Universität Stuttgart
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/handle/11682/1
Browse
17 results
Search Results
Item Open Access Unpacking stakeholder perceptions of the benefits and challenges associated with urban greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa(2021) Guenat, Solène; Porras Lopez, Gabriel; Mkwambisi, David D; Dallimer, MartinUrban greenspaces underpin ecosystem service provision in cities and are therefore indispensable for human well-being. Nevertheless, they are increasingly disappearing from cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding how the stakeholders influencing urban greenspace management perceive the benefits provided by urban greenspaces and the challenges to its conservation and management is critical for reversing this trend. Using Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe, as a case study, we conducted 44 semi-structured interviews to explore the profiles and perceptions of stakeholders who currently hold influence over greenspace planning, conservation and management. Stakeholders with influence over urban greenspace management described the main focus of their organisation as relating to urban planning, natural resources protection and management, development work, or the hospitality business sector. Critically, only a third of all stakeholders focused on natural resources protection and management. Stakeholders had nuanced and varied appreciations of the benefits that greenspaces provide. Regulation and maintenance ecosystem services, as well as cultural services were frequently mentioned. However, provisioning services were mostly mentioned by those in development work. Stakeholders also identified an additional suite of societal benefits that do not directly map onto ecosystem service frameworks, such as the generation of financial income and the provision of employment opportunities. Challenges identified as hampering the planning, conservation and management of greenspaces included inappropriate urbanisation, lack of coordination and participation, and population growth. Lack of coordination was however not widely acknowledged among those focusing on natural resources protection, who conversely identified population growth more often than any other groups. Highlighting how stakeholders with varying priorities perceive ecosystem services a first step towards improving greenspaces management both for their better acceptation and for improving their potential for biodiversity conservation. Specifically, we bring attention to need for stakeholders working with natural resources protection to recognise more the need for collaborations and engagement. Additional research is also necessary to understand how those different perspectives might be integrated into ongoing processes and procedures to manage greenspaces in Sub-Saharan Africa.Item Open Access Begrünungspotential in ariden und semi-ariden Städten : Fallstudie Teheran, Iran(2014) Agharabi, Amena; Kaule, Giselher (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)Aufgrund des großen Wachstums der Städte in ariden und semi-ariden Zonen und der jährlichen Erweiterung der Trockengebiete, mit der in vielen Fällen die Zerstörung oder Unterentwicklung der städtischen Grünflächen einhergeht, versucht diese Arbeit, das Stadtbegrünungspotenzial einzuschätzen und eventuelle Hindernisse zu identifizieren. Während Grünflächen in Städten nicht nur zur Erhöhung der visuellen/ Lebensqualität, sondern auch zur Verbesserung des Klimas, Verbannung der Hitze und Bekämpfung der Umweltverschmutzung eine Notwendigkeit sind, verfügen trockene Länder nur über sehr begrenzte Wasserressourcen, die zudem unter starkem Druck durch das hohe Bevölkerungswachstum stehen. Diese Studie hat mit der Erforschung der Eigenschaften der trockenen Region im Allgemeinen und insbesondere Irans Teheran als Fallstudie gewählt. Diese Stadt, die in historischen Aufzeichnungen als üppiges Grün des Gartens dargestellt ist, leidet jetzt unter Wassermangel, Umweltverschmutzung und der Knappheit von Grünfläche, die in einigen Stadtbezirken weniger als 2 Quadratmeter pro Kopf beträgt. Eine nachhaltige Entwicklung der städtischen Grünflächen in Teheran ist ein multi-dimensionales Thema und wird von zahlreichen komplexen und miteinander verwobenen wirtschaftlichen, politischen, sozialen und ökologischen Faktoren beeinflusst. Die Probleme und vorgeschlagenen Lösungen sind im Überblick: 1. Eine dicht gebaute Stadt, knappe freie Räume und unverhältnismäßige Verteilung der Flächennutzungen: Angesichts der unterschiedlichen Struktur, Bevölkerungsdichte, Bedürfnisse und Möglichkeiten der verschiedenen Stadtbezirke wurde mehrere Strategien in Bezug auf Architektur und Stadtplanung für jeden Stadtbereich vorgeschlagen. 2. Die Kosten für die Grünflächenentwicklung im Vergleich zu ihrem Nutzen: Im Gegensatz zu den definierten Kosten für die Bebauung, Errichtung und Instandhaltung von Grünflächen ist der Preis bzw. der realisierte Wert dieses Gutes in Geldeinheiten bei dem Mangel von Vergleichsobjekten und Verkaufshandlungen schwer zu berechnen. Hier wurden die abstrakten Werte mit Ersatzobjekten und neuen Methoden für einen annähernd konkreten Preis für die langfristige Entwicklung der Grünflächen Teherans, wie auch die Schadensschätzung und Kompensationsmethoden bei Verlusten, manifestiert. 3. Mangelnde Bürgerbeteiligung und Sensibilisierung der Öffentlichkeit für den Umweltschutz und das Stadtgrün: In dieser Arbeit wurden mit einigen Beispielen die Bildung und Umweltkommunikation in den Schulen und Medien sowie die Rolle der Umwelt-NGOs und der nützlichen kulturellen Wurzeln und Traditionen zur Motivierung und Koordinierung der Bürger effektiv geschätzt. 4. Rechtliche, administrative und organisatorische Herausforderungen der Grünflächen von Teheran: Mit der Beschreibung des Grünflächenmanagements und der finanziellen Zyklus- und Budgetplanung in Teheran und der Gesetze, die das Grundstücks-/Wohneigentumsrecht und den Grunderwerb regelten, werden Lösungen und Teilweise eine Reform der Regulierung und besonders das adaptive Management sowie ein demokratisches und transparentes Verfahren und Informationsvermittlung in Grünflächeprojekten als Leitfaden für die Ermutigung zur Bürgerbeteiligung und Systemverbesserung vorgeschlagen. 5. Der Mangel an Wasser für die Bewässerung der Grünflächen: Für eine Antwort werden an dieser Stelle erstens der Wasserstand und die Trinkwasseranfrage/ der Wasserverbrauch berechnet und bewiesen, dass die natürlichen Gründe für den Wassermangel bei einem übermäßigen Verbrauch und hohen Wasserverlust liegen und entgegen der landläufigen Wahrnehmung in Teheran kein grundsätzlicher Mangel an Wasser für die Bewässerung der Grünflächen herrscht, da Teheran in einem Abwassermeer schwimmt und mit einer Abwasserbehandlung ausreichend Wasser nicht nur für öffentliche Grünflächen, sondern auch für die stadtnahe Landwirtschaft zur Verfügung stehen würde und die Nutzung von behandeltem Abwasser und Wasser aus anderen Quellen wie Qanats und Wasserläufen den Wasserstress in der warmen Jahreszeit reduzieren könnte. Bei einer Veränderung der Bewässerungsmethoden zur Verbesserung der Effizienz der Bewässerung und passenden Pflanzenauswahl werden die Entwicklung und der Ausbau der städtischen Grünflächen um das Fünffache in der Gegend, ohne Schäden für Umwelt und Trinkwasserressourcen, ermöglicht. 6. Die Auswahl der entsprechenden Pflanzenarten für Teheran: Trotz der Vielfalt der Pflanzenarten in Teheran ist die Bandbreite der vorherrschenden Arten beschränkt. Mit einem Vergleich von Klima und Bodenverhältnissen in den verschiedenen Stadtbezirken von Teheran und den bestehenden Bäumen, vorherigen Aufzeichnungen und der Empfehlungen der zuständigen Reviergärtner und einer Kombination dieser Merkmale und Eigenschaften - unter Heranziehung der einschlägigen Literatur- wurden hier die besten Baumarten für die verschiedenen Bezirke ausgewählt.Item Open Access Informing the design of urban green and blue spaces through an understanding of Europeans' usage and preferences(2022) Jakstis, Kristen; Dubovik, Maria; Laikari, Arto; Mustajärvi, Kaisa; Wendling, Laura; Fischer, Leonie K.In light of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, making cities more resilient through an adjusted design of urban green and blue spaces is crucial. Nature‐based solutions help address these challenges while providing opportunities for nature experiences, and providing cultural ecosystem services that support public health. The COVID‐19 pandemic and its associated stressors highlighted the interrelated socio‐ecological services provided by nature‐based solutions like urban green and blue spaces. This pan‐European study therefore aimed to enhance the socio‐ecological understanding of green and blue spaces to support their design and management. Using an online survey, green and blue space preferences, usage, and pandemic‐related changes in greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were examined. Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were associated with respondents’ (N = 584 from 15 countries) geographical location, dominant type of neighbourhood greenspace and greenspace availability during the pandemic, but not greenspace perceptions or sociodemographic background. Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were generally high; however, Southern Europeans reported lower greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies both before and during the pandemic than Northern Europeans. Many Southern Europeans also reported having few neighbourhood greenspaces and low greenspace availability during the pandemic. The most common outdoor recreational activity among respondents before the pandemic was walking or running with the most frequently stated purpose of time spent outdoors being restorative in nature (i.e. relaxing or calming down). Most Europeans had positive perceptions of green and blue spaces with preferences for structurally diverse and natural or unmanaged green elements. This highlights the importance of accessible green and blue spaces both in everyday life and during times of crisis. Stakeholders, their preferences, and regional and cultural differences should be included in the co‐design of urban green and blue spaces to maximize their potential for both people and nature.Item Open Access Beyond values : how emotions, anthropomorphism, beliefs and knowledge relate to the acceptability of native and non‐native species management in cities(2022) Straka, Tanja M.; Bach, Luise; Klisch, Ulrike; Egerer, Monika H.; Fischer, Leonie K.; Kowarik, IngoManaging non‐native species in cities is often controversial because these species can support both ecosystem services and disservices. Yet, how the acceptability of non‐native species management by the general public differs in relation to native species, to distance (i.e. close to residence and elsewhere) and among plants and animals is understudied. Furthermore, while values, beliefs and knowledge are often considered in this context, psychometric factors such as emotions and anthropomorphic views have received little attention. We surveyed 658 residents in Berlin, Germany, to assess (i) the acceptability of management actions differing in their severity for non‐native plants and animals compared to native species with similar traits, (ii) the influence of perceived distance of species (i.e. close to residence and elsewhere) and (iii) the predictive potential of psychometric (i.e. values, beliefs, self‐assessed knowledge, emotions and anthropomorphism) and socio‐demographic factors for this acceptability. Eradication (i.e. lethal control/removal) was generally the least accepted management action, but more accepted for non‐native than native species. Distance mattered for the acceptability of non‐native plant management with unspecified control action the most accepted management action close to residence. While values (self‐transcendence and conservation) mostly explained the acceptability of doing nothing and eradication, emotions related strongly to all management actions. Beliefs were more important than self‐assessed knowledge in relation to non‐native species management and beliefs about non‐native plants and animals were rated almost similar. Anthropomorphic views had predictive potential for plants and animals; that is, the stronger people held anthropomorphic views, the less they accepted eradication. Participants with a garden supported doing nothing with plants (native and non‐native) more than without. Results highlight the complexity of factors underlying the acceptability of management actions on species in cities. While values, beliefs and self‐assessed knowledge are important in the context of species management, other psychometric factors add to our understanding of acceptability. We conclude that awareness about different acceptability patterns related to species management can support environmental policies on biological invasions in cities. Tailoring and implementing adequate management actions can benefit from incorporating cognitive but also affective factors of the public.Item Open Access Towards sustainable urbanization in new cities : social acceptance and preferences of agricultural and solar energy systems(2024) Marzouk, Mai A.; Salheen, Mohamed A.; Fischer, Leonie K.Social acceptance of end users is indispensable for the implementation of agricultural and solar energy systems to create a more sustainable and productive residential building sector. Thus, the main aim of this study is to investigate the social acceptance level of the two systems and the implementation preferences of Egyptian end users, i.e., residents, in relation to their different sociocultural backgrounds. Given that most of the construction in Egypt is taking place in new cities, the acceptance of such systems strongly relates to societal implications for urban sustainability. An online survey was therefore disseminated to the residents of new cities in the Greater Cairo Region in Egypt (n = 274). A contingency analysis was conducted using the SPSS tool, calculating the Chisquared and Fisher tests to identify significant associations between the variables. Results indicated a high level of social acceptance of both the agricultural (71 %) and solar energy (64 %) systems. The attitude of residents towards the systems and their experience using them were the variables exhibiting the highest association with social acceptance of agricultural systems (p < 0.001 for attitude and experience) and solar energy systems (p = 0.04 for attitude and p = 0.002 for experience). The most preferred system types were the horizontal planters on hand railings and roof-mounted photovoltaics. Responses showed that production was the main aim for agricultural systems, while economic returns were the main aim for solar systems. However, both systems faced the same barriers, especially in relation to economic barriers. Out of the 12 sociocultural variables tested, respondents’ age had the most significant impact on the implementation preferences of both systems followed by gender, residence type, and access to shared facilities. Our study addressed a knowledge gap by comparing the two systems to identify the common or different reasons behind the disparity between their high theoretical potential versus low on-ground implementation. Future research could investigate other underlying factors behind social acceptance beyond the analyzed sociocultural aspects and tackle the types of each system in detail.Item Open Access Edible landscapes within the urban area of Beijing, China(2016) Wang, Xin; Stokman, Antje (Prof.)In recent years, edible landscape within the urban area (ELWUA) has become a topic of intense study in the field of landscape research worldwide. Urban agriculture could contribute to the sustainability of cities in various ways: socially, economically and environmentally. Therefore, facing the two global challenges of urbanization and food security, the integration of urban agriculture is suggested to be used as a strategy for sustainable and resilient urban development and providing a productive green infrastructure for the future cities. Especially at the present, agriculture is being rediscovered for use in modern urban space and becoming more and more popular in cities all over the world. During the last twenty or so years, the number of related concepts, research projects, conferences and teaching practices has greatly increased, especially in western countries. However, compared with the tremendous upsurge of research on ELWUA in western countries, the research on edible landscapes in China so far has mainly evolved around the issue of integrating agriculture in the suburbs and rural area, but only a few mentioned cases within the urban area. Therefore, there is an urgent need to fill in the research gap in the field of the edible landscape within the urban area (ELWUA) in China, thereby to contribute to the understanding of the essence and significance of the contemporary ELWUA in China in the 21st century. First, this dissertation reviewed the relative definitions, history and services of growing food within urban area, and the types of urban agriculture in Europe as the knowledge foundation of understanding the contemporary ELWUA. Then, taking Beijing as the research area, the research used an empirical research approach (by means of field surveys) with the aim of finding out the ELWUA’s physical characteristics (including spatial characteristics, type of edible plants, evolution process, materials and technology), social characteristics (including the information of the participants, organizational forms and motivations), ELWUA types, ELWUA services and people’s perceptions towards ELWUA. During the process of carrying out the field surveys, 38 sites were selected as the research cases and semi-structured interviews to six groups of people who are related to ELWUA were completed. After that, the characteristics of the ELWUA in Beijing were found through the comparison with European ELWUA cases. Finally, recommendations on how to use edible landscapes as a strategy to serve the sustainable development of Beijing and other metropolitan cities in China were proposed. The main contents and conclusions of the empirical research include: 1. The edible landscapes which exist within the urban area of Beijing are mainly a phenomenon that emerged along with the modern urbanization process of China. They could be classified into three main levels and nine types, which are: 1) the urban food gardening level, which includes family gardens, guerrilla gardens, community gardens, renting farming garden (called “Happy Farm”), educational/demonstration gardens and Danwei kitchen gardens; 2) the urban greening and landscaping level, which includes edible greening and landscaping with fruit trees and edible greening and landscaping with crops or vegetables; 3) the urban farming level, which includes agrotourists’ picking farms and experimental farms. In which, the edible landscapes cultivated by the public mainly emerged during the rapid urbanization process since the Chinese economic reform was carried out in 1978. It is a response of the urban dwellers that are living away from the rural landscape and nature who wish to pursue a healthy life (including leisure, health, food supplement and healthier food) and a pastoral life, rather than only simply an initiative for food production. Growing food within the urban area in Beijing mainly consists of urban residents’ spontaneous activities and it is inseparable from the daily life demands of the Chinese urban dwellers. Because it is an expression of the “people’s will”, it is a natural phenomenon and a cultural product embedded in the Chinese cultivation culture and rooted in the Chinese rapid urbanization process. The ELWUA in Beijing can supply multiple services for urban citizens, including 1) provision services, 2) environmental services, 3) social services, 4) health services, 5) economic services, 6) recreational services, 7) educational services and 8) cultural services. 2. The comparison of the ELWUA in Beijing and European cities indicated that to date the development of ELWUA in China is still in its infancy and has its own characteristics, which could be reflected in: 1) family gardens and informal guerrilla gardens, which are usually built by individuals, account for the majority of the total ELWUA in Beijing, 2) most of the ELWUA in Beijing is located in private space or semi-public space, 3) most of the ELWUA is bottom-up spontaneous activities of the urban dwellers, only a few were built under formal organization, in which, most of them were built only for public greening but not for people’s cultivation, 4) there is a large proportion of aged retirees in the spontaneous “urban hobby farmers”, 5) there is a high demand for growing food within the urban area from the urban residents, but there is a disparity of the perception and attitudes towards ELWUA between the public and the government or other administrations of urban landscape, 6) a lot of potential ELWUA services which could contribute to the urban healthy development and the well-being of people are still waiting to be recognized, explored and applied. 3. The development of ELWUA in China is currently facing a lot of challenges, which mainly include: 1) ELWUA is neglected even excluded from the urban landscape planning by urban authorities, 2) perception of agriculture being inappropriate in a city and lack of vision, 3) lack of space and land tenure uncertainties for ELWUA, 4) lack of organization, management and maintenance, 5) lack of knowledge and technical guide, and 6) the challenge of combining the aesthetic value of ELWUA into urban landscape. Based on the findings of this research, recommendations on how to use edible landscapes to promote the healthy and sustainable development of Chinese cities in the 21st century were proposed: 1) ELWUA should be supported as an ordinary urban practice and integrated as one component of the urban landscape, 2) more potential urban space should be excavated for ELWUA, 3) a systematic looped guide, which includes a) planning, b) building, c) maintenance and management, and d) monitoring and evaluation, should be formulated to support the implementation of ELWUA, 4) a publicly available environmental monitoring and information system on health security should be set up.Item Open Access Parkstrukturmerkmale – ein Beitrag zur Quantifizierung des Nutzungspotenzials öffentlicher Grün- und Erholungsanlagen : Beispielhafte Untersuchung in zwei deutschen Großstädten unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Zentralitätsmaßen(2009) Eisenberg, Bernd; Kaule, Giselher (Prof. Dr.)Die vorliegende Arbeit untersuchte die Einsatzmöglichkeiten raumbezogener Analysemethoden für die Freiraumplanung mit dem Ziel, das Nutzungspotenzial von Grün- und Erholungsanlagen anhand von Parkstrukturmerkmalen zu beschreiben und zu beurteilen. In einem dreistufigen Arbeitsverfahren wurden zunächst die theoretischen und methodischen Grundlagen erarbeitet und die aus freiraumplanerischer und wissenschaftstheoretischer Sicht notwendigen Anforderungen an Parkstrukturmerkmale erstellt. Anschließend wurden die dabei auftauchenden besonderen methodischen Fragestellungen vertieft und schließlich die Parkstrukturmerkmale auf zwei Maßstabsebenen – stadtweit und auf Parkanlagen bezogen – am Beispiel der Freiraumsysteme Hamburgs und Stuttgarts untersucht. Eingebunden war diese Untersuchung in das Forschungsfeld der Freiraumplanung. Die Arbeit griff aus der Gruppe der Grün- und Erholungsanlagen den Typ der Parkanlage heraus und konzentrierte sich auf erholungsorientierte Funktionen dieser Anlagen, d.h. das Nutzungsspektrum Spiel, Sport, Naherholung, Naturerleben und Kommunikation. Die Entwicklung und Erprobung von Parkstrukturmerkmalen war von dem Leitgedanken getragen, eine Grundlage für die Beurteilung des Nutzungspotenzials öffentlicher Parkanlagen zu erarbeiten und orientierte sich an den Anforderungen für Strukturmerkmalen der Landschaftsanalyse, den Landschaftsstrukturmaßen. Parkstrukturmerkmale müssen demnach eindeutig einer Freiraumfunktion zu zuordnen sein, die dafür relevanten strukturellen Eigenschaften des städtischen Freiraums wiedergeben, nachvollziehbar und anschaulich sein, die zuverlässige Reproduzierbarkeit der Mess- und Berechnungsergebnisse gewährleisten sowie effizient und praktikabel sein. Für die aus der Literatur ermittelten Einflussfaktoren auf das erholungsorientierte Nutzungspotenzial, wie Übersichtlichkeit, Nutzungsoffenheit oder Erreichbarkeit wurden raumbezogene Merkmale beschrieben. In einer umfassenden statistischen Analyse (Faktorenanalyse) von über 1.200 Anlagen in Hamburg bzw. 130 in Stuttgart erwiesen sich Merkmale der Merkmalsgruppen Form, Nutzung, Umfeld und Konfiguration im Rahmen einer Faktorenanalyse als relevant. Der methodische Schwerpunkt lag auf der Entwicklung und Erprobung konfigurativer Strukturmerkmale. Unter Konfiguration wurden im Kontext dieser Arbeit sich überlagernde, stadträumliche Bezüge verstanden, die mit Hilfe topologischer Zentralitätsmaße gemessen werden können und dessen Analysemethoden im Rahmen des Space-Syntax-Forschungsfeldes entwickelt wurden. Ein Vorteil der konfigurativen Merkmale ist darin zu sehen, dass der gesamte, potenziell nutzbare städtische Freiraum Gegenstand der Analyse ist. Daher konnten Parks als integraler Bestandteil des öffentlichen Bewegungsraums untersucht und implizit die wechselseitigen Beeinflussungen einbezogen werden. Es zeigte sich, dass die Einbindung von Parks und z.T. auch Spielplätzen in die umgebende Stadtstruktur sowie die innere Parkstruktur mit konfigurativen Merkmalen beschrieben und dass somit über Nutzungsschwerpunkte und -intensität geurteilt werden kann. Die methodischen Probleme, die mit einem universellen Ansatz der Freiraumanalyse verbunden sind, traten deutlich hervor. So stellte sich z.B. die Frage nach der Maßstäblichkeit der Grundlagenkarten und der Auflösung der räumlichen Einheiten der Analysekarten - in der vorliegenden Studie die so genannten Axial-Linien und Segment-Linien. Im Rahmen der Arbeit wurden daher Verfahren zur Vergleichbarkeit der Grundlagenkarten entwickelt und validiert. Es zeichnete sich jedoch weiterer Forschungsbedarf ab, insbesondere zur Frage des Einflusses topographischer Konstanten, wie z.B. Kessellage und natürliche Barrieren, für die Konfiguration einer Stadt und ihres Freiraums. Die anlagenbezogenen Untersuchungen zeigten, dass in Parkanlagen spezifische Konfigurationen auftreten, die andere Aktivitätsmuster aufweisen als außerhalb der Anlagen. Um diese Aktivitätsmuster vorherzusagen, haben sich die Raumrepräsentationen mit vereinfachten Axial-Linien-Karten und mit Segment-Linien-Karten als sinnvoll erwiesen; beide Verfahren konnten die Frequentierung von Wegeabschnitten und Bereichen im Park hinreichend erklären. Für Parkbesucher sind, wie die Literaturrecherche ebenfalls zeigte, Kopräsenz und Überschaubarkeit wichtige Faktoren der Parknutzung und der Beurteilung der Aufenthaltsqualität. Für die Analyse der Bewegungsmuster als ein Faktor der Kopräsenz, waren Linien-Analyse-Karten geeignet. Sichtfeld- und Sichtbarkeits-Graphen-Analysen in Kombination mit Methoden der Wahrnehmungspsychologie wurden jedoch die größten Möglichkeiten zugeschrieben, um affekthafte Raumqualitäten beurteilen zu können. Es wurde empfohlen, eine weitere Merkmalsgruppe, die den visuell-räumlichen Eindruck erfasst, zu den Parkstrukturmerkmalen hinzuzufügen, um die Freiraumplanung mit adäquaten Methoden zur Ermittlung des Nutzungspotenzials von Grün- und Erholungsanlagen auszustatten.Item Open Access Streetscapes as surrogate greenspaces during COVID-19?(2021) Fischer, Leonie K.; Gopal, DivyaIn 2020, the spread of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) globally led to severe crisis, disruption and hardship in both private and public life. In such times of distress, access to urban greenspaces is essential for physical and mental wellbeing. However, globally implemented lockdowns deprived many people of freely visiting greenspaces. Inequality in access to urban greenspaces was apparent at global scales. Consequently, many people took to streets for outdoor activities due to its easy accessibility. We, therefore, aimed to study the usage and relevance of streetscapes for outdoor activities during a crisis. We hypothesised that streetscapes supported diverse outdoor activities, functioning as surrogate urban greenspaces. We distributed an online questionnaire to over 400 international respondents. Our results clearly showed that people used streetscapes during this period for a variety of activities, many of which were also reported as their main physical activity. Walking was the most frequent activity in streetscapes globally, and independent from sociocultural characteristics. Other activities reported such as jogging and cycling also aligned generally with main physical activities of people, but differed between countries and people's sociocultural background. In summary, more than one third of respondents from lower-income countries reported not having had access to a greenspace, whereas 8% reported the same in high-income countries. Our results highlight the important role of streetscapes in facilitating people's regular physical activities during the pandemic. Recognising streetscapes as important public outdoor spaces within residential neighbourhoods could help counteract the inequality in greenspace access, an issue that seems more relevant than ever before.Item Open Access Urban nature and public health : how nature exposure and sociocultural background relate to depression risk(2021) Jakstis, Kristen; Fischer, Leonie K.As the world’s population becomes more urbanized, there is an associated decrease in nature exposure and a rise in noncommunicable diseases, including depression. Previous cross-sectional studies examining urban nature exposure and depression have reported favorable associations. However, many of these studies rely primarily on nature exposure metrics that measure the intensity of nature exposure, while other dimensions of urban nature exposure remain understudied. Therefore, in a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based case study targeting a general urban population (n = 282), we examined the relationship between two less commonly studied urban nature exposure variables (i.e., gardening behavior and greenspace visit frequency) and depression risk while also considering sociocultural background (multivariate logistic regression model). Results indicated that being a gardener was significantly associated with a reduced odds of being at risk of depression and that having a family migration history, but not a self-migration history, was associated with increased odds of being at risk of depression. In the examination of neighborhood socialization frequency and depression risk, we did not determine any significant association. The results of this study, therefore, highlight the importance of considering both people’s sociocultural backgrounds and urban nature exposure in more detail to help plan for and support healthier cities in the future.Item Open Access Functionalizing building envelopes for greening and solar energy : between theory and the practice in Egypt(2022) Marzouk, Mai A.; Salheen, Mohamed A.; Fischer, Leonie K.The building sector is one of the most resource-intensive industries. In Egypt, buildings consume 60% of electricity, produce 8% of CO2 emissions, and anthropize agricultural land, peri-urban and urban landscapes. To compensate for these consumption patterns, building envelopes can become productive in terms of greening and energy production. This encompasses the implementation of productive building systems that include (a) greening systems such as building-integrated vegetation and agriculture systems and (b) solar energy systems such as building-applied and integrated photovoltaics. For Egypt, the transformation toward more productive buildings still lacks a holistic understanding of their status and implementation requirements. This paper undergoes a comprehensive analysis of the two systems’ classifications, benefits, challenges, and implementation aspects based on a thorough assessment of 121 studies and 20 reports addressing them. This is coupled with a contextual analysis using questionnaires (n = 35) and semi-structured interviews (n = 13) with Egyptian experts and suppliers. Results showed that a large variety of systems is studied in literature and exists in the local market. Among the most purchased productive building systems in the Egyptian market, according to experts, are hydroponics (selected by 75% of respondents), planter boxes/pots (50%), roof-mounted photovoltaic panels (95%), and solar water heaters (55%). The main benefits of greening and solar energy systems are identified as enjoying the greenery view (95%) and reducing energy expenses (100%), respectively. The high initial cost was considered the main barrier for both systems. Multiple commonalities between the two systems in terms of spatial and environmental applicability aspects (e.g., accessibility and safety, net useable area, sun exposure, wind exposure) and environmental performance aspects (e.g., energy demand and emissions reduction, heat flow reduction) were identified. Lastly, we highlight the importance of analyzing integrated solutions that make use of the identified synergies between the systems and maximize the production potentials.