Development of a methodology for the characterization of urban and periurban green spaces in the context of supra-municipal sustainability strategies

Periurban landscapes should be interpreted as multifunctional spaces enabling them to be valued according to environmental, economic and social criteria. This article proposes a methodology for the characterization of urban and periurban green spaces in the context of strategies which enable planning processes for cities of the future to be devised. Firstly, the green belt is characterized and evaluated and its resilience and dynamic analyzed. Subsequently, different supra-municipal tools are compared and a summary of various existing methodologies and programs is produced, making it possible to develop a matrix for diagnosing projects for green spaces and periurban natural spaces and evaluating their potential as a Green Infrastructure in the context of Open Space Strategies. The application of this method in the characterization of periurban space emphasizes elements of scenic beauty whose incorporation in the said strategies does not require large investments but instead an effort in terms of promoting such places. The drafting of this Open Spaces Strategy offers a cross-disciplinary planning tool with which to take action using a landscape reading scale. This comprehensive view makes it possible to optimize efforts and investments and involve the whole community at all levels of operation through processes of citizen participation. As a result, a systematic and collective diagnostic tool is obtained for characterizing the urban and periurban green belt, which can be applied to the various periurban spaces in accordance with the multifunctionality demanded by supra-municipal strategies.     

广西土地杠杆运用的现状、问题和建议

广西的土地杠杆调控作用主要是通过土地规划、供应、价格等实现。从土地杠杆运用的实践看,存在土地规划适应性差,且与其他相关规划缺乏衔接,产业用地控制指标不健全,园区土地集约评价考核作用不明显、土地价格机制没有有效发挥等问题。建议从八个方面进一步完善土地杠杆:(1)在土地规划编制过程中加强与其他规划的协调;(2)年度计划指标与产业发展相挂钩;(3)强化预审环节的闸门作用;(4)强化工业用地控制指标和用地目录的调控功能;(5)实施产业差别化供地政策;(6)积极盘活低效利用土地;(7)显化园区土地集约利用评价考核作用;(8)强化土地价格杠杆的引导作用。     

Towards understanding and resolving the conflict related to the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) conservation with participatory management planning

Conflicts often arise in relation to the conservation of protected predator species. If stakeholders are well defined and involved in participatory processes, their views and perceptions can be incorporated and steps can be made towards resolving such conflicts. In this paper, a case from Hungary is presented. In this case, a participatory management planning process was initiated in the Jászság Special Protection Area of European importance (SPA), within the frame of a LIFE+ project focusing on the conservation of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). It provided a good opportunity to address a complex conflict situation between nature conservationists, game managers and farmers. We identified structural conflicts such as contradictions between direct agricultural payments and nature conservation goals, conflicts related to different views of the main influencing factors, relational problems between various stakeholders, and even differences in value orientation. The participatory management planning process was successful in clarifying the conflict situation and making productive steps toward a common understanding and resolution. Besides the mutually agreed conservation measures, the establishment of an administrative and financial incentive such as the high nature value area (HNVA) scheme proved to be an especially important factor for mitigating the conflict. It also contributed to a more successful realisation of nature conservation objectives in an area dominated by private land owners. However, continued interaction and cooperation are needed to stabilise this progress. Our paper also shows that stakeholder involvement in conservation management planning can transcend the strategic dimension of participation, and address broader common values besides the interests of land user groups.     

Evading spatial planning law—Case study of poland

Spatial planning is a part of a general system of social and economic planning in Poland. Although it aims at promoting spatial order and sustainable development, it may sometimes stand in contradiction with the interests of various groups and players. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ways of evading the planning law system by various actors in Poland. Recent examples are discussed and an assessment of the misused regulations is conducted. Case studies are followed by a general evaluation of the Polish legislative techniques and the planning system. To conclude, the paper outlines the most important recommendations for planners and urban officials to prepare more accurate and precise plans and acts of law in order to improve the legislative technique in spatial planning.     

How do centrality,population growth and urban sprawl impact farmland conversion in Norway?

A strong link has been observed between urbanization processes and conversions of farmland to built-up land. Most previous research has addressed such conversion of farmland in relation to the expansion of larger cities. However, broader analysis of both rural and central areas is needed to increase the empirical basis for these claims. Based on GIS analysis of farmland conversions, this paper aims to expand our understanding of how urban sprawl affects conversion of farmland. We find that most farmland in Norway is converted to built-up areas in relation to existing urban settlement areas. In line with population growth, urban areas in the most central municipalities experience the most significant urban sprawl and loss of farmland. Moreover, the remaining farmland is located in the same areas that already have converted the most. These areas also experience significant pressure for continued land take. Assuming current trends continue, future urban sprawl will pose great challenges for the preservation of farmland in land-use planning. New research and policies are required to handle these challenges more effectively.     

Spatial assessment of climate change vulnerability at city scale: A study in Bangalore,India

Integrating adaptation and mitigation response actions to climate change in urban-level policies requires comprehensive information on vulnerability patterns, yet a majority of local governments and decision makers in various cities in developing nations lack spatially explicit information on climate change vulnerability and its key drivers. In addition, there is no standardised method for an all-inclusive vulnerability assessment at the local level. Results from higher broad-scale vulnerability assessments are difficult to implement conceptually and technically at the local scale. We present a climate change vulnerability assessment approach at the city scale that considers three main components: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Indicators were assessed within each component and were combined using Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE). The standardisation of indicators under each component was conducted, along with weighting, at each level of the vulnerability assessment hierarchy. The vulnerability assessment approach was applied to an urban area in India; namely, Bangalore metropolitan area. The application of vulnerability assessment approach was demonstrated and a spatial assessment of climate change vulnerability patterns was presented. The spatial pattern of vulnerability identifies areas urgently requiring attention to adaptation action, while vulnerability assessment enables policy intervention and prioritization at local spatial scales. This study presents a rational to integrate vulnerability assessment approach within the urban planning realm in Bangalore metropolitan area where according to our study approximately 91% of the area is facing high degree of climate vulnerability.     

国土空间规划视角下生态空间管制分区的理论思考

研究目的:揭示生态空间的概念内涵与认知局限,探讨面向国土空间规划的生态空间管制分区优化逻辑。研究方法:文献资料法和归纳演绎法。研究结果:(1)生态空间具有实体、功能、管理等多维属性,蕴含了生态系统服务的多样性、生态空间功能的复合性、生态服务价值的人本性三重内涵;(2)生态空间管制分区的认知存在三方面的局限,即价值取向上难以统筹要素、功能与格局,操作模式上忽略社会文化功能的权衡,实施路径上未能建构分级分类体系;(3)国土空间规划对生态空间管制分区提出了底线保障、精细治理、人本服务三个层次需求;(4)生态空间管制分区可遵循以生态功能为研判依据、生态要素为空间载体、分级分类高效管理为落脚点的理论逻辑,建构以功能权衡、要素统筹、分级分类为次序的实施路径。研究结论:深化生态空间的理论认知,厘清国土空间规划对生态空间管制分区的核心需求,优化生态空间管制分区的理论逻辑与实施路径,才能有效地支撑生态文明新时代的空间治理现代化目标。     

Knowing but not knowing: Systematic conservation planning and community conservation in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca,Mexico

Systematic conservation planning (SCP) seeks to propose new reserves through a scientifically rigorous process using databases and research selection algorithims. However, SCP exercises have been criticized for “knowing but not doing”, i.e. not implementing the proposed reserve. But there is an additional problem that can be called “knowing but not knowing”, knowing things from databases, but not knowing crucial contextual information about community-based social processes that have supported the high forest cover and biodiversity detected. Examined here is how a common property region of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico has maintained high forest cover in the absence of public protected areas, while multiple SCP exercises have advocated for the creation of public protected areas in communal tropical montane cloud forests and pine forests as strategies for biodiversity conservation and resilience to climate change. Methods included archival research, review of community documents, focus group interviews, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, land use transects, and GIS analysis and remote sensing. Conservation in the region originally occurred because of low population densities, steep slopes and a lack of agricultural subsidies, supported by locally adapted agricultural practices. In the 1990s, a transition from passive to active conservation took place with land use zoning plans, community conservation rules, community forestry enterprises and payments for environmental service programs that consolidated a trend towards high, unthreatened forest cover. Today, the study communities have an average of 88.3% forest cover, with 61% of that in informal conservation based on community land use zoning and rules and another 14% governed by forest management plans approved by the Mexican government. We argue that truly systematic conservation plans would seek to understand how communities in the region are already managing forests for conservation. It is pointless and uninformed to advocate for top-down conservation interventions of forests that are already robustly conserved and resilient to climate change due to community action.     

南京市规划管理办公自动化系统的设计与实现

本文通过对南京市城市规划的管理模式和业务审批流程的分析,介绍了规划管理办公自动化系统的设计、周期控制思想、实现方法及其特点。