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To study the health attributes of urban green spaces in the Yangtze River Delta. This study analyses the mechanisms at play between ecological preferences, place attachment and place identity in urban green spaces in the Yangtze River Delta based on SEM. AHP and entropy-weighted and TOPSIS were used to analyse the influence relationships and spatial differentiation structure of the health benefits of green spaces in the study area. The study shows that, firstly, environmental preferences have a significant positive impact on place attachment, place identity and health benefit evaluation. Place attachment mediates the positive influence of environmental preferences on health outcomes. Second, the focus should be on improving the activity spaces and services in urban green spaces. Attention should also be paid to increasing the density of interactive spaces and the richness of interactive space types. Third, the health indices in the Yangtze River Delta region are roughly proportional to the urbanization rate and the degree of urban development. Emphasis should be placed on the development of urban green spaces in Anhui, strengthening exchanges between cities in the Yangtze River Delta, and standardizing and improving the construction of green belts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small‐scale artisanal mining is a vital sector of the economy of Burkina Faso. This activity, correctly regulated, remains essential for the population despite security issues since 2015. Exploration of new areas for gold mining in this condition is difficult but essential to continue extractive activities. It is, therefore, important to define viable corridors, with science‐based evidence for the good prospects, to support artisanal miners' activities in a way that minimizes the environmental impact. We describe a remote sensing approach to study the structural control of expanding small‐scale artisanal gold activity at the Bouda site and define future mining corridors. This remote sensing approach can also mitigate and remedy environmental impacts. The Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) is applied to Landsat images (7‐ETM+, 5‐TM, and 8‐OLI, respectively, for 2000, 2011, and 2022) to detect extraction sites and perform a spatiotemporal analysis of the expansion of areas affected by gold extraction. The near‐infrared and mid‐infrared bands of Landsat images significantly contribute to detecting extraction areas. A morphological study of the site over time and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on Landsat 8‐OLI enable us to perform a lineament analysis. The expansion of mining activity is structurally controlled, as revealed by the correlation between gold occurrences and high lineament densities, especially in the dominant NE‐SW direction. These analyses suggest five potential prospecting corridors in the Bouda site. Key Points: Bouda is an artisanal and small‐scale mining district in Burkina FasoRemote sensing using Landsat images allowed us to study the structural control of the expansion of the Bouda siteRemote sensing using Landsat images allowed to define future exploitation corridors of the Bouda site [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenbelt and green infrastructure are still very limited in Jakarta. Transjakarta Corridor 8 Harmoni - Lebak Bulus covers Central Jakarta, West Jakarta, and South Jakarta which are government centers and densely populated settlements. The high activity in the area causes an increase in transportation flows and greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is the highest contributor to CO2e emissions in the capital city, thus reducing environmental quality, especially the greenbelt in Transjakarta Corridor 8. The assessment of ecological functions in this study consists of 7 variables, namely noise reduction, pollution reduction, air humidity, view control, glare control, direction and accident prevention. The research location is divided into 5 segments with the analysis method used, namely the assessment of ecological function aspects and the formulation of recommendations based on Hierarchical Process Analysis. The results of the assessment on ecological functions with noise-canceling variables were (Polyalthia longifolia) Glodongan Tiang, (Casuarina sp.) Spruce, (Acacia auriculiformis) Acacia, and (Archontophoenix alexandrae) Alexander Palm. The results of the pollution reduction assessment of each segment are dominated by vegetation types (Mangifera indica) Mango, (Polyalthia longifolia) Glodongan Tiang, (Carbera odollam) Bintaro. Based on the results of the questionnaire, the AHP assessment weight was obtained. The combined AHP results show the highest priority scale for the evaluation recommendations of this research is Pollution Reduction as the most important variable with a weight of 0.348, the second rank is Accident Reducer with a weight of 0.300, the third rank is Glare Control with a weight of 0.150. The combined results of 3 experts produce a consistency ratio value of 0.05, the consistency ratio value of 0.05 is smaller than 0.10 so it can be said to have met the consistent requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As urban greenery improves and the ecological environment is continuously optimized, road facilities are also impacted to varying degrees. For example, as vegetation grows, it causes varying degrees of obstruction to the lighting facilities on the roads. This article is based on vehicle-mounted LiDAR data and focuses on the point cloud data characteristics of different objects. Using appropriate modeling techniques, it accurately models road surfaces, green belts, streetlights, and other objects. On the Lumion platform, this system creates a 3D visualization of road scenes and examines the interplay between objects and lighting space, analyzing lit areas. Leveraging the precise 3D spatial relationships found in point clouds, it determines the effective illumination area on the ground from streetlights after object obstruction, comparing it to the theoretical illumination area. This not only visualizes the road scene but also quantifies the lighting obstruction rate. Furthermore, it assesses the lighting conditions in road scenes based on illuminance distribution, offering scientific insights and suggestions for enhancing road lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the opportunity of planning a green belt around the Bucharest Municipality, a city that is facing a continuous enlargement and development without any plan of limiting this expansion. The method consists of historical research of the solutions that were applied to limit its extension and the role of Bucharest belts in stopping the urban sprawl. Besides the main transport infrastructure surrounding Bucharest, green spaces inside the city and in its suburbs can be used to plan a circular belt around the city, consisting in green, blue and yellow natural elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of extensive brackish water aquaculture (BA) in Indonesia has created an urgent need to develop effective and reliable methods to evaluate and select sites suitable for aquaculture development. The lack of supporting spatial data at appropriate scales has limited the application of GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation methods (MCEs) in Indonesia. This study presents alternative fuzzy-based Geographic Information System (GIS) methods to evaluate and select sites suitable for extensive brackish water aquaculture. This study successfully produced fuzzy set maps from a water availability sub-model, a land conversion sub-model and a green belt buffer zone sub-model. With grades of membership, the fuzzy set maps provide smooth class boundary representation, which creates more options for decision-making than a map classified with crisp logic. Combining these sub-models produced an overall site suitability map at the scale of 1:50,000 for the study region. This final suitability map effectively excluded more than 95% of the unsuitable area for BA. This broad-scale site suitability assessment approach is a helpful planning tool to promote Indonesia's sustainable development of extensive brackish water aquaculture. It identifies possible conflicts in land uses and considers conservation issues early in the planning process. The output can be used to scope research areas for more detailed investigations in countries where BA is a vital livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of urban growth management policies is to control urban sprawl and induce the diversification of travel mode share. Hence, how the greenbelt, as an urban containment policy, affects travel mode share is one of the important issues in understanding the efficacy of urban growth management. To analyze it for the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), which has designated its greenbelt for more than forty-five years, this study implemented the spatial Durbin panel regression for the years from 2002 through 2016. Results showed that the greenbelt increased the use of public transportation and decreased car use, but it tended not to increase the use of nonmotorized modes of transportation such as bicycling and walking. There also turned out to be U-shaped (convex) relationships both between population density and car use and between the former and bicycling. Meanwhile, an inverted U-shaped relationship was observed between population density and public transportation mode, which was statistically significant. Based on these results, it can be said that a public transportation system outside of the greenbelt is needed for increasing its accessibility. To promote the use of public and nonmotorized transportation, it will also be important to determine the appropriate urban density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Belts are longstanding planning designations, which primarily seek to prevent urban sprawl. Importantly, they form the open spaces close to where most people live, but we lack clarity over how Green Belts are used and valued by publics, and the cultural ecosystem services they provide. To address this policy and research gap, a public participatory mapping survey was conducted on the North-East England Green Belt, with 779 respondents plotting 2388 points. The results show for the first time that in addition to being a planning policy zone, Green Belts are important, and widely used open spaces for 'everyday nature', providing several cultural ecosystem services including recreation, connection with nature, sense of place and aesthetic value. Several factors were found to influence the supply of cultural ecosystem services in Green Belts, including proximity to urban areas, woodland land cover and access designations. Whereas most demand pressures on Green Belts were on public rights-of-way, nature designations and deciduous woodlands. Pervasive barriers inhibiting Green Belt's full potential were identified including management issues, concerns over personal safety and lack of access. We argue that opportunities to further enhance the cultural ecosystem services provided Green Belts and peri-urban landscapes more broadly, not only come from planning policies themselves, but from the design and delivery of approaches integrating urban, rural and land-use policy silos. The findings have wider implications for policy including potential conflict with future development, and opportunities for greater access to greenspace. As well as their primary policy purpose to prevent sprawl, Green Belts protect important open and greenspaces for people to enjoy and interact with nature, exercise and escape from pressures of everyday life. To understand how people physically use and interact with Green Belts, primary data on use are needed, as relying on access designations alone will not account adequately for use patterns. Public participatory mapping which involves people answering questions by placing points on a map can provide a useful way to identifying areas that are important; areas which may require improved management in the Green Belt, and opportunity areas for future improvements. The areas of Green Belt closest to where people live where found to be some of the most heavily used and important in terms of being in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy activities have increasingly become the central component of China's proposed green Belt and Road Initiative. Yet, scaling up these activities requires significant institutional changes of the current Chinese state and financial-industrial complex. Informed by a conceptual framework that builds on multi-level institutional analysis, we assess the institutional challenges constraining the scalability of Chinese renewable energy projects in South Africa and Ethiopia. Our study reveals that the institutional fragmentation and vacuum in China have led to the lack of a clear engagement strategy with African markets. In addition, the development of wind and solar energy projects in Africa is often taking place amid the ongoing and fast-changing energy sector governance, which is not yet appreciated by the key Chinese actors. We argue that promoting Chinese-backed renewable energy projects in Africa requires new institutional arrangements that can adapt to competitive and divergent local market conditions and regulatory changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Green Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by the Chinese government to address the environmental challenges related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC), a flagship initiative of the Green BRI, aims to promote the BRI's environmental performance through transnational governance measures. In this study, we analyzed the BRIGC from the perspective of orchestration theory. We developed a model of causal pathways to understand the micro-steps linking orchestrators, intermediaries, and targets. Furthermore, drawing on first-hand evidence collected through participatory observation, interviews, and focus groups, we identified four key pathways of green orchestration: green consumerism, green infrastructure, green finance, and green governance. We found that the orchestration processes were hampered by the lack of substantial input from the BRIGC, which undermined the intermediary-target relationship. We concluded with recommendations for the BRIGC to strengthen its orchestration capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing is among the first cities in China to implement a greenbelt policy to improve urban vegetation, which plays a crucial role in enhancing the urban ecological environment. The policies have shown remarkable results. However, long-term evaluation of the performance of the greenbelt policies in Beijing has not been carried out in order to quantitatively evaluate their effectiveness. In this study, long-term satellite observations of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land surface temperature, precipitation, and night-light from 2000 to 2020 are used to investigate the spatio-temporal variabilities in NDVI and explore the mechanisms of the impacts of the greenbelt policies in Beijing. The main results are as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the overall NDVI in Beijing exhibited an upward trend, with the proportion of high-NDVI (>0.8) areas increasing from 26.18% in 2000 to 53.64% in 2020. The proportion of low-NDVI (<0.2) areas continued to decrease from 0.64% in 2000 to 0.2% in 2020. (2) The 1st Greenbelt Zone shows a significant increase in its NDVI (with an average increase of 0.296 units in the NDVI at district level), indicating that the policy's implementation had a notable effect, while the 2nd Greenbelt Zone was mainly in a degraded state and a declining trend, indicating that its performance fell short of expectations. (3) During the preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, while the 1st Greenbelt Zone had a slightly negative effect on NDVI improvement, probably due to urban re-construction, the 2nd Greenbelt Zone showed a significant positive effect, leading to an increase of 0.013 units in the NDVI at district level. In addition, the correlation analysis shows that an increase in annual average land surface temperature leads to a decrease in the NDVI, while annual precipitation has a positive relationship with NDVI changes. This study highlights the importance of long-term satellite observations in evaluating the performance of greenbelt policies in Beijing. The evaluation approach developed in this study can be readily applied to similar cities globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most volatile sites in Jerusalem is the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, at the heart of which lies the City of David archeological site. Much scholarship focuses on the contemporary tensions that arise from its two contradictory identities: an East Jerusalem Palestinian residential community and a Jewish symbol of a mythical past. This article, by contrast, explores a largely overlooked historical moment that has been key to the shaping of these dynamics: the declaration within merely six weeks after the 1967 war of an Israeli national park around the Old City Walls. The article explores how an unrealized British colonial plan for a green belt around the historic walls of Jerusalem was updated in 1967 by Israeli landscape architects using cutting-edge North American environmentalist ideas. Their blueprint, we argue, was crucial to the shaping of the 'holy basin's' spatial logic, landscape imaginaries, and legal structures, necessary to understand the current turn of events. In this process, we highlight the centrality of incorporating longer-term perspectives in the study of contemporary urban realities, bringing into closer dialogue scholarship on present-day urbanism with historical studies of planning and cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For French-speaking geographers, the term urban geopolitics refers to the research stream that the journal Hérodote developed to analyse the increasing complexity of and conflict in and around territorial policies. For their English-speaking counterparts, the concept commonly refers to a more recent approach to analyse among others the militarisation of urban space. Despite their differences, this paper shows that both approaches can be usefully combined. Indeed, a combined approach can shed new light on urban processes by enriching the comparison between seemingly "similar" urban policies in the Global North and South. The aim of this paper is to discuss the merits of the two schools of urban geopolitics. To do so, it compares the creation of green belts in the peripheries of large cities to control urban sprawl: Lyon (France) and Rabat (Morocco). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Elements of landscape of vegetation or water cover or complementary elements (floors, umbrellas, etc.) are among the factors related to the local climate to achieve thermal comfort for humans in hot desert environments, which are exposed to high temperatures, bright sunlight, and undesirable strong winds. The research problem appears in the lack of accurate identification of the links between the elements of landscape and the achievement of thermal comfort within Egyptian universities (Assiut University, Old Sohag University, New Sohag University at Al Kawamel, and Qena University) in desert environments, which includes proper selection of elements and precise identification of the materials used in them in a way that reduces the effects the negative climate on users and the lack of full use of its potential to achieve thermal comfort, This paper aims to determine the role that the elements of landscape can play in achieving thermal comfort in university sites in desert environments, and then maximizing the use of these elements in reducing the negative effects of climatic elements in universities, while specifying the proposed interventions (whether by increasing, adding or deleting and replacing) the elements of landscape the new Sohag University at Al Kawamel to achieve thermal comfort as a model for dealing with universities in Upper Egypt and as a mechanism for dealing with similar universities, based on the descriptive, analytical and deductive approaches. The research has reached results that define the specifications of the suitable elements of landscape for climatic factors in hot environments, including evergreen plants with high leaf density, moving water, floors that allow permeate water, multiple bumps walls, hollow backing benches, and curved or broken surfaces or covered with solar cells umbrellas. Monitoring the elements of landscape in some universities of desert environments and indicating the extent of their availability through field visits, the interest in plant elements and the neglect of water and complementary elements, and the degree of their impact on achieving thermal comfort, determining how to benefit from it in Egyptian universities comprehensively related to plant elements, such as the use of perennial green spaces, planting trees over green spaces, using plant fences with creating a green belt around the university, using moving water elements, loose floors, interlocking tiles with shading, wood material for seats and umbrellas with seat shading, then the need to pay attention to activating the role of the architect in coordinating university sites to solve environmental problems by choosing the right elements for landscape to achieve thermal comfort in desert environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colonial Garden City Movement represents the culmination of a whole sequence of relationships between botany and imperialism that had developed from the seventeenth century onwards, but particularly in the Victorian era. Botany was central to the transnationality of imperialism and botanical exploration while plant collecting fed into many Victorian phenomena in Britain which also had their colonial counterparts. These were intended to alleviate the social, environmental and medical evils of industrialism, providing a closer interaction between the rural and the urban. They included the creation of green belts, the founding of model villages, the emergence of municipal public parks and botanical gardens, and finally the garden city movement. By these means it was intended that industrial (and sometimes rural) workers should experience a healthier lifestyle, as well as a social uplift which would mitigate class conflict while also providing rational recreation. In the export of garden city ideas to the British Empire, there were additionally significant colonial precedents in street tree planting and in the beautification movement of the Victorian era and early twentieth century. This article specifically focuses upon the translation of aspects of this garden city movement and of these other influences into the creation of the new capital of Lusaka in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) in the twentieth century and the manner in which a great diversity of both indigenous and exotic plants were used to express the idealistic characteristics of this urban development while also reflecting the social and racial norms inherent in the colonial relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Margaritifera margaritifera is a critically threatened species in Europe. Metal pollution may be one of the reasons for its decline, but the influence of this factor remains insufficiently studied. Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, and Pb were determined in the foot tissue of the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera (bivalvia, margaritiferidae) from Green Belt rivers of Fennoscandia [the Murmansk region (Kola Peninsula) and Karelia (northern part)] and the accumulation of the metals was shown to be variable; however, their levels in the molluscs, being quite long-lived aquatic organisms, do not exceed the established standards of the Russian Federation. The recorded levels of the metals in the foot tissue of the Margaritifera margaritifera can be considered indicators of the background levels of geologic and anthropogenic metal concentrations in the environment influencing the distribution and development of this protected species in the lake-river systems of the Green Belt of Fennoscandia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective retention and interception of storm through Low Impact Development(LID)and pumping station are critical for urban waterlogging reduction. Six schemes were designed based on the spatial layout of relationships between upstream and downstream through permeable pavement, sunken greenbelt and rain barrel, and the couplings of LIDs and storage pumping station to assess the effect of runoff control of couplings of LIDs and storage pumping station in one country, Hebei province; the runoff coefficient, outflow peak and peak time in different scenarios were simulated through SWMM; the corresponding reduction rates or delayed peak time were compared in different schemes. The results show that it is effective on runoff coefficient and total outflow peak through LIDs deployed in upstream, downstream and whole area. However, implementing LIDs merely is limited in delaying the peak time and drainage of runoff in downstream pipe network; the schemes of the coupling of LIDs and storage pumping station are remarkable in reducing peak outflow whose maximum reduction rates are 23.22%, 42.88%, 44.07%, and delaying its current time 29-187 min. By comparing and analyzing the corresponding reduction rate and peak time of each scheme, it is finally concluded that the combined scheme of laying LIDs and regulating storage pumping station in the downstream have the best comprehensive benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how the framing of nature conservation in terms of sustainable development both enables and constrains participation at the grassroots level. The Green Belt of Fennoscandia, an initiative to develop a transnational ecological network between Finland, Russia and Norway, is used as a case study. A desk study and 40 interviews with participants of two regional working groups from this initiative show how the mobilisation of the concept of sustainability encourages actors in rural areas to become leaders of projects in favour of both nature conservation and economic development. This research also describes how the lack of state engagement and potential conflicts between regional and national levels can discourage these actors to commit to the initiative. This research refines previous work on the reduction of the role of the state in conservation, illustrating the scalar dynamics of sustainable development implementation in a European rural context. It provides material to inform the governance of large‐scale conservation projects, by highlighting how an approach that aims to boost local participation can in fact discourage it, if the reduction of the role of the state is not accompanied by resources, formal rights to democratic representation or/and an acknowledgement of past work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the properties of laterites being related to the nature of the rock from which they are derived, twenty vertical electrical surveys and twenty boreholes for geotechnical tests, distributed in two units (plutonic and green belt zones) of the Ntem complex located at the northern limit of the Congo Craton, were implemented to study the formation process of the laterites of this geological structure. The inversion of the geoelectrical data in the plutonic area resulted in three lateritic layers with resistivities of 1090 Ω·m, 1302 Ω·m, and 1122 Ω·m, with induration and leaching indices of 28.9% and 72.56%. In the green belt zone, three lateritic layers were also identified with resistivities of 1080 Ω·m, 943 Ω·m, and 1158 Ω·m, with induration and leaching indices of 28.8% and 72.55%. The similarities of the geomechanical parameters (induration and lixiviation indices) show that these soils experienced similar weathering patterns during the same geological period, confirmed by CBR values, corresponding to PF3 platforms that can be used in road works. However, the average resistivity values in the different geological units (1171.77 Ω·m and 1061.16 Ω·m in plutonic and green belt areas) reflect the observed differences in resistivity values of the bedrock alterations (3413.51 Ω·m and 1569.32 Ω·m in plutonic and green belt areas), showing that these laterites are derived from different bedrock weathering. In addition, the average permeability values obtained in the plutonic zone (k = 6.24 E − 05 cm/s) and in the green belt zone (k = 5.82 E − 05 cm/s) confirm this difference. The reduction in the difference between the resistivities of the laterites compared to the difference observed in the bedrock of the two units highlights the leaching process over a long geological period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the leisure time of the inhabitants is increasing, meaning that urban green spaces are becoming more and more valuable, as people visit these places more often and for longer periods to spend their spare time there. In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, these open spaces are playing an even more important role in social interaction. The features used by different groups of the society (sociotopes), the aesthetics and the atmosphere of green spaces all have an impact on the experiences gained in the area, all these may determine our perception and opinion of the given space. The present research aims to show, through the example of Stockholm's green spaces, the factors responsible for good or negative experiences and whether there is any correlation between these and the urban green space types. Stockholm was the first city to win the European Green Capital Award in 2010, showing its leadership in environmental thinking and being a role model for other European, including Hungarian (Budapest, Pécs) cities that have also applied for the European Green Capital Award but were not shortlisted as finalists. Stockholm can also be described as 'part water, part green belt, part city', as stated in an official document published by the European Commission (2010, p. 21). Stockholm ranks highly among European cities in terms of green space accessibility (Buckland--Pojani 2022), Green City Index score and environmental policy (Akande et al. 2019), as well as in terms of public satisfaction with the quality of life in the city (Okulicz-Kozaryn 2013), therefore may serve as a best practice model for other cities. A categorisation of Stockholm's green spaces has been carried out in this study, using Ibes' (2015) paper as a basis. According to this, six categories can be distinguished by using ten variables. The green space categories identified in the analysis show differences in the number of sociotope functions and differences in the temporal (time of day, season, length of stay), frequency (visits to the area) and economic (cost of services in the area) aspects of these categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of urban ecosystems, plants can reduce NO2 concentrations in the air. However, there is little evidence of the effects of different plant communities on NO2 concentrations in street-scale green spaces. We used a multifunctional lifting environmental detector to investigate the impact of environmental factors and small plant communities on NO2 concentrations in street green spaces during the summer and winter in Nanjing, China. The results showed that temperature, atmospheric pressure, and noise were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with seasonal changes, temperature and humidity significantly (P < 0.01) influenced NO2 concentrations in winter and summer, and the average NO2 concentration in summer was generally higher than in winter. By comparing NO2 concentrations in different plant community structures and their internal spaces, we found that the plant community structure with tree-shrub-grass was more effective in reducing pollution. These findings will help predict the impact of plant communities on NO2 concentrations in urban streets and help city managers and planners effectively reduce NO2 pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Mexico passed a Greenbelt law (N.M. Stat. § 7-36-20) in 1967 offering tax subsidies to agricultural landowners. The law represents a disconnect between land and water policy in that it has serious water policy implications but has never been discussed accordingly. We estimate that in 2020, Rio Grande surface flows were used to irrigate 4,388 acres of land in Bernalillo County, the state's largest urban area, that received the agricultural valuation. This represents an estimated water use of nearly 11,000 acre-feet, on many properties not utilizing the program as originally intended, in a region where agriculture is largely noncommercial. This is equivalent to nearly a quarter of the county's entire 2020 municipal water use, enough for approximately 40,000 homes. The Greenbelt law lacks cooperative oversight, and no system exists to track its water usage. The law is not accomplishing what it was originally enacted to accomplish, and multiple attempts to update it have been unsuccessful. Re-thinking institutional arrangements is critical to improving water resilience in an era of increasing aridification and unreliable water supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for international cooperation projects to comply with the principles of green development has become an important international norm. At present, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is being further promoted. In this process, how the initiative can fol⁃ low green norms and lead global green development has become an important research subject. This article argues that advancing the Green Belt and Road Initiative has multiple, far-reaching strategic implications: First, the Green Belt and Road Initiative helps avoid risks in international cooperation. Therefore, this initiative serves as the foundation for BRI and must be further advanced. Second, from the perspective of international environmental cooperation, the Green Belt and Road Initiative helps to form a uniform pattern for the ecological civilization construction at home and abroad, and promotes the low-carbon transformation of the economy with green concepts, which is an important part of the domestic and international ‘dual circulation’ development paradigm. Third, from the perspective of diplomatic practice, it is an important field for China to participate in global ecological governance and build a human community with a shared future, and it is conducive to the promotion of China’ s international image. In the context of developing China’ s systems, green norms have set guidelines for the governance mechanisms of the BRI in an effort to integrate ecological and environmental factors into the whole process of the initiative’ s construction. By learning from China’ s local green development experience, the mechanism design based on co-construction and volunteerism will enhance the effectiveness of global ecological environment governance. So far, a soft and flexible approach has been adopted in the cooperation within the framework, which has yielded some preliminary results. From the perspective of the promotion paths, the construction of the Green Belt and Road Initiative should rely on effective institutional construction, promote market-oriented means, and form a more effective framework for international environmental cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Green Belt is one of the most widely known and popular regional growth management policies having been adopted around the world. Drawing upon the regional spatial imaginary and historical institutionalist literature alongside a case study of the West Midlands, this paper conceptualizes the Green Belt as an enduring, regionalizing concept in the spatial vision of planners and professional campaigners. It underscores the continuing importance of planning history and critical junctures in 'framing' the perspectives and aspirations of practicing planners regarding strategic planning. The paper charts the emergence, embedding, and adaptability of the Green Belt as an institution before exploring how strategic vision has continued to be vitally important to planners and campaigners despite the abolition of statutory strategic planning in England in 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utopian novels envisioning such utopias included those penned by a number of American authors: I The Age of Progress i (1856), I The Cooperative Commonwealth in its Outlines i (1884), I Rational Communism i (1885), and I A Cityless and Countryless World i (1893). These developments were mirrored in numerous literary visions of a far more sprawled populace: I The Eden of Labor i (1876), I Sociology i (1877), I Utopia i (1884), I How They Lived at Hampton i (1888), I The Story of Happinolande i (1889), I The Birth of Freedom i (1891), I Earth Revisited i (1893), I A Traveler from Altruria i (1894), and I Daybreak i (1896). Walker shows how such imagined perfection was often achieved through incredible violence; authors' descriptions of selective breeding or racial apartheid foreshadow brutal state projects of the twentieth century. [Extracted from the article]

This study was conducted to examine the effect on airflow of the shape of an urban road green belt in an asymmetrical street canyon. In this paper, the airflow field at pedestrian height in an asymmetrical street with different building height ratios (ASF) on both sides of the street is modeled and simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, ANSYS FLUENT, and the flow rate characteristic distribution index and the average airflow intensity index are used to evaluate and analyze the airflow at the pedestrian level. The study shows that: (1) in an empty street scheme with different building ratios, the static wind area is located on the roof of the downstream building; the closer to the ground in a street with an ASF = 1/3, the lower the airflow rate. However, the situation is the opposite of that in other streets (2/3, 3/1, and 3/2). (2) The position of the green belt makes the windward side flow rate in the step-up street higher than that of the leeward side, and the flow rate of the leeward side in the step-down street is higher than that of the windward side. (3) Compared with other green belt forms, the use of two plates and three belts in the incremental street can increase the circumferential sinking at the roofs of the windward side of the street, thereby improving the wind environment in the entire street. The use of one plate, two-belt and three-plate, four-belt scenarios in the step-down street allows the two ends of the corner vortex to carry more airflow into the interior of the street and reduces both the "wind shadow effect" area in the middle of the street and the "air outlet effect" at both ends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion and intensification of horticultural systems in the peri-urban area of Mar del Plata derived in economic benefits, but also in environmental problems. It is hypothesized that the management of these systems under a conventional approach led to less sustainable systems compared to the alternative ones, increasing environmental impacts due to the incorporation of greenhouses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental sustainability of horticultural systems in Mar del Plata, considering different cases associated to representative typologies. Methodologically, a Horticultural Environmental Sustainability Index was elaborated, composed of indicators associated with the ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. Based on semi-structured interviews, the index was applied to seven systems with a conventional approach and greenhouse production (SCBC), seven systems with a conventional approach and open field production (SCAC), three systems with alternative approaches and greenhouse production (SABC), and other three systems with alternative approaches and open field production (SAAC). The systems that applied alternative approaches (SABC and SAAC) showed greater environmental sustainability, with a wide gap between these and the conventional systems (SCBC and SCAC). Finally, it is necessary to deepen the study and highlight the contribution that each system can make to the environmental sustainability of horticultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasten our green belts toward a resilient and sustainable future (p.4) Wanjira Mathai A more resilient future requires urgent actions to establish harmony between human development and nature, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change adaptation requires investing in green belts as nature-based solutions, where innovative grassroots action, local and indigenous knowledge, and gender equality are key. Mathai discusses the question, what does it mean to tighten our green belts? Food systems, the protection of the "earth's lungs," the reduction of waste, and the restoration of landscapes are mainly addressed. The Green Belt Movement, led by women in Africa, showed how grassroots action scales up and impacts through long-term sustainable solutions. Restoration movements and initiatives worldwide represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore landscapes for productivity, fight carbon emissions, and recover the ecosystem services to sustain human lives. Percepciones locales para la restauración ecológica (p.12) Ma. del Socorro Aguilar Cucurachi A partir de las experiencias sobre el Movimiento Cinturones Verdes, presentadas por Wanjira Mathai en el marco de las Kapuscinski Development Lectures (en febrero 2021), destaco la importancia de la di-mensión social en los procesos de restauración y delineo cuatro formas posibles en las que las percepciones locales se vinculan con la restaura-ción ecológica: (1) las percepciones como impulso para la restauración; (2) la restauración ecológica como objeto de percepción; (3) las percepciones sobre la participación local en la restauración ecológica; y (4) la importancia de las sinergias epistémicas, multiactorales y multidimensio nales. La restauración ecológica implica una base científi ca, que considera entre sus principios la dimensión social, con benefi cios signifi cativos para el bienestar humano. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic characteristics and heavy metal elements of surface soil samples in Baoji urban street greenbelts were systematically analyzed in order to explore the feasibility of using magnetic parameters to indicate heavy metal pollution in urban street greenbelts soil. The results of the study showed that ferromagnetic minerals with low-coercivity and coarse magnetic grains dominated magnetic properties of the samples. The average values of low-frequency magnetic susceptibility (χlf) was 200.65×10-8 m3/kg, which was much higher than the background value. The spatial variation of magnetic mineral content was remarkable, with high levels observed in heavy traffic areas and industrial gathering areas, and low content in areas heavily covered by short vegetation, which was basically consistent delineated by pollution load index (PLI). Magnetic parameters χlf, saturated isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) and soft remanent magnetization (SOFT) can be used as the effective indicators for monitoring heavy metals pollution in soil of urban street greenbelts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With large-scale urbanization globally, the world is facing environmental problems brought about by high-density cities. To achieve sustainable development in Hong Kong, especially for the heavily loaded Cross Harbour Tunnel district, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University proposes a Green Deck over the Cross Harbour Tunnel to enhance the neighboring environments. Green belts, buildings, and a new exhibition center are planned for this deck. This will require an increase in the guest capacity of nearby hotels in the Tsim Sha Tsui East (TSTE) area. This study, therefore, investigated the development potential of the 23 existing buildings in TSTE and the environmental impact brought about by the increase of plot ration (PR)/building height (BH) in that area. Spatial analyzes of solar exposure, wind ventilation, and air temperature were conducted based on four different scenarios with various PR/BH; human thermal comfort brought about by PR/BH changes were also measured. A comparison of different scenarios revealed no significant changes in the surrounding environment. The study concludes that there is potential for PR/BH relaxations in TSTE to increase spaces to meet increased population flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaby Steiner is a visual artist and photographer from Switzerland. During her visits to Beijing she witnessed dramatic urban changes and started to explore the transformations around the Beijing Greenbelt as a researcher with a camera. This visual essay includes the photographic exploration of a particular aspect of rapid urban change in China. It is about the greenbelt of the City of Beijing and its effects. The photographic work is intended to illustrate the background to social and urban change. The artistic and photographic perspective is complemented and further illuminated by Yimin's analytical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, efficiencies of eight indigenous plants of Baishnabghata Patuli Township (BPT), southeast Kolkata, India, were explored as green barrier species and potentials of plant leaves were exploited for biomonitoring of particulate matter (PM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The present work focused on studying PM capturing abilities (539.32−2766.27 μg cm−2) of plants (T. divaricata , N. oleander and B. acuminata being the most efficient species in retaining PM) along with the estimation of foliar contents of PM adhered to leaf surfaces (total sPM (large + coarse): 526.59−2731.76 μg cm−2) and embedded within waxes (total wPM (large + coarse): 8.73−34.51 μg cm−2). SEM imaging used to analyse leaf surfaces affirmed the presence of innate corrugated microstructures as main drivers for particle capture. Accumulation capacities of PAHs of vehicular origin (total index, TI > 4) were compared among the species based on measured concentrations (159.92−393.01 μg g−1) which indicated T. divaricata , P. alba and N. cadamba as highest PAHs accumulators. Specific leaf area (SLA) of plants (71.01−376.79 cm2 g−1), a measure of canopy−atmosphere interface, had great relevance in PAHs diffusion. Relative contribution (>90%) of 4–6 ring PAHs to total carcinogenic equivalent and potential as well as 5−6 ring PAHs to total mutagenic equivalent and potential had also been viewed with respect to benzo[a]pyrene. In−depth analysis of foliar traits and adoption of plant−based ranking strategies (air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API)) provided a rationale for green belting. Each of the naturally selected plant species showed evidences of adaptations during abiotic stress to maximize survival and filtering effects for reductive elimination of ambient PM and PAHs, allowing holistic management of green spaces. [Display omitted] • PM and PAHs vitiate ambient atmosphere to a great extent, risking human life. • Urban green belts aid to the deliverance from the hazards of atmospheric pollution. • PM and PAHs accumulation capacities of plants differed with species composition. • Plant adaptive responses involved upregulation of key foliar traits for tolerance. • Plant species are selected based on performance for landscape ecology enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Forest age and canopy density are key factors influencing carbon accumulation in plantations. • Populus L. forests show a carbon sequestration advantage in the early stages of growth. • Mixed broadleaf forests have greater carbon sequestration potential. • The closure management measures can promote carbon accumulation in planted forests. In the context of carbon neutrality and urbanization, there is a notable research gap regarding the carbon sequestration benefits of urban forests and the identification of suitable tree species for achieving sustainable carbon sequestration. In this study, we examined the dynamics and drivers of urban forest carbon sequestration in Shanghai, one of the most urbanized cities in China. First, we compiled a comprehensive field inventory data set spanning 20 years for the Shanghai Green Belt. Second, we quantified and compared the total carbon accumulation and growth rates of six monoculture forests and two mixed forest types consisting of six common tree species. Third, we conducted drivers analysis of the effects of stand-related and anthropogenic factors on carbon accumulation and growth rates. Overall, our results revealed that each forest type exhibited a unique growth pattern of tree biomass carbon (TBC), with the Chapman–Richards growth function providing an accurate representation of carbon dynamics. During the early stages of development (within 20 years), the carbon accumulation rate of Populus L. reached 4.13 Mg ha−1 yr−1, which was approximately 127 % higher than that of broadleaf mixed forests. In late stages, the potential tree biomass carbon accumulation of broadleaf mixed forests reached 172.8 Mg ha−1, which was 34 % higher than that of Populus L. over the entire growth cycle. Forest types, stand age, canopy density class, ownership, closure management, strongly influence the accumulation rates of TBC. Overall, these findings contribute to the understanding of the advantages of mixed and monoculture plantations for carbon sequestration, and these results can be used to predict future patterns of carbon storage in urban forests in Shanghai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenbelt policies were designed more than a century ago in Europe to control urban growth, preserve agricultural land and conserve nature, although they have repeatedly failed in their attempt to contain the urban sprawl. Gradually, these initiatives have been incorporating new functions such as the provision of ecosystem services, with special emphasis on the provision of ecosystem services. In Europe, various studies indicate that there has been an evolution from greenbelts, designed as a containment line for urban growth, to green infrastructures, more permeable and connected. In this article, we explore these dynamics by comparing the cases of three green rings, Ottawa and Ontario in Canada and São Paulo in Brazil, implemented in America. The cases show the consolidation of these initiatives and their evolution towards broader green infrastructures, although with uneven results in the fulfillment of the policy objectives, since a high governance capacity is required to carry out complex coordinated management between the various levels of governments, the different municipalities and other private and public interests involved in green infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring and evaluating on rainfall–runoff control effects are important in low impact development (LID) practices. This is mainly done for different individual LID facility at microscales; however, some LID systems comprise multiple facilities within a large‐scale area. Here, the Future Science Park (FSP) of Beijing City was selected as the study area. The rainfall–runoff control effects of an LID system are monitored and examined, including not only the rainfall volume capture effect but also the rainfall control mode, which is influenced by the confluence relationship. The confluence relationship between an impervious surface and LID facility can be manifest as a series or as parallel systems. When rainfall is less than the water quality capture volume, rainfall control operates in event‐capture mode for a series system and in partial‐capture mode for a parallel system. A series system is more suitable for water quality improvement and peak flow reduction. The results for the FSP indicated that the rainfall volume capture effect was acceptable; the average runoff coefficient of 16 rainfall events was about 0.10. However, rainfall control operated in a partial‐capture mode. For individual rainfall events smaller than the designed rainfall, small amounts of runoff were generated mainly by the impermeable road network. In future, the impermeable roads and green belt areas alongside the roads should include a series confluence to improve rainfall–runoff control effects. Research Impact Statement: Rainfall–runoff control effects of an LID system comprising multiple facilities within a large area are monitored and evaluated, that is helpful for the development of LID practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Referring to the case of three municipalities surrounding Bogotá, we analyze the distinct features and specific implications of metropolization process. We argue this process is not merely a result of typical urbanization dynamics, but it also comes from specific decision of some social groups, omissions, and absence of coordination between territorial bodies. In that sense, the recently established Bogotá-Cundinamarca Metropolitan Region might be an opportunity to address the problems resulting from metropolization processes and solve some of its shortcomings. Furthermore, its potential lies in the possibility of generating a unified vision of the future and effective coordination between the instruments of planning, management, monitoring and control of land use. Finally, based on this article analysis and as a contribution to the discussions of the debate around the Metropolitan Region, we propose a green belt between Bogotá, Cota and Chía, to reduce the tendency to conurbation and the continuous expansion of the urban area of Bogotá over the Sabana Centro province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situated in northern Europe, the capital regions of Helsinki, and Oslo have many similar premises concerning urban development. However, the structure of the two regions differs by many measures. We explore the differences in urban density and its development in the both regions and the policy instruments that have affected them. Differences are identified by comparing the population densities of urban settlements and the mean distances from residents and workplaces to the city centres of Oslo and Helsinki using GIS methodology and existing literature. In the Oslo region, the population density shifted from a decreasing trend to an increasing one in the late 1980s. In contrast, the Helsinki region only started to densify in the 2010s. Also, the mean distance of residents and workplaces from the city centre is farther in Helsinki. The long period of low-density housing development and the creation of jobs outside centres in Helsinki is related to weaker political steering towards a compact urban form. In Oslo, regulations such as a greenbelt policy but also physical factors, led to densification relatively early. Lagging in densification policies, Helsinki could learn from the experiences of steering land use and mobility in Oslo, which would need additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel method of extracting roads and bridges from high-resolution remote sensing images based on deep learning. Edge detection is performed on the images in the road area along with the road skeleton line, and the result of the detected binary edge is vectorized. The interference of protective belts on both sides of the road, road vehicles, road green belts, traffic signs, etc. and the shadow interference of the bridge itself are eliminated to determine the parallel sides of the road. The bridge features on the road are used to locate the detected bridge and obtain information such as the location, length, width, and direction of the bridge, verifying the experimental results of the Shaoguan Le point images. In addition, in order to learn higher-level road feature information, the algorithm in this paper introduces the hollow convolution and multicore pooling modules. Secondly, the residual refinement network further refines the output of the prediction network to improve the ambiguity of the prediction network results. In addition, in view of the small proportion of road pixels in remote sensing images, the network also integrates binary cross entropy, structural similarity, and intersection ratio loss function to reduce road information loss. The applicability of the proposed study was tested, and the results show that the algorithm is very effective for the extraction of road and bridge targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]