Die Krim: Kulturlandschaft und Kulturwandel in einem russischen Expansionsraum

The Crimea peninsula is a European region which presently is in the public limelight due to its political situation. The Crimea presents not only a clearly structured but also greatly variable landscape. The steppe-type Crimea in the north and the upland-type Crimea with its Mediterranean climate south coast are the dominating largest landscapes. Their utilization as a cultivation area is historically traceable to the Scythian, Gothic and Greek periods. So far the Crimea experienced several cultural changes. The first change was caused by the Mediterranean civilizations (Greece, Genoa, Byzantium), the second by the Tatar invasion, followed by its integration into the Ottoman empire. Christian and Muslim cultural traditions mingled with each other during that period. Its incorporation into the Russian empire during the modern era brought profound changes in the cultural landscape, in the population composition, in the manner of live and of pursuing economic affairs. The historical development is indispensable for the understanding of the Crimea’s present position. The region is now searching for new development perspectives after the changes of its political affiliation. Although it is a constituant of the Ukraine, the traditional relationships with Russia are just as decisive now as ever before. It becomes apparent that the historical development as a Russian expansion area and the geostrategical position have determined the regional development so far. This makes its efforts for reintegration into the Russian union of states quite understandable

Der suburbane Raum in ökologischer Perspektive - Potenziale und Herausforderungen

Suburbane Räume sind permanente Problemräume, dynamische Gestaltungsräume und Übergangslandschaften zwischen agrarisch-forstlichen Landschaften und urbanen (Kern-)Landschaften, deren beider Eigenschaften sie enthalten. Daraus entsteht ein spezifisches Ökosysteminventar, das aus historischen Reliktnutzungen geringer Nutzungsintensität und Umbruchsfrequenz einerseits und andererseits aus urbanen Versatzelementen wie Einkaufszentren, Gewerbegebieten, Wohnanlagen etc. besteht. Bodenversiegelung und Landschaftszerschneidung führen tendenziell zur Isolation verbliebener Natur-Resträume und zum Verlust von den durch sie getragenen Ökosystem- Dienstleistungen.In einer ökologisch-planerischen Perspektive sollten die oftmals noch teilweise vorhandenen Ökosystem-Dienstleistungen im suburbanen Raum erkannt, quantifiziert und bewertet werden. Dies sind Unterstützungs- (Biodiversität), Bereitstellungs- (Nahrungsmittelproduktion), Regulations- (z.B. Klimaausgleichsfunktion) und Kulturfunktionen z.B. Erholung). Dafür können ökologische Prinzipien, Strategien und Leitbilder für eine bewusst gestaltete suburbane Kulturlandschaft angewandt werden und damit kann aus dem "Zufallsprodukt" suburbane Kulturlandschaft eine Leistungsträger-Landschaft für den suburbanen Raum selbst und die benachbarten Räume, besonders für die Stadt(kern)landschaft, entstehen.Suburban spaces are permanent problem spaces: dynamic design spaces and transitional landscapes that fall between agricultural and forestry landscapes and urban (core) landscapes and that contain features of both. This gives rise to a specific ecosystem inventory consisting on the one hand of historical relicts that experience a low level of use and little change and on the other hand of displaced urban features such as shopping centres, commercial districts, residential estates and the like. Soil surface sealing and landscape fragmentation tend to lead to the isolation of the remaining natural spaces and to the loss of ecosystem services previously provided by such areas. The aim is to take an ecological planning perspective and to identify, quantify and evaluate the ecosystem services that often still exist in suburban spaces. These services consist of supporting (biodiversity), provisioning (food production), regulating (e.g. climate stabilisation) and cultural (e.g. recreation) functions. Ecological principles, strategies and guidelines can then be applied to purposefully design a suburban cultural landscape. The intention is thus from the "random product" of the suburban cultural landscape to create a service provider landscape for suburban spaces themselves and also for adjoining spaces, especially the urban (core) landscapes

Urban ecosystem services on the local level: urban green spaces as providers

Ecosystem services are provided at different spatial and service/functional scales. The local level is the basic unit for ecosystem services, especially when it comes to the human dimension of urban landscapes. These services are provided by green elements (patches) or basic complex ecosystems (green areas) which differ from their neighbourhoods through their structures and functions. This study reviews the generally available knowledge on urban green functions and services at the site level and explains them by using own studies in five different cities in three different continents related to distinct ecosystem services. This allows the development of a methodology to evaluate and compare ecosystem services at the site level. The methodology is based at two levels, patch and green space, and includes the relationship with the surrounding green and built-up space. Different urban green space types are characterized by their internal structures of vegetation, size, shape and location in relation to at least a semi-quantitative scaling of their urban ecosystem services. The evaluated urban green spaces are public urban green spaces. The urban ecosystem services assessed include climate regulation, biodiversity, nature experience, recreation and health. The actual urban challenges, such as land use change, adaptation to climate change, demographic change and urban cultural diversity, demand a systematic and very concrete monitoring of urban ecosystem services at the site level.Fil: Breuste, Jürgen. University of Salzburg. Department of Geography and Geology; AustriaFil: Schnellinger, Johanna. University of Salzburg. Department of Geography and Geology; AustriaFil: Qureshi, Salman. Birmingham City University. School of Architecture; Reino UnidoFil: Faggi, Ana Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; Argentin

Qualität von Grünzuwachs durch Stadtschrumpfung: Analyse von Vegetationsstruktur, Nutzung und Management von durch Rückbau entstandenen neuen Grünflächen in der Großwohnsiedlung Halle-Silberhöhe

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht am Beispiel der Großwohnsiedlung Silberhöhe in Halle/Saale die auf Abrissflächen entstandenen Vegetationsstrukturen, ihre Benutzung und Pflege. Dazu wurden 10 repräsentative Flächen ausgewählt und einer detaillierten Analyse unterzogen. Ziel der Untersuchung war es auch, geeignete Methoden zur Analyse und Bewertung von Vegetationsstruktur, Nutzung und Management von Grünzuwachsräumen zu erarbeiten und diese praktisch zu erproben. Damit entstand ein methodisches Instrumentarium, das flexibel auf vergleichbare Standorte in anderen Städten anwendbar ist. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die planungsseitig angestrebten Zielzustände noch bei weitem nicht erreicht sind. Anthropogene Ruderalstandorte dominieren. Der überwiegende Teil der neuen Waldflächen sind lediglich derzeit ungenutzte Brachflächen. Nur ein geringer Teil der Flächen sind bepflanzte Baumhaine Nur 13 % der untersuchten Flächen sind gepflanzte Baumhaine. 25% der Flächen sind ohne Nutzung, 38 % sind in ihrer Hauptnutzungsfunktion Hundewiesen. Lediglich 15 % werden für Erholung genutzt und nur 4 % der Flächen führen Kinder durch Spiel an Natur heran. Mehr als die Hälfte der Flächen weist keinerlei Pflege auf. Dies weist auf wesentliche noch nicht genutzte Potenziale der Flächen hin

Estimating the Cooling Effect of Pocket Green Space in High Density Urban Areas in Shanghai, China

Recently, pocket green spaces (PGS), i.e., small green spaces, have attracted growing attention for their various ecological and social services. As a crucial part of urban green spaces in high-density urban areas, PGS facilitates recreation and relaxation for neighborhoods and thus improves the livability of cities at the local scale. However, whether and how the PGS cools the urban heat island effect is still unclear. This research was performed in the highly developed areas of the city of Shanghai during hot summer daytime. We applied a set of cooling effect indicators to estimate the cooling extent, cooling intensity, and cooling efficiency of PGS. We further examined whether and how landscape features within and surrounding the PGS influence its cooling effects. The results showed that 90% of PGS are cooler than their surroundings. Among the landscape features, the land surface temperature of PGS logarithmically decreased with its area, and the maximum local cool island intensity and maximum cooling area logarithmically increased with the area of PGS. The vegetation types and their composition within the PGS also influenced their surface temperature and the cooling effect. The PGS dominated by tree-shrub-grass showed the highest cooling efficiency. The surrounding landscape patterns, especially the patch density and the landscape shape index, influence the cooling effect of PGS at both class and landscape levels. These findings add new knowledge on factors influencing the cooling effect of PGS, and provide the biophysical theoretical basis for developing nature-based cooling strategies for urban landscape designers and planners.Peer Reviewe

ESTADO Y PERCEPCIÓN DE LOS SERVICIOS ECOSISTÉMICOS DE LAS RIBERAS DEL MATANZA-RIACHUELO

Cities grow continuously and thereby environmental conditions deteriorate especially through pollution. The urban nature - urban green - becomes relevant considering its ecological, economic, and social functions which contributes significantly to the compensation and mitigation of environmental burdens. Through the application of indexes and interviews, we analyse the river banks in the Matanza Riachuelo watershed through an environmental perspective and the perception of residents. The results confirms that riparian areas are multidimensional. While riverbanks diminish their environmental quality along an urban to rural gradient, the environmental perception is more complex. Gender and the proximity of residents to the riparian edge influenced opinions and attitudes in the three sectors of the watershed

Naturaleza para ricos y para pobres; la influencia del status socioeconómico y cultural en el uso de la naturaleza

Numerosos estudios señalan que la presencia de espacios verdes urbanos en los barrios, como son los parques, plazas o jardines públicos, son un elemento constituyente en el aumento o mejora del estado de bienestar de la población, favorecen la interacción social y contribuyen a hacer las ciudades más habitables. Por otro lado, los espacios verdes, en el interior de las ciudades, juegan un papel importante en la completa integración de los ecosistemas urbanos, ya que además de contribuir al desarrollo de la biodiversidad urbana, también aportan numerosos beneficios ambientales, económicos y sociales a los ciudadanos. Sin embargo, habría que preguntarse si todos estos beneficios son percibidos y usados de la misma forma por toda la población. Al igual que las ciudades están estructuradas en unidades o barrios social, económica y culturalmente homogéneos, podemos interpretar que la población de cada barrio usará y valorará de forma diferente los espacios verdes urbanos. Bajo esta premisa, podemos presuponer, que el uso, percepción y valoración de la naturaleza urbana está condicionada por el nivel socio-económico y cultural del ciudadano. Para dar respuesta a esta hipótesis se plantearon las siguientes preguntas: ¿Perciben la naturaleza de la misma manera los ciudadanos que viven en barrios con parques que los que viven en barrios sin parques? ¿Tiene la misma importancia la naturaleza para personas de clase medio-baja que para personas de clase medio-alta? ¿Son utilizados de la misma forma los parques urbanos en barrios de diferentes culturas o países? En base a estas preguntas, y con el objetivo de dar respuesta a la hipótesis de partida, se inició una investigación comparativa entre Chile, Alemania y España. Para la realización del proyecto entre estos países, se escogieron zonas o barrios que tuvieran algunas similitudes entre sí, pero que a su vez presentaran una marcada diferenciación socio-económica entre ellas. De esta forma se seleccionaron barrios de clase media-alta y media-baja en cada uno de los países, y éstos se compararon entre sí. En Halle (Alemania), se estudió el barrio de clase medio-baja de Silberhöhe y el barrio de clase medio-alta de Paulusviertel. En Talcahuano (Chile) se estudió el barrio bajo de Tumbes y el barrio de clase alta de San Pedro de la Paz, y en Córdoba (España) se escogió el barrio popular de Santa Marina y el residencial de clase alta de El Brillante. La herramienta base para el presente estudio fue la aplicación de una encuesta con las mismas preguntas para cada uno de los países. Se determinó cómo las personas de diferentes procedencias sociales y culturales presentan un diferente uso y percepción del paisaje urbano, de la misma manera, como en Chile, la condición social del ciudadano condiciona la posibilidad de acceso a áreas verdes y de recreación.A vast number of studies have shown that the presence of urban green space in neighbourhoods such as parks, squares or public gardens are an essential element of citizens’ well-being, favour social interaction and contribute to making cities more livable. Moreover, green spaces within cities play an important role in integrating urban ecosystems, while contributing to the development of urban biodiversity and providing citizens numerous environmental, economic and social benefits. The question arises, however, as to whether these benefits are perceived and used in an equal manner by all members of the population. Just as cities are structured into socially, economically and culturally homogeneous units or neighbourhoods, the individuals of each neighbourhood will also be expected to use and value urban green spaces in a different manner. Based on this premise, we assume that the use, perception and assessment of urban nature will be conditioned by citizens’ socioeconomic and cultural status. To test our hypothesis we posed the following questions: “Do citizens who live in neighbourhoods with parks perceive nature in the same way as citizens who live in neighbourhoods without parks?”; “Is nature equally important to members of the lower-middle class and members of the upper-middle class?” and “Are urban parks used in the same manner in neighbourhoods of different classes or in different countries?”. To answer these questions, and with a view to providing support for our initial hypothesis, a comparative research study was performed between Chile, Germany and Spain. To conduct the project, areas or neighbourhoods with similar characteristics but of different socioeconomic status were selected. Specifically, we selected upper-middle and lower-middle class neighbourhoods in each of the three countries, which were then compared. In Halle (Germany) we studied the lower-middle class neighbourhood of Silberhöhe and the upper-middle class neighbourhood of Paulusviertel. In Talcahuano (Chile) we examined the lower-class neighbourhood of Tumbes and the upper-class neighbourhood of San Pedro de la Paz, while in Cordoba (Spain) we studied the working-class neighbourhood of Santa Marina and the upper-class residential district of El Brillante. The basic tool used to conduct the study was a survey that contained the same questions for each country. The results showed that individuals of different social and cultural backgrounds use and perceive the urban landscape in a distinct manner. Moreover, the social status of citizens in Chile was found to be a conditioning factor in access to green areas and recreation.Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados (IESA-CSIC), Córdoba, España. Department of Geography and Geology University of Salzburg, Austria. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Concepción, Chile

Implementation of landscape ecological knowledge – achievements and challenges

This paper gives a synthetic presentation of problems related to the practical application of results in landscape ecological studies. The diagnoses presented are based on the findings of ILECO2010 symposium, which was devoted to this. The assessment considered several aspects, which determine the possibility to apply the landscape ecological knowledge. These include spatial planning, spatial management, issues related to the efficiency assessment of actions taken and collection of data essential for the decision-making process. Individual problems were complemented with conclusions of a general nature

Fractionation of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Urban Soils from Salzburg, Thessaloniki and Belgrade: An Insight into Source Identification and Human Health Risk Assessment

Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were measured in topsoil samples collected from parks in the cities of Salzburg (Austria), Thessaloniki (Greece), and Belgrade (Serbia) in order to assess the distribution of PTEs in the urban environment, discriminate natural (lithogenic) and anthropogenic contributions, identify possible sources of pollution, and compare levels of pollution between the cities. An assessment of the health risks caused by exposure to PTEs through different pathways was also conducted. The study revealed that, with the exception of Pb in Salzburg, levels of PTEs in the soils in polluted urban parks were higher than in unpolluted ones, but still lower than those recorded in other European soils. Results of sequential analyses showed that Al, Cr, and Ni were found in residual phases, proving their predominantly lithogenic origin and their low mobility. In contrast, the influence of anthropogenic factors on Cu, Pb, and Zn was evident. Site-dependent variations showed that the highest concentrations of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn of anthropogenic origin were recorded in Salzburg, while the highest levels of Al, Cr, and Ni of lithogenic origin were recorded in Belgrade and Thessaloniki, which reflects the specificity of the geological substrates. Results obtained for the health risk assessment showed that no human health risk was found for either children or adults.This study was conducted as part of a bilateral academic exchange between the University of Thessaloniki and the Universities of Salzburg and Belgrade