at apartheid modernities and their recapitulation in utopian dreams for the post-apartheid city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acknowledging the importance of water resources protection and sustainable management, the European Parliament enacted directives based on the "polluter-pays" principle aiming for "environmental damage" protection and restoration of water resources. The main aim of this paper is to examine, for the first time in Greece, the possibility of achieving environmental goals, such as reduction of agrochemical pollution and irrigation water use, alongside with the farmers' willingness to undertake the environmental costs arising from their activity. In a questionnaire survey, conducted using a "state preference" method, participants were asked to respond on whether they are willing to absorb an "environmental charge" for the protection and restoration of surface and ground water. It is an essential precondition to understand the factors that affect taxpayers' willingness to participate in the Water Framework Directive, as they are expected to cover the cost of its implementation. The identification of the driving forces that affect stakeholders' environmental decisions can emerge as an important and useful tool in extending public participation in the Water Framework Directive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay revisits American artist Dan Graham's original motivations for the development of his long‐running series of pavilion sculptures. It explores their relationship to minimalist art of the 1960s and to the postmodern architecture of the 1970s and 1980s, before considering the implications of their large number and global spread for their current critical purchase. It is argued that the proliferation of Graham's pavilions across innumerable sites since the early 1980s augments their mimicry of corporate architecture, lending additional credence to existing claims made for his work as a critical parallel to wider architectural trends. This is especially the case in so far as contemporary corporate architecture itself, as a key expression of today's ruling logic of finance capitalism, is programmed to proliferate as a 'spatial fix' for capital's periodic crises of over‐accumulation, as a means to absorb surplus capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetland ecosystems are one of the three great ecosystems on Earth. With a deepening of research on wetland ecosystems, researchers have paid more and more attention to wetland ecosystem services such as flood mitigation, climate control, pollution prevention, soil-erosion prevention, biodiversity maintenance, and bio-productivity protection. This study focuses on a lakeside wetland ecosystem in Hefei, a city in central China, and estimates the value of ecosystem services such as material production, air purification, water conservation, biodiversity, recreation, species conservation, education and scientific research. We adopted the market value method, carbon tax method, afforestation cost method, shadow engineering method and contingent value method (CVM) using questionnaire survey data during the study period. The results show that the total value of the ecosystem services of Lakeside Wetland Park was 144 million CNY in 2015. Among these services, the value of society service is the maximum at 91.73 million CNY, followed by ecological service and material production service (42.23 million CNY and 10.43 billion CNY in 2015 respectively). When considering wetland ecosystems for economic development, other services must be considered in addition to material production to obtain a longer-term economic value. This research reveals that there is scope for more comprehensive and integrated model development, including multiple wetland ecosystem services and appropriate handling of wetland ecosystem management impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article explores the spatialization of a collective memory in Turkey's north coast city of Samsun. In 1919, Mustafa Kemal Pa§a's first step onto the Bandirma, the steamer that carried him from the Ottoman capital of Istanbul to Samsun, was also the first step of the Turkish struggle for independence. The dock that led him to the city and the hotel that accommodated him were also thus slated to be narrated as representational spaces of Samsun in the future. Decades later, for securing Samsun's historic role in Turkey's independence, the by-then abandoned Mantika Hotel, the dismantled Bandirma and the demolished Tobacco Dock were successively restored (1998), reconstructed (2001) and rebuilt (2009). Abstract spaces of the official historiography were physically produced in order to represent and remember. Within this context, the author scrutinizes the production of space in the particular case of Samsun and analyses it through Lefebvre's theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban greenspace provides essential benefits and often depends on its distribution and spatial relationship with residents. Many cities set ambitious goals to increase the coverage of greenspace. In addition, to increase the total amount of greenspace, spatial patterns of greenspace supply and demand also need to be taken into account to make sure its ecosystem services can reach the residents. While previous research has examined greenspace distribution, its association with various ecosystem services, and its spatial relationship with residents' socioeconomic characteristics, relatively few studies have considered the spatial pattern of greenspace demand to assess its supply change over time. To fill this gap, we evaluated the greenspace change of Beijing between 2005 and 2015 using 2.5 m and 0.5 m high resolution remote sensing images. We first identified all of the greenspace changes, then evaluated the improvement of greenspace that was accessible to residents, and finally, we examined whether such improvement met different levels of demand estimated by neighborhood population, age structure, and economic status. The results showed a net increase of 1472 ha (7.8%) from 2005 to 2015. On average, percent greenspace within 500 m of the neighborhood boundary increased from 21% to 24%. Areas with low greenspace supply had a significantly higher increase. The standard deviation reduced from 8% to 7%, which indicated a smaller disparity of accessible greenspace. However, results showed that greenspace increase had little variation among neighborhoods with different demand levels. Our findings indicated that the greening efforts improved spatial distribution and reduced inequality in accessibility but failed to address different demand levels among neighborhoods. Furthermore, we identified neighborhoods with low supply/high demand and that lost greenspace between 2005–2015. These neighborhoods need to be given attention in future greening projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of parks is particularly important and offers many benefits both to the environment and to humans. Parks are recreational spaces, which contribute to the improvement of the microclimate, reduce atmospheric pollution and protect biodiversity. Their importance for the urban environment is even greater because they offer pure oxygen to the city and people feel close to nature in them. The aim of this study is to review studies which took place globally as well as in Greece, relying on the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) for parks. The reason that this method is used is the valuation of non-market goods and services through the development of a hypothetical market. Additionally, a distinction is made among previous empirical studies depending on the nature of the parks and the country where the survey was conducted, while the disadvantages that must be considered from the use of Contingent Valuation Method are mentioned. According to the findings of the literature review, studies using Contingent Valuation in Greece, particularly in the case of urban parks, are limited. As far as we know, the valuation of existing urban parks has not yet been studied, so this could be a field for further research. The economic valuation of parks in a country like Greece, which suffered with the financial crisis, can lead to conclusions about the value that citizens attribute to parks and the identification of possible protest responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalyptus trees cover about 20 million hectares globally and are used to produce pulp, paper and firewood for domestic uses. From an environmental perspective, these trees have fewer impacts than other crops. In Italy, plantations of eucalyptus can provide a large amount of biomass to satisfy part of the country's internal demand. However, eucalyptus cultivation is less profitable than cultivation of traditional crops due to the low market prices of wood. This study aims both to analyze the willingness of a sample of Italian consumers to pay for eucalyptus firewood and to investigate the main factors that may affect this willingness. Data are collected from a sample of 231 consumers using a web-based survey. The double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation model is then applied. The findings show that information, the energetic density of firewood, consumers' interest in environment issues, and the age of respondents are aspects that are positively associated with respondents' willingness to pay for eucalyptus firewood. Conversely, interest in both firewood species and packaging are factors that reduce consumer willingness to pay for eucalyptus firewood. Even though these results cannot be generalized to the whole Italian population, the findings may indicate new opportunities for eucalyptus, while growing demand for eucalyptus could offer an interesting opportunity for firms to enter the sector and develop marketing strategies targeted towards specific market niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is becoming a support for landscape and urban projects in a densely urbanised area settled along the Tagus Estuary, dubbed the City of the Tagus Estuary (CTE). Analysing two recent projects along and towards the Tagus Estuary hydrographic network, this article highlights how the most evident limit (the water) can function as the strongest binder, natural link, and shared public space of the CTE. Located, respectively, on the north and south banks of the estuary, the analysed projects become a way to think about urban strategies and promotions that use water as a way to build (re-build or reformulate) the image of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Today, open spaces bound to waterlines support an appealing and winning urban regeneration formula. Our goal is to understand what kind of role water is called to play with regard to the CTE. We ask: is the water called to play merely the role of building a new image of the city as a ground for investors? Is water the way to build a green and habitable CTE? This article concludes that the analysed projects contribute (as expected) to the promotion of the surrounding areas and propose appropriate solutions while occasionally overcoming the current local urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the economic value potentially accrued by a prospective city park, which is planned to be built as a result of strategic land reclamation of a current landfill in Croatia, based on parkgoers' marginal willingness to pay. The idea of this land transformation is inspired by recent debate on the issue of how to address air quality and other environmental concerns over the disposal of the landfill site in the city. Like any other nonmarket valuation studies, choosing a proper survey method is a critical step for a successful economic valuation study. We adopted a double bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method in survey design and data collection, followed by parameter estimation using the logit model. The study reveals—(1) the support of 70% of respondents was estimated; (2) as much as 96% of the respondents are willing to visit the park being presented to the respondents along with the survey questionnaire. The economic valuation indicates that the city residents are willing to pay €3.63 per person for the park's entrance fees, which can be translated into an aggregate of €2,867,762. By referring this value information to the park budget, we may persuade policy makers to commit to a transformation of the current landfill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing public support for an outdoor, nature-based urban park, which offers the local population a wide range of recreational services for an improved quality of life. This study estimates the economic value of recreational benefits for the case of a lake-based urban park known as Taman Tasik Cempaka (TTC) in Bandar Baru Bangi in Selangor, Malaysia. The Travel Cost Method (TCM) was used to generate the demand function for park visitation and the recreational benefits were estimated using the Poisson and Negative Binomial (NB) models. The net benefits of recreation per visitor were evaluated at MYR 6.2 per trip while the price elasticity of demand was highly inelastic at −0.48. The result provides support for the imposition of an entrance fee and the subsequent revenue collection may be used for park upkeep and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]