Review on the roles and effects of growing media on plant performance in green roofs in world climates

Growing media (substrate) is a fundamental part of a green roof, providing water, nutrients and support to plants. However, little research has reviewed how it affects plant performances in different climatic regions. This study aims to analyse published research on green roof growing medium across world’s climate zones. Findings are structured according to Köppen–Geiger climate classification, aiming to investigate the prevalence of research conducted in different climate zones. Results from full-scale studies and laboratory or greenhouse experiments were reviewed. The later were included as they provide systematic knowledge on the effect of individual factors on system performances although cannot provide climate specific information. Studies discussed effects of major substrate components and depths on plant survival and establishment using standard test procedures. Results showed that most research in the subject were in temperate (group C climate classification), continental (group D) and dry climates (group B), respectively. Considerable number of investigations was conducted in controlled laboratory or greenhouse environments. Based on the results, future green roof research and guidelines should consider climate specifications of the region in designing growing medium, depths and attribute of green roof substrates in order to ensure enhanced plant performance. Especially, for more fragile but less investigated dry climate, considerations should be made to tackle heat fluctuations and drought stress by enhancing water holding capacity and thermal isolation of the substrate. To move forward, sustainable building solutions as a part of future urban forms, climate-adaptive green roof systems should be included into future research, practice and guidelines.     

城市热岛效应对夏季高温的影响——以济宁市为例

随着全球变暖趋势的加剧以及城市化的快速推进,城市夏季高温的危害越来越受到人们的重视。分析了济宁夏季高温特征及其城市热岛效应对高温灾害的影响。结果表明：济宁夏季高温期日数多、范围广,年、月际变化特征明显;极端高温事件强度和城市热岛效应明显增强;济宁城市高温主要受白天热岛效应的影响,且影响主要集中于春末夏初,作用超过10％。     

基于多样性生态圈建设的宝鸡城市森林规划

文章以宝鸡市为例,在广泛深入分析其自然、社会、经济环境特点的基础上,根据国内外城市森林建设的理论和实践经验,阐述了宝鸡多样性生态圈建设的思路;通过对其林业建设存在问题和建设潜力的具体分析,从城市森林规划实证性与规范性兼顾原则出发,提出了"一轴、两山、三网、多点"规划布局。       

城乡规划实施评价的理论和指标体系研究

城乡规划的实施是城乡按照依法审批的规划方案进行建设的过程。如何科学合理地评价城乡规划实施结果是相关决策部门十分关心而又非常棘手的问题。基于城乡复合生态系统的观点,构建了城乡规划实施评价的基础理论,提出了城乡规划实施评价的指标体系,为客观理性地评价城乡规划实施结果提供了有效的手段和途径,同时也为城乡规划的科学决策提供了基本依据。     

广州城市道路分车带绿化调查

通过调查广州12条主要道路中央及两侧分车绿化带的树种选择、植物群落配置、景观营造、色彩搭配、绿化功能的合理性等,得出:1)每条道路平均配置5.5种植物,其中乔木2.17种,灌木2.5种,草本0.92种,平均乔灌比0.87;2)配置模式主要是乔木+灌木+地被、乔木+灌木绿篱、乔木+地被和灌木+地被4种形式。     

解析公众参与城市绿地建设的基本模式

归纳总结了公众参与城市绿地建设的发展趋势,立足城市绿地建设各个阶段的特点,解析公众参与城市绿地建设的基本模式,指出公众参与是未来城市绿地建设研究的重要内容及发展方向。     

Urban land use types contribute to grassland conservation: The example of Berlin

Urbanisation is an important driver of biodiversity loss, also contributing to habitat loss and fragmentation of grasslands at the urban-rural interface. While urban green spaces are known to include many grassland habitats, it is uncertain to what extent urban land use types harbour grasslands of special conservation interest and whether patch characteristics and connectivity of these differ from grasslands on agricultural land. By relating the city-wide biotope mapping to the land use mapping of Berlin, Germany, we assessed (1) to which specific urban land use types the major grassland biotope types belong, (2) differences in patch characteristics and connectivity, and (3) the conservation value of grassland patches at a typological level by means of their legal protection status. Grasslands cover 5% of Berlin's surface, and 43% of that area is assigned to legally protected grassland types. The majority of legally protected grassland (71%) lies on urban land opposed to 29% on agricultural land. Airports and historic parks, which only cover 2% of land in Berlin, contain one-third of all protected dry grasslands. Wet grassland is more confined to agricultural land. In airports and agricultural areas, grassland patches are larger but of a more complex shape than those in historic parks. In airports, grassland patches show greater connectivity as they are situated in grassland-dominated surroundings. Grassland in historic parks appears to be more vulnerable due to smaller patch sizes and higher fragmentation. The example of Berlin demonstrates that the urban green infrastructure can clearly contribute to grassland conservation and may thus partially compensate for the decline of traditional grasslands in cultural landscapes. It will be important to involve residents and landowners in urban grassland conservation and management because most grassland of special conservation interest (57%) was found outside of conservation areas.     

Residents’ perceptions and attitudes toward waste treatment facility sites and their possible conversion: A literature review

The siting a landfill or waste treatment facility and the redevelopment of a brownfield or former landfill site are generally treated as independent issues in the research literature. Nonetheless, the two are important elements of community development and urban revitalization efforts. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated review of the current literature on attitudes toward waste treatment sites and their potential conversion for recreation use. We begin by examining research on residents’ perceptions of and attitudes toward proposed and existing waste treatment facility sites, including the perceived impacts and determinants of attitudes toward these sites. Next we summarize work that has explored the subsequent conversion of former landfills or brownfield sites, with a particular emphasis on repurposing these sites for green space and recreation use. We conclude by summarizing key issues and implications for future research and policy development.     

Exploring preferences for biodiversity and wild parks in Chinese cities: A conjoint analysis study in Hangzhou

There has been a transformation of value orientation from an anthropocentric to eco-centric view in Chinese urban park design. Biodiversity enhancement has been increasingly seen as a prioritised park design aim by landscape designers. This promotes the rise of a novel park style with wild, less manicured appearance in cities, which shows strong contrasts to the traditional park style with ornamental, manicured characteristics. However, in this urban park transformation process, people’s opinion has been almost ignored. This research investigated the importance of biodiversity compared with other relevant urban park attributes (i.e., Facilities, Woodlands, Maintenance, and Seasonal views) identified from preliminary focus groups. The research further predicted preferences between wild and traditional urban parks. Conjoint analysis was used to address these questions. Five urban park attributes (i.e., Biodiversity, Facilities, Woodlands, Maintenance, and Seasonal views) were included in the conjoint questionnaire survey. The survey (N = 187) was conducted with the public and ecology/landscape professionals in Hangzhou, China. Results showed that for professionals, biodiversity was the most important attribute relative to others; for the public, both facilities and biodiversity were the most important attributes. Preferences for the two park styles varied between the two groups: professionals preferred wild parks, whereas the public preferred traditional parks. Yet, public preferences for wild parks were enhanced by improving maintenance levels and providing recreation facilities. The study concluded the appreciation of biodiversity among both the public and professionals. Differences in professional preferences for wild parks compared to the public should be considered when professionals design wild parks in the future.     

省域城市竞争力综合评价研究——以新疆为例

构建了城市竞争力综合评价的指标体系和计量模型,采用因子分析法对新疆省22个地级市的城市竞争力进行了逐一测度,根据测度结果将22个地级市分为4个层次,对各层次城市发展的优劣势进行了综合分析,并提出了提升城市竞争力的相关对策和建议。