 Subjects -> GARDENING AND HORTICULTURE (Total: 37 journals)
|
|
|
- The concept of the terrestrial–subaqueous topographical and lithological
continuum: a case study of the Lake Gopło region (north-central Poland)
Authors: Rafał Kot, Paweł Molewski, Włodzimierz Juśkiewicz
Pages: 1107 - 1107
Abstract: The research objective is to produce thematic maps of the continuum of terrestrial and subaqueous terrain and surface lithology of the Lake Gopło region. The maps were based on the results of geomorphological and geological mapping in the vicinity of Lake Gopło and a reconnaissance of the shape and sediments of the lake basin and the morphology of the basins of other large lakes in its vicinity. A geomorphological classification of subaqueous landforms was carried out and, in the case of Lake Gopło, a lithological classification of its bottom sediments was also conducted. According to the authors, the features of the subaqueous relief and lithology of lake sediments should, depending on the degree to which they have been identified, be included in studies and legends of largeand medium-scale geomorphological and geological/lithological maps. This would significantly enrich their content and could be used to draw detailed conclusions as to the genesis and evolution of the landscape and its geodiversity.
PubDate: 2023-04-19
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2023.1107
- Insight into vegetation inclusion along urban roads: A pilot study on the
preferences of expatriate roadside users in downtown Doha, Qatar
Authors: Soujanya Mogra, Mohd Faris Khamidi, Fodil Fadli
Pages: 1108 - 1108
Abstract: Physical Activity (PA) is vital for health and well-being. Automobile-oriented urban development hinders PA in rapidly urbanized cities. In this regard, Complete Streets’ is an emerging design approach to provide equitable services for all road users while promoting PA. Qatar is introducing ‘Complete Streets’ as part of an urban beautification project in which trees are an integral design element. In the capital city of Doha, expatriates constitute a large portion of the resident population; and primary roadside users due to their dependence on public transportation like the Metro rail. Using a quantitative survey, this pilot study conducted in a typical road segment of downtown Doha investigated the preferences of expatriate roadside users for ecosystem services (ES) offered by the street vegetation, the four potential roadside vegetation types, and the associated reasons. The results revealed that the top two preferred ESwere the benefits of street vegetation in the aesthetic enhancement of streets and microclimate regulations. The vegetation type that was perceived to have more greenery was most preferred. The perceived ‘restorative’ benefits of street vegetation mainly influenced the preferences. The findings of this study provide insight into the inclusion of vegetation along roads under the beautification projects in downtown Doha by the Public Works Authority, Ashghal. It is the first study in Qatar that focuses on the preferences of expatriate roadside users for the ES offered by street vegetation and street vegetation types.
PubDate: 2023-05-20
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2023.1108
- A dynamic evaluation of landscape transformations based on land cover data
Authors: Iwona Cieślak, Andrzej Biłozor
Pages: 1097 - 1097
Abstract: The present era is characterized by unprecedented levels of human activity, which adapt the world to our needs and induce transformations in landscape morphology and physiognomy. The Anthropocene is a remarkable epoch, where changes in space are not only visible, but also confirmed by an extensive body of research. Human activities lead to the creation of numerous tools for measuring the scale of anthropogenic pressure. Satellite and photogrammetric data that broaden our field of vision and change the scale of reference from local to global or even beyond global. These data support observations of the present condition of the surrounding space as well as the rate of changes in space. In the present study, land cover data were used to monitor changes in the surrounding landscape. A system for classifying evolutionary changes in space was proposed to monitor land-use transformations and describe landscape stability. The applicability of CORINE Land Cover (CLC) data for such analyses was evaluated. The research hypotheses and the proposed procedure were tested in the Mazovian (Polish: Mazowieckie) Voivodeship and the city of Warsaw, the Polish capital and the central point of the analyzed voivodeship which generates continuous changes in space. The results of the study confirmed the research hypotheses and demonstrated that CLC data are suitable for monitoring spatial changes.
PubDate: 2022-03-31
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1097
- Landscape and Perception: A systematic review
Authors: Hanieh Jafari Khaledi, Mehdi Khakzand, Mohsen Faizi
Pages: 1098 - 1098
Abstract: Accurate knowledge of human perception can help designers to create desirable spaces. An increase in publications from 2000 to 2020 demonstrates that studies in human perception of the landscape are evolving. This systematic review aims to comprehensively review existing knowledge and published papers on human perception concerning landscape to promote these approaches in this field for future research. Therefore, a systematic literature search analysis of 255 articles was drawn from four databases: Scopus, ScienceDirect (Elsevier), SAGE, and Taylor & Francis. Results show that the previous concerns are categorized into four main categories: human, heritage, infrastructure, and landscape characteristics. The results of this paper suggest that in future studies researchers should study the heritage and infrastructures factors and evaluate the potential and effects of these issues in the process of human-environmental interactions.
PubDate: 2022-04-30
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1098
- Archaeological landscape – the past and the present. A case study of the
megalithic landscape of Wietrzychowice, Poland
Authors: Anna Żemła-Siesicka
Pages: 1099 - 1099
Abstract: Archaeological landscapes are crucial to understanding the evolution, form and meaning of cultural landscape. This paper presents a complex analysis of the archaeological landscape and its temporal and spatial changes, with particular reference to the last 200 years, using the example of a megalithic landscape with barrows in Wietrzychowice (Poland). The aim of the research was to determine the changes in the structure and function of the landscape and to identify the processes that caused these changes. A complex Model of Archaeological Landscape Analysis (MALA) was proposed which presents the current archaeological landscape and its historical changes both graphically and descriptively. The literature was studied and cartographic research was conducted, and this was supplemented by field visits. The results allowed us to distinguish 6 stages of the life-history of the analysed landscape. The megalithic landscape of Wietrzychowice represents a genetically heterogeneous, homotonous in terms of land cover, reversed (chronologically younger landscape replaced by a chronologically older landscape) stratigraphic type. The most persistent landscape type is the forest. The main processes occurring there were erosion, deforestation, afforestation, barrow construction, excavation and reconstruction. The functions changed from ecological to touristic. The visual role of the barrows as the dominant features of the landscape has varied. This method can be used in landscape protection and planning and in landscape education.
PubDate: 2022-05-20
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1099
- Sense of Place in Spatial Planning: Applying Instrumental and Deliberative
Approaches at the River Lahn
Authors: Sarah Gottwald
Pages: 1100 - 1100
Abstract: Sense of place offers a theoretical approach for understanding and assessing people-place relationships, which may support spatial planning purposes. However, the integration of sense of place into planning practice is still lacking due to multiple and diverse conceptualizations and assessment approaches as well as lacking adaptation to planning practice. Therefore, my dissertation aimed to explore a systematic integration of sense of place into spatial and landscape planning. To do so, I used Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) and Geodesign methods, and developed and applied a spatial meaningful place indicator, which is comparable with biophysical indicators used in planning practice exemplified by river landscapes. Findings highlight (1) the importance for assessment of place meanings for understanding of people-place relationship including the biophysical context and personal characteristics, (2) the significant and positive correlation between sense of place and environmental stewardship motivation, (3) the potential of integrating sense of place data into landscape design. I provide five actionable recommendations for integrating sense of place into landscape planning, such as exploration of feasibility and usefulness, an early assessment, consideration of appropriate methodological approaches, importance of transparent and inclusive process, and the integration of external support. Finally, based on the lessons learnt within this dissertation main future research directions are proposed, which include the further development of the proposed indicator and strengthening of a progressive perspective on sense of place.
PubDate: 2022-06-30
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1100
- Landscape Metrics Explain the Ecological Susceptibility of Terrestrial
Ecosystems
Authors: Mustafa Nur Istanbuly, Mohammad Kaboli, Sara Ahmadi, Gouhang Tian, Magdalena Michalak, Bahman Jabbarian Amiri
Pages: 1101 - 1101
Abstract: This study examines the effects of the change in the shape of landscape patches, known as landscape structure, on ecological susceptibility, which is defined using the object-oriented method. The aim is to determine whether ecological susceptibility is influenced by the shape of the landscape patches in the southern basin of the Caspian Sea. The multivariate linear regression approach is applied to discover the extent to which the mean, median, and weighted average of the landscape structure metrics can explain the total variations of the ecological susceptibility. To determine the optimal models, an intermodel comparison is conducted using the Akaike information criterion. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were performed to determine how sensitive ecological susceptibility is to changes in the variables of the models and how they behave under varying conditions. The models (0.64≥r2≥0.27, p ≤ 0.05) indicate that the landscape structure metrics can be applied to predict ecological susceptibility. Examining the mean, median, and weighted average of the landscape metrics in estimating ecological susceptibility also reveals that the models made by the mean and median values have less uncertainty than those developed by the weighted average. The results show that the regularity or irregularity in the shape of the landscape patches and the degree of contiguity of the land use/land cover patches can significantly affect ecological susceptibility. Closed deciduous broad-leaf forest patches, closed mixed forest patches, and open mixed forest patches can be considered crucial land use/land covers to estimate ecological susceptibility.
PubDate: 2022-07-31
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1101
- Spatial relationships and impacts of global change on ecosystem services
in the European Alps
Authors: Uta Schirpke
Pages: 1102 - 1102
Abstract: The increasing interest in the concept of ecosystem services (ES) for decision-making requires a profound understanding of ecological processes, social values and spatial patterns to mitigate the effects of global change on human well-being. Although great progress has been made in the assessment and valuation of ES, scientists are still facing challenges due to a frequent emphasis on ES potential and individual ecosystems as well as disciplinary thinking. This post-doctoral thesis addresses these challenges by (1) contributing to novel mapping approaches with a focus on cultural ES, (2) examining impacts of global change on ES at the ecosystem and landscape level and (3) analysing spatial patterns and interactions between ES supply and demand for ES across multiple spatial scales. This work focuses on the European Alps, as mountain regions are highly important for providing ES while beeing particularly vulnerable to global change. The findings clearly confirm the relevance of mountain landscapes not only to local populations, but indicates spatial interactions that go far beyond the regional level with great implications for decision- and policy-making. The findings also indicate how the concept of ES may promote biodiversity conservation and the maintainance of multiple ES supported by a sustainable use of natural resources. This work also suggests how interdisciplinary approaches can help to integrate ES supply and demand across different temporal and spatial scales for decision-making in planning and management, taking into account ecological processes in response to climate change. Finally, this work reveals research gaps that need to be addressed in future research to deepen the understanding of socio-ecological systems and underlying mechanisms, as well as to enhance interdisciplinary research.
PubDate: 2022-08-26
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1102
- Assessing Rice Production Sustainability under Future Landuse and
Population in Deli Serdang Regency, Indonesia
Authors: Deddy Romulo Siagian, Rajendra P Shrestha, Imelda Marpaung, Delima Napitupulu, Lermansius Haloho, Sortha Simatupang, Khadijah EL Ramija, Setia Sari Girsang
Pages: 1103 - 1103
Abstract: Rice is the staple food and its cultivation requires a specific land condition. The population growth, urbanization, and plantation expansion together with socio-economic development are the driving factors of the riceland decline in Deli Serdang Regency of North Sumatera, Indonesia. As a consequence, likely availability and sustainability of rice production are threatened. Hence, it is important to understand how the future landuse and population change will affect the riceland area and production. In the lack of spatially simulated information for the future which could be useful in planning the riceland areas, the study objectives were to project the landuse change by 2040 under three scenarios, Business as Usual (BAU), Potential Riceland Protection (PRP) and Conservation Oriented (CO), and to investigate the impact of consumption demand on the sustainability of rice production. Landsat satellite data of 2009 and 2018, several spatial GIS data, and survey data were analyzed in ArcGIS, Dyna-CLUE, and SPSS software to generate the landuse classification and to simulate the future landuses; while the population projection by 2040 was derived from a Geometric Model. The results showed that forest and riceland areas will decrease with the continuous increase of plantation and urban areas under BAU scenario, but could be protected and increased under PRP scenario. The sustainability of rice production depends not only on the total riceland area, but also the productivity, the population growth, the consumption rate, and the policy. The simulated results of three scenarios serve as an important input to planning for protecting the riceland areas and thus sustained rice production in Deli Serdang Regency.
PubDate: 2022-09-27
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1103
- Non-native plant associations with wildfire, tree removals, and deer in
the eastern United States
Authors: Brice B. Hanberry
Pages: 1104 - 1104
Abstract: Wildfires, tree removals, and deer herbivory are potential pathways for spread of non-native plants. I modeled the number of recorded nonnative plant species by county compared to wildfire area, tree removals, and deer densities in the eastern United States and also eastern forests. Species richness of 1016 plant species in 780 primarily forested counties decreased with increased values of the three variables; models equally showed negative relationships. For model predictions, based on withheld samples of non-native species counts, percentage wildfire area alone had the greatest association (R2 value of 31%) for non-native species richness in eastern forests; non-native species richness decreased with wildfire area until stabilizing at >1% wildfire area to a neutral relationship. For 1581 species in 2431 counties in the eastern U.S., the three variables each had an overall negative relationship with non-native species richness (R2 value up to 14%), without a consensus by three regression types of most influential variables. These formal models suggest that wildfire, tree removals, and deer herbivory generally may be nominal pathways for non-native plant spread at landscape scales in the eastern United States.
PubDate: 2022-10-11
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1104
- Exploring the Socioeconomic Impact of Riverbank Erosion in the Brahmaputra
Valley of Assam, India: A Case Study of Two Districts
Authors: Dimpal Dekaraja, Ratul Mahanta
Pages: 1105 - 1105
Abstract: This paper explores the socioeconomic impact of riverbank erosion and measures the incidence and severity of poverty among the riverbank inhabitants of Assam, India. Primary data from two erosion effected districts of Assam have been collected using multistage random sampling technique. To measure the incidence of Poverty among the riverbank inhabitants, Head Count Ratio (HCR) method has been used. Severity of poverty is measured using Poverty Gap Index (PGI). The results reveal that the level of poverty and the severity of poverty are related with the degree of erosion. Similarly, the migration (both short-term and long-term) also related with the degree of erosion. It has also found that various types of socioeconomic issues arise due to riverbank erosion, such as loss of cropland and livestock, education and transportation problem, social displacement, etc. An important fact observed is that the problem of migration and poverty also exist in the non-eroded villages. For which, it cannot be say that migration issue arise only because of riverbank erosion. But, riverbank erosion pushes the other problems to more vulnerable situation which compels the affected people to take their decision. Therefore, riverbank erosion may be considered as a cause of migration and poverty in the study areas. In this context the paper recommends that with the erosion control measures, the policies such as resettlement, financial support and social safety nets should be implemented in the erosion affected areas to reduce poverty as well as to reduce outmigration.
PubDate: 2022-11-25
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1105
- Fifteen years of Landscape Online: Looking back at the development of an
e-journal
Authors: Werner Rolf, Uta Schirpke
Pages: 1106 - 1106
Abstract: It has been 15 years by now that the International Association for Landscape Ecology – Chapter Germany (IALE-D) launched the e-journal Landscape Online. At the time of its first publication in 2007, to the best of our knowledge, it was one of the first open access peer-reviewed scientific e-journals in the field of Landscape Ecology. Over the last 15 years, it evolved from an idea driven by the German-speaking IALE community in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to a wider established journal linked to the international IALE community supported by partners across the world. In this Editorial, we (1) present the journal’s development and the regional distribution of authorships, (2) reflect on the topics addressed by the articles published, and (3) outline the latest developments in the light of continuities and changes.
PubDate: 2022-12-30
DOI: 10.3097/LO.2022.1106
- Transformation pathways towards sustainable urban development by the
inclusion of peri-urban farmland in green infrastructure strategies
Authors: Werner Rolf
Pages: 1 - 15
Abstract: Urbanization and agricultural land use are two of the main drivers of global changes with effects on ecosystem functions and human wellbeing. Green infrastructure is a new and promising approach in spatial planning contributing to sustainable urban development, but rarely considers spatial and functional potentials of utilizable agricultural land as an integral part. This doctoral thesis addresses this gap and investigates how peri-urban farmland can promote green infrastructure and sustainable urban development. The results contribute to the conceptual understanding of urban green infrastructures as a strategic spatial planning approach that incorporates inner-urban utilizable agricultural land and the agriculturally dominated landscape at the outer urban fringe. Four strategies are introduced for spatial planning with the contribution to a strategically planned multifunctional network. Finally, this thesis sheds light on the opportunities that arise from the integration of peri-urban farmland in the green infrastructure concept to support transformation towards a more sustainable urban development. This work concludes that the linkage of peri-urban farmland with the green infrastructure concept is a promising action field for the development of new pathways for urban transformation towards sustainable urban development. Along with these outcomes, attention is drawn to limitations that remain to be addressed by future research.
PubDate: 2021-12-31
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202196
Issue No: Vol. 96 (2021)
- Social capital as a determinant for raising ecosystem services awareness -
an application to an Albanian pastoral ecosystem
Authors: Elena Kokthi, Elda Muço, Mélanie Requier-Desjardins, Fatmir Guri
Pages: 1 - 17
Abstract: This paper aims to map the ecosystem services (ES) provided by a reputed agropastoral ecosystem in the south of Albania and ascertain whether social capital affects the level of importance attributed to them. A perception analysis of both buyers and sellers of ES within the pastoral ecosystem is undertaken. The pastoral ecosystem is mainly evaluated for cultural services such as tradition, enhancing the area’s image, and environment ES. The strong inclination towards cultural ES and socioeconomic services indicates a lack of awareness of both buyers and sellers of ES in the local community regarding the environmental aspects of their ecosystem. However, participants showing a higher radius of trust with high linking social capital are more likely to confer very high importance to environmental services. Similarly, the cultural ES (traditional aspect) of the pastoral ecosystem is affected by cognitive and structural social capital. These are interesting findings for public policymaking concerning the opportunity to develop market transaction ES. Its development is more ground-based and effective if participation and civic engagement, especially the Linking dimension, is enhanced in the pastoral community.
PubDate: 2021-12-30
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202195
Issue No: Vol. 96 (2021)
- Relationship between parameters of public parks and their surroundings and
the richness, diversity and species composition of vascular herbaceous
plants on the example of Krakow in Central Europe
Authors: Łukasz Moszkowicz, Izabela Krzeptowska-Moszkowicz, Karolina Porada
Pages: 1 - 16
Abstract: Greenery is a natural value in urban space. To maintain the richness and diversity of greenery, it is necessary to understand the factors and mechanisms that influence vegetation. The purpose of this paper was to determine the impact of selected features of public parks and factors on the richness and diversity of herbaceous plants. In Krakow public parks, this richness and diversity is greater in parks with a larger area and habitat heterogeneity, the presence of migration corridors, and natural elements. Full stand coverage negatively affects diversity. Biologically inactive surface affects richness and diversity as well as a number of different groups of plant species. The presence of rare and non-synanthropic species is related to the park’s surface, natural elements, and its heterogeneity.
PubDate: 2021-12-23
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202194
Issue No: Vol. 94 (2021)
- Blue-green infrastructure as a new trend and an effective tool for water
management in urban areas
Authors: Ewelina Pochodyła, Katarzyna Glińska-Lewczuk, Agnieszka Jaszczak
Pages: 1 - 20
Abstract: Blue-green infrastructures (BGI) integrate solutions implemented to enhance water management and landscape values for more climateresilient and livable cities. BGI have created an opportunity to renew the natural structure of water balance in cities through the increase in rainwater retention and enlargement of permeable areas. The review of the literature on BGI development and solutions showed that the most popular BGI elements in terms of urban water quantity and quality were rain gardens, green roofs, vertical greening systems, and permeable pavements. Their structure and effectiveness were presented and reviewed. Despite the consensus between researchers that BGI benefit urban hydrology, differences in runoff decreased (2%-100%) lowering the peak flows (7%-70%) and infiltration (to 60%) or evapotranspiration (19%-84%) were reported. Due to an individual technical structure, each BGI element plays a specific role and there is no universal BGI solution against water-related problems. We inferred that the most effective ones were individually adapted solutions, which prevent from a stressor. The greater variety of solutions in a given area, the more benefits for the urban environment. Our analyses showed that a holistic and co-creative approach to create blue-green networks should be considered in modern water management plans.
PubDate: 2021-09-27
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202192
Issue No: Vol. 92 (2021)
- Are trees and shrubs unsafe hiding places' Impact of plant forms on the
perception of danger in urban green spaces in crime hot spots
Authors: Aleksandra Lis, Łukasz Pardela, Paweł Iwankowski, Antal Haans
Pages: 1 - 14
Abstract: Urban parks and forests are important for wellbeing, but feelings of unsafety limited their usage. Removal of vegetation from hotspots of fear is sometimes recommended as a means of boosting safety. However such actions should be approached with caution. One explanation, based on prospect-refuge theory, is that plants increase perceptions of danger because of their contribution to a setting’s effectiveness in concealing criminals. It is also believed that people do not like urban green spaces parks containing trees and shrubs that can act as hiding places because of the sense of danger that this vegetation evokes. To test this explanation, participants rated 57 photos of urban parks and forest parks settings park settings on perceived danger, effectiveness of concealment, and landscape preference. In addition, the effectiveness of concealment in the photos was measured assuming that the value of this variable is expressed by the percentage of the pixels occupied by trees and shrubs offering concealment in a photograph. Results confirmed that concealment and danger are highly correlated mediation analysis confirmed that the impact of concealment on preferences can be explained by perceived danger. When the danger was controlled, the efficiency of concealment had no influence on preferences.
PubDate: 2021-08-07
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202191
Issue No: Vol. 91 (2021)
- How might landscapes be better designed to accommodate increasing
cremation practices in Europe'
Authors: Anna Długozima
Pages: 1 - 31
Abstract: Death is one of those universal parameters of life, yet very little attention is given to it in neither the work of planning practitioners nor that of landscape research. During the 19th and 20th century’s many Western societies turned to cremation as a more sanitary, less costly and space saving way of human disposal. This paper highlights the cemeteries and crematoria as two types of facilities associated with cremation practices in Poland and in selected European countries. On the basis of analyses of contemporary funerary landscapes for cremation practices from Europe (31 objects from 9 countries) a catalog (‚pattern book‘) of design solutions was developed. Countries were selected on the basis of similarity to Poland in the aspect of the dominant religion (Austria, France, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia), convergent provisions of cemetery and funeral law (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden), and index of average population served by 1 crematorium (Belgium). Moreover, assessment of Polish contemporary places for cremation (39 objects) was developed. To strengthen the multifaceted meaning of funerary landscape and to link it more with the landscape, design considerations and potential outcomes for improved cemetery design accommodating cremation practices and burial was developed. The funerary landscape is defined as a specific type of landscape that focuses on the phenomenological relation between death, disposal of the body in the environment and the social memory of the group participating in the remembrance of the burial.
PubDate: 2020-12-23
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202087
Issue No: Vol. 91 (2020)
- Cemeteries as (un)wanted heritage of previous communities. An example of
changes in the management of cemeteries and their social perception in
Gdańsk, Poland
Authors: Krystian Puzdrakiewicz
Pages: 1 - 26
Abstract: Cemeteries, despite the sacred values attributed to them, proving their inviolability and durability, undergo functional transformations in the dynamic structure of developing cities. This article focuses on the city of Gdańsk, which historically changed its statehood several times. Almost a full exchange of population from German to Polish took place after World War II. The main aim of the article is to compare the post-1945 attitudes of the new Gdańsk community and the authorities towards cemeteries being a legacy of their predecessors. During World War II and the three subsequent decades most of the unwanted (unrelated to the Polish community) necropolises were closed down and removed. 25 of the 101 inventoried cemeteries have survived until modern times. It has been shown that there are clear differences in the management of cemeteries after 1945, from the removing them in the communist times to the commemorating and revitalizing them during the maturing democracy. This is associated with the current social views, where the majority of residents object to changing the function of the sites of the former cemeteries and only allow converting them into greenery with commemoration of the history of the place.
PubDate: 2020-11-20
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202086
Issue No: Vol. 91 (2020)
- Integrating Multiple Perspectives in an Urban Ecology Course
Authors: Elizabeth Hane, Karl Korfmacher
Pages: 1 - 14
Abstract: New approaches are needed to educate university students about urban sustainability challenges. In particular, students need opportunities to learn the importance of integrating not just biophysical issues (e.g. climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, etc.), but how these issues are related to societal issues (e.g. racism, poverty, access to health care, etc.). To this end, we created a course that uses a comparative, study abroad approach, focusing on the cities of Rochester, NY (USA) and Malmö, Sweden. Students are provided with numerous scaffolded opportunities to learn from each other, from local experts, and from faculty and students abroad. An assessment of learning outcomes in the course revealed that students who completed the study abroad portion of the course integrated more key topics into their final projects (x̅ = 3.93 ± 0.22) than students who took the same course, but did not go abroad due to the global pandemic in 2020 (x̅ =2.13 ± 0.40; p = 0.004). A survey of students also illustrated that the exposure to a new culture and ideas was key in changing how they thought about environmental problems.
PubDate: 2020-09-25
DOI: 10.3097/LO.202082
Issue No: Vol. 91 (2020)
|
Open Access journal
