Centrality in the structure of built environment: a study in the structural transformation of society and space

Born out of a long term interest in thought and social values and nearly ten years of involvement in space and design as a student of architecture and urban design, this dissertation aims to make a contribution to both the structural theory of the transformation of society and space and to our knowledge of the principle of centrality in the structure of built environment. It looks at the concept of centrality in the Iranian city of Meshed. However, this is not intended as a study of a unique experience. Rather the spatial and temporal co- ordinates of the text, Islam and Iran, and the historical period of Modernist thought, offer a framework within which theoretical and principal questions of a more general nature concerning the structural character of society and space can be explored.The emphasis throughout is on the concept of the social production of the built environment at the centre of which lies the ideal process, understood in its most general sense as purposeful human activity. The dissertation seeks to show how changes in the relations between the elements and actors of production, the physical and mental means by which the built environment is created, and the relation between moment and totality within which the production process occurs, are central to an understanding of the structural transformation of human society, the form of city and the organization of space

Amount, distance-dependent and structural effects of forest patches on bees in agricultural landscapes

This article is a review examining the effects of forest patches on bees and pollination services to determine how to increase pollination service in agricultural landscapes

A review of diversity of bees, the attractiveness of host plants and the effects of landscape variables on bees in urban gardens

Article exploring the ecology of pollinating bees in urban gardens and farms

Comparison of two biophysical indicators under different landscape complexity

Ecological Footprint (EF) and Energy-Landscape Integrated Analysis (ELIA) estimate human societies' imprint on nature. Both methods aim to provide overviews regarding biophysical society-nature interactions. The purposes of this article are to compare how EF and ELIA conceptualize human-nature relationships, and what results they produce when applied to the same landscape scale, in order to consider how their methodological similarities and differences can account for Land Use and Cover Change (LUCC). This conceptual comparison acknowledges the 'ecocentric' perspective of EF adopted to relate end consumption baskets of human populations with the land biocapacities, and the 'social metabolism' perspective of ELIA to take into account biophysical transformations and spatial distribution of matter-energy flows in different land uses. The two methods were applied to a case study of 46 municipalities in the Qazvin Province (Iran). These municipalities were grouped according to the values of the two methods by cluster analysis and correlated with landscape heterogeneity. The correlation analysis demonstrates that EF and ELIA indicators only overlap when landscape structure is highly simplified. However, lower accuracy of EF compared to ELIA as an indicator of socioecological impacts of different types of agricultural practices is confirmed. Although EF remains a useful indicator of unequal appropriation of Earth's biocapacity, it does so by taking average patterns of food production and consumption as given. To distinguish environmentally friendly from degrading practices, more precise indicators at the landscape level such as ELIA are required for farmers, consumers and policymakers to choose more sustainable options in their decisions

Dynamic and Heterogeneity of Urban Heat Island: A Theoretical Framework in the Context of Urban Ecology

The dynamic and heterogeneity of the urban heat island (UHI) is the result of the interactions between biotic, physical, social, and built components. Urban ecology as a transdisciplinary science can provide a context to understand the complex social–biophysical issues such as the thermal environment in cities. This study aimed at developing a theoretical framework to elucidate the interactions between the social–biophysical patterns and processes mediating UHI. To do it, we conducted a theoretical review to delineate UHI complexity using the concept of dynamic heterogeneity of pattern, process, and function in UHI phenomenon. Furthermore, a hypothetical heterogeneity spiral (i.e., driver-outcome spiral) related to the UHI was conceived as a model template. The adopted theoretical framework can provide a holistic vision of the UHI, contributing to a better understanding of UHI’s spatial variations in long-term studies. Through the developed framework, we can devise appropriate methodological approaches (i.e., statistic-based techniques) to develop prediction models of UHI’s spatial heterogeneity

Integrating climate change adaptation policies in spatial development planning in hyperarid regions of Kerman province, Iran

In recent years, lifestyle changes and urbanization of societies, as well as macro-environmental changes, i.e. climate changes (CCs), have caused changes in the land spatial structure and the transfer of resources between different economic sectors of the land. The development of long-term spatial development plans (SDPs) needs to be compatible with CCs, especially in hyperarid areas with low supplies and high demands. In this research, machine learning methods; including Cellular Automata (CA), Random Forest (RF) and regression models through PLUS model were used to simulate the amount of supplies and demands based on land cover (LC) maps during the years 2000, 2010 and 2020 in the hyperarid areas of Kerman, Iran. Then, the best predicted model (Kappa = 0.94, overall accuracy = 0.98) was used to simulate changes in LC classes under climate change scenarios (CCSs) for 2050. The results showed the efficiency of machine learning in simulating land cover changes (LCCs) under CCSs. Findings revealed that SDPs of these areas are not compatible under any possible consideration of CCSs. The modeling results showed that spatial development plans under CCSs is not environmentally efficient and there is no compatibility between supplies, based on agricultural lands, and demands, based on increased population, by 2050. Overall, under the scenario of RCP 8.5, man-made, agriculture and natural LC classes with 106.9, 2.9, and 18.6% changes, respectively, showed the greatest changes compared to 2020. Population control, adjustment of infrastructures, and changes in LC plans can reduce socio-economical and socio-environmental problems in the future of hyperarid areas to some extent

Habitat Integrity in Protected Areas Threatened by LULC Changes and Fragmentation: A Case Study in Tehran Province, Iran

The integration and connection of habitats in protected areas (PAs) are essential for the survival of plant and animal species and attaining sustainable development. Investigating the integrity of PAs can be useful in developing connections among patches and decreasing the fragmentation of a habitat. The current study has analyzed spatial and temporal changes to habitat to quantify fragmentation and structural destruction in PAs in Tehran Province, Iran. To achieve this purpose, the trends in land use/land cover (LULC) changes and the quantitative metrics of the landscape ecology approach have been examined. The results revealed that in Lar National Park, low-density pasture has the top increasing trend with 4.2% from 1989 to 2019; in Jajrud PA, built-up has the top increasing trend with 1.5% during the studied years; and among the land uses in TangehVashi Natural Monument, bare land has the top increasing trend with 0.6% from 1989 to 2019. According to the findings, habitat fragmentation and patch numbers have expanded in the studied areas due to the development of economic and physical activities. The results also indicate that the current trend of habitat fragmentation in PAs will have the highest negative impacts, especially in decreasing habitat integrity, changing the structure of patterns and spatial elements, and increasing the edge effect of patches

Spatial pattern of the green heat sink using patch-and network-based analysis: implication for urban temperature alleviation

Despite the evidence on the cooling effects of urban green spaces (UGS), little is known about how they function as an interconnected network of cold green patches or a green heat sink (GHS) within an urban landscape. This study aimed to analyze the general spatial pattern and connectivity of GHSs using the pertinent indices and Circuitcape tool in an Iranian urban area between 2000 and 2020. Initially, normalized differentiation vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) maps were derived. To construct a network, GHS was extracted by Getis Ord Gi* statistic and the cost map was built by reversing the NDVI. The results showed that UGS and GHSs shrunk by 17% and 31%, respectively, and became highly fragmented, demonstrating smaller sizes while the number of patches, patch density, and the complexity of the shape increased. According to the network analysis, the overall connectivity of GHSs decreased over time in 2020. Finally, five high-priority locations were identified to increase the connectedness of vegetation cover that might improve the thermal environment of the city. This research can direct urban planning towards enhancing a green space network to mitigate the urban temperature within the urban landscape

Habitat Integrity in Protected Areas Threatened by LULC Changes and Fragmentation: A Case Study in Tehran Province, Iran

The integration and connection of habitats in protected areas (PAs) are essential for the survival of plant and animal species and attaining sustainable development. Investigating the integrity of PAs can be useful in developing connections among patches and decreasing the fragmentation of a habitat. The current study has analyzed spatial and temporal changes to habitat to quantify fragmentation and structural destruction in PAs in Tehran Province, Iran. To achieve this purpose, the trends in land use/land cover (LULC) changes and the quantitative metrics of the landscape ecology approach have been examined. The results revealed that in Lar National Park, low-density pasture has the top increasing trend with 4.2% from 1989 to 2019; in Jajrud PA, built-up has the top increasing trend with 1.5% during the studied years; and among the land uses in TangehVashi Natural Monument, bare land has the top increasing trend with 0.6% from 1989 to 2019. According to the findings, habitat fragmentation and patch numbers have expanded in the studied areas due to the development of economic and physical activities. The results also indicate that the current trend of habitat fragmentation in PAs will have the highest negative impacts, especially in decreasing habitat integrity, changing the structure of patterns and spatial elements, and increasing the edge effect of patches