Última alteração: 2018-06-12
Resumo
Urban areas constitute complex and strongly modified landscapes. As the anthropogenic activity shapes the natural and cultural landscapes, the quantification of landscape patterns and the observation of their changes are important to understand and evaluate the ecological impacts of the urbanization. The ecological impact of urbanization studied here mainly concerns the soil and its direct and indirect effects, measuring the level of impervious surfaces, the disruption of the hydrological regime and the loss of vegetated cover. Using a combination of GIS-Remote Sensing and Geovisualization methods and technologies we apply a patch-corridor-matrix model to describe and compare the structure of cultural and natural landscape patterns in both study areas: Lisbon Northern Metropolitan Area (LNMA) and Prague Metropolitan Area (PMA). Patches are homogenous small landscape units, corridors are linear structures which connect different landscape elements and matrix is an extensive area which contains different types of patches and corridors. Through this study, the contribution of green and blue infrastructure to healthy urban living is highlighted and a framework for smart development and management is provided, in a context of Smart Cities and Smart Growth. Applying a socio-economic and environmental perspective in E-urban planning we can address urban stress with minimal environmental footprint. Overall, a blue-green city is designed to face climate change challenges and to maintain the connectivity of the ecological network within and beyond the urban boundary to prevent biodiversity loss, to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural resources, to set a foundation for diverse uses of the countryside, to positively influence the surrounding less stable parts of the landscape and to exploit the provided ecosystem services.