Attractive public open spaces can serve as key design elements for enhancing life quality in urban areas and to diminish the negative effects of urbanisation. In order to fulfil this task, open spaces must meet the expectation of potential users and offer the right mix of environmental, economic and social conditions. It is well known that the local microclimate belongs to the main factors driv...

Urban green spaces have been shown to decrease land surface temperature (LST) significantly. However, few studies have explored the relationships between urban green spaces and LST across different seasons at different spatial scales. In this study, using Changchun, China as a case study, landscape ecology and comparative approaches were employed quantitatively to investigate the effects of the...

In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, shrubs may act as fertility islands but theireffect may vary depending on their morphology and ecological impacts. This research wasaimed to study effect of three shrubs Scariola orientalis, Astragalus heratensis, and Rosapersica on soil properties and on the microclimate conditions (temperature, luminance, andsoil moisture) of their understory in the steppe ra...

Sustainable designs like low-carbon landscapes are key to lowering the anthropogenic carbon footprint of our society and promoting harmony with natural ecosystems. We can design low-carbon landscapes for terrestrial (e.g. forests and urban farming areas) as well as aquatic (e.g. urban streams, ponds, and wetlands) urban spaces. Ecological interactions between water and soil in an urban ecosyste...

Attractive public open spaces can serve as key design elements for enhancing life quality in urban areas and to diminish the negative effects of urbanisation. In order to fulfil this task, open spaces must meet the expectation of potential users and offer the right mix of environmental, economic and social conditions. It is well known that the local microclimate belongs to the main factors driv...