An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area where temperatures are higher than they are in the surrounding suburban areas. UHIs are of great scientific concern in the context of global environmental change. As a result of rapid economic development over the past three decades, the urban area in China has increased significantly. In the present study, to objectively determine the spatiotemporal ...

We developed and evaluated a three-layer snow model for application in general circulation models. This onedimensional snow model has many features of the detailed physically based model SNTHERM, yet is computationally much simpler. We have also extended the point model to vegetated areas using the parameterization concepts of the Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS). Results of model ap...

Urban and peri-urban forests determine different habitat services for biodiversity according to their characteristics. In this study, we relate ecological characteristics of urban and peri-urban forests to forest bird species richness and we assess whether their effect changed over time due to the urban sprawl within the urban region of Milan, Italy. We analyse two periods (1998–2002 and 2010–2...

Landscape patterns are closely related to ecological processes. Different spatial scales and research methods may lead to different results. Therefore, it is crucial to choose suitable research methods when studying different landscape patterns and ecological processes. In the present study, the methods of source-sink landscape theory were applied to the interactions between urban landscape cha...

To realize sustainable urban development that minimizes environmental impacts, the relationship between urban development intensity and eco-environmental stresses should be clearly revealed. This paper focused on the Bohai Rim coastal area, where cities have experienced significant development in the last decade. An index system was developed to quantify the comprehensive urban development inte...

本研究では，白鬚東地区防災拠点における40年間の経過を整理し，防災拠点は，周辺市街地の変化など，環境に合わせて防災機能が変更されてきたが，現在も重要な防災拠点として位置づけられていることが分かった．防災団地では防災意識の高い住民が多く，現在も様々な防災活動に取り組んでいるが，団地の高齢化が進む現在，災害時に団地住民のみで避難者を支援することは困難であり，災害時に防災拠点の機能を十分に発揮できるかは定かではない．今後は，新たに入居した住民や近隣住民などに，建設当初から住む団地住民の防災意識をどのように継承してくかが課題となっている．白鬚東地区防災拠点という地域の財産を活かし，地域の災害対応力を向上させるためには，周辺地区の現状を把握したうえで周辺地区との連携を強化し，地域住民とともに防災拠点を支えていくことが重要であると考える．

â  regional and urban planning instruments contain an extensive range of concepts and methods. these methods are important for understanding the complex identity of cities and the prediction of their future. today majority of planners and urban planning authorities believe that the use of these methods can help us to better understand urban systems and predict their behavior. in this regard the...