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ArticleWho visited urban forests and trails more or less during the COVID-19 pandemic and why? A case study in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decrease in travel and social activities, there was an exception—travel to parks and trails. Urban residents needed refuge to relax, exercise, and socialize. Nevertheless, trips to parks and trails vary by socio-demographic characteristics, disadvantageous to those having health issues or low-income. Without appropriate community design and planning interventions, such conditions may worsen existing environmental injustice and health issues. This study explores the demographic profile of those who used urban parks and trails more or less during the COVID-19 pandemic in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Data comes from an online and intercept survey with 4,325 responses and focus groups with 52 participants. Quantitative analyses show that park and trail use during the pandemic decreased among older adults, females, homeowners, and low- income households. Also, people living in a denser, more walkable, and more park/trail accessible neighborhood likely increased their visitations.Our qualitative analysis further examines how residents feel about their use of parks and trails during the pandemic and how they would improve them in the future. Respondents in disadvantaged neighborhoods felt safe visiting parks, highlighting the value of urban nature as a resilience infrastructure and community asset during a crisis. This study presents transformative ideas to engage communities and promote stewardship, which are relevant to cities looking into the New Normal. Keywords: green space; equity; health; SARS-CoV-2; urban forest; urban planning ID: 3614623 -
ArticleModeling CO2 restoration potential of mangrove ecosystems in Pakistan to support urban green spaces and human well-being
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Abstract: Pakistan is facing major climate change challenges since in recent years, the annual mean temperature has increased by 0.5°C in the country. Karachi is the largest city and highly vulnerable to fatal heatwave events trolling maximum deaths and illness in recent years. Coast of Mangrove Forest (MF) plays an important role in daily temperature, local environment, and microclimatic conditions. It is a well-established scientific reality that carbon traps heat in the air, and now observing a dramatic rise in temperature. The study aimed to evaluate the vulnerability of the communities to heat-stress, and categorize the role of Mangrove Ecosystem Services to mitigate future disasters. Coupled models and GIS/RS tools were used to estimate the suitability of MF land-cover to categorize the latent status. Heatwaves during summer for three days were calibrated by the models which resulted that an inundation of CO2 stress factors, 250 (S-u=1.0) with a rise in temperature up to 44°C with 70% humidity causes more deaths under heat-periods. Our results linked heatwaves with climate warming and extreme weather events, aggravated by rapid urbanization, industrialization, deforestation, emission of CO2, degradation of MF, and land-use change. Moreover, findings revealed that there is a significant drop-off in urban greenspaces and growth in built-up areas during 1984-2016. In addition, the SILVA-model projected that MF around the city has the ability to absorb CO2 emission up to 55.4 million tons. SILVA-growth projected that 43.61% CO2 stock can be deposited by MF which contributes 19% of the ecosystem. Model showcase that rehabilitation of 30-mangrove trees per/100m2 possibly reduce the extreme tide of heat stress, tsunami, CO2, and improve the air-quality index of the city. This study provides initial assessment and policy directions to rehabilitate MF to promote sustainable cities and societies. Key Words: CO2, urban green spaces, disaster risk reduction, extreme weather events ID: 3471412 -
ArticleRx for hot cities: Building climate resilience through urban greening and cooling in Los Angeles, California, USA
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Extreme heat and its health impacts are on the rise. Globally, the six warmest years on record all occurred since 2015, and in Los Angeles (LA) average temperatures are expected to increase up to 4.5°C in coming decades. Extreme heat causes more deaths in the United States than all other weather-related causes combined, with heat risk being most pronounced in urban areas due to the heat-island effect. Reducing urban heat exposure is an equity issue, as low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to live in neighborhoods with older buildings, low tree canopy cover, more heat-retaining surfaces, and limited access to coping strategies such as air conditioning. The Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative (LAUCC) is a multi-disciplinary partnership of researchers and expert practitioners working with communities and government to understand and mitigate heat in LA. LAUCC completed a modeling study of current and projected heat in LA County to: 1) identify geographic areas with highest vulnerability to heat-related death; 2) quantify how various urban forest cover (UFC) and built environment albedo scenarios would affect heat-related mortality, temperature, humidity, and oppressive air masses that lead to elevated mortality; and 3) quantify the number of years that climate change-induced warming could be delayed by implementing these interventions. We find that increasing shade, evaporative cooling, and albedo through increases in UFC and reflective surfaces could save one in four lives lost to heat waves in Los Angeles, mostly in low-income communities and communities of color. We also find that these measures could modify local meteorology sufficiently to delay local effects of global climate change-induced warming by 25 to 60 years under business-as-usual and moderate mitigation scenarios, respectively. These strategies can be adapted to combat extreme heat in other regions that are experiencing similar challenges. Keywords: Human health and well-being, Research, Sustainable forest management, Adaptive and integrated management, Climate change ID: 3479653
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