Research challenges for cultural ecosystem services and public health in (peri-)urban environments

Mapping and assessment of recreational cultural ecosystem services supply and demand in Vilnius (Lithuania)

This work aims to map and assess the recreational culture ecosystem services (CES) supply and demand in Vilnius. A novel framework individually assessed natural recreational CES supply and cultural recreational CES supply dimensions. So far, the previous works did not consider both CES components individually. Also, the validation of CES models is scarce and challenging. This work aims to map and assess natural recreational supply CES, cultural recreational CES supply, natural + cultural recreational CES supply, and cultural recreational CES demand. The results showed that the natural recreational CES supply dimension was the highest in protected areas. In contrast, the cultural, recreational CES supply dimension had the highest scores in the city centre. Natural + cultural recreational CES supply was high in the areas where the previous models had the highest values (e.g., protected areas and the city centre). The natural + cultural recreational CES supply model was validated using an online survey. Recreational CES demand was the highest in the areas near the city centre. There was a mismatch between the natural recreational CES supply and recreational demand. Nevertheless, we identified a match between cultural recreational CES supply dimension, Natural + cultural recreational CES supply and recreation CES demand. All the studied parameters had a clustered pattern. The natural recreational CES supply dimension had a hot spot in the northern part of the city. In contrast, cultural recreational CES supply dimension, Natural + cultural recreational CES supply and recreational CES demand were clustered in the city centre. Overall, it is vital to preserve the areas with maximum natural recreation CES supply and limit the urban expansion in these areas. Also, it is essential to reduce the car traffic to the centre and improve public transport accessibility to increase air quality and the impact of pollutants on cultural heritage sites.

Psychological distress facing the COVID-19 pandemic in dental interns from the Peruvian capital: A cross-sectional study under a multivariable regression model

Aim

Psychological distress can be considered a maladaptive response to a stressful situation that occurs when external events or stressors impose demands that cannot be coped with. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the sociodemographic factors associated with psychological distress in dental interns from the Peruvian capital facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

This analytical, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 392 Stomatology interns from the Peruvian capital from June to July 2022. The validated COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) scale to detect the levels of psychological distress consisted of four dimensions: negative mood, changes in behavior and cognitive skills, fatigue and hyperreactivity, and somatization. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact test were used for bivariable analysis. In addition, a logit model was used to assess the influence of variables: sex (X1), age group (X2), marital status (X3), monthly economic income (X4), working area in the capital city (X5), and living with people vulnerable to COVID-19 (X6), with the psychological distress levels, considering a significance p < 0.05.

Results

The prevalence of psychological distress in dental interns was severe in 6.4% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.9-8.8%] and mild in 37.8% (95% CI: 33.0-42.6%). According to bivariable analysis, the levels of psychological distress by COVID-19 were not significantly associated with sex (p = 0.190), age group (p = 0.418), marital status (p = 0.554), monthly economic income (p = 0.327), working area in the capital city (p = 0.993), and living with people vulnerable to COVID-19 (p = 0.134). In addition, according to the logistic regression analysis, none of the variables studied was considered an influential factor (p > 0.05) in psychological distress presented by dental interns.

Conclusion

The 44.2% of dental interns from the Peruvian capital presented psychological distress facing the COVID-19 pandemic, without any of the possible associated variables of this study significantly affecting this behavioral disorder.

Physical Activity Behavior, Motivation and Active Commuting: Relationships with the Use of Green Spaces in Italy

Many benefits of physical activity (PA) are observed with weekly average volumes of 150–300 min at moderate intensity. Public parks may be an attraction for many people living in the city and could help to achieve the recommended dose of PA. The present study aims to understand the motivation that drives people to a park and evaluate the amount of PA practiced by park-goers. A questionnaire was anonymously administered to 383 voluntary visitors to the Arcoveggio park (Bologna), aged 18–70 years. Sixty-one percent of participants practiced outdoor PA. Differences in park use between sexes and age groups were found. PA was higher in men than in women and in the 18–30 age group than in other age groups. Most participants travelled to the park in an active way (86.4%), resulting in easier attainment of the recommended amount of PA (64.5%). The main motivations for using the park were related to relaxation, performing PA, or both. According to a multiple regression model, the time per week spent at the park, the method of getting there, and the kind of PA were significant explanatory variables of the amount of PA practiced. In particular, the highest number of minutes of PA was achieved by those who travelled to the park by running, while those using vehicles presented the lowest number. All initiatives to promote active commuting and activities in the urban park represent an important strategy to improve health, supporting adults to lead an active lifestyle.

Namares—A Surface Inventory and Intervention Assessment Model for Urban Resource Management

Densely built-up areas are challenged by reduced biodiversity, high volumes of runoff water, reduced evaporation, and heat accumulation. Such phenomena are associated with imperviousness and low, unsustainable utilisation of land and exterior building surfaces. Local authorities have multiple objectives when (re-)developing future-proof districts. Hence, exploiting local potentials to mitigate adverse anthropogenic effects and managing the resource of urban land/surfaces have become key priorities. Accordingly, a five-level hierarchy for a land-sensitive urban development strategy was derived. To support the operationalisation of the hierarchy, we present the model Namares, a highly resolved GIS-based approach to enable spatially explicit identification and techno-economic and environmental assessment of intervention measures for advantageous utilisation of available surfaces per land parcel. It uses existing data and covers the management of economic, natural, and technical resources. Nine intervention measures are implemented to identify potentials, estimate investments and annual costs, and assess the appeal of existing subsidies. The approach was applied to a case study redevelopment area in a large city in Germany. The results provide spatially explicit information on greening potentials, estimated investments, subsidy demand, and other quantified benefits. The case study results show the limited potential for additional unsealing of impervious surfaces by transforming ca. 10% of sealed ground surface area into new urban gardens. At the same time, up to 47% of roof and 30% of facade surfaces could be utilised for greening and energy harvesting. The approach enables a comprehensive localisation and quantitative assessment of intervention potentials to enhance decision support in land-sensitive urban development strategies.

A Review of Ecosystem Services Research Focusing on China against the Background of Urbanization

The change in landscape patterns caused by urbanization is one of the main reasons for the degradation of global ecosystem services. Reducing the negative impact of rapid urbanization on ecosystems and promoting the coordinated development of cities and ecosystems have become a hot topic around the world. Based on Web of Science Core Collection and CNKI database papers, this study conducts a bibliometric analysis of ecosystem services research against the background of global urbanization from 2000 to 2022. At the same time, the research hot spots, regional distribution, research trends, and research contents are summarized by taking China as the key research area. The results show that: (1) the research hot spots of ecosystem services against the background of urbanization are generally the same in China and the world. Both of them are based on landscape pattern or land use; the research scale is from macro to micro; and the research method is from static to dynamic. (2) From the perspective of ecosystem service types, the four types of ecosystem service have been studied in China and other parts of the world, but there are differences in the specific types, quantity, and regional distribution. (3) Whether in China or other regions of the world, the studies on the trade-offs of ecosystem services against the background of urbanization are mainly at medium and large scales. Finally, ecosystem service bundles research, systematic thinking, and the combination of ecosystem services and territorial spatial planning against the background of urbanization are pointed out as key aspects of future research.

Watching Nature Videos Promotes Physiological Restoration: Evidence From the Modulation of Alpha Waves in Electroencephalography

Various lines of evidence have shown that nature exposure is beneficial for humans. Despite several empirical findings pointing out to cognitive and emotional positive effects, most of the evidence of these effects are correlational, and it has been challenging to identify a cause-effect relationship between nature exposure and cognitive and emotional benefits. Only few of the published studies use psychophysiological methods to assess the biological correlates of these positive effects. Establishing a connection between human physiology and contact with natural settings is important for identifying cause-effect relationships between exposure to natural environments and the positive effects commonly reported in connection to nature exposure. In the present study, we recorded physiological indexes of brain activity (electroencephalography) and sympathetic nervous system (electrodermal activity), while the participants were presented with a series of videos displaying natural, urban, or neutral (non-environmental, computerized) scenes. Participants rated the scenes for their perceived relaxing value, and after each experimental condition, they performed a cognitive task (digit span backward). Participants rated natural videos as the most relaxing. Spectral analyses of EEG showed that natural scenes promoted alpha waves, especially over the central brain. The results suggest that experiencing natural environments virtually produces measurable and reliable brain activity markers which are known to be related to restorative processes.

A methodological proposal to evaluate the health hazard scenario from COVID-19 in Italy

2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a big impact in Italy, mainly concentrated in the northern part of the Country. All this was mainly due to similarities of this area with Wuhan in Hubei Province, according to geographical, environmental and socio-economic points of view. The basic hypothesis of this research was that the presence of atmospheric pollutants can generate stress on health conditions of the population and determine pre-conditions for the development of diseases of the respiratory system and complications related to them. In most cases the attention on environmental aspects is mainly concentrated on pollution, neglecting issues such as land management which, in some way, can contribute to reducing the impact of pollution. The reduction of land take and the decrease in the loss of ecosystem services can represent an important aspect in improving environmental quality. In order to integrate policies for environmental change and human health, the main factors analyzed in this paper can be summarized in environmental, climatic and land management. The main aim of this paper was to produce three different hazard scenarios respectively related to environmental, climatic and land management-related factors. A Spatial Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method has been applied over thirteen informative layers grouped in aggregation classes of environmental, climatic and land management. The results of the health hazard maps show a disparity in the distribution of territorial responses to the pandemic in Italy. The environmental components play an extremely relevant role in the definition of the red zones of hazard, with a consequent urgent need to renew sustainable development strategies. The comparison of hazard maps related to different scenarios provides decision makers with tools to orient policy choices with a different degree of priority according to a place-based approach. In particular, the geospatial representation of risks could be a tool for legitimizing the measures chosen by decision-makers, proposing a renewed approach that highlights and takes account of the differences between the spatial contexts to be considered - Regions, Provinces, Municipalities - also in terms of climatic and environmental variables.

Winter Bird Diversity and Abundance in Small Farmlands in a Megacity of Southern China

Urban expansion often accompanies a loss of natural habitats and arable lands but an increase in urban population. In China, vegetable-dominant small farmlands are common in urban/peri-urban areas. Some farmlands are also associated with government policy that aims to enhance local farmers’ livelihoods as well as increase food availability for city citizens. While small urban farmlands create open greenery cover that may provide birds with resources such as food and shelter, little attention has been given to understanding bird diversity in urban farmlands. Using two hierarchical models (multi-species occupancy model and N-mixture model), we examined how species richness and abundance of birds were associated with environmental characteristics within and surrounding urban farmlands in Guangzhou, one of the largest cities in China. We conducted crop and bird surveys at urban farmlands during two winter seasons between December 2019 and January 2021. Species richness increased with non-woody (herbaceous) vegetation cover within a farmland. Abundance of three species was also positively associated with the local non-woody vegetation variable. Two species were more abundant at farmlands with higher crop diversity. Compositional features of matrix surrounding a farmland (a 500-m circular area) did not affect species richness. However, species richness and abundance of one species tended to decrease with increasing farmland fragmentation (patch density of farmlands) within a 1-km circular area. These findings suggest that (1) birds could be more influenced by environmental features within farmlands than matrix features surrounding farmlands, (2) local uncultivated herbaceous vegetation is an important environmental feature, and (3) diverse crops in farmlands may benefit some birds. They also indicate that the landscape pattern of farmlands, such as degree of fragmentation, could affect bird diversity in urban farmlands.

Residential Exposure to Urban Trees and Medication Sales for Mood Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease in Brussels, Belgium: An Ecological Study

BACKGROUND

The available evidence for positive associations between urban trees and human health is mixed, partly because the assessment of exposure to trees is often imprecise because of, for instance, exclusion of trees in private areas and the lack of three-dimensional (3D) exposure indicators (e.g., crown volume).

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to quantify all trees and relevant 3D structural traits in Brussels (Belgium) and to investigate associations between the number of trees, tree traits, and sales of medication commonly prescribed for mood disorders and cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

We developed a workflow to automatically isolate all individual trees from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data collected in 2012. Trait data were subsequently extracted for 309,757 trees in 604 census tracts. We used the average annual age-standardized rate of medication sales in Brussels for the period 2006 to 2014, calculated from reimbursement information on medication prescribed to adults (19-64 years of age). The medication sales data were provided by sex at the census tract level. Generalized log-linear models were used to investigate associations between the number of trees, the crown volume, tree structural variation, and medication sales. Models were run separately for mood disorder and cardiovascular medication and for men and women. All models were adjusted for indicators of area-level socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

Single-factor models showed that higher stem densities and higher crown volumes are both associated with lower medication sales, but opposing associations emerged in multifactor models. Higher crown volume [an increase by one interquartile range (IQR) of 1.4×104 m³/ha] was associated with 34% lower mood disorder medication sales [women, β=-0.341 (95% CI: -0.379, -0.303); men, β=-0.340 (95% CI: -0.378, -0.303)] and with 21-25% lower cardiovascular medication sales [women, β=-0.214 (95% CI: -0.246, -0.182); men, β=-0.252 (95% CI: -0.285, -0.219)]. Conversely, a higher stem density (an increase by one IQR of 21.8 trees/ha) was associated with 28-32% higher mood disorder medication sales [women, β=0.322 (95% CI: 0.284, 0.361); men, β=0.281 (95% CI: 0.243, 0.319)] and with 20-24% higher cardiovascular medication sales [women, β=0.202 (95% CI: 0.169, 0.236); men, β=0.240 (95% CI: 0.206, 0.273)].

DISCUSSION

We found a trade-off between the number of trees and the crown volumes of those trees for human health benefits in an urban environment. Our results demonstrate that conserving large trees in urban environments may not only support conservation of biodiversity but also human health. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9924.

Native Trees as a Provider of Vital Urban Ecosystem Services in Urbanizing New Zealand: Status Quo, Challenges and Prospects

In New Zealand, over 87% of the population currently resides in cities. Urban trees can face a myriad of complex challenges including loss of green space, public health issues, and harm to the existence of urban dwellers and trees, along with domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions. Despite New Zealand being a biodiversity hotspot in terms of natural environments, there is a lack of knowledge about native tree species’ regulating service (i.e., tree development and eco-physiological responses to low air quality, GHG, rising air temperatures, and drought) and how they grow in built-up environments such as cities. Therefore, we argue for the value of these native species in terms of ecosystem services and insist that they need to be viewed in relation to how they will respond to urban abiotic extremes and climate change. We propose to diversify planted forests for several reasons: (1) to improve awareness of the benefits of diverse planted urban forests; (2) to foster native tree research in urban environments, finding new keystone species; and (3) to improve the evidence of urban ecosystem resilience based on New Zealand native trees’ regulating services. This article aims to re-evaluate our understanding of whether New Zealand’s native trees can deal with environmental stress conditions similarly to more commonly planted alien species.

The Role of Nature-Based Solutions for Improving Environmental Quality, Health and Well-Being

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have been positioned and implemented in urban areas as solutions for enhancing urban resilience in the face of a wide range of urban challenges. However, there is a lack of recommendations of optimal NbS and appropriate typologies fitting to different contexts and urban design. The analytical frameworks for NbS implementation and impact evaluation, that integrate NbS into local policy frameworks, socio-economic transition pathways, and spatial planning, remain fragmented. In this article, the NbS concept and its related terminologies are first discussed. Second, the types of NbS implemented in Europe are reviewed and their benefits over time are explored, prior to categorizing them and highlighting the key methods, criteria, and indicators to identify and assess the NbS’s impacts, co-benefits, and trade-offs. The latter involved a review of the websites of 52 projects and some relevant publications funded by EU Research and Innovation programs and other relevant publications. The results show that there is a shared understanding that the NbS concept encompasses benefits of restoration and rehabilitation of ecosystems, carbon neutrality, improved environmental quality, health and well-being, and evidence for such benefits. This study also shows that most NbS-related projects and activities in Europe use hybrid approaches, with NbS typically developed, tested, or implemented to target specific types of environmental–social–economic challenges. The results of this study indicate that NbS as a holistic concept would be beneficial in the context of climate action and sustainable solutions to enhance ecosystem resilience and adaptive capacity within cities. As such, this article provides a snapshot of the role of NbS in urban sustainability development, a guide to the state-of-the-art, and key messages and recommendations of this rapidly emerging and evolving field.

Mapping and assessment of landscape aesthetic quality in Lithuania

Mapping and assessing landscape aesthetic quality (LAQ) at the national level can provide valuable insights to scientists and policymakers about the general condition of targeted cultural ecosystem service (CES). A generalised view based on unified methodological standards allows comparing LAQ between countries, thus facilitating international environmental management policies. LAQ can be assessed by combining subjective and objective metrics. This approach makes it challenging to map and assess the LAQ at national scale since it requires consensus-based methodologies to be reliably applicable in a broader geographic region. The national-scale studies related to LAQ are not common since they require high computational resources and differ in data accessibility. However, it is crucial to conduct broader LAQ studies to reveal the more general picture of LAQ condition and support (adjust) policy implementation at the national scale. More studies are needed to assess LAQ at the national level. This study aims to map and assess LAQ in Lithuania on the national scale. To achieve this aim, we adapted a LAQ mapping and assessment approach previously applied in Germany at the national scale. Based on previous work, we tested the methodology's transferability by applying it in a different geographical region by using local datasets. In this study, we partially modified sub-indicators calculation methods and performed an additional in-depth analysis to gather more information on LAQ accessibility and condition in Lithuania. Geographic Information Systems modeling and spatial statistics analysis allowed for achieving this aim. The results revealed that agricultural and urban areas had the lowest landscape diversity, naturalness, uniqueness, and LAQ in general, while areas with high ruggedness, forests, protected areas, natural monuments, and heritage sites had the highest LAQ scores. Viewshed analysis showed that a significant part of Lithuanian territory with the highest LAQ values have limited visibility due to terrain energy and undulation. Curonian spit and Nemunas riverbanks are few of high LAQ areas with high visual accessibility potential. The patches with high LAQ were clustered in protected areas, while the lowest LAQ values were observed in agricultural lands and urbanised areas. LAQ CES assessment is critical for higher quality environmental management regulation practices. High LAQ areas may need a better protection and provide wellbeing for the population, while low LAQ areas may require additional restoration effort. It also provides a better understanding of the LAQ condition and contributes to achieve national, European, and global goals related to landscape planning, management, and sustainable development.

Mapping the Research Landscape of Nature-Based Solutions in Urbanism

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are an innovative concept that mimics the processes of natural ecosystems, popularized principally in the European Union. With a substantial body of literature amassed since the term’s inception in 2015, there is a need to systematically review existing literature to identify overarching gaps and trends, according to disciplinary focus, geographic scope, and key themes, and direct future research inquiry and policy recommendations. This review consists of bibliometric analysis and thematic analysis for NBS studies in urbanism. NBS studies were found to relate strongly with other concepts of ‘Ecosystem Services’, ‘Green Infrastructure’, ‘Climate Change’, and ‘Risk management and Resilience’, which align with four major thematic goals set by the European Commission. Within NBS scholarship, various sub-themes have emerged, namely, ‘Greening’, ‘Urban Development’, ‘Water’, ‘Wellbeing’, and ‘Governance’. Furthermore, we illustrate that the amount and thematic focus of NBS research have been unevenly distributed worldwide. Analysis of emerging trends shows a recent increase in topics, such as adaptive governance of NBS, and the incorporation of social justice in sustainability transitions. Based on an assessment of extant NBS literature, we offer some recommendations for the future direction of the research fields.

Can an improved city development index explain real development? A case study of Xian, one of the four ancient civilizations of the world

One difficulty in protecting historical and cultural cities in developing countries is the need to improve both the level of urban sustainable development and the rational use of historical and cultural resources. Currently, the city development index (CDI) ignores the fact that urban resources are being consumed at a rapidly increasing rate, and it is further unable to measure the coordination between urban development and ecosystems. The case study selected Xi'an, and calculated its CDI and ecological footprint per capita (ef), carbon footprint per capita (cf) and water footprint per capita (wf) in 2007-2017. A decoupling analysis was applied. The results showed only an 18.29% increase in the CDI, while the increase in the per capita values of the footprint family indicators are 38.97%, 44.41%, and 42.95%, respectively, which characterize the conflict between developing cities and maintaining urban ecosystems. There is no real decoupling between the CDI and the footprint family indicators, reflecting the dynamic reciprocal characteristics of "strong decoupling, expansive decoupling, weak decoupling, recessive decoupling" and indicating a very unstable situation. The analysis confirmed that the changes in the CDI and the footprint family indicators are the same as the left half of the inverted "U" of the "Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC)" that has not yet reached its "inflection point". This discovery helps to focus attention on the role of restoring urban ecosystems to support urban development. To this end, policy suggestions are proposed to improve urban land use efficiency, encourage low-carbon energy structure to improve energy use efficiency, improve urban carbon sequestration capacity, and implement differential water prices. This study compensates for the inability of the CDI to express the state of urban ecosystems and helps enhance the understanding of the inclusive sustainable development of cities in developing countries, which embodies human well-being.

Can we plan for urban cultural ecosystem services?

Despite being intangible, subjective and difficult to measure, cultural ecosystem services (CES) are more comprehensible and meaningful to people than many other services. They contribute greatly to the quality of urban life and achieving sustainability. Yet, little attention has been paid to how CES might practically be incorporated into urban planning. This paper addresses this gap by examining the challenges planners might face when handling CES, establishing strategies for addressing the challenges and highlighting key factors planners should consider when planning for CES. CES differ greatly from other ecosystem services—they are definitionally vague, difficult to measure, often bundled with other services and depend on users’ perceptions and situational factors. Therefore, rather than adopting a deterministic approach to generating CES, we suggest that urban planners should seek to create opportunities for CES to ‘hatch’ and ‘grow’ as people encounter nature in cities. This paper draws from diverse theoretical considerations of the CES concept as well as greenspace planning scholarship and practice. We identify five factors that need to be considered when planning for CES: place, people, past, practices and purpose. We see the proposed ‘5P’ framework as a useful heuristic for planners when implementing CES in urban planning.

Microbial Composition and Functional Diversity Differ Across Urban Green Infrastructure Types

Functional and biogeographical properties of soil microbial communities in urban ecosystems are poorly understood despite their role in metabolic processes underlying valuable ecosystem services. The worldwide emergence of engineered habitats in urban landscapes-green roofs, bioswales, and other types of soil-based green infrastructure-highlights the importance of understanding how environmental changes affect the community assembly processes that shape urban microbial diversity and function. In this study we investigated (1) whether engineered green roofs and bioswales in New York City had distinct microbial community composition and trait-associated diversity compared to non-engineered soils in parks and tree pits, and (2) if these patterns were consistent with divergent community assembly processes associated with engineered specifications of green infrastructure habitats not present in conventional, non-engineered green infrastructure; specifically, tree pit and park lawn soils. We found that green roofs and bioswales each had distinct bacterial and fungal communities, but that community composition and diversity were not significantly associated with geographic distance, suggesting that the processes structuring these differences are related to aspects of the habitats themselves. Bioswales, and to a lesser extent green roofs, also contained increased functional potential compared to conventional GI soils, based on the diversity and abundance of taxa associated with nitrogen cycling, biodegradation, decomposition, and traits positively associated with plant growth. We discuss these results in the context of community assembly theory, concluding that urban soil microbial community composition and diversity in engineered habitats are driven largely by environmental filtering, whereas stochastic processes are more important among non-engineered soils.

Demographic biases in engagement with nature in a tropical Asian city

Urban residents can benefit from spending time in outdoor spaces and engaging with nature-related activities. Such engagement can improve health and well-being, support community cohesion, and improve environmentally-friendly behaviours. However, engagement with nature may not be equal amongst different members of society. We investigated individual variation in engagement with nature in Singapore, a high-density city in tropical Southeast Asia. Through a survey of 1000 residents, we analysed relationships between demographic factors such as age, income, and sex, and the frequency of visitation to different ecosystem types, and the frequency of engagement with different nature-related activities. Parks and neighbourhood open spaces were among the most commonly-visited outdoor spaces, with nature reserves and other natural areas being visited less frequently. Common activities included sitting outdoors, art and photography, and running, while hiking and nature recreation were less frequent. In contrast with previous studies, we found relatively small differences among different groups of the population in their preferred types of outdoor activities. Older people, those with lower incomes, and without degrees were less likely to visit most types of outdoor space and engage with most types of nature-related activities. In the case of nature reserves, the distance from the visitor’s home had a significantly negative influence on the frequency of visitation. These findings demonstrate that the benefits of engagement with nature are not equally enjoyed by all demographic groups, and that some groups lack engagement across the board. Strategies to increase nature engagement in tropical cities could include increasing the local availability and accessibility of different types of outdoor space, and education and public outreach programmes to encourage participation.

Evaluation of the Importance of Some East Asian Tree Species for Refinement of Air Quality by Estimating Air Pollution Tolerance Index, Anticipated Performance Index, and Air Pollutant Uptake

Potentials of tree species as biofilters depend on appropriate selection based on their tolerance to air pollution, which is usually evaluated by the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API). Thus, these index values need as a means of scientific understanding to assess the role of urban trees for better greenspace planning/management to mitigate impacts of gaseous air pollution such as ozone (O3) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). O3 exposure to Chionanthus retusus, Pinus densiflora, and Ginkgo biloba showed higher stomatal O3 flux than the others, finally resulting in both favoring stomatal movement and maintaining carbon fixation. In contrast, despite the whole tree enhanced SO2 uptake under excess SO2 exposure, the carbon assimilation capacity was only found in Taxus cuspidata and Zelkova serrata as a consequence of no stomatal sluggishness. On the basis of API, P. densiflora and Prunus × yedoensis were good performers for developing greenspace, while Z. serrata and G. biloba were moderate performers; however, C. retusus and T. cuspidata were estimated to be poor and very poor performers, respectively, for reducing the air quality injury caused by air pollutants. The present study suggests that an integration of both APTI and API based on stomatal absorption flux is needed for selecting sound tree-species in greenspace planning/construction to control gaseous air pollutions.

Integrative concepts and practices of health in transdisciplinary social ecology

Increasing recognition of interdependencies of the health of humans, other organisms and ecosystems, and of their importance to socio-ecological systems, necessitates application of integrative concepts such as One Health and EcoHealth. These concepts open new perspectives for research and practice but also generate confusion and divergent opinion, prompting new theories, and call for empirical clarification and evaluation. Through a semi-systematic evaluation of knowledge generation in scientific publications (comprised of literature reviews, conceptual models and analyses of communities of practice), we show how integrative concepts and approaches to health evolve and are adopted. Our findings indicate that while their contexts, goals and rationales vary, integrative concepts of health essentially arise from shared interests in living systems. Despite recent increased attention to ecological and societal aspects of health including broader sustainability issues, the focus remains anthropocentric and oriented towards biomedicine. Practices reflect and in turn transform these concepts, which together with practices also influence ways of integration. Overarching narratives vary between optimism and pessimism towards integrated health and knowledge. We conclude that there is an urgent need for better, coherent and more deeply integrative health concepts, approaches and practices to foster the well-being of humans, other animals and ecosystems. Consideration of these concepts and practices has methodological and political importance, as it will transform thinking and action on both society and nature and specifically can enrich science and practice, expanding their scope and linking them better. Transdisciplinary efforts are crucial to developing such concepts and practices to properly address the multiple facets of health and to achieve their appropriate integration for the socio-ecological systems at stake. We propose the term “transdisciplinary health” to denote the new approaches needed.

Walking Green: Developing an Evidence Base for Nature Prescriptions

Although the health benefits of exercise and exposure to nature are well established, most evidence of their interaction comes from acute observations of single sessions of activity. However, documenting improved health outcomes requires ongoing interventions, measurement of multiple outcomes, and longitudinal analyses. We conducted a pilot study to guide the development of a protocol for future longitudinal studies that would assess multiple physiological and psychological outcomes. Herein, we report psychological outcomes measured from thirty-eight participants before and after three conditions: a 50 min walk on a forest path, a 50 min walk along a busy road, and a period of activities of daily living. Changes in positive and negative affect, anxiety, perceived stress, and working memory are reported. We benchmark these results to existing studies that used similar protocols and also identify elements of the protocol that might impair recruitment or retention of subjects in longer-term studies. Linear mixed-models regression revealed that walking improved psychological state when compared to activities of daily living, regardless of walk environment (p < 0.05). Comparison of mean differences showed that forest walks yielded the largest and most consistent improvements in psychological state. Thus, despite a protocol that required a 3.5 h time commitment per laboratory visit, the beneficial effects of walking and exposure to a forested environment were observed.

Anthropic space and design for all. New knowledge paths for urban planning strategies

Nowadays city environment shows the presence of a mixed variety of elements, as natural, semi natural and anthropic components that build up both structure and connections of the urban context. This specific structure shapes and directs space and its functions strictly connected with their sustainable potential uses and sustainable development opportunities. The lack of rules and proper planning methods produces inefficient use conditions by resident citizens, entropy, functions' reduction of ecological networks and deep environmental impacts. The consequence comes out to be a great widespread life quality decrease in urban areas. These thoughts lead the authors to rethink the definition first and then the place concept own interpretation, as a theoretical reference approach and in a particular way of the urban place, as an anthropic action useful in a multidimensional relationship analysis. Based on these considerations, the aim of the paper is that to introduce design for all as an efficient and effective planning action tool able to get sustainable operating strategies to match both people needs and urban system quality of life protection and enhancement in a long term timeline analysis.