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Forests
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Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development
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Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Forestry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 October 2021) | Viewed by 19892

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Paloma Cariñanos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus de Cartuja, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: urban forests; ecosystem services; ecosystem disservices; green infrastructures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The exponential growth of the urban population, environmental degradation, the exacerbation of extreme weather events, and the lack of a sustainable urban planning model has led many cities and their inhabitants to be living in a situation of accumulated risk and permanent vulnerability. This is therefore the time to rethink the present urban design and implement actions aimed at reinforcing the adaptive response and resilience of urban ecosystems. The management and strengthening of urban forests, key elements of green infrastructure, have been highlighted as a fundamental action to address the climatic, environmental, and social challenges that cities must face in the coming decades. The direct participation of urban forests in the removal of atmospheric pollutants, the mitigation of the urban heat island effect, the increase and conservation of biodiversity, and the regulation of the water cycle or its link with cultural traditions are some of the ecosystem services they provide. Proper planning of its use and management can in turn prevent certain negative or disservice functions from taking place, such as the emission of allergenic pollen, biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), the entry of invasive species, or the incorporation of species inadequate for certain climatic conditions, which cause environmental damage or impact on the health of the population.

The objective of this Special Issue is to bring together successful case studies, lessons learned, and experiences on how a sustainable management and development of urban forests can increase the provision of ecosystem services, which revert to an improvement in urban environmental conditions and the well-being of the population.

Dr. Paloma Cariñanos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Urban forests
  • Sustainable urban development
  • Ecosystem services
  • Ecosystem disservices
  • Urban green infrastructure
  • Urban green areas
  • Urban resilience
  • Urban vegetation
  • Nature-based solutions

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4068 KiB  
Article
Visual Behaviour and Cognitive Preferences of Users for Constituent Elements in Forest Landscape Spaces
by Sitong Zhou, Yu Gao, Zhi Zhang, Weikang Zhang, Huan Meng and Tong Zhang
Forests 2022, 13(1), 47; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13010047 - 02 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2239
Abstract
Background: Elements of forest landscape spaces are important media through which landscape information is conveyed. Therefore, it is very important for designers and managers of forests to explore the relationship among visual behaviour, landscape preferences, and element characteristics. Purpose: This study took forest [...] Read more.
Background: Elements of forest landscape spaces are important media through which landscape information is conveyed. Therefore, it is very important for designers and managers of forests to explore the relationship among visual behaviour, landscape preferences, and element characteristics. Purpose: This study took forest landscape spaces as the subject, discussed the characteristics of visual behaviour and cognitive preferences for landscape elements, and analysed the relationship among element characteristics, visual behaviour, and cognitive preferences in forest landscape spaces. The findings will help designers better plan the spatial composition of forest landscapes. Methods: We collected data from 53 graduate and undergraduate students and then used Spearman’s rho correlation analysis and multiple linear regressions to analyse the experimental data. Main results: 1. As the composition of forest landscape spaces varies and landscape elements are combined in different ways, visual behaviour towards landscape elements also differs. 2. People are easily attracted by highly fascinating landscape elements, but they will spend more time on low fascinating landscape elements. 3. Element characteristics significantly affect visual behaviour and cognitive preferences. Elements with high complexity or a large proportion of elements take more time for the participants to recognize, which reduces the evaluation of satisfaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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20 pages, 3363 KiB  
Article
Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Tree Diversity and Distribution in Urban Resettlement Areas for Displaced Farmers
by Chunping Xie, C. Y. Jim, Xiangui Yi, Dawei Liu and Xu Guo
Forests 2021, 12(6), 766; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12060766 - 10 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2484
Abstract
Resettlement residential areas (RRAs) are a unique product of China’s urbanisation process. Their greening environment is critical to the quality of life and liveable green neighbourhood of the displaced farmers. Our study aimed to (1) interpret the species composition of the landscape trees [...] Read more.
Resettlement residential areas (RRAs) are a unique product of China’s urbanisation process. Their greening environment is critical to the quality of life and liveable green neighbourhood of the displaced farmers. Our study aimed to (1) interpret the species composition of the landscape trees and their contributions to urban biodiversity in RRAs, and (2) elucidate the structural changes in the tree composition in the last 20 years. Twenty selected RRAs in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, were divided into three categories by completion year. We assessed tree species composition, floristic diversity, tree dimensions, importance value, RRA characteristics, and greening management. The sampled sites accommodated 741 stems and 52 species belonging to 25 families. The three most abundant species were Cinnamomum camphora, Osmanthus fragrans, and Magnolia grandiflora, constituting 45.75% of all trees. The importance values revealed a changing tree planting pattern over time, with persistent domination by a few species. The oldest sites did not harbour the largest trees due to long-term mismanagement and mistreatment by residents. Compared with other housing types and cities, the tree count, importance value, and diversity in RRAs were low. The species diversity was not correlated with RRA completion time, distance from the city centre, and RRA area. The trees were in poor shape with limited trunk diameter and tree height and suffered from frequent and drastic pruning. Residents with lingering farmer mentality commonly exploited the vegetation and green spaces indiscriminately as natural resources. The greenery management could be overhauled by increasing tree number, native species, species diversity, and tree-care quality and engaging residents in a collaborative and participatory mode for a joint maintenance endeavour. The findings offer a scientific basis to improve or design RRA green spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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16 pages, 4054 KiB  
Article
Exploring Pattern of Green Spaces (GSs) and Their Impact on Climatic Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies: Evidence from a Saudi Arabian City
by Ahmad Maghrabi, Abdulelah Alyamani and Abdullah Addas
Forests 2021, 12(5), 629; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12050629 - 16 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3783
Abstract
Green spaces (GSs) are significant, nature-based solutions to climate change and have immense potential to reduce vulnerability to heat waves while enhancing the resilience of urban areas in the light of climate change. However, in the Saudi context, the availability of GSs across [...] Read more.
Green spaces (GSs) are significant, nature-based solutions to climate change and have immense potential to reduce vulnerability to heat waves while enhancing the resilience of urban areas in the light of climate change. However, in the Saudi context, the availability of GSs across cities and their perceived role in climate change mitigations and adaptation strategies remain unexplored. This study aimed to examine the per capita availability of GSs in the Jeddah megacity in Saudi Arabia, and their role in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. This study assessed the per capita availability of GS in Jeddah city using GIS techniques, and a questionnaire survey (online and an onsite) was conducted to assess the GSs users’ perception of the role of GSs on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Non-parametric tests were also used to find differences in roles based on socio-demographic attributes. The findings of the study revealed that: (i) the per capita availability of GS in Jeddah is relatively low in comparison to international organization recommendations (such as World Health Organization and European Union). As per the survey result, it was reported that GSs play crucial role for climate change mitigation such as temperature regulation, reduction in heat stress, enhancement outdoor thermal comfort, and the maintenance of air quality. More than 85% of the total respondents agreed with the very high importance of GSs for climate change mitigation. More than 80% of respondents in the city highly agreed with climate change adaptation strategies such as the enhancement of accessibility to GSs, ecosystem-based protection of GSs, and the improvement of per capita availability of GSs. The findings of the study will be very helpful to planners and policymakers in implementing nature-based solutions to reduce vulnerability to climate change in Jeddah city, and particularly other cities in a desert environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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14 pages, 35686 KiB  
Article
Periurban Areas in the Design of Supra-Municipal Strategies for Urban Green Infrastructures
by Eva Fernández-Pablos, Amparo Verdú-Vázquez, Óscar López-Zaldívar and Rafael V. Lozano-Diez
Forests 2021, 12(5), 626; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12050626 - 14 May 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2738
Abstract
Nowadays, an increasing number of large cities, districts, and towns have tools for the Planning and Management of Green Infrastructures. All such tools seek a progression towards a future city model that is more resilient on an environmental, economic, and social level. To [...] Read more.
Nowadays, an increasing number of large cities, districts, and towns have tools for the Planning and Management of Green Infrastructures. All such tools seek a progression towards a future city model that is more resilient on an environmental, economic, and social level. To achieve this, emphasis is placed on the creation of a green infrastructure and, particularly, on improving urban biodiversity, urban forests, the value of natural areas in the urban environment, periurban agriculture, ecological connectivity, and accessibility. Moreover, the recent COVID19 health crisis has further highlighted that the city dweller’s relationship with the environment requires a reconciliation with nature and rural life that goes beyond typical compartmentalization. The objective must be to emphasize the need to establish creative processes which, through micro-scale activities (landscaping), generate the articulation of visible actions on a territorial scale (landscape planning) in both the natural environment (environmental landscape planning) and the urban environment (town planning based on the landscape). This article analyzes the issue of the large towns in south-west Madrid, where there is a dramatic divide on the border between the city landscape and the surrounding natural or agricultural landscape, and where there is an increasing need to establish landscapes with a certain uniqueness and to classify them as protected periurban areas, nature reserves, or land for which use and management is regulated. It is therefore important to develop environmental quality standards to assess Green Infrastructures as a whole: the administrative processes, their design, construction, maintenance, and resilience. This research focuses upon how this change in the planning and management of green periurban areas improves the multifunctionality of periurban spaces along with the intrinsic quality of the landscape, and promotes the city’s sustainability and resilience and improves governance. From the conclusions drawn, it should be noted that analysis, design, and action should be built on premises of sustainability and multifunctionality, and comply with the criteria for characterizing elements as green infrastructure. In the field of study, the characterization of the periurban area, and its subsequent assessment as a green infrastructure, provide the guidelines for action for devising an Open Space Strategy. This strategy constitutes a cross-disciplinary planning tool for local authorities when reading the landscape. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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18 pages, 6772 KiB  
Article
Land Use Spatial Optimization for Sustainable Wood Utilization at the Regional Level: A Case Study from Vietnam
by Nguyen Dang Cuong, Köhl Michael and Mues Volker
Forests 2021, 12(2), 245; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12020245 - 20 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1940
Abstract
Forest landscape restoration is a widely accepted approach to sustainable forest management. In addition to revitalizing degraded sites, forest landscape restoration can increase the supply of sustainable timber and thereby reduce logging in natural forests. The current study presents a spatial land use [...] Read more.
Forest landscape restoration is a widely accepted approach to sustainable forest management. In addition to revitalizing degraded sites, forest landscape restoration can increase the supply of sustainable timber and thereby reduce logging in natural forests. The current study presents a spatial land use optimization model and utilizes a linear programming algorithm that integrates timber production and timber processing chains to meet timber demand trade-offs and timber supply. The objective is to maximize yield and profit from forest plantations under volatile timber demands. The model was parameterized for a case study in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam, where most forest plantations grow Acacia mangium (A. mangium). Data were obtained from field surveys on tree growth, as well as from questionnaires to collect social-economic information and determine the timber demand of local wood processing mills. The integration of land use and wood utilization approaches reduces the amount of land needed to maintain a sustainable timber supply and simultaneously leads to higher yields and profits from forest plantations. This forest management solution combines economic and timber yield aspects and promotes measures focused on economic sustainability and land resource efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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21 pages, 3642 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Simulation of Green Space by Considering Socioeconomic Impacts Based on A SD-CA Model
by Fangzheng Li, Rongfang Wang, Shasha Lu, Ming Shao, Jingyi Ding and Qianxiang Sun
Forests 2021, 12(2), 202; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12020202 - 10 Feb 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2367
Abstract
Green space is an important part of composite urban spatial systems. Therefore, reasonable planning strategies based on scientifically sound predictions of temporal and spatial changes in green space are critical for maintaining urban ecological environments, ensuring the health of residents, and maintaining social [...] Read more.
Green space is an important part of composite urban spatial systems. Therefore, reasonable planning strategies based on scientifically sound predictions of temporal and spatial changes in green space are critical for maintaining urban ecological environments, ensuring the health of residents, and maintaining social stability. However, existing forecasting models discount the impacts of urban social economy on green space. To address this gap, we constructed a system dynamics and cellular automata (SD-CA) coupling model that integrated the socioeconomic system and generated multiple scenarios. The results showed that at the current pace of socioeconomic development, Beijing’s central district will experience an overall reduction in green space and a decline in its integrity and diversity by 2035. If the population of this area reaches 9.29 million by 2035 and the GDP maintains an average growth rate of 6.1%, the areas of various land types will exhibit little change by 2035, and green space will be optimized to a certain extent. However, if the study area’s population decreases to 8.59 million by 2035 and the average GDP growth rate drops to 4.9%, the fragmentation, connectivity, and diversity index of green space will all increase significantly by 2035, and green space will be clearly optimized. We propose scientifically grounded strategies for maximizing the ecological functions and economic benefits of green space through optimized green space patterns, considered from a policy-oriented perspective of promoting socioeconomic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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22 pages, 3015 KiB  
Article
Towards a Standard Framework to Identify Green Infrastructure Key Elements in Dense Mediterranean Cities
by Manuel Delgado-Capel and Paloma Cariñanos
Forests 2020, 11(12), 1246; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11121246 - 25 Nov 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3109
Abstract
Present-day dense cities are increasingly affected by the impacts associated with climate change. The recurrence of extreme climate events is projected to be intensified in cities in the next decades, especially in the most vulnerable areas of the world, such as the Mediterranean [...] Read more.
Present-day dense cities are increasingly affected by the impacts associated with climate change. The recurrence of extreme climate events is projected to be intensified in cities in the next decades, especially in the most vulnerable areas of the world, such as the Mediterranean region. In this context, the urban green infrastructure (UGI) is presented as a nature-based solution that directly contributes to climate change mitigation in Mediterranean compact cities and improves health, social, welfare, and environmental conditions for inhabitants. This research sets out a manageable framework to define, locate, and categorize more functional green urban and peri-urban areas in a dense Mediterranean city. It takes spatial distribution, extension, and the capacity to improve inhabitants’ wellbeing through the provision of ecosystem services as classification criteria. Results show a scenario with a greater functional green surface available for the citizens to be managed. Identified areas have been categorized as cores, nodes, links, and green spaces defined as “other” areas. In particular, the latter play a significant role at social, structural, and ecological levels. The study showcases that rethinking urban design and strategic decision-making around these areas can enhance green equity in Mediterranean dense cities, their capacity to better deal with environmental extremes, and the inhabitants’ engagement with a culture of sustainability and wellbeing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape and Urban Planning-Sustainable Forest Development)
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