Urban green indicators: a tool to estimate the sustainability of our cities

[EN] In Europe, more than 70% of the population lives in an urban area. All the challenges related to land use conflicts, demographic changes, climate resilience and human well-being are concentrated inside the cities, since the population is already living in urban areas, which are more and more compact and dependent on grey infrastructure. In this context, urban green infrastructure represents a sustainable solution to maintain the benefits and services provided by urban ecosystems and an efficient urban planning tool to face the urban challenges. The sustainability of our cities can be reached adopting an innovative vision using the concept of ecosystem services of the urban green infrastructure. Different initiatives to assess the benefits provided by green infrastructure have emerged in the last decade. However, very few take into account the whole range of services provided by urban green infrastructure. The present article provides a systematic search and synthesis of the most important literature to review indicators of urban green infrastructure. The main goal is to give an insight of how urban green infrastructure is measured in practice. Results show the set of ecosystem services that are being considered when assessing sustainability of green infrastructure and identify the most recurrent indicators at the different scales. This work is expected to contribute to the improvement of the evaluation of green infrastructure effectiveness for providing benefits for urban dwellers.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the project Green Cities For Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environments with reference 730283.Tudorie, CM.; Gielen, E.; Vallés-Planells, M.; Galiana, F. (2019). Urban green indicators: a tool to estimate the sustainability of our cities. International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. 14(1):19-29. https://doi.org/10.2495/DNE-V14-N1-19-29S192914

Towards a Greener University: Perceptions of Landscape Services in Campus Open Space

[EN] Universities are showing a growing interest in becoming green institutions and improving campus open space management. Well-designed urban landscapes guided by green criteria integrate eco-friendly infrastructure which may be effective in facing urban challenges in the context of climate change. Student preferences and uses of campus outdoor environment should draw the attention of campus landscape planners. This study aims to analyse how the university community perceives landscape services provided by the Spanish Universitat Politecnica de Valencia's campus open space. An online questionnaire was sent to the university community to check its opinions, level of satisfaction, and their demands related to the current situation of the outdoor areas. Campus open spaces with different urban green infrastructure have a high potential to provide cultural, provisioning, and regulation landscape services. Respondents perceive the main benefits provided by campus open spaces to be that they are a place to relax, meet friends, and pass through. Their needs related to the welfare of outdoor areas and their preferences differ according to age, occupation, and time spent at the campus. This paper intends to help the university to meet environmental guidelines and to help other universities in their endeavour to reach sustainability and ensure the university community's well-being.This research was funded by European Commission, European Union's Horizon 2020, Green Cities for Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environments; grant number 730283.Tudorie, CA.; Vallés-Planells, M.; Gielen, E.; Arroyo-López, MR.; Galiana, F. (2020). Towards a Greener University: Perceptions of Landscape Services in Campus Open Space. Sustainability. 12(15):1-26. https://doi.org/10.3390/su121560471261215Raising the standard. The Green Flag Award guidance Manual 2016 http://www.greenflagaward.org/Universidad de Navarra https://www.unav.edu/web/horizonte-2020/green-campusCommon International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) V5.1 Guidance on the Application of the Revised Structure, UK https://cices.eu/content/uploads/sites/8/2018/01/Guidance-V51-01012018.pdfSpeake, J., Edmondson, S., & Nawaz, H. (2013). Everyday encounters with nature: students’ perceptions and use of university campus green spaces. HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, 7(1), 21-31. doi:10.5719/hgeo.2013.71.21McFarland, A. L., Waliczek, T. M., & Zajicek, J. M. (2008). The Relationship Between Student Use of Campus Green Spaces and Perceptions of Quality of Life. HortTechnology, 18(2), 232-238. doi:10.21273/horttech.18.2.232Gulwadi, G. B., Mishchenko, E. D., Hallowell, G., Alves, S., & Kennedy, M. (2019). The restorative potential of a university campus: Objective greenness and student perceptions in Turkey and the United States. Landscape and Urban Planning, 187, 36-46. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.03.003Abu-Ghazzeh, T. M. (1999). Communicating Behavioral Research to Campus Design. Environment and Behavior, 31(6), 764-804. doi:10.1177/00139169921972344Hanan, H. (2013). Open Space as Meaningful Place for Students in ITB Campus. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 85, 308-317. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.361Lau, S. S. Y., Gou, Z., & Liu, Y. (2014). Healthy campus by open space design: Approaches and guidelines. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 3(4), 452-467. doi:10.1016/j.foar.2014.06.006Caselles, V., L�pez Garc�a, M. J., Meli�, J., & P�rez Cueva, A. J. (1991). Analysis of the heat-island effect of the city of Valencia, Spain, through air temperature transects and NOAA satellite data. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 43(4), 195-203. doi:10.1007/bf00867455Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial https://ich.unesco.org/esFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1252906/icode/2029Memoria del Curso Académico 2017–2018 https://www.upv.es/organizacion/la-institucion/memoria-curso-upv-es.htmlVallés-Planells, M., Galiana, F., & Van Eetvelde, V. (2014). A Classification of Landscape Services to Support Local Landscape Planning. Ecology and Society, 19(1). doi:10.5751/es-06251-190144Ibrahim, N., & Fadzil, N. H. (2013). Informal Setting for Learning on Campus: Usage and Preference. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 105, 344-351. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.11.036Schipperijn, J., Stigsdotter, U. K., Randrup, T. B., & Troelsen, J. (2010). Influences on the use of urban green space – A case study in Odense, Denmark. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 9(1), 25-32. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2009.09.002Bonthoux, S., Chollet, S., Balat, I., Legay, N., & Voisin, L. (2019). Improving nature experience in cities: What are people’s preferences for vegetated streets? Journal of Environmental Management, 230, 335-344. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.056Pasini, M., Berto, R., Brondino, M., Hall, R., & Ortner, C. (2014). How to Measure the Restorative Quality of Environments: The PRS-11. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 159, 293-297. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.12.375Urban GI Components Inventory Milestone 23. Green Surge Project https://ign.ku.dk/english/green-surge/Larson, L. R., Keith, S. J., Fernandez, M., Hallo, J. C., Shafer, C. S., & Jennings, V. (2016). Ecosystem services and urban greenways: What’s the public’s perspective? Ecosystem Services, 22, 111-116. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2016.10.004Gauthier, T. D., & Hawley, M. E. (2007). STATISTICAL METHODS. Introduction to Environmental Forensics, 129-183. doi:10.1016/b978-012369522-2/50006-3Laake, P., & Fagerland, M. W. (2015). Statistical Inference. Research in Medical and Biological Sciences, 379-430. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-799943-2.00011-2Armstrong, R. A. (2014). When to use the Bonferroni correction. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 34(5), 502-508. doi:10.1111/opo.12131University Libraries. SPSS Tutorials: Pearson Correlation https://libguides.library.kent.edu/SPSS/PearsonCorrUlrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 201-230. doi:10.1016/s0272-4944(05)80184-7Nikolopoulou, M., & Lykoudis, S. (2007). Use of outdoor spaces and microclimate in a Mediterranean urban area. Building and Environment, 42(10), 3691-3707. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.09.008Rahnema, S., Sedaghathoor, S., Allahyari, M. S., Damalas, C. A., & Bilali, H. E. (2019). Preferences and emotion perceptions of ornamental plant species for green space designing among urban park users in Iran. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 39, 98-108. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2018.12.00

App Grow Green: un instrumento para la innovación docente en la formación ambiental

[ES] Hoy en día, resulta imposible enseñar y educar como antaño a una nueva generación de estudiantes que vive conectada a la tecnología. Una visión moderna del aprendizaje requiere la adaptación de estrategias y métodos clásicos de enseñanza. Este estudio propone la introducción de una aplicación móvil lúdica como recurso tecnológico de apoyo al aprendizaje, que fomente la educación y la conciencia ambiental en los estudiantes del Campus de Vera de la Universitat Politècnica de València. La aplicación Grow Green es una herramienta innovadora, que tiene el potencial de conseguir objetivos educativos y de sostenibilidad, más allá del mero entretenimiento. Este proyecto de gamificación desea ayudar a los estudiantes a conocer elementos de la biodiversidad local mediante diferentes rutas de flora (árboles y arbustos) y fauna (aves) urbana, experimentar la movilidad sostenible, disfrutar de los beneficios suministrados por elementos de infraestructura verde y descubrir estrategias verdes para la resiliencia urbana. El compromiso ambiental es otro contexto prometedor para la gamificación, facilitando la participación de la comunidad universitaria en censos de aves. La implantación de la aplicación Grow Green fomentará la adquisición de competencias específicas y transversales, que proporcionan un valor añadido a los estudiantes y otorgan un mayor atractivo al currículo docente.[EN] Nowadays, it is impossible to teach and educate a new generation of students who lives connected to technology in the same way it was done before. A modern vision of learning requires the adaptation of classic teaching strategies and methods. This study proposes the introduction of a gamified mobile application as a technological resource to support learning, in order to promote environmental education and awareness among Vera campus students of Universitat Politècnica de València. Grow Green App is an innovative tool, which has the potential to achieve educational and sustainability goals, beyond its mere entertainment. This gamification project aims to help students find out the local biodiversity through different routes of urban flora (trees and shrubs) and fauna (birds), experience the sustainable mobility, enjoy the benefits provided by green infrastructure elements and discover green strategies for urban resilience. Citizen awareness is another promising context for gamification, facilitating the participation of the university community in bird censuses. The implementation of the Grow Green app will promote the acquisition of specific and transversal competences, that will provide an added value to students and will make courses more attractive.Tudorie, CM.; Vallés-Planells, M.; Gielen, E.; Galiana, F. (2020). App Grow Green: un instrumento para la innovación docente en la formación ambiental. En IN-RED 2020: VI Congreso de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 581-592. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2020.2020.11963OCS58159

Children’s and adolescents’ rising animal-source food intakes in 1990–2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes.publishedVersio

Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries

The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.8–14.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.8–71.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3–23.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.4–87.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.1–83.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.1–60.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generally larger in men than in women and were inversely correlated with age. Diet-attributable T2D was generally larger among urban versus rural residents and higher versus lower educated individuals, except in high-income countries, central and eastern Europe and central Asia, where burdens were larger in rural residents and in lower educated individuals. Compared with 1990, global diet-attributable T2D increased by 2.6 absolute percentage points (8.6 million more cases) in 2018, with variation in these trends by world region and dietary factor. These findings inform nutritional priorities and clinical and public health planning to improve dietary quality and reduce T2D globally.publishedVersio

Impacto del uso de la APP GROW GREEN, como recurso tecnológico didáctico, en la población educativa del distrito de Benicalap

[ES] La motivación y la implicación del alumnado para el aprendizaje son fundamentales en su formación y en el desarrollo de las competencias propuestas por el Espacio Europeo de Educación. La introducción de materiales docentes innovadores en el uso de la infraestructura verde urbana como entorno educativo son estrategias didácticas, descritas con éxito en la literatura, y que pueden ayudar en ese sentido. El objetivo es analizar el impacto del uso de la APP GROW GREEN, como recurso tecnológico didáctico en la población educativa del distrito de Benicalap. En concreto, se presenta una propuesta de estrategia de captación de población con el objetivo de educar al público formal e informalmente usando una herramienta eco-consciente, que es el resultado de una de las acciones de divulgación de los proyectos pilotos del proyecto H2020 Grow Green. Con el fin de difundir el uso de la app, desde febrero de 2020 se han organizado una serie de actividades y talleres con la app, y se ha observado un incremento en la frecuencia general de visitas y en la interacción con los puntos de interés (localización de flora y fauna local), especialmente los que están geolocalizados dentro del parque de Benicalap y en la zona de los proyectos piloto. La app ha sido usada como recurso de educación formal en una actividad en el parque de Benicalap, por los alumnos de primaria y se ha observado una satisfacción y motivación general para el aprendizaje a través de los juegos. La intención es buscar otras vías de difusión para ampliar su uso fuera de las actividades docentes organizadas por centros escolares, porque la app tiene potencial en el fomento de la participación en procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, en el seguimiento de los beneficios de las estrategias verdes y en los estudios de impacto social.[EN] The motivation and involvement of students in learning are fundamental in their training and in the development of the competences proposed by the European Education Area. The introduction of innovative teaching materials in the use of urban green infrastructure as an educational environment are didactic strategies, successfully described in the literature, which can help in this sense. The objective is to analyse the impact of the use of the APP GROW GREEN, as a didactic technological resource in the educational population of the district of Benicalap. Specifically, a proposal is presented for a population recruitment strategy with the aim of educating the public formally and informally using an eco-conscious tool, which is the result of one of the dissemination actions of the pilot projects of the H2020 Grow Green project. In order to disseminate the use of the app, a series of activities and workshops have been organised with the app since February 2020, and an increase in the overall frequency of visits and interaction with the points of interest (location of local flora and fauna) has been observed, especially those geolocated within the Benicalap park and in the area of the pilot projects. The app has been used as a formal education resource in an activity in the Benicalap park by primary school pupils and a general satisfaction and motivation for learning through the games has been observed. The intention is to look for other ways of dissemination to extend its use outside the educational activities organised by schools, because the app has potential in promoting participation in teaching-learning processes, in monitoring the benefits of green strategies and in social impact studies.Tudorie, CA.; Vallés-Planells, M.; Gielen, E.; Galiana Galán, F.; Beltrán, G.; Diaz Maiquez, J. (2023). Impacto del uso de la APP GROW GREEN, como recurso tecnológico didáctico, en la población educativa del distrito de Benicalap. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 261-269. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2022.2023.1574126126

Grow-Green pilots monitoring

[EN] The H2020 project “Green Cities for Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environments" (GROW GREEN, Grant Agreement: 730283), developed green infrastructure pilots in: Manchester, Valencia and Wroclaw. The monitoring framework supported the pilot analysis and its impact assessment through the development of core Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through all pilots. The historical evolution of these core KPIs are available on the Grow-Green Open Data platform sharing the software architecture for the smart city platform of Valencia City. It is an implementation of Telefónica’s Thinking Cities platform, which is based on the FIWARE standards and interfaces. All monitoring data are included on this dataset grouped on the core KPIs structure.This research was co-funded by the European Commission through the H2020 project “Green Cities for Climate and Water Resilience, Sustainable Economic Growth, Healthy Citizens and Environments (GROW GREEN)” Grant Agreement: 730283.Orozco Messana, J.; Calabuig Moreno, R.; Vallés Planells, MC.; Galiana Galán, F.; Tudorie, CA.; Alfonso Solar, D.; Peñalvo López, E.... (2022). Grow-Green core KPIs. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Dataset/10251/19186

Sugar-sweetened beverage intakes among adults between 1990 and 2018 in 185 countries

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are associated with cardiometabolic diseases and social inequities. For most nations, recent estimates and trends of intake are not available; nor variation by education or urbanicity. We investigated SSB intakes among adults between 1990 and 2018 in 185 countries, stratified subnationally by age, sex, education, and rural/urban residence, using data from the Global Dietary Database. In 2018, mean global SSB intake was 2.7 (8 oz = 248 grams) servings/week (95% UI 2.5-2.9) (range: 0.7 (0.5-1.1) in South Asia to 7.8 (7.1-8.6) in Latin America/Caribbean). Intakes were higher in male vs. female, younger vs. older, more vs. less educated, and urban vs. rural adults. Variations by education and urbanicity were largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Between 1990 and 2018, SSB intakes increased by +0.37 (+0.29, +0.47), with the largest increase in Sub-Saharan Africa. These findings inform intervention, surveillance, and policy actions worldwide, highlighting the growing problem of SSBs for public health in Sub-Saharan Africa.Peer reviewe