Search results for "urban park"
showing 7 items of 7 documents
Characterization and conservation of Clinopodium raimondoi Spadaro, A.S. Faqi & Mazzola germplasm in the Parco della Favorita of Palermo city (Si…
2017
In urban areas, the parks represent an important source of plant biodiversity. The Parco della Favorita is the largest green area in Palermo city (Sicily, Italy). Clinopodium raimondoi Spadaro, A.S. Faqi & Mazzola is an aromatic plant species which has a range of uses in Sicilian traditional culture. The essential oil of this species is rich in terpene components and its aroma is similar to that of mint. The aim of this study was to enhance the germplasm of C. raimondoi in the Parco della Favorita. A collection-field was set up within the park. The main biometric and productive parameters of the species were determined and gas chromatographic analyses were carried out to determine the quali…
The Visual Quality of Urban Park Scenes of Kowloon Park, Hong Kong: Likeability, Affective Appraisal, and Cross-Cultural Perspectives
2005
The urban park is a place where urbanites can escape from the stresses of everyday life. Using a set of fifteen photographs as visual stimuli, we attempted to identify those scenes that are liked by visitors to Kowloon Park, Hong Kong. The visual quality of an urban park scene is measured by its likeability, referring to the probability that the scene will evoke a strong and positive response among the users of the park. Because Hong Kong is an international metropolis, the respondent sample included both Hong Kong residents and tourists. The principal component analysis revealed the three underlying ‘dimensions’ of the appraisal aspects of the data: the ‘affective’ component, the ‘managem…
Co-Designing Urban Carbon Sink Parks: Case Carbon Lane in Helsinki
2021
In order to achieve the goals of carbon (C) neutrality within next 20 year, municipalities worldwide need to increasingly apply negative emission technologies. We focus on the main principles of urban demonstration areas using biochars for C sequestration and explore the lessons learned from a co-creation process of one such park, Hyväntoivonpuisto in Helsinki, Finland. Demonstration sites of urban C sinks in public parks must be safe, visible and scientifically sound for reliable and cost-effective verification of carbon sequestration. We find that different interests can be arbitrated and that synergy that emerges from co-creation of urban C sink parks between stakeholders (scientists, ci…
Germplasm of medicinal and aromatic plant species in the Parco della Favorita in Palermo city (Sicily, Italy)
2017
Despite high urbanization, the city of Palermo (Sicily, Italy) has a good level of plant biodiversity. The Parco della Favorita is the largest green space in the city. It covers an area of 400 ha and is the green lung of the city. The Parco della Favorita is home to many wild species of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). This study aims to promote the Favorita Park as an urban green area to be used for educational purposes to raise awareness for the medicinal and food uses of MAPs. Nineteen plant species belonging to fifteen botanical families were identified. The most representative plant species were Foeniculum vulgare, Laurus nobilis, Capparis spinosa and Malva sylvetsris. Some of the…
The Urban Park as a "Social Island". The ANP in the Participatory Project of Parco Uditore in Palermo
2019
An urban park provides many environmental and recreational facilities and services, and moreover it may become a catalyst for social energies and an instrument of community identification. This paper analyses whether participation and bottom-up planning may compensate institutional absences in implementation of urban parks, and how multiple criteria model may support socially shared decisions about their management. These issues are examined from the singular case of Parco Uditore in Palermo (Italy) that is located in a land which has been surprisingly undeveloped, despite the expansion of the city. The phases of promotion, planning and implementation of the park were the result of a synerg…
Relationships between Heavy Metal Concentrations in Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus L.) Tissues and Soil in Urban Parks
2023
Anthropogenic ecological ecosystems create favourable conditions for the growth of the nitrophilous medicinal species Chelidonium majus in six urban parks in Southern Poland. This study focuses on the concentrations of trace elements in the soils, leaves, stems, and rhizomes of greater celandine. The soil samples were taken only in the humus horizon (A), which averaged approximately 15 cm in thickness under the clumps of Ch. majus. Regarding the reaction, the soil samples tested can be described as slightly acidic (5.6–6.8 in KCl) to alkaline (7.1–7.4 in H2O). Organic carbon content at all sites is high, ranging from 3.2% to 13.6%, while the highest total nitrogen (Nt) content is 0.664%. Th…
Grasslands provide diverse opportunities for bird species along an urban-rural gradient
2021
Urbanisation is a major cause of biodiversity loss but careful habitat management and provision of green space within cities can help to mitigate its negative effects. Grasslands occupy large surface areas and have many functions but only a few studies have begun to explore how birds exploit these habitats in urban contexts. We hypothesized that the value of grasslands for nesting and feeding birds is likely to depend both on landscape context, and on local characteristics (grassland size, use and vegetation structure). We surveyed local habitat characteristics, breeding bird presence, abundance and foraging activity in 47 grassland sites, distributed along an urban-rural gradient in two Fr…