城市湿地公园建设中的若干问题探讨

本文主要围绕城市湿地公园建设中的定位、自然化、生态修复、危害物种防治四方面进行探讨,以期对城市湿地公园的建设和管理起到一定的指导作用。     

Urban waterfowl population: Ecological evaluation of management and planning

An urban population of ducks in Puyallup, Washington, USA was studied for 14 consecutive months beginning in November 1978. Observations were made weekly from four study sites where ducks would congregate at early morning hours. Factors contributing to the presence of waterfowl in Puyallyup included abundant food supplies and a creek corridor that connected fragmented habitats in the urban area to the larger rural populations of waterfowl. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were the most abundant of the 13 species observed and were the only ducks remaining during the nesting season. Habitat size and complexity were important factors influencing the species diversity of a particular site. Nesting success of mallards was poor due to limited distribution of nesting habitat, intraspecific aggression, and human disturbance. Both site-specific and more broad-based strategies are suggested for managing and planning for duck populations in urban areas.     

Outlier identification and visualization for Pb concentrations in urban soils and its implications for identification of potential contaminated land

Outliers in urban soil geochemical databases may imply potential contaminated land. Different methodologies which can be easily implemented for the identification of global and spatial outliers were applied for Pb concentrations in urban soils of Galway City in Ireland. Due to its strongly skewed probability feature, a Box–Cox transformation was performed prior to further analyses. The graphic methods of histogram and box-and-whisker plot were effective in identification of global outliers at the original scale of the dataset. Spatial outliers could be identified by a local indicator of spatial association of local Moran's I, cross-validation of kriging, and a geographically weighted regression. The spatial locations of outliers were visualised using a geographical information system. Different methods showed generally consistent results, but differences existed. It is suggested that outliers identified by statistical methods should be confirmed and justified using scientific knowledge before they are properly dealt with.     

Drought,water access,and urban agriculture: a case study from Silicon Valley

In California, the growing popularity of urban agriculture (UA) has unfolded against a backdrop of historic drought. While UA is often celebrated as an urban sustainability strategy, it must be able to persist during drought if it is to perform these functions. Using Santa Clara County – the geographic core of Silicon Valley – as a case study, we use interviews and surveys to explore the implications of drought for UA. We show how developing an understanding of water access for UA during a drought requires examining the social and institutional context of water management and use. In metropolitan California, the highly decentralised water supply system combined with the diverse institutional arrangements that support UA create an uneven landscape of water access. Consequently, the pressure to change water-consuming practices – that is, the stress that institutional drought responses place on different water users – is geographically and socially differentiated. Among UA water users, responses to drought have also varied, in part because the possibilities for change are constrained by the sociotechnical arrangements of UA sites and the different purposes of UA.     

Suspended Particulate Matter Distribution in Rural-Industrial Satna and in Urban-Industrial South Delhi

An air quality sampling program was designed and implemented to collect the baseline concentrations of respirable suspended particulates (RSP = PM₁₀), non-respirable suspended particulates (NRSP) and fine suspended particulates (FSP = PM_2.5). Over a three-week period, a 24-h average concentrations were calculated from the samples collected at an industrial site in Southern Delhi and compared to datasets collected in Satna by Envirotech Limited, Okhla, Delhi in order to establish the characteristic difference in emission patterns. PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and total suspended particulates (TSP) concentrations at Satna were 20.5 ± 6.0, 102.1 ± 41.1, and 387.6 ± 222.4 μg m⁻³ and at Delhi were 126.7 ± 28.6, 268.6 ± 39.1, and 687.7 ± 117.4 μg m⁻³. Values at Delhi were well above the standard limit for 24-h PM_2.5 United States National Ambient Air Quality Standards (USNAAQS; 65 μg m⁻³), while values at Satna were under the standard limit. Results were compared with various worldwide studies. These comparisons suggest an immediate need for the promulgation of new PM_2.5 standards. The position of PM₁₀ in Delhi is drastic and needs an immediate attention. PM₁₀ levels at Delhi were also well above the standard limit for 24-h PM₁₀ National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS; 150 μg m⁻³), while levels at Satna remained under the standard limit. PM_2.5/PM₁₀ values were also calculated to determine PM_2.5 contribution. At Satna, PM_2.5 contribution to PM₁₀ was only 20% compared to 47% in Delhi. TSP values at Delhi were well above, while TSP values at Satna were under, the standard limit for 24-h TSP NAAQS (500 μg m⁻³). At Satna, the PM₁₀ contribution to TSP was only 26% compared to 39% in Delhi. The correlation between PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and TSP were also calculated in order to gain an insight to their sources. Both in Satna and in Delhi, none of the sources was dominant a varied pattern of emissions was obtained, showing the presence of heterogeneous emission density and that nonrespirable suspended particulate (NRSP) formed the greatest part of the particulate load.     

The role of science-policy interface in sustainable urban water transitions: Lessons from Rotterdam

This paper investigates the role of the science-policy interface in leveraging transitions to sustainable urban water management. The paper presents a case study of the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which is increasingly regarded as a global leader in adaptive and resilient urban water management. The analysis reveals that Rotterdam’s transition has occurred incrementally over the past 15 years, driven by policy entrepreneurs: largely municipal policy makers and policy practitioners. Strategic use of the science-policy interface (SPI) has facilitated the development of innovative solutions to achieve policy goals and created the enabling conditions necessary for transformative change. The Rotterdam case suggests that an effective SPI requires: (1) compelling water narrative; (2) cross-sectoral collaboration; (3) co-production of knowledge; (4) experiential evidence-based learning; (5) strategic use of trusted scientists; (6) fostering networks; and (7) generating business from science-based innovation. Rotterdam’s strategic approach to knowledge and innovation coupled with a new narrative around water sets it apart from many other cities and adds a new dimension to debates regarding enabling factors for advancing sustainable practices. These findings will be of interest to those engaged in urban water management policy and practice, environmental governance, and debates over transitions more broadly.     

A method for evaluating transport energy consumption in suburban areas

Urban sprawl is a major issue for sustainable development. It represents a significant contribution to energy consumption of a territory especially due to transportation requirements. However, transport energy consumption is rarely taken into account when the sustainability of suburban structures is studied. In this context, the paper presents a method to estimate transport energy consumption in residential suburban areas. The study aimed, on this basis, at highlighting the most efficient strategies needed to promote awareness and to give practical hints on how to reduce transport energy consumption linked to urban sprawl in existing and future suburban neighborhoods. The method uses data collected by using empirical surveys and GIS. An application of this method is presented concerning the comparison of four suburban districts located in Belgium to demonstrate the advantages of the approach. The influence of several parameters, such as distance to work places and services, use of public transport and performance of the vehicles, are then discussed to allow a range of different development situations to be explored. The results of the case studies highlight that traveled distances, and thus a good mix between activities at the living area scale, are of primordial importance for the energy performance, whereas means of transport used is only of little impact. Improving the performance of the vehicles and favoring home-work give also significant energy savings. The method can be used when planning new areas or retrofitting existing ones, as well as promoting more sustainable lifestyles regarding transport habits.     

Numerical Simulations of the Urban Roughness Sub-Layer : A First Attempt

Most of the mesoscale models use roughness parameters to characterise the ground and to compute the surface stress. As the experimental determinations of the urban roughness parameters are rare and not very reliable, a new methodology based on microscale numerical simulations is presented here and the first results from two-dimensional simulations with different roof shapes are analysed.Firstly, it appears that the roof shape has a large influence : large difference in the Reynolds stress profile and in the roughness sub-layer thickness, enhancement of the exchanges at the roof level by buildings with attic. It also appears that the fetch necessary to obtain a constant flux layer is unrealistic compared to the real spatial homogeneity of quarters in European cities. Consequently, a new parameterisation of the urban ground-induced friction is to be developed without reference to the constant flux layer theory.     

The importance of differentiating urban and rural phenomena in examining the unequal distribution of locally desirable land

Previous research addressing the unequal distribution of locally desirable land (LDL) has mainly ignored their associated environments (i.e., rural or urban). However, this study proposed a new framework that treats rural and urban regions separately. In rural areas, the LDLs included all public lands. In urbanized areas, the LDLs were defined as green open spaces. Potential inequities in the distribution of LDL were assessed with respect to socioeconomic characteristics of residents in the State of Georgia. Using US Census Bureau Data (2000), Census Block Groups (CBGs) adjacent to LDLs were compared to CBGs outside of LDLs on four socioeconomic variables (per capita income, occupation, education, and race) in urban, suburban and rural environments. Results showed that CBGs adjacent to LDLs were composed of statistically significant upper-class communities containing fewer blue-collar workers, more whites, and higher income and higher educated people in rural, suburban and urban areas.     

Potentially toxic metal contamination of urban soils and roadside dust in Shanghai, China

A detailed investigation was conducted to understand the contamination characteristics of a selected set of potentially toxic metals in Shanghai. The amount of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd and Ni were determined from 273 soil/dust samples collected within urban area. The results indicated that concentration of all metals except Ni in soils was significant, and metal pollution was even severer in roadside dust. A series of metal spatial distribution maps were created through geostatistical analysis, and the pollution hotspots tended to associate with city core area, major road junctions, and the regions close to industrial zones. In attempt of identifying the source of metals through geostatistical and multivariate statistical analyses, it was concluded as follows: Pb, Zn and Cu mainly originated from traffic contaminants; soil Ni was associated with natural concentration; Cd largely came from point-sourced industrial pollution; and Cr, Ni in dust were mainly related to atmospheric deposition.