La infraestructura verda a Barcelona encara és molt insuficient per tenir efectes positius en la qualitat ambiental i el benestar

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552Avançar cap a un món més urbà implica que ens replantegem l'efecte de les nostres infraestructures en el medi ambient. Aquesta tesi doctoral d'en Francesc Baró, guanyadora del premi "Ciències Ambientals 2016", examina de manera crítica la contribució de la infraestructura verda per fer front a diversos reptes urbans com la contaminació de l'aire, les emissions d'efecte hivernacle o l'excés de calor.Avanzar hacia un mundo más urbano implica que nos replanteemos el efecto de nuestras infraestructuras en el medio. Esta tesis doctoral de Francesc Baró, ganadora del premio "Ciències Ambientals 2016", examina de manera crítica la contribución de la infraestructura verde para hacer frente a diversos retos urbanos como la contaminación del aire, las emisiones de efecto invernadero o el exceso de calor.Moving towards a more urbanized world implies rethinking the effect that our infrastructures have on the environment. This PhD dissertation by Francesc Baró, winner of the "Ciències Ambientals 2016" prize, critically examines the role and contribution of green infrastructure to cope with diverse urban challenges such as air pollution, greenhouse emissions, heat stress or opportunities for outdoor recreation

Nature-based solutions as nodes of green-blue infrastructure networks : a cross-scale, co-creation approach

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MThis research was funded through the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.While nature-based solutions have become foundational to sustainable urban and landscape planning schemes at multiple landscape scales, there is a risk that previous progress in green-blue infrastructure planning will be reversed as cross-scale integration increases single- and small-scale focus on nature-based solutions which, in turn, impacts flows of ecosystem services. Considering successful applications of green-blue infrastructure in fostering cross-scale planning visions, we suggest here to conceptualize nature-based solutions as nodes in green-blue infrastructure networks in order to strengthen cross-scale considerations and improve ecosystem services. Addressing the three-tiered and nested regional, metropolitan and city scales of Barcelona, Spain, we apply a deliberative co-creation process to define nature-based solution priorities across landscape scales. Together with local stakeholders, we first prioritize nature-based solutions intervention areas by means of participatory mapping. Secondly, we use a deliberative valuation approach to define ecosystem service priorities for nature-based solution planning. Our findings indicate strong difference in ecosystem service priorities at different scales which underpin the need for a stronger cross-scale spatial integration of planning goals addressed through nature-based solutions. We conclude that the transferability of ecosystem service and trade-offs between ecosystem services require stronger consideration in nature-based solution research and planning for which we base our study, arguing that a stronger integration of nature-based solutions into nested green and blue infrastructure planning would be a promising way forward in urban and landscape planning

Selecció d'espais oberts a recuperar i propostes d'ús : una aproximació per anàlisi espacial i multicriteri

Dins de matrius eminentment forestals, els espais oberts agrícoles juguen un paper important diversificant els hàbitats i, de retruc, donant cabuda a l'ecosistema a un nombre d'espècies que d'ells depenen en tots o en alguns moments del seu cicle biològic. La pèrdua d'espais agrícoles tradicionals va més enllà de la pèrdua de varietats agrícoles i ramaderes i de flora arvense associada, i afecta també a molts d'altres organismes. A més de la seva importància directa en la biodiversitat, els espais oberts agrícoles també representen un trencament de la continuïtat del combustible i requereixen el manteniment de vies d'accés, tot coadjuvant a mantenir un paisatge amb un menor risc d'incendi. La zona d'estudi ha estat els Parcs Naturals de Sant Llorenç de Munt i L'Obac, i Garraf, Olèrdola i Foix. Hem considerat de forma simplificada el paisatge dels Parcs com a mosaics amb diferents fases (arbrat dens, arbustiu dens, espais oberts, roquissars i petites zones urbanes) i pressuposa que l'objectiu de la gestió dels Parcs és la conservació d'aquests mosaics i no la seva uniformització en paisatges forestals continus. Hem localitzat e inventariat els espais oberts agrícoles actius i abandonats (recentment i des de 1957) de la zona com a capes SIG, tot associant a cada espai el conjunt de característiques necessàries per la seva gestió i organitzant-los en una Base de Dades lligada a les capes SIG. Un cop fet això, i per tal d'ordenar les actuacions de recuperació, hem establert un sistema de priorització dels espais candidats a través d'anàlisi multi-criteri. En aquesta priorització, ha jugat un paper destacat l'impacte de l'eventual recuperació de cada espai en la geometria del mosaic, la qual cosa ha requerit anàlisi i simulació espacial. Finalment, hem elaborat un conjunt de projectes d'actuació en certs espais concrets per a que serveixin com a models d'actuació

Mismatches between ecosystem services supply and demand in urban areas : a quantitative assessment in five European cities

Assessing mismatches between ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand can provide relevant insights for enhancing human well-being in urban areas. This paper provides a novel methodological approach to assess regulating ES mismatches on the basis of environmental quality standards and policy goals. Environmental quality standards (EQS) indicate the relationship between environmental quality and human well-being. Thus, they can be used as a common minimum threshold value to determine whether the difference between ES supply and demand is problematic for human well-being. The methodological approach includes three main steps: (1) selection of EQS, (2) definition and quantification of ES supply and demand indicators, and (3) identification and assessment of ES mismatches on the basis of EQS considering certain additional criteria. While ES supply indicators estimate the flow of an ES actually used or delivered, ES demand indicators express the amount of regulation needed in relation to the standard. The approach is applied to a case study consisting of five European cities: Barcelona, Berlin, Stockholm, Rotterdam and Salzburg, considering three regulating ES which are relevant in urban areas: air purification, global climate regulation and urban temperature regulation. The results show that levels of ES supply and demand are highly heterogeneous across the five studied cities and across the EQS considered. The assessment shows that ES supply contributes very moderately in relation to the compliance with the EQS in most part of the identified mismatches. Therefore, this research suggests that regulating ES supplied by urban green infrastructure are expected to play only a minor or complementary role to other urban policies intended to abate air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions at the city scale. The approach has revealed to be appropriate for the regulating ES air purification and global climate regulation, for which well-established standards or targets are available at the city level. Yet, its applicability to the ES urban temperature regulation has proved more problematic due to scale and user dependent constraints

A tag is worth a thousand pictures : A framework for an empirically grounded typology of relational values through social media

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MEnvironmental values depend on social-ecological interactions and, in turn, influence the production of the underlying biophysical ecosystems. Understanding the nuanced nature of the values that humans ascribe to the environment is thus a key frontier for environmental science and planning. The development of many of these values depends on social-ecological interactions, such as outdoor recreation, landscape aesthetic appreciation or educational experiences with and within nature that can be articulated through the framework of cultural ecosystem services (CES). However, the non-material and intangible nature of CES has challenged previous attempts to assess the multiple and subjective values that people attach to them. In particular, this study focuses on assessing relational values ascribed to CES, here defined as values resonating with core principles of justice, reciprocity, care, and responsibility towards humans and more-than-humans. Building on emerging approaches for inferring relational CES values through social media (SM) images, this research explores the additional potential of a combined analysis of both the visual and textual content of SM data. To do so, we developed an inductive, empirically grounded coding protocol as well as a values typology that could be iteratively tested and verified by three different researchers to improve the consistency and replicability of the assessment. As a case study, we collected images and texts shared on the photo-sharing platform Flickr between 2004 and 2017 that were geotagged within the peri-urban park of Collserola, at the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain. Results reveal a wide spectrum of nine CES values within the park boundaries that show positive and negative correlations among each other, providing useful information for landscape planning and management. Moreover, the study highlights the need for spatial, temporal and demographic analysis, as well as for supervised machine learning techniques to further leverage SM data into contextual and just decision-making and planning

Using crowdsourced imagery to assess cultural ecosystem services in data-scarce urban contexts : The case of the metropolitan area of Cali, Colombia

Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICUnidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSustainable urban and metropolitan planning is increasingly benefiting from differentiated assessments of ecosystem services. Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are particularly relevant for urban residents' mental and physical health, yet, quantification and mapping of CES are often challenging, especially so in the Global South. The use of social media data (SMD), which has recently gained importance for assessing CES at larger spatial and temporal scales, provides a promising entry point for mitigating this informational gap in land-use planning. However, its application is mainly limited to European and North American cases and rarely applied to data-scarce urban regions in the Global South, with South America as no exception. Addressing this geographical gap, this study assesses CES of urban green spaces in the city of Cali, Colombia, based on 1,686 crowdsourced and geolocated photographs, and compares those results with a metropolitan scale CES potential assessment based on expert opinions performed in a previous study. Despite some important limitations primarily related to Flickr as a data source, we demonstrate the utility of this approach, especially for understanding the fine-scale generation of CES by small green spaces located within the urban fabric that are overlooked in the metropolitan scale expert-based assessment. These green spaces are highly relevant as inner-city pockets for CES production, especially in the form of "existence value" and "aesthetic experiences", in contrast to green areas highlighted by experts at the metropolitan scale that serve primarily recreational purposes. Our results indicate the large potential of SMD-based CES assessment approaches for informing urban planning processes in the Global South

Adaptive resilience of and through urban ecosystem services : a transdisciplinary approach to sustainability in Barcelona

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MEcosystem services (ES) from urban green and blue infrastructure (GBI) provide cities and their citizens with benefits necessary to cope with present and future sustainability challenges. Long-term comprehensive urban greening strategies, policies, and plans are thus central to the development of sustainable, liveable, and resilient cities. However, urban greening strategies are increasingly tailored to provide short-term benefits, overlooking the dynamic character of cities, which face both changes in the capacity of GBI to provide benefits (e.g., in the face of climate change) as well dynamic needs and preferences for benefits over time as a result of changing demographic compositions. Starting with a literature review on GBI-relevant policies for the city of Barcelona, we: (1) investigated the presence of resilience thinking in the city's GBI-relevant policies through the application of the urban ecosystem services resilience assessment matrix; (2) investigated resilience thinking in the city's policies through the co-development of scenario narratives of possible futures and their implications for ES; and (3) applied the narratives through a participatory approach to enhance stakeholder thinking on adaptive policies based on possible shifts in ES provision and needs. Application of the matrix identified two main gaps to current GBI-relevant policies related to two main aspects of resilience: recognition and assessment of possible future disturbances and changes, and low understanding of social and structural diversity. Through the co-development of four future scenario narratives (aging and shrinking population, enhanced tourism, gender inequalities, and global warming), stakeholders identified the most susceptible ES in the city of Barcelona. Workshop participants indicated mental well-being, regulation of microclimate, social cohesion, air purification, physical recreation, runoff control, and soil permeability as ES with the widest capacity-demand mismatch. The results elicited discussion around GBI and ES resilience, addressing the need for intersectoral policy integration (including housing, education, and mobility) and for fostering a wider understanding of the role of institutions in providing for a resilient urban future. Through the use of scenario narratives, and highlighting the potential of co-creation, the proposed approach enhances critical thought around ES resilience among key players in the city. The study thereby supports the development of a comprehensive resilience strategy for Barcelona and indicates pathways for how other cities can change their current urban trajectory towards sustained ES flows

Greening plans as (re)presentation of the city : toward an inclusive and gender-sensitive approach to urban greenspaces

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABUnidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MCities around the world are increasingly expanding their sustainability agendas and adopting urban green and blue infrastructure planning as a strategy to become more resilient, healthy and sustainable. However, the development of urban greening governance often lacks a holistic vision that considers social inequities within the planning, implementation and management of green and blue spaces. Further, gender inequities have been a specific dimension particularly overlooked in urban greening planning, despite gender concerns gaining increasing political relevance in recent years. In this research, we assessed the extento to which social and gender equity are being considered in urban greening plans and projects at the local level. We chose Barcelona (Spain) as main case study due to its pioneering role in implementing crosscutting equity and gender policies at the municipal level. Building on document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, we examined how social justice and gender are understood and operationalized in practice, from the design phase to implementation and maintenance of greening projects. Our findings suggest a shift in the role of urban greening which evolved from an ornamental role to a multifunctional vision of greening and is recently incorporating equity and inclusivity concerns. We identified three action areas of inclusive, gender-sensitive urban green planning practices: first, the incorporation of inclusivity and care as guiding visible values to recognize multiple needs of city residents; second, urban design for different uses and perceptions of greenspaces, particularly in relation to accessibility and autonomy; and third, the awareness and expertise from municipal staff vis-à-vis the consideration of social and gender equity in green planning and participatory approaches. Finally, we provide practical examples of the strategies that the City of Barcelona is implementing in each area and discuss some challenges and limitations, including what we identify as ad hoc intersectional greening

Wildness and habitat quality drive spatial patterns of urban biodiversity

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MUrban green and blue spaces (UGBS) are key for biodiversity conservation. Many studies focus on UGBS benefits for well-being, but how UGBS ecological and quality influence urban biodiversity is still poorly understood. We analysed the predictive accuracy of urban wildness (UW) and habitat quality (HQ) spatial patterns to biodiversity in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country. Using GIS techniques, we mapped relative UW as a landscape quality, considering remoteness, challenging terrain, and perceived naturalness. We further evaluated HQ using the InVEST habitat quality module, including data on habitat sensitivity to threats (e.g. population density, light and noise pollution, accessibility) and suitability for biodiversity support, based on a parametrization by expert consultation. We compared UW and HQ to observed species richness obtained from crowd-sourced databases as a biodiversity proxy. UW and HQ models predicted general biodiversity urban patterns, being particularly adequate in UGBS. Peripheral UGBS were associated with higher UW and HQ and positively correlated to biodiversity, as opposed to the smaller-sized centrally located UGBS, more exposed to threats. Both predictors significantly explained biodiversity, and HQ better accounted for threat susceptibility in UGBS. Our findings suggest that small-sized UGBS, such as parks and squares, fail to effectively support urban biodiversity, due to their high exposure and vulnerability to threats, particularly in centric areas. Emphasizing efforts in larger centric UGBS with rewilding strategies (e.g. lowering management frequency) and reducing exposure to threats is essential to increase the habitat quality of UGBS and thus support urban biodiversity

School greening : right or privilege? examining urban nature within and around primary schools through an equity lens

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MA mounting body of research shows strong positive associations between urban nature and child well-being, including benefits related to mental and physical health. However, there is also evidence that children are spending less time in natural environments than previous generations, especially those living in deprived neighborhoods. To date, most studies analyzing children's (unequal) exposure or access to urban green and blue spaces focus on residential metrics while a school-based perspective, also an essential part of children's daily experience, is still understudied. The overall goal of this research is to assess spatially the amount and main components of green infrastructure within and around a sample of primary schools (n = 324) in the city of Barcelona, Spain, and to examine the equity implications of its distributional patterns. A multi-method approach based on GIS, correlation and cluster analyses, and an online survey, is used to identify these patterns of inequity according to three main dimensions: socio-demographic disparities across neighborhoods; school type (public, charter and private); and the frequency of outdoor educational activities organized by schools. Results show that schools located in the wealthiest neighborhoods are generally greener, but inequities are not observed for school surrounding green infrastructure indicators such as access to public green spaces or between public and charter schools. Survey results also indicate that greener schools generally organize more nature-based outdoor activities than those with less exposure to urban nature. In the light of these findings, we contend that multiple indicators of green infrastructure and different dimensions of equity should be considered to improve justice in the implementation of school-based re-naturing and outdoor educational programs