Local parks help cool down urban climate, German researchers find. GERMANY

Parks are perfect for recreation and, as a set of Hamburg researchers have found out, they are also important at controlling local climate conditions too. They say parks could be a useful tool in fighting climate change.

Source: DW

German Parks and Public Gardens | Discover Germany

Source: DW

José Fariña, " Zonas verdes en las ciudades"

José Fariña, " Zonas verdes en las ciudades"

Entrevista completa a José Fariña, Catedrático de Urbanismo y Ordenación del Territorio por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, fragmentos de la cual ilustraron el documental "Paraísos de barrio" producido por el equipo del escarabajo verde. Podéis ampliar la información en el blog de Fariña, donde se reflexiona sobre urbanismo, territorio, paisaje y sostenibilidad.

Fuente: RTVE

El escarabajo verde - Paraísos de barrio

El escarabajo verde - Paraísos de barrio

19 abr 2013

Lo que aporta un parque urbano es algo más que una simple área de recreo para pasear, un lugar donde sacar al perro o sentarse a tomar el sol o el fresco según la época del año. Durante unos meses, hemos seguido con la mirada curiosa del paseante la evolución de uno de estos espacios para ver quiénes lo transitan y para qué lo usan,Un parque periurbano puede definirse como un área de interés ecológico, paisajístico o cultural situado en las afueras o en la proximidad de los asentamientos urbanos e intrínsecamente interconectado con el entorno de la ciudad. Un lugar en el que puede coexistir la protección ambiental con las funciones recreativas, educativas, económicas y de desarrollo de la propia urbe.Parece claro que estas zonas verdes tienen un gran interés para la salud de las personas, para la conservación de la biodiversidad y para la conectividad ecológica de diferentes áreas, para controlar la expansión territorial, para el mantenimiento y mejora de los servicios ecosistémicos, para la reducción de la contaminación.El programa ha puesto el foco en Vallparadís, un parque urbano de la ciudad de Terrassa, cerca de Barcelona. La cámara ha paseado por sus jardines y caminos, ha curioseado entre las personas que lo usan y ha compartido los bancos del paseo junto a expertos. Así, se han hecho visibles los beneficios que estas islas de naturaleza aportan a los ciudadanos y también algunas de las contradicciones de nuestros 'Paraísos de Barrio'.

Fuente: RTVE

Landscape graphics

Cheonggyecheon, Seoul. SOUTH KOREA

Cheonggyecheon (Hangul: 청계천) is an 8.4 km (5.2 miles) long, modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. The massive urban renewal project is on the site of a stream that flowed before the rapid post-war economic development required it to be covered by transportation infrastructure. The $900 million project initially attracted much public criticism but, after opening in 2005, has become popular among city residents and tourists.

…he stream was named Gaecheon ("open stream") after the first refurbishment project to construct a drainage system during the Joseon Dynasty. The work, which included dredging and bolstering the banks of the stream and building the bridges, was carried out every 2~3 years during this period from the reign of Taejong, the third king of the Joseon Dynasty. King Yeonjo especially undertook the refurbishment work as a national project[1].

Gacheon was renamed to Cheonggyecheon, its current name, during the Japanese colonial period. During this time, financial difficulties prevented the colonialists from covering up the stream despite several attempts to do so.[2].

After the Korean War (1950–1953), more people migrated into Seoul to make their living and settled down along the stream in shabby makeshift houses. The accompanying trash, sand, and waste, and deteriorating conditions resulted in an eyesore in the city. The stream was covered up with concrete over a 20 year period starting in 1958, and a 5.6 km-long, 16 m-wide elevated highway was completed in 1976. The area became an example of successful industrialization and modernization of South Korea.[2] …

Source: Site oficial do Cheonggyecheon

Landscape Architecture. Charles Jencks. USA

Charles Alexander Jencks known for his books questioning Modern architecture and defining its successors - Late, Neo and Post-Modern architecture. He divides his time between lecturing, writing and garden design projects in UK, Europe & USA. Born in Baltimore in 1939, studied under the Modern architectural historians Siegfried Giedon and Reyner Banham. Now he designs landforms, landscape and sculpture, and writes on cosmogenic art.  He is married to Louisa Lane Fox who published an Anthology of Letters and Diaries from Parents to Childrenin 2009.

Source: CharlesJencks

Parque de la Reserva. Lima, PERÚ

Fuente: Google Mapas

"El Parque de la Reserva es un parque ubicado en el barrio de Santa Beatriz en la ciudad de Lima, capital del Perú. Tiene una figura irregular, y se encuentra entre dos de las principales vías que salen del centro de la ciudad hacia el sur de la misma: el Paseo de la República y la Avenida Arequipa. Tiene una extensión de ocho hectáreas y tiene un estilo neo-clásico. Fue diseñado por el arquitecto francés Claude Sahut y contaba con varias esculturas de artistas peruanos." (Fuente: Wikipedia)

Fuente de la Vida

Fuente de las Tradiciones

Fuente Laberinto del Ensueño

Fuente de los Niños

Fuente Tunel de las Sorpresas

Vista de 360º desde la Fuente de la Fantasía

Fuente de la Fantasía

Fuente Mágica

Fuente de la Ilusión

Pasaje subterráneo bajo la Av. Petit Thouars

Fuente del Arco Iris

Vista de 360º desde la Fuente Tanguis

Fuente Tanguis

Fuente de la Cúpula Visitable

Urban Heat Islands

"At the 2010 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco, Dr. Ping Zhang will present her findings on the Urban Heat Island effect. The data collected spans from 1995 to 2005 and will give scientists an idea of why cities are warmer than their surrounding areas, as well as what effect this will have on the planet. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: ‪http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?10699" (Source: Youtube)

"An urban heat island (UHI) is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. The phenomenon was first investigated and described by Luke Howard in the 1810s, although he was not the one to name the phenomenon.[1] The temperature difference usually is larger at night than during the day, and is most apparent when winds are weak. Seasonally, UHI is seen during both summer and winter. The main cause of the urban heat island is modification of the land surface by urban development which uses materials which effectively retain heat. Waste heat generated by energy usage is a secondary contributor. As population centers grow they tend to modify a greater and greater area of land and have a corresponding increase in average temperature. The lesser-used term heat island refers to any area, populated or not, which is consistently hotter than the surrounding area.[2] Monthly rainfall is greater downwind of cities, partially due to the UHI. Increases in heat within urban centers increases the length of growing seasons, and decreases the occurrence of weak tornadoes. The UHI decreases air quality by increasing the production of pollutants such as ozone, and decreases water quality as warmer waters flow into area streams, which stresses their ecosystems. Not all cities have a distinct urban heat island. Mitigation of the urban heat island effect can be accomplished through the use of green roofs and the use of lighter-colored surfaces in urban areas, which reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat. Despite concerns raised about its possible contribution to global warming, comparisons between urban and rural areas show that the urban heat island effects have little influence on global mean temperature trends.[3] Recent qualitative speculations indicate that urban thermal plumes may contribute to variation in wind patterns that may influence the melting of arctic ice packs and thereby the cycle of ocean current.[4]" (Source: Wikipedia)

Michael Arad. 9/11 Memorial. New York, USA.

Read the article: The Breaking of Michael Arad

Operação Urbana Consorciada Água Espraiada. São Paulo. BRASIL.

"O Complexo Viário Real Parque abrange os bairros do entorno do Córrego Água Espraiada, na zona sul de São Paulo. O projeto tem como um dos seus principais objetivos revitalizar a região com a criação de espaços públicos de lazer e esportes." (Fonte: Desenvolvimento Urbano. Prefeitura de São Paulo)

New York's New High Line Park

"The High Line is a 1-mile (1.6 km)^[1] New York City park built on a 1.45-mile (2.33 km)^[2] section of the former elevated freight railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan; it has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. The High Line Park currently runs from Gansevoort Street, one block below West 12th Street, in the Meatpacking District, up to 30th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.

The recycling of the railway into an urban park has spurred real estate development in the neighborhoods which lie along the line.^{[3]". (Source: Wikipedia)}

O Paisajista Roberto Burle Marx (Brasil)