Browsing by Author "Reyes-Paecke, Sonia"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A conceptual framework for integrated analysis of environmental quality and quality of life
    (2014) Banzhaf, Ellen; de la Barrera, Francisco; Kindler, Annegret; Reyes-Paecke, Sonia; Schlink, Uwe; Welz, Juliane; Kabisch, Sigrun
    Environmental quality has a strong influence on the quality of life for human beings. There are direct linkages between primary elements of the environment, such as air, water, and land surface and the quality of life. Our main research refers to the question how residents and their environment interact by assessing the measured and perceived environmental quality and quality of life. Although, this integrated research requires a wide range of data, there is a lack of studies which have attempted to combine qualitative and quantitative data on quality of the environment and subsequently, quality of life. Based on Lawrence's (2011) notion of environmental quality as a complex concept that is neither static nor absolute, we focus on two interrelated sets of components: bio-geophysical, measurable components and subjective susceptibility of the environmental burdens. We do this by a combined qualitative and quantitative analysis to draw out dimensions of environmental quality and subsequently, quality of life. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Assessing Relativeness in the Provision of Urban Ecosystem Services: Better Comparison Methods for Improved Well-Being
    (2023) Krsnik, Goran; Reyes-Paecke, Sonia; Reynolds, Keith M.; Garcia-Gonzalo, Jordi; Olabarria, Jose Ramon Gonzalez
    In this study, we evaluated alternative methods for comparing the provision of ecosystem services among urban areas, stressing how the choice of comparison method affects the ability to compare the ecosystem service outcomes, in order to improve the management actions in urban green areas, reduce environmental inequality, and ensure satisfactory levels of human well-being. For the analysis, ten spatial indicators were quantified to assess the provision of urban ecosystem services in Barcelona, Spain, and Santiago, Chile. Two comparison methods were applied in both cities to evaluate the differences in their provision scores. The analysis was performed using the Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system, a spatially enabled decision support framework for environmental management. The results depicted changes in the values of the provision of ecosystem services depending on the methodological approach applied. When the data were analysed separately for each city, both cities registered a wide range of provision values across the city districts, varying from very low to very high values. However, when the analysis was based on the data for both cities, the provision scores in Santiago decreased, while they increased in Barcelona, showing relativeness and a discrepancy in their provisions, hindering an appropriate planning definition. Our results emphasise the importance of the choice of comparison approach in the analyses of urban ecosystem services and the need for further studies on these comparison methods.
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    Cerros isla en las ciudades de Chile: oportunidades para una planificación ecológica
    (Universidad de Chile. Instituto de la Vivienda, 2023) Picon Meleda, María Catalina; Contreras, Carolina; Berrizbeitia, Anita; Barrera, Francisco de la; Reyes-Paecke, Sonia; CEDEUS (Chile); Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de Arquitectura
    Island hills (IHs) represent elements of important natural and cultural heritage value. However, despite their notable presence in Latin American cities, there is little documented knowledge that may facilitate their recognition and incorporation into urban planning. The objective of this work is to identify, classify, and characterize the mostly non-urbanized IHs located within the urban area of the 16 regional capital cities of Chile. The 75 IHs identified were classified into three typologies and characterized according to their land coverage, buildings, and associated regulations. In the 16 cities, there are 32 urban island hills, 24 urban hills on the urban edge, and 19 hills that are part of mountain ridges on the urban edge, concentrated in Santiago, Concepción and Copiapó. These covers consisting of by native forest, shrublands, and forestry plantations in the southern part of the country, and soils with scarce vegetation in the northern area, reflecting the geographic diversity as well as the pressures and uses that exist in the territory. Thus, Concepción’s IHs have 30% or more of their surface covered by forestry plantations; and of the total, 83% of the IHs have built elements and 36% have heritage elements. In terms of urban regulations, there is no typical zoning for hills, and diverse uses coexist.
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    Urban ecosystem Services in Latin America: mismatch between global concepts and regional realities?
    (2019) Dobbs, Cynnamon; Escobedo, Francisco J.; Clerici, Nicola; de la Barrera, Francisco; Eleuterio, Ana Alice; MacGregor-Fors, Ian; Reyes-Paecke, Sonia; Vasquez, Alexis; Zea Camano, Jorge Danilo; Jaime Hernandez, H.
    Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the most urbanized and biologically diverse regions in the world but is often characterized by weak environmental governance and socioeconomic inequalities. Given large expanses of intact biomes, a long history of pre-Colombian civilizations, and recent urbanization trends, the urban ecosystem services (UES) concept has the potential to address issues of well-being for its citizens. We review relevant regional and global literature and use expert-based knowledge to identify the state of the art of the UES concept as applicable to green spaces in LAC and elucidate three overarching guidelines for management and future research needs: 1. LAC cities can be socio-ecologically unique; 2. Drivers of UES in LAC can be different than in other regions; and 3. Context and demand need to be accounted for when valuing UES. Overall, we show that research on UES is mostly from the global north and rarely accounts for the diverse and complex socio-political and ecological drivers of LAC's urbanization processes. We find that, as in other regions, the biophysical context and land use policies play a major role on UES provision. However, socioeconomic inequalities and weak governance are key drivers in UES supply and demand in LAC. Context-specific information on how to promote, educate, and apply UES is particularly important, not only in LAC, but in other regions where inequities, rapid urbanization, and climate change effects are stressing socio-political and ecological systems and their adaptive capacities. Standardized approaches from developed countries should be used to complement - not substitute - LAC context specific approaches for studying and applying UES. We suggest that improved research funding and local governance can also provide critical strategies, information and the means for more effective management, planning, and equitable provision of UES.