Design of green spaces located below the urbanised level. Themes, problems and solutions applied to a case study

The design of green areas and landscape is often related to spaces with special features, which, due to their territorial peculiarities, require the adoption of appropriate design solutions. This category includes spaces located below the urbanised/street level (or on different levels), which may have various origins: areas derived from the regeneration of defensive ditches that, after having lost their original function, have become centres of urban aggregation (ancient city walls, castles moats); sites derived from the demolition of buildings or other structures; spaces created expressly sub-level as a result of design choices. This paper deals with some design issues concerning those places, in relation to orography, vegetation and the type of users expected. Moreover, the opinion of the population is taken into account to clearly define design choices; the issue is explored using special techniques to involve citizens in the design process, namely focus groups and surveys aimed at identifying their needs. The paper, finally, presents a design experience applied to a study area in the municipality of Abbiategrasso (Lombardy region, Italy) located under the urbanised level and currently used as urban park (the so-called Fossa Viscontea). This park (about 3.7 ha) occupies the area of the ancient defensive moat of the historical village (including the Visconti Castle - 13th century); design solutions are proposed for ensuring accessibility and fruition of this area such as leisure and aggregation centre

The Mn site in Mn-doped Ga-As nanowires: an EXAFS study

We present an EXAFS study of the Mn atomic environment in Mn-doped GaAs nanowires. Mn doping has been obtained either via the diffusion of the Mn used as seed for the nanowire growth or by providing Mn during the growth of Au-induced wires. As a general finding, we observe that Mn forms chemical bonds with As but is not incorporated in a substitutional site. In Mn-induced GaAs wires, Mn is mostly found bonded to As in a rather disordered environment and with a stretched bond length, reminiscent of that exhibited by MnAs phases. In Au-seeded nanowires, along with stretched Mn-As coordination we have found the presence of Mn in a Mn-Au intermetallic compound.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Semiconductor Science and Technology. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at doi:10.1088/0268-1242/27/8/08500

Design of green spaces located below the urbanised level. Themes, problems and solutions applied to a case study

The design of green areas and landscape is often related to spaces with special features, which, due to their territorial peculiarities, require the adoption of appropriate design solutions. This category includes spaces located below the urbanised/street level (or on different levels), which may have various origins: areas derived from the regeneration of defensive ditches that, after having lost their original function, have become centres of urban aggregation (ancient city walls, castles moats); sites derived from the demolition of buildings or other structures; spaces created expressly sub-level as a result of design choices. This paper deals with some design issues concerning those places, in relation to orography, vegetation and the type of users expected. Moreover, the opinion of the population is taken into account to clearly define design choices; the issue is explored using special techniques to involve citizens in the design process, namely focus groups and surveys aimed at identifying their needs. The paper, finally, presents a design experience applied to a study area in the municipality of Abbiategrasso (Lombardy region, Italy) located under the urbanised level and currently used as urban park (the so-called Fossa Viscontea). This park (about 3.7 ha) occupies the area of the ancient defensive moat of the historical village (including the Visconti Castle - 13th century); design solutions are proposed for ensuring accessibility and fruition of this area such as leisure and aggregation centre

Fabrication by electron beam induced deposition and transmission electron microscopic characterization of sub-10-nm freestanding Pt nanowires

We present a method to reduce the size and improve the crystal quality of freestanding nanowires grown by electron beam induced deposition from a platinum metal organic precursor in a dual beam system. By freestanding horizontal growth and subsequent electron irradiation in a transmission electron microscope, sub-10-nm polycrystalline platinum nanowires have been obtained. A combined transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss analysis has shown that the amorphous carbon, mixed to nanocrystalline platinum in the as-deposited material, is removed from the wires during irradiation. The same treatment progressively transforms nanocrystals dispersed in the amorphous matrix in a continuous polycrystalline platinum wire

Photocatalytic activity of zinc modified Bi2O3

The surface of alpha-Bi2O3 was modified by either impregnating Zn acetate or coating with a sol-gel containing Zn hydroxide. The surface modified Bi2O3 powders were evaluated by UV-Visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface area analysis (BET). The photocatalytic performances were evaluated for the degradation of phenol, methylene blue and methyl orange. The variations in photocatalytic activity were correlated with morphology change. The presence of ZnO does not significantly prevent the progressive formation of photocatalytically inactive (BiO)(2)CO3, while the dye decolourization capability of nanocomposite is significantly preserved with respect to that of bare Bi2O