Urban Greenery as a Tool to Enhance Social Integration? A Case Study of Altstetten-Albisrieden, Zürich

Urban greenery can help mitigate adverse effects caused by urbanisation. It benefits thermal comfort and individual well-being remarkably. Nevertheless, its benefit to social well-being needs to be further explored. This study investigated green spaces and their potential for boosting community integration in Altstetten–Albisrieden, Zürich. Three green-space types, public, community and private, were categorised by ownership and accessibility and were used to portray green-space structure. The study first analysed public green spaces’ connectivity and significance at the district scale. Four significant green space clusters and their 400-m service areas were selected as subsite cases for further discussion concerning their social potentials at the neighbourhood scale. Data on green space structure and space use activities were extracted from the open-source data of Zürich and were collected through onsite observation. The study concluded that practical public green spaces might be the combination of location and size in the urban fabric. The attributes of green spaces, such as size, boundary, and equipped facilities, could be decisive in influencing the activities in green areas significantly for enhancing community integration

Green Cities: Utopia or Reality? Evidence from Zurich, Switzerland

There is an overall scientific consensus that green spaces positively affect urban dwellers’ health and well-being. However, there is a gap between knowledge and policy objectives, and their translation into effective interventions to unleash the benefits of green spaces. Examining such ‘implementation gap’ in Zurich is relevant due to the integration of the ‘green urban agenda’ in various Swiss policies. The research narrows its focus to district 9, including the Altstetten and Albisrieden neighborhoods, which contain diverse green spaces despite ongoing densification. The study further explores four green space clusters and their 400-m catchment areas within the district. The research applies a mixed-method approach at three analytical levels: (1) identification of the critical tenets associated with the ‘green urban agenda’ through a review of multi-scale national policies, (2) assessment of green spaces’ provision, types, size, and mutual connectivity in Zurich’s district 9 based on online available quantitative data and on-site observation, and (3) identification of the dominant activities in four green space clusters through on-site observation. Through critical mutual examination of the identified ‘green urban agenda’ principles in the national policies and green space attributes, the findings reveal the extent of the convergence or divergence between policy trends and their implementation in practice

A framework for the practical science necessary to restore sustainable, resilient, and biodiverse ecosystems

Demand for restoration of resilient, self-sustaining, and biodiverse natural ecosystems as a conservation measure is increasing globally; however, restoration efforts frequently fail to meet standards appropriate for this objective. Achieving these standards requires management underpinned by input from diverse scientific disciplines including ecology, biotechnology, engineering, soil science, ecophysiology, and genetics. Despite increasing restoration research activity, a gap between the immediate needs of restoration practitioners and the outputs of restoration science often limits the effectiveness of restoration programs. Regrettably, studies often fail to identify the practical issues most critical for restoration success. We propose that part of this oversight may result from the absence of a considered statement of the necessary practical restoration science questions. Here we develop a comprehensive framework of the research required to bridge this gap and guide effective restoration. We structure questions in five themes: (1) setting targets and planning for success, (2) sourcing biological material, (3) optimizing establishment, (4) facilitating growth and survival, and (5) restoring resilience, sustainability, and landscape integration. This framework will assist restoration practitioners and scientists to identify knowledge gaps and develop strategic research focused on applied outcomes. The breadth of questions highlights the importance of cross-discipline collaboration among restoration scientists, and while the program is broad, successful restoration projects have typically invested in many or most of these themes. Achieving restoration ecology's goal of averting biodiversity losses is a vast challenge: investment in appropriate science is urgently needed for ecological restoration to fulfill its potential and meet demand as a conservation too

Green Cities: Utopia or Reality? Evidence from Zurich, Switzerland

There is an overall scientific consensus that green spaces positively affect urban dwellers’ health and well-being. However, there is a gap between knowledge and policy objectives, and their translation into effective interventions to unleash the benefits of green spaces. Examining such ‘implementation gap’ in Zurich is relevant due to the integration of the ‘green urban agenda’ in various Swiss policies. The research narrows its focus to district 9, including the Altstetten and Albisrieden neighborhoods, which contain diverse green spaces despite ongoing densification. The study further explores four green space clusters and their 400-m catchment areas within the district. The research applies a mixed-method approach at three analytical levels: (1) identification of the critical tenets associated with the ‘green urban agenda’ through a review of multi-scale national policies, (2) assessment of green spaces’ provision, types, size, and mutual connectivity in Zurich’s district 9 based on online available quantitative data and on-site observation, and (3) identification of the dominant activities in four green space clusters through on-site observation. Through critical mutual examination of the identified ‘green urban agenda’ principles in the national policies and green space attributes, the findings reveal the extent of the convergence or divergence between policy trends and their implementation in practice.ISSN:2071-105

Birds use of vegetated and non-vegetated high-density buildings—a case study of Milan

Our study provides a first look at the relationship between large-scale buildings incorporating vegetation (Dense and Green) and bird species richness in Milan, and is one of the studies conducted so far to assess this relationship globally. We carried out our survey in and around three Dense and Green and six high-density buildings with no vegetation (Normal Dense). Dense and Green buildings had a higher mean bird species richness (5) than Normal Dense buildings (0.83). We ran an ordinary least squares model with species richness as the dependent variable, building type, the nearby bird species richness and an interaction term between them as explanatory variables. The significant interaction term shows that the number of species on Dense and Green buildings is lower than nearby populations (small buildings, vegetation and other urban areas). This suggests that for this case study Dense and Green buildings may act as stepping-stones within a wider vegetation network, but alone may be too small to provide core habitat for birds.ISSN:2058-554

From Green Continuity to Social Integration: A Case Study on the Social Potential of Urban Greenery in Altstetten-Albisrieden Zurich

Urban greenery plays a significant role in urbanisation nowadays. Besides thermal comfort, urban greenery's contribution to personal well-being and social well-being has been addressed in a large body of research. This study focused on Zurich's urban greenery, specifically in the Altstetten-Albisrieden district, at two scales. At the macro scale, green spaces were categorised into three types, public green space, common green space and private green space, according to their ownership and accessibility. The connections among these three green space types were analysed in QGIS and indicated the significance of each public green space in the urban structure of the whole district. Based on this analysis of the spatial connections, four subsite cases were selected to further study their social potentials concerning green space structure and observed space use activities at the micro-scale. In the end, the study concluded that public green spaces should be planned considering location and size; green space structures could influence space use activities and provide different social benefits regarding community integration. Some key factors may include size, boundary and facilities provided in the green spaces