1. |
- Colding, Johan, 1958-, et al.
(author)
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Applying a Systems Perspective on the Notion of the Smart City
- 2020
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In: Smart Cities. - : MDPI AG. - 2624-6511. ; 3:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper focuses on the need for a widened definition of the notion of technology within the smart city discourse, with a particular focus on the “built environment”. The first part of the paper describes how current tendencies in urban design and architecture are inclined to prioritize high tech-solutions at the expense of low-tech functionalities and omits that information and communication technology (ICT) contrasts the art of building cities as an adaptable and habitually smart technology in itself. It continues with an elaboration on the need for expanding the limits of system boundaries for a better understanding of the energy and material telecouplings that are linked to ICT solutions and account for some perils inherent in smart technologies, such as rebound effects and the difficulty of measuring the environmental impacts of ICT solutions on a city level. The second part of the paper highlights how low-tech technologies and nature-based solutions can make cities smarter, representing a new technology portfolio in national and international policies for safeguarding biodiversity and the delivery of a range of ecosystem services, promoting the necessary climate-change adaption that cities need to prioritize to confer resilience.
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2. |
- Colding, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Supporting bottom-up human agency for adapting to climate change
- 2020
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In: One Earth. - : CellPress. - 2590-3330 .- 2590-3322. ; 3:4, s. 392-395
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The metric focus of sustainability thinking is at risk of downplaying the role of climate-change adaptation as a strategy complementary to climate-change mitigation. The upcoming 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) needs to explore how adaptation based on human agency could contribute to dealing with climate change.
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3. |
- Giusti, Matteo, et al.
(author)
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The regenerative compatibility: a synergy between healthy ecosystems, environmental attitudes, and restorative experiences
- 2020
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In: PLOS ONE. - : PLoS. - 1932-6203. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Urban nature is and will be the most common provider of nature interactions for humankind. The restorative benefits of nature exposure are renown and creating human habitats that simultaneously support people’s wellbeing and ecological sustainability is an urgent priority. In this study, we investigate how the relationship between environmental attitudes and healthy ecosystems influences restorative experiences combining a place-based online survey with geographical data on ecosystem health in Stockholm (Sweden). Using spatial regression, we predict the 544 restorative experiences (from 325 respondents), with people’s environmental attitudes, natural land covers, ecosystem health, and the statistical interactions among these variables as predictors. Our results show that restorative experiences can happen anywhere in the urban landscape, but when they occur in natural environments, the combined levels of biodiversity and ecological connectivity are better predicting factor than the mere presence of nature. That is, healthy ecosystems seem to be more important than just any nature for restorative experiences. Moreover, the statistical interaction between one’s environmental attitudes and natural environments predict almost all restorative experiences better than when these variables are independent predictors. This suggests that there is synergistic compatibility between environmental attitudes and healthy ecosystems that triggers restorative processes. We call this synergy regenerative compatibility. Regenerative compatibility is an unexploited potential that emerges when people’s attitudes and ecosystems are aligned in sustainability. We consider regenerative compatibility a valuable leverage point to transform towards ecologically sustainable and healthy urban systems. To this end, we encourage multifaceted policy interventions that regenerate human-nature relationships holistically rather than implement atomistic solutions.
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4. |
- Samuelsson, Karl, Doktorand, et al.
(author)
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Urban nature as a source of resilience during social distancing amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
- 2020
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The 2020 coronavirus pandemic caused countries across the world to implement measures of socialdistancing to curb spreading of COVID-19. The large and sudden disruptions to everyday life thatresult from this are likely to impact well-being, particularly among urban populations that live indense settings with limited public space. In this paper, we argue that during these extraordinarycircumstances, urban nature offers resilience for maintaining well-being in urban populations, whileenabling social distancing. We discuss more generally the critical role of urban nature in times ofcrisis. Cities around the world need to take the step into the 21st century by accepting crises as anew reality and finding ways to function during these disturbances. Thus, maintaining or increasingspace for nature in cities and keeping it accessible to the public should be part of the sustainabilityagenda, aiming simultaneously to strive towards SDG 3 (good health and well-being), and SDG 11(sustainable and resilient cities).
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