Cities vs countryside: An example of a science-based peri-urban landscape features rehabilitation in Milan (Italy) |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4;2. North Carolina State Extension and Union County Planning Department, 500 N. Main St., Monroe, NC 28112, United States;3. College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, 800 Reserve St., Stevens Point, WI 54481, United States;4. Department of Environmental Science and Studies Department, DePaul University, 1110 West Belden Ave, Chicago, IL 60614, United States;1. School of Architecture and Design Southwest Jiaotong University, no 99 Campus, Mianshi, Xidiwan, Building 7, Unit 1, Room 3004, Pixian County, Xipu, Chengdu, Sichuan, China;2. School of Architecture and design, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China;1. Department of phytology, FSAA., 2425 rue de l’Agriculture, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada;2. Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Department of Biology, McGill University, Stewart Biology Building, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada;3. Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, 4101 Sherbrooke E., Montréal, QC H1X 2B2, Canada;4. Jardin botanique de Montréal, 4101 Sherbrooke E., Montréal, QC H1X 2B2, Canada;1. University of Connecticut, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Storrs, CT 06269, USA;2. University of Connecticut, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Storrs, CT 06269 USA;1. University of Debrecen, Department of Civil Engineering, 2–4 Ótemető út, Debrecen 4028, Hungary;2. Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Great Plain Research Department, 3 Rakóczi út, Kecskemét 6000, Hungary;3. Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Geographical Institute, 45 Budaörsi út, Budapest 1112, Hungary;4. University of Szeged, Department of Economic and Social Geography, 2 Egyetem utca, Szeged 6722, Hungary;1. Department of Human Geography and Regional Development, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, Ostrava 71000, Czechia;2. Department of Human Geography and Regional Development, University of Ostrava, Czechia;3. School of Architecture Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin, Ireland |
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| Abstract: | Urban-rural boundaries are often abrupt and unmitigated, a trait that significantly enhances their ecological vulnerability. Nonetheless, such fringe systems enclose a high potential in furnishing buffering and resilience functions and services towards the city. Our study intends to give a contribution on the understanding of the ecological behaviour of peri-urban landscape features (PLFs) systems, showing how floristic-vegetational and landscape ecology studies can inform their multi-functional phytocoenoses ecological reconfiguring. Analyses were led among a fringe context of Milan city. An agri-environmental extra-local scale analysis framed the forthcoming finer scale results. Landscape mosaic structural and functional main traits were interpreted, outlining a current impairment of the landscape system capacity to support ecological functions across the area. In parallel, floristic traits were studied through chorological, life forms and Ellenberg’s ecogram analysis (total flora and single sub-areas values). The main phytocoenoses types were qualitatively described and related to the dynamic patterns of reference vegetation series. Results highlighted a significant deterioration of floristic-vegetational traits, if compared to the local potential. Recurrent anthropic disturbances, open space conditions were identified as the major impact factor on phytoconoeses evolution towards higher diversity, complexity and stability traits. Spontaneous recolonization processes were acknowledged as currently unable to change these trends, while past reforestation interventions showed positive effects. These results informed the building of a functional-dynamic interpretative approach, focused on the ecological roles and physical habitat conditions currently influencing phytocoenoses dynamics, and on which to intervene. Accordingly, the current and potential ecological functions of 9 key PLFs categories were inspected. Consequently, design criterions for corrective interventions were outlined. This brought to the identification of the optimal structural and functional patterns of PLFs to be integrated throughout the urban-rural boundary, as well as their floristic-vegetational design specificities, by pursuing a rebalancing effect on the peri-urban agroecosystem inner complexity and environmental stability parameters. |
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| Keywords: | Ecological rehabilitation Functional approach Landscape features Multi-scale analyses Phytocoenoses dynamisms |
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