Search results for " urban ecology"

Urban gardens and institutional fences: The case of communal gardens in Turin

2017

Urban gardens take on different forms and meanings, which vary depending on the socio-economic context where they located/used and how it evolves over time. This makes a garden comparable to a micro-social ecosystem, different from other gardens and ever changing. As with every social-ecosystem resulting from a territorialisation process, there is a certain degree of social inertia that makes it difficult for outsiders with new motivations and demanding new spaces to enter into the "garden ecosystem". Drawing on existing literature and fieldwork in two urban communal gardens in Turin, the paper is mainly concerned with the spatiotemporal dimension of urban gardening, with a special focus on…

Building green covering for a sustainable use of energy

2013

Nowadays the growth of the cities increased built and paved areas, energy use and heat generation. The phenomenon of urban warming, called urban heat island, influences negatively outdoor comfort conditions, pollutants concentration, energy demand for air conditioning, as well as increases environmental impact due to the demand of energy generation. A sustainable technology for improving the energy efficiency of buildings is the use of green roofs and walls in order to reduce the energy consumption for conditioning in summer and improve the thermal insulation in winter. The use of green roofs and walls can contribute to mitigate the phenomenon of heat island, the emissions of greenhouse gas…

Influence of SiO2 nanoparticles on relative fluorescence of plant cells

2015

Nanoparticles (nano-scale particles (NSPs)) are defined as particles with dimensions less than 100 nm. SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles are one of the most widely common nanoparticles in the environment, particularly in urban areas. The sources of SiO<sub>2 </sub>nanoparticles are very different, including natural nanoparticles, anthropogenic and engineered nanoparticles. The SiO<sub>2 </sub>nanoparticles could be considered a source of different pollution effects on leaving organisms. Nevertheless, knowledge of the mechanisms, through which the SiO<sub>2 </sub>nanoparticles affect cells, is incomplete. The aim of the research was to elaborate a …

GReen roofs and façades agriculture (GRF) for supporting building energy efficiency

2011

A casual alien plant new to Mediterranean Europe: Ceiba speciosa (Malvaceae) in the suburban area of Palermo (NW Sicily, Italy)

2014

The abiotic and biotic characteristics of the first sites where floss silk tree behaves as a casual alien plant in the Mediterranean Europe are described. The species was probably first planted in botanical gardens of southern France few decades before mid XIX century. It was introduced in Palermo in 1896, a city which appears to match very well its climatic requirements. According to the available information on its biology and ecology in both its original and secondary range, the floss silk tree should not become an invasive alien plant in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, several gaps need to be filled in order to increase our understanding of future trends of Ceiba speciosa in southern E…