Punching above their weight: the ecological and social benefits of pop‐up parks

Current global enthusiasm for urban greening and bringing nature back into cities is unprecedented. Evidence of the socioecological benefits of large, permanent greenspaces is mounting, but the collective potential for pop‐up parks (PUPs) – small, temporary greenspaces – to augment urban ecosystem services is unknown. To showcase the potential of PUPs, we first highlight a case study demonstrating how PUPs may enhance biodiversity in a densely urbanized area; we then review evidence linking the design of small greenspaces with positive social outcomes, including benefits to human well‐being. Finally, we emphasize how PUPs can function as socioecological laboratories to help inform urban design, and then propose a research agenda to better understand how PUPs may be optimally designed to provide benefits to humans and other species

Industrial SO2 pollution and agricultural losses in China: evidence from heavy air polluters

This paper aims to assess the agricultural losses caused by the 2069 state-monitored heavily air polluting enterprises located in 899 Chinese counties. We examine the correlation between per capita number of state-monitored enterprises and other socio-economic indices to show the negative impacts of sulphur dioxide (SO2) industrial air pollution on agricultural development in the regions. Despite these enterprises being the main drivers of economic development in China’s counties, surrounding agricultural land continues to be degraded because of the associated SO2 emissions. The cost of agricultural losses due to pollution is estimated at US$ 1.43 billion, representing 0.66% of the total agricultural value added of the 899 Chinese counties. The findings highlight the importance of cleaner production and have policy implications for dealing with industrial air pollution

Competing coalitions: The politics of renewable energy and fossil fuels in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand

This paper analyses why middle-income countries incentivize renewable energy despite inexpensive domestic fossil fuel resources and lack of international support. We examine the politics of renewable energy programs in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand. All three countries hold abundant local fossil fuel and renewable energy resources. We argue that renewable energy programs become implementable policy options in fossil fuel resource-rich middle-income countries when coalitions of powerful political actors support them. This study presents an analysis of the domestic coalitions in support of and those in opposition to renewable energy policies from a discourse network perspective. Discourse networks reflect actors and the arguments they share to advance or hamper the policy process. The analysis draws on a data set of 560 coded statements in support or opposition of renewable energy from media articles, policy documents and interviews. Findings show similar structures of competing coalitions in all three countries, with the discourse in all three countries revealing strong linkages between environmental and economic considerations

Internationale Programme und Strategien zur Foerderung des kommunalen Umweltschutzes Zusammenstellung und vergleichende Auswertung von 23 Dokumenten internationaler Organisationen und Konferenzen

The study contains a synopsis and comparative analysis and evaluation of programmes and position papers by supranational organizations, international non-governmental organizations, as well as declarations by international cities conferences on ecological issues and urban environmental protection. The evaluation includes 27 pertinent documents dealing with urban environmental issues and the role of local governments in environmental protection. The documents are presented individually, and the results of the analysis according to uniform features are shown in a table. The report finally contains a summary of the relevant results and points out the future need for information and action in the field of urban environmental protection. (orig.)Die Studie umfasst eine Zusammenstellung und vergleichende Auswertung von Programmen, Projekten und Positionen ueberstaatlicher Organisationen, internationaler Nicht-Regierungs-Organisationen sowie Erklaerungen von internationalen Staedtekonferenzen zu staedtischen Umweltproblemen bzw. zum kommunalen Umweltschutz. In die Auswertung wurden 27 akutelle Dokumente einbezogen, die sich mit unterschiedlichen Ansaetzen und in unterschiedlicher Intensitaet den staedtischen Umweltfragen und der Rolle der Kommunen im Umweltschutz widmen. Die Dokumente werden einzeln vorgestellt und in einer Tabelle nach einheitlichen Untersuchungsmerkmalen analysiert. Der Bericht schliesst mit einer Zusammenfassung der wesentlichen Ergebnisse und zeigt den zukuenftigen Informations- und Handlungsbedarf im kommunalen Umweltschutz auf. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RN 8908(92-131) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

Planning Issues and Sustainable Development

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved. There is a growing use of sustainable development by planners. The concept is being adopted without much controversy to create more holistic planning frameworks and community-based planning processes. However, there is no clear agreement on what sustainability means in terms of city size, urban form, and transportation. The debates are summarized and some resolution suggested

Moving from agenda to action: evaluating local climate change action plans

Climate change is conventionally recognised as a large-scale issue resolved through regional or national policy initiatives. However, little research has been done to directly evaluate local climate change action plans. This study examines 40 recently adopted local climate change action plans in the US and analyses how well they recognise the concepts of climate change and prepare for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The results indicate that local climate change action plans have a high level of 'awareness', moderate 'analysis capabilities' for climate change, and relatively limited 'action approaches' for climate change mitigation. The study also identifies specific factors influencing the quality of these local jurisdictional plans. Finally, it provides policy recommendations to improve planning for climate change at the local level.climate change, local jurisdiction, action plan, quality,

Constraints on Neighbourhood Activism: Experiences with Services Upgrading in Nakuru, Kenya

This paper tries to explain why community action and partnering in services upgrading in Nakuru, Kenya, has only produced very modest results. Although inhabitants feel connected to their neighbourhood, they do not automatically translate their attachment into concrete action to improve liveability. This is due to a range of reasons, including competing loyalties of citizens, antagonism between local leaders, pervasive influence of patronage and cronyism, chronic weaknesses of local government and tendencies of CBOs to become more exclusionary. These findings somewhat temper the general optimism in the Habitat literature about the potentials of communities in spurring local development processes. Nakuru is a good place to investigate this issue since it is often portrayed as an example of best practice in local-government—community interaction, especially because of its commitment to the LA-21 process