Assessment of the Importance of Greenery in Urban Planning in Modern Britain

In recent years, the world has embraced rapid and large-scale urbanization making more citizens share the progress of society, such as abundant commodities, convenient and fast transportation, excellent medicine and education. For the urbanization, more land inside or around the limited cities have been exploited at the expense of greenery to build buildings as well as infrastructure to satisfy the according demands caused by urbanization. But human beings can never live without greenery, and more citizens mean more needs on greenery. In view of this, the importance of greenery has been increasingly recognized by urban planners and policy makers. This essay aimed to explore the role that greenery plays in urban planning in modern Britain and provided the theoretical basis for better utilization of greenery in the future urban planning.

Bahrain Regains Greenery

Bahrain’s roofs of private and public buildings despite being flat, are dead, useless, and crammed with lumber and unwanted items. These roofs should be transformed to green and farming spaces.

Assessment of Urban Greenery Status in Major Cities of Oromia, Ethiopia

This work aims at studying different green spaces’experiences in developed countries and extrapolates the experiences to Oromia cities in Ethiopia;in order to investigate and promote greenery infrastructure in selected cities.To do that greenery practice performance data were collected in four cities,which were classified into two groups as good and weak performers.As a result,Adama and Bishoftu cities were good urban greenery performers whereas Burayu and Sebeta were weak performers.The cities were also selected non-randomly to investigate the current urban greenery practice and different green areas in each city.Eight green areas were taken as samples for observation,where qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources.The assessment of data confirmed that green areas along the roadside,recreational parks,open areas,and nursery sites existed in most cities.The urban plan of some cities does exclude most green area components.Greenery sites in Bishoftu and Adama are relatively better,while in Burayu and Sebeta urban greenery are highly abused for changing to another type of land use,e.g.,residential and institutional areas.The technical skills of tree planting,care,protection,and management were also observed as a collective resource.

CHINA Global Greenery Expansion

Data from NASA satellites have shown that China led We way in greening on land,thanks to ambitious tree-planting and intensive agriculture,programs in China.

Low-carbon design towards sustainable city development:Integrating glass space with natural greenery

The rapid urban development has caused serious problems such as high energy consumption and carbon emissions,especially under the context of climate change.Buildings are particularly energy-intensive,generating about one third of global energyrelated carbon emissions.Compared with active solutions(like mechanical systems),passive solutions offer the potential to balance energy consumption,thermal comfort,and ecological benefits.One potential solution is the integration of green glass space(GGS)into passive building design.GGS is a transitional building space with glass curtain walls that exhibit excellent insulation performance during winter.However,GGS is susceptible to overheating during summer,which limits its applicability.Therefore,this work proposes a strategy of integrating vertical greenery into GGS,leveraging the nature-based solution of greenery(i.e.,flourishes in summer and withers in winter)to address this seasonal challenge of GGS.The results demonstrated that the strategic application of vertical greenery can effectively mitigate the overheating in GGS and improve comprehensive benefits.By using full coverage of vertical greenery in a linear layout,the air temperature of GGS and cooling energy consumption were largely reduced by 8.02℃and 12.2%,respectively,while the carbon abatement was enhanced by up to 101.11 tons.Based on a comprehensive evaluation of energy,economy,and environmental benefits,it is recommended to use a greenery configuration with 50%coverage in a vertical linear layout for GGS.The integration of greenery into building design can mitigate adverse environmental impacts,reduce energy consumption,and contribute to the sustainable development of low-carbon cities.

TROPICAL VERTICAL GREENERY SYSTEMS:IRRIGATION SYSTEMS,BIOPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS,AND INFLUENTIAL CIRTERIA

Recent studies on vertical greenery systems(VGS)mainly focus on thermal perfor-mance,acoustics effects,energy savings and environmental sustainability.There are very few studies on tropical VGS irrigation systems,plants’characteristics,and favor-able installation locations,indicating that architectural professionals may lack suffi-cient guidance to support their design work.Through two descriptive case studies and a questionnaire survey of VGS-related professionals including gardeners,mechanical and electrical engineers,consultants,contractors,and developers,this research devel-oped a knowledgebase for tropical vertical greenery systems irrigation systems and determined the suitability of different types of vertical greenery systems according to the biophysical characteristics of plants.The suitability for various plant character-istics has been identified to help potential users while considering vertical greenery systems irrigation systems.Suitable locations,orientations and microclimatic condi-tions for vertical greenery systems irrigation systems to prevent system failure have been determined.Further research focused on establishing the technical requirements for irrigation scheduling is recommended to improve the application efficiency.

VERTICAL TURF FOR GREEN FACADES:A VERTICAL GREENERY MODULAR SYSTEM INTEGRATED TO THE BUILDING ENVELOPE

Research has shown the environmental benefits of green envelopes,as well as performance in terms of energy efficiency.To date,there is no analysis of the economic sustainability of these systems,which has allowed the realization of a few,albeit very well known,examples.The research has identified a green modular system integrated into the building envelope,designed to facilitate installation and maintenance,with competitive performance compared to other existing solutions;a system that wants to improve performance and flexibility of vertical applications,experimented on buildings,on the market,and able to adapt,above all,to the needs of the building process.It is important to distinguish architectural aesthetic requirements from those of the building process;the former aim to have an authentic vertical garden,with different kinds of plants where nature dictates the rules,the latter aims to achieve the economic sustainability of vertical greenery systems.This paper provides an analysis of a technique based on the installation of plant bearing modular panels with turf on substructures also provided with a micro-irrigation system,which allows the construction of a modular coating,characterized by reduced thickness,that can also be integrated with other materials;installation is quick and simple,since the panel comes perfectly planted on site.In addition to that it allows,from a botanical point of view,resorting to types of grass selected with a view to climate,exposure,environmental adaptability,color and shape.A comparative analysis of this green façade is also presented compared to other existing case studies,from a constructive and managerial point of view,highlighting both its economic and architectural advantages.

Global technological advancement and challenges of glazed window,facade system and vertical greenery-based energy savings in buildings:A comprehensive review

There are many factors that have a major influence on reducing the energy expenditure in building sector.This research aims at qualitative and quantitative assessment of those factors such as double glazed windows,ver-tical greenery systems(VGS),integrating of semi-transparent photovoltaic device with architectural design of buildings,energy saving by using heat reflecting coating,passive climate control methods,energy saving by shading,building energy performance enhancement by using optimisation technique,double skin green facade,etc.through a holistic and thematic approach.Amongst the aforesaid techniques,VGS is found the most reliable,efficient and sustainable solution.Attractive VGS can improve the urban environment,increase biodiversity,mit-igate pollution also results economic benefit of the buildings as like as energy savings and decreasing surface temperature.Four fundamental energy saving methods are used in VGS which are considered as passive energy saving mechanism.Firstly,interception of solar radiation due to the shadow risen by the vegetation;secondly,vegetation also provides thermal insulation;thirdly,plants evapotranspiration helps for evaporative cooling of building;finally,building blockage makes a variation of wind effect on building.The peak cooling load of ivy coated green building wall has been reduced by 28%.If a VGS is installed without windows and building fac-ing on west,east,south and north correspondingly,the reduction in the cooling load capacity of the building is observed to be up to 20,18,8 and 5%,respectively.Very high thermally resistive glazed areas on building envelope can be secured via thin film PV glazing and vacuum glazing products with an average U-value of 1.1 and 0.4 W/m 2 K,respectively.Energy use policies are also helpful to improve energy consumption scenario of buildings.For developing more energy-efficient,sustainable and eco-friendly buildings,these techniques might be helpful for the building designers and architects.

Daily variation of urban heat island effect and its correlations to urban greenery： A case study of Adelaide

Urban structure and landscape cause an artificial temperature increase in cities, known as the urban heat island effect. The magnitude of such urban-rural temperature difference varies in daily and seasonal basis. Daily patterns of urban heat accumulation in Adelaide is under investigation. In this paper, East-West air temperature profile of Adelaide metropolitan area was mapped in 60 journeys alongside a straight cross route connecting Adelaide Hills to the West Beach under clear sky between 26 July and 15 August 2013. The most intense urban-rural temperature differences of 5.9 ℃ occurred during midnight in Adelaide. However, maximum urban heat variation occurred during the late afternoon when the near-surface urban heat fluctuates by 2 ℃ between the CBD East and Western Parklands. During summer heatwaves, the afternoon heat stress limits public life vibrancy in Adelaide. Increased urban greenery can facilitate resilience to heat by providing shadow and evaporative cooling. A better under- standing of daily urban heat variations and the cooling effect of urban greenery assists urban poticy making and public life management in the context of climate change.

Optimized greenery configuration to mitigate urban heat:A decade systematic review

Urban vegetation is a nature-based solution for cooling cities.Under global warming and urban population growth,it is essential to optimize urban vegetation configuration in the urban area to bring maximum cooling benefit.This paper reviews 85 optimized urban vegetation configuration studies published from 2010 to 2020 to provide an insight into the most effective vegetation configuration for urban heat mitigation.Patterns and preferences in methods and the optimized greenery configurations are comprehensively analyzed.The results indicate that size,quantity,and layout of urban green space and the physiological characteristics and spatial arrangement of urban vegetation significantly influence their cooling effect.Additionally,two other research gaps were identified.First,more research needs to be done in southern hemisphere cities experiencing rapid urbanization and severe impacts of extreme weather.Second,a comprehensive method for quantifying interactions and cumulative effects of natural and artificial factors in the urban environment is required.Future study needs a holistic understanding of the interactive effects of vegetation spatial distribution on urban environment and climate for a more accurate analysis of optimal cooling greening layouts in large urban areas at multi-scales.

Quantification of urban greenery using hemisphere-view panoramas with a green cover index

Urban greenery has positive impacts on the well-being of residents and provides vital ecosystem services.A quantitative evaluation of full-view green coverage at the human scale can guide green space planning and management.We developed a still camera to collect hemisphere-view panoramas(HVPs)to obtain in situ heterogeneous scenes and established a panoramic green cover index(PGCI)model to measure human-scale green coverage.A case study was conducted in Xicheng District,Beijing,to analyze the quantitative relationships of PGCI with the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)and land surface temperature(LST)in different land use scenarios.The results show that the HVP is a useful quantization tool:(1)the method adaptively distinguishes the green cover characteristics of the four functional areas,and the PGCI values are ranked as follows:recreational area(29.6)>residential area(19.0)>traffic area(15.9)>commercial area(12.5);(2)PGCI strongly explains NDVI and LST,and for each unit(1%)increase in PGCI,NDVI tends to increase by 0.007,and(3)LST tends to decrease by 0.21 degrees Celsius.This research provides government managers and urban planners with tools to evaluate green coverage in complex urban environments and assistance in optimizing human-scale greenery and microclimate.

The Role of Greenery, Layering, and Landmarks in the Regulations on Urban Skylines

Many scholars have conducted visual analyses of urban skylines, but little attention has been paid to the quantitative measures regarding specific design elements within the skyline. This article aims to help urban designers and regulators improve the skyline and investigate which factors can make urban skylines more pleasant for people. Computer generated images of skylines are tested for three factors including greenery, layering, and landmarks. For the data collection, a questionnaire was used, as one of the simple and effective methods to gather results. The authors use statistics as a method of measuring the degree of people's preferences. The study finds that the proportions of landmarks in the overall skyline, the height of layers, and the percentage of greenery deserve special attention. The authors also discuss the current problems of skyline design in typical Chinese cities according to the above findings.

STUNNING GREENERY

In recent years,China has made considerable efforts toward ecological and environmental protection.The government has introduced a series of environmental protection laws and regulations targeting water,soil and air pollution,with signs of progress evident across the country.

Structure and species composition of tree stands on verges and slopes along a major highway in Hong Kong

Arboricultural research focusing on transport land use was lacking in Hong Kong.Some highway slopes were registered in the Systematic Identification of Maintenance Responsibility of Slopes in the Territory(SIMAR),abbreviated as SIMAR slopes.We aimed to analyze patterns in the structure and species composition of the tree stock along a highway in Hong Kong and examined how a slope registration system could help explain the characteristics of urban forests.The 53 slopes and 52 verges along San Tin Highway,Hong Kong were randomly selected.The trees on each slope and verge were collectively sampled as a tree stand.Six variables,namely tree abundance,species richness,maximum tree height,Shannon-Wiener diversity,Simpson's dominance,and Pielou's evenness were measured for each stand.In addition,a limited visual tree risk assessment was performed.The 7,209 trees in 23 species were recorded.Species richness was low,ranging from one to eight species per stand.SIMAR and non-SIMAR slopes were compared.SIMAR slopes had significantly higher species richness,diversity,evenness but lower dominance,with mean difference of 1.41 species,0.17,0.17 and-0.28respectively.SIMAR slopes were associated with lower tree risk rating.When training regression models,boosting as an ensemble method arbitrarily raised the explanatory power and the predictive accuracy of some models.Slope height,length,angle and area could be significant predictors of the biodiversity-related variables.Future research can sample more habitat characteristics related to the structure and species composition of slopes and verges which were important components of urban forestry.

Ecosystem and biodiversity conservation planning in Hiroshima City,Japan

The ecosystem and biodiversity conservation plan in progress in Hiroshima City was reviewed. Hiroshima City had prospered as a castle town, but severely suffered from A bomb damage at the end of World War II. Since then, Hiroshima City performed greenery activities with restoration and planted trees in public facilities. At present, Hiroshima City is promoting a 3rd tree planting campaign. As part of this campaign, the master plan of greenery of Hiroshima City is being laid. This plan aims not only at beautification in city area but also at ecosystem and biodiversity conservation in expanded city areas. In this paper, we report on the development of the situation in Hiroshima City since the end of World War II and the conservation planning of greenery which, for the most part, concerns zoning.

Landscaping and performance of some aesthetic plant species in hot, arid conditions of India

Establishment of ornamental and aesthetic plants in hot, arid conditions of India is difficult due to the prevailing climatic, edaphic and biotic factors. Effect of turfgrass on the growth of ornamental plants in hot arid conditions has not been studied so far anywhere in the world. A study was conducted on the campus of Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur, India to assess the performance of a few ornamental plant spe- cies in combination with turfgrass and without turfgrass with respect to different soil tilling intervals. Growth of plants was better with turfgrass than without turfgrass. We suggest adopting a soil tilling interval of 30 days to achieve optimum growth of ornamental plant species in terms of height and crown diameter. Our results can help reduce labor costs and achieving better landscapes in fewer days in hot urban conditions of Indian sub continent.

Effects of urbanization on the relationship between greenspace patterns and evolution of regional heat island in cities of Ethiopia

Green space(GS)is a central element of urban ecosystems while,urbanization is substantially changed green land into impervious ecosystems,which has then troubled the equilibrium of the surface thermal energy and the ecosystem services fluxes.This study was intended to explore the response of relative land surface temperature(RLST)intensities to the urban ecosystem-agglomeration dynamics as well as regional thermal environment(RTE)effects on green space in four major cities(i.e.,Addis Ababa-Hawassa-Adama-Bahir Dar)of Ethiopia from 1990−2020,using a set of remote sensing images,single-channel algorism,and geospatial analyses.The results showed the trends of GS evolution were:GS loss>GS gain>GS exchange.Besides,the distinct ecosystems as high-temperature zones(RLST more than 2°C)were gradually augmented and significantly intensified between 2010−2020 in all cities,while the proportion of green space was significantly decreased.Due to this,the segregated urban heat islands were gradually inter-weaved and interacted with each other and forming regional heat islands.However,the newly established green space has fewer cooling effects than urban forest and greenery,because RLST of green space loss and gain are substantially disparate.We also confirmed that the regional thermal environment is not only prejudiced by ecosystem patterns and processes besides substantially conquered by the particular GS change processes as well as RHI dynamics and evolution rate.

An Innovative Approach to Mitigate Vehicular Emission through Roadside Greeneries: A Case Study on Arterial Roads of Dhaka City

With the surge of human population, the need for transportation of goods and people also concomitantly increases, resulting in urban air pollution through emission from motorized traffic especially in developing countries. The extent of environmental pollution in an urban setting is significantly influenced by the pollutants of vehicular fuel combustion. Many effective measures are required in cities to sequester carbon thereby helping to reduce automobile pollution. Roadside greeneries can serve as ecological elements which reduce the concentration of pollutants from vehicular emissions by their direct involvement in absorbing vehicular emitted carbon. In this context, in this study an attempt has been taken to assess contribution of roadside greeneries in absorbing vehicular carbon dioxide emission. A case study has been conducted on arterial roads of mega city Dhaka to quantify the vehicular carbon emission and correlate it with roadside trees to absorb the emitted carbon dioxide. It is noted that in Dhaka city, carbon dioxide is accounted for more than ninety percent of air pollution. To achieve our goals, two busiest arterial roads (namely Mirpur Road and Rokeya Shoroni Road) were taken into account to quantify vehicular carbon emission as well as assess carbon absorption by roadside greeneries. Carbon absorption by different sizes of trees has been quantified using the amount of woody biomass. In addition, absorption by grass-shrubs-herbs has been quantified by the area they cover. The results thus obtained show that indeed the road with more side greeneries absorbs more vehicular emitted carbon dioxide. It is therefore evident that plantation of more roadside trees is an effective measure of reducing air pollution and consequently turning a city to become healthier and more suitable for living.

EVALUATING THE CLEANSING EFFICIENCY OF AN EXTENDED LIVING FAÇADE DRAPED WITH VERNONIA ELAEAGNIFOLIA

Nature has its own astonishing capability to naturally cleanse the environment.Living green drapes on buildings look elegant and can provide sustainable solu-tions in congested cities.The Vellore Institute of Technology in India promotes green values within the country.Although the campus is lush and verdant,its ever growing student population precipitated an increase in public thoroughfare causing air pollution.To partially alleviate this problem,walls of a subway connecting the main academic campus and the hostel premises are draped with Vernonia elaegni-folia creeper;this is aesthetically elegant and was found to be efficient in capturing much of the vehicular pollution within the subway.An experimental investigation clubbed with an Ecotect analysis helped ascertain the optimal duration of the tem-perature drop across the subway.The analysis also predicts an annual savings of 36000 USD per hostel block.A detailed Scanning Electron Microscopic analyses coupled with Spectrophotometry established the deposition pattern of sulphates and nitrates.It is expected that the results of this analysis will promote the use of green facades in this sun drenched country.