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Wetland parks are designed to support urban ecological protection, flood control and human well-being. Existing research mainly focuses on their influence on ecology and economy. However, their influence on human well-being and health is rarely studied. In China, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Peak), people were very concerned about health, while at the same time wetland parks which are generally considered beneficial to health were closed. Thus, this study explores the public’s perception of the health effects of visiting wetland parks and the impact of the pandemic on the perception. From March 5th to 8th, 2020, before the Peak in China was over, 1,400 respondents participated in a nationwide online survey. It was found that the perceived benefits from visiting wetland parks were higher in terms of mental health than in physical health. Also, the perceived health benefits of wetland parks after the Peak were slightly higher than before the pandemic. The results highlight that wildlife habitat services were considered to be the most important ecosystem services that promote the perceived health benefits. Interestingly, the perceived health benefits of wetland parks by health experts appear to be lower than in other groups, indicating that the health benefits of visiting wetland parks may be overestimated by lay-people or underestimated by health experts. The results provide empirical evidence for managing ecosystem services as delivered by these urban wetlands, in the context of COVID-19 or potential future pandemics, for promoting public health.

Wetland parks are designed to support urban ecological protection, flood control and human well-being. Existing research mainly focuses on their influence on ecology and economy. However, their influence on human well-being and health is rarely studied. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Peak), people were very concerned about health, while simultaneously wetland parks which are generally considered beneficial to health were shut down. Thus, this study explores the publics’ perception of the health effects of visiting wetland parks and the impact of the pandemic on the perception. From March 5th to 8th, 2020, before the Peak in China was over, 1,400 respondents were surveyed online nationwide. It was found that generally, the public perceived physical and mental health benefits by visiting WPs, and perceived higher benefits in mental health than in physical health. The expected (i.e. imagined) perceived health benefits after the Peak were slightly higher than before the pandemic. The results highlight that wildlife habitat services were considered to be the most important ecosystem services that promote the perceived health benefits. Interestingly, health experts perceived health benefits to be lower from WPs than other groups, indicating that the health benefits of visiting WPs may be overestimated by lay-people or underestimated by health experts. The results provide empirical evidence for managing ecosystem services as delivered by these urban wetlands, in the context of COVID-19 or potential future pandemics, for promoting public health.

This article reviews different techniques for reclaiming quarries in England. They can be used to reclaim abandoned quarries as well as those that are still operating. A number of reclamation techniques have been developed to revert land that has been quarried for minerals to some productive state. The techniques discussed in this paper include rollover slopes, backfilling, benchplanting, and restoration blasting. These techniques are mainly used to prepare quarry landform to support vegetation, ensure safety at site, as well as accommodate different after-uses. A less conventional method of natural recovery or spontaneous succession is also discussed. Whether applied solely or in combination, the use of these techniques has a potential to enhance the environmental qualities of land degraded by quarrying.

With urban design, it is becoming increasingly important to both visualise spatial changes and quantify the effect of these changes on the local microclimate: the former often for public consultation and the latter to develop landscapes that provide resilience to warmer weather thus reducing the urban heat island effect. It is possible to automatically construct 3D landscape models from vector site plans and height data sources through procedural generation. However, the generation of the inputs for microclimate models remains a time consuming process even though 3D visualisations or site plans may already exist. In this paper, a method to link procedurally generated 3D landscape models to microclimate simulations is demonstrated. Using this method, a case study is presented that allows initial calibration of the model and then several distinct alterations in the base design are tested alongside the variation in weather conditions looking forward to 2080. Finally, graphics card shaders are used to incorporate the temperature data within the interactive 3D procedural models, allowing both real-time manipulation of view point and simulation time.

This research investigated the perceptual interaction of combining sound with 3D landscape visualizations.\ud Images sourced from Google Earth at St. James’s Park, London, UK, showing terrain only,terrain with\ud built form or terrain with primarily vegetation were paired with four sound conditions using recordings\ud from the park (i.e. ‘no sound’, anthropogenic, mechanical and natural). Perceived realism and preference\ud were evaluated using a survey delivered via the Internet and in a controlled laboratory environment\ud (N = 199 total). Analysis using repeated measures ANOVA indicated the interaction of sound and 3D\ud visualizations significantly alters environmental perception both positively and negatively. Sounds and\ud visuals that are congruent receive higher realism and preference ratings while the more incongruent\ud the combination is, the lower the corresponding ratings. The lowest realism and preference ratings are\ud given to visualizations showing terrain only combined with speech. The highest realism ratings overall\ud correspond to visualization with built form combined with speech, and visualizations showing primarily\ud vegetation paired with a birdcall. The absolute highest realism rating was for the visualization with\ud primarily vegetation and some built form paired with speech, while the highest preference ratings correspond\ud to visualizations showing vegetation paired with birdcall or no sound. Aural-visual data collected\ud via the web-based survey was comparable to data collected in the laboratory and overall realism ratings\ud for the Google Earth visualizations were low (e.g. below 3 on a 1–5 likert type scale). The results suggest\ud there is an opportunity to increase experiential authenticity of 3D landscape visualizations with sound.

The provision of green space is increasingly being perceived as an important factor for quality of life. However, green spaces often face high developmental pressure. The main objective of this study is to investigate a prospective approach to green space planning by combining three-dimensional (3D) visualization of green space scenarios and survey techniques to facilitate improved participation of the public. Aside from the 'Status quo', scenarios 'Agriculture', 'Recreation', 'Nature conservation' and 'Wind turbines' are visualized in three dimensions. In order to test responses, a survey was conducted both in print format and on the Internet. Overall, 49 different visualizations that belong to one of the scenarios were available in the survey and were rated according to the perceived esthetic, recreational and ecological values. The highest rated scenes include vegetation elements such as meadows with orchards, single trees, shrubs or forest. The least attractive scenes are those where buildings are highly dominant or where there are no vegetation elements. Based on the ratings for the individual images and on the corresponding scenarios, our study shows that there is high potential for improving the existing landscape. All suggested changes are either rated about equal to or considerably higher than the status quo, with the scenario 'Nature conservation' receiving the highest scores.

A growing trend towards high-density urban living increases the significance of natural features within the urban fabric. In high-rise living the view is one means of continuing contact with the environment. Using visualizations, public survey techniques, and a geographic information system (GIS), we estimate the effect of parks, water, industry, and high-rise buildings on willingness to pay for views from high-level apartments. With the GIS we determine what will be visible within the view and the proportion of different land uses or structures that make up the view. In order to tlsb>link the analytical variables to the view values a set of base images is systematically altered in terms of the proportion of water, parks, buildings, and industry present in the scenes. Surveys are conducted to determine the willingness of people to pay for preferred views. The results from a regression analysis show that water and green space have positive coefficients and buildings and industry both have negative coefficients. Particular attention is paid to the influence of distance on the view proportions. Our calculations are compared with empirical results from other studies.

The management of the visual resource is a neglected topic in Switzerland. This is quite surprising, taking into account that tourism, which plays a major role in the Swiss economy, to a great extent depends on an intact landscape. The “Our Visual Landscape” conference held on Monte Verita, August, 23–27, 1999 reviewed and explored new techniques and methods for the analysis, modelling, visualization and protection of our visual resources. In the last few years major innovations have occurred in many areas of computer based modelling and visualization of the landscape. At the same time developments in computer technology have opened new possibilities for decision support and communication for those with landscape management responsibilities. Advancement of knowledge in these areas will contribute to better planning and management of activities (urban development, recreation, forestry, mining, etc.) which affect the landscape. Crucial is the ability to incorporate visual resources into planning and managem...

Global change (climate change together with other worldwide anthropogenic processes such as increasing trade, air pollution and urbanization) will affect plant health at the genetic, individual, population and landscape level. Direct effects include ecosystem stress due to natural resources shortage or imbalance. Indirect effects include (i) an increased frequency of natural detrimental phenomena, (ii) an increased pressure due to already present pests and diseases, (iii) the introduction of new invasive species either as a result of an improved suitability of the climatic conditions or as a result of increased trade, and (iv) the human response to global change. In this review, we provide an overview of recent studies on terrestrial plant health in the presence of global change factors. We summarize the links between climate change and some key issues in plant health, including tree mortality, changes in wildfire regimes, biological invasions and the role of genetic diversity for ecosystem resilience. Prediction and management of global change effects are complicated by interactions between globalization, climate and invasive plants and/or pathogens. We summarize practical guidelines for landscape management and draw general conclusions from an expanding body of literature.

The vistas along the loop road in Acadia National Park in Maine are crucial to the park experience of the visitor. During the last few decades, however, there has been a trend of a decreasing overall vista quality. This is happening in conjunction with a general trend of increased visitation and increasing local development pressures. A model which allows the classification of the vistas is developed in order to assess the condition of the vistas and to function as a planning tool.

Urban “green space” provides an essential contribution to the quality of life of urban citizens. In many European towns and cities, attractive urban parks and squares, woodlands, green corridors, nature reserves and recreational areas can be found. Often, urban green space is a legacy of earlier decades and in relatively few urban areas has the planning and development of an urban green infrastructure been approached in a comprehensive manner. The importance of urban green space was recognized by Camillo Sitte (1889) more than 100 years ago.