Summer School Programme and Travel Information Version 4 Prepared on: 19/09/2019
Location: The Archbishop’s Seminary, Tal-Virtu, Rabat, Malta
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Table of Contents ReNature - Project Description .......................................................................................................................... 3 Circular City - Action Description ....................................................................................................................... 4 Summer School Programme .............................................................................................................................. 8 Abstracts ..........................................................................................................................................................10 Practical Information .......................................................................................................................................18 Summer School Location .............................................................................................................................18 Arrival ...........................................................................................................................................................19 Getting to/from the Airport .........................................................................................................................19 Public Transport and Taxi Service ................................................................................................................19 Transport from/to the summer school venue .............................................................................................20 Fieldwork......................................................................................................................................................22 Fieldwork 1: Identifying potential nature-based solutions in an urban context (the Birkirkara-Msida catchment) ...............................................................................................................................................22 Fieldwork 2: Assessing the potential application of nature-based solutions in a protected area (trip to Comino) ....................................................................................................................................................23 Poster Presentation .....................................................................................................................................24 Dinners .........................................................................................................................................................25 Accommodation Suggestions.......................................................................................................................27
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
ReNature - Project Description Nature-based solutions are living solutions that address societal challenges in a resource-efficient and adaptable manner and that provide simultaneous economic, social, and environmental benefits. Examples of nature-based solutions include different forms of green and blue infrastructure, green roofs and walls, rain gardens, sustainable urban drainage systems, natural water retention measures, hedgerows, salt marshes and dunes, floodplains, and urban green spaces. The challenge of putting together socio-economic demands and environmental challenges are particularly felt in Malta, the smallest member state of the European Union (EU). Malta has limited natural resources, but also the highest population density in the EU, a strong and demanding tourism sector, rapid urbanisation and economy growth. The region is also characterised by an increased risk to human life driven by a strong rise in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves towards the south of Europe, and an upsurge in drought conditions, with previous studies indicating higher rates of weather-related fatalities in Southern European countries as a consequence of climate change. A central idea in the use of nature-based solutions is that of addressing societal challenges of innovation, job creation and community development but at the same time creating net positive effects on the environment by making sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources, in order to improve human well-being. The ReNature project aims to establish and implement a nature-based solutions research strategy for Malta with a vision to promote research and innovation and develop solutions in a pursuit of economic growth, whilst at the same time improving human well-being and tackling environmental challenges. The strategy will be complemented by a newly-developed research cluster to act on it, with a vision to stimulate both scientific excellence and innovation capacity towards achieving the goals of sustainable development. More specifically, the objectives of the ReNature project are to: 1. strengthen collaborations across the science-policy interface and stimulate common research projects and information flow among the different players; 2. provide opportunities for capacity-building to enable Maltese entities to collaborate and link up with third parties for the development of excellent scientific research in the nature-based solutions sector; 3. develop evidence-base to inform practitioners and policy-makers on landscape and urban planning as key components of green infrastructure; 4. carry out a knowledge synthesis for policy-making and share a developed, evidence-based compendium, consisting of research data and peer-reviewed publications from collaborative research, in open access repositories; 5. extend the partnership by clustering with ongoing and future projects on nature-based solutions at European scale; 6. provide solutions and alternatives to national authorities, policy-makers and businesses on the implementation of nature-based solutions. More information about the Horizon 2020 project ReNature can be obtained from http://renatureproject.eu/
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Circular City - Action Description Our world is approaching a situation where several resources are becoming scarce at the same time, e.g., energy, nutrients, water, space, while at the same time climate change is proceeding. This will cause problems even in areas where such problems may at present seem negligible. Wealth and wellbeing of coming generations will depend on our ability to adapt our economies to this challenge in the finite world we are living in. Transforming today’s cities into sustainable cities is one of the main adaptations that will be necessary. A holistic approach looking at cities from a system’s perspective is needed to achieve this goal. Nature based solutions (NBS), especially Green Infrastructure (GI) are introduced in the urban landscape to cope with challenges cities are facing. These challenges are urban heat islands, flooding, treatment of wasteand runoff waters from different origins and food provision. NBS offer a range of ecosystem services beneficial for the environment. However, NBS are often built without considering the system’s perspective and thus NBS only fulfil a single function with little consideration of their recovery potential of waste and water or their positive symbiosis with other systems. NBS can provide an array of valuable services, such as clean water production, nutrient recovery, heavy metals retention and recovery and a broad range of plantbased materials. The ongoing urban expansion coupled with the implications of climate change will cause resource scarcity even in areas where such problems may at present seem negligible. Linear resource flows entering cities are consumed and disposed as waste, leading to the loss of valuable resources. The Circular Economy (CE) philosophy based on the 3Rs; Reduce, Reuse and Recover (EC, 2014; Winans et al. 2017), has emerged as an alternative to the wastefulness of the current linear “take-make-use-dispose” practices of urban areas.
The principle of CE is to create a closed loop for each natural or man-made product by transforming the linear resource flow into a circular flow. It targets all kinds of industrial processes and products. For the urban environment the scale of thinking shall be more global in order to address the urban metabolism as a whole, and create not only specific CE systems but an overall resource management system for the urban biosphere. Therefore, NBS show to be a sufficient way to address important problems at the local scale as such systems can be easily adapted and operated decentralised where the highest demand occurs. The highest benefits of NBS besides their technical initial purposes is the influence on urban micro-climate and recreation purposes for the inhabitants.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
The aim of the COST Action “Circular City Re.Solution” is to build an interdisciplinary platform for connecting city planners, architects, system designers, circular economists, engineers and researchers from social and natural sciences that develop systems allowing cities to cope with the challenges described above. In this COST Action, the definition for a common language and understanding across disciplines are seen as crucial success factor, while CE concepts are seen as key approach and NBS or GI solutions are seen as core elements of the toolbox. This Cost Action is to encourage collaboration and research to test the hypothesis that “A circular flow system that implements NBS for managing nutrients and resources within the urban biosphere will lead to a resilient, sustainable and healthy urban environment”. The planned Action will test this hypothesis in five domains: the built environment, the urban water, the resource recovery, the urban farming, and the society.
More information about the Circular City COST Action can be obtained from https://circular-city.eu.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
The Summer School Organising Committee: • Dr Mario Balzan (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta) • Dr Guenter Langergraber (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria) • Prof Davide Geneletti (University of Trento, Italy) • Prof Marcus Collier (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) • Dr Lynn Dicks (University of East Anglia, United Kingdom) • Dr Judita Tomaskinova (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta) • Dr Miriam Grace (University of East Anglia, United Kingdom) • Iliana Kuzmova (Pensoft Publishers, Bulgaria) • Anna Sapundzhieva (Pensoft Publishers, Bulgaria) • Renata Mikalauskiene (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta) • Jean Williams (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) • Francesca Spagnol Gravino (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta)
Contact Information • •
Dr Mario Balzan (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta). Tel. 2398 7852. Email: mario.balzan@mcast.edu.mt Dr Judita Tomaskinova (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Malta). Tel. 2398 7852. Email: judita.tomaskinova@mcast.edu.mt
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Introduction Renaturing Cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School The ‘Renaturing Cities – Interdisciplinary Summer School’ is being organised by the Horizon 2020 ReNature project and the COST Action Circular City. The summer school focuses on the complex problems present in human-dominated environments including the effects and impacts of urbanization such as rapidly emerging and changing landscapes in the areas of rural-urban interface. Cultural landscapes and the related complex social and environmental issues call for rethinking of traditional landscape planning and management approaches in the twenty-first century. Learners will have the possibility to interact and share experiences and activities with experts from the research and practitioners’ community during the practical and theoretical sessions that will be carried out within this unit. The summer school to provide learners with an understanding of the features and dimensions of cultural landscapes in the context of the holistic approach towards landscape sustainability. Learners will have the opportunity to discuss the importance of nature-based solutions and demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to identify and apply nature-based solutions in different contexts. The summer school will include “problem-based” learning sessions, aimed also at stimulating professional development and further cooperation among participants in the aftermath. Learners will be able to identify societal challenges that would benefit from the adoption of nature-based solutions, describe appropriate nature-based solutions to address such challenges across a rural-urban gradient, evaluate the benefits of mainstreaming nature-based solutions through the use of tools and knowledge synthesis and describe the links between green infrastructure and human health in urban areas. In addition, learners will learn how to assess the impact of ecosystem structure and function on the delivery of regulating ecosystem services. Learners will carry field-based work and actively engage in discussions for selected case-studies in order to obtain important first-hand experience in this field and understand how ecosystem service knowledge can be applied in planning and design-making to support the design of nature-based solutions. Moreover, learners will be trained in communicating scientific content in an engaging and impactful way and will, during oral presentations and science communication sessions, test different approaches to communicate concepts and key information about nature-based solutions and sustainability.
Learning Outcomes Upon completing the summer school, learners should be able to: 1. Determine societal challenges and identify nature-based solutions to address them. 2. Evaluate the benefits of mainstreaming nature-based solutions and describe links between green infrastructure and human health. 3. Assess the impact of ecosystem structure and function for regulating ecosystem services. 4. Recognise how ecosystem service knowledge can be applied in urban planning decision-making. 5. Communicate scientific content in an engaging and impactful way.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
ReNaturing Cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School
Nature-based solutions in landscape management Summer School Programme Location: The Archbishop’s Seminary, Tal-Virtu, Rabat, Malta Day
Activity
Trainer/s
September 30th
9.00-9.30
Registration
L1
9.30-10.00
Welcome & introduction (outline of the summer school)
Mario Balzan
L2
10.00-11.00
The ReNature Project; Identifying nature-based solutions to societal challenges across a rural-urban gradient Coffee break
Mario Balzan
Lecture: Nature-based solutions for water management in a rural-urban gradient Lunch break
Dimitra Theochari
13.00-15.30
Fieldwork 1: Identifying potential nature-based solutions in an urban context (the Birkirkara-Msida catchment)
Dimitra Theocari Mario Balzan Davide Longato
15.30-16.00
Travel back to the meeting venue/Coffee break
16.00-17.00
Groupwork: Identifying nature-based solutions for the casestudy area Welcome dinner & teambuilding
11.00-11.30 L3
11.30-12.30 12.30-13.00
L4
L5
19.00-21.00 October 1st
Dimitra Theochari
9.00-9.15
Registration
L1
9.15-10.00
L2
10.00-11.00
Group discussion – Nature-based solutions in an urban setting – potentials and limitations Presentation: Circular City COST Action
11.00-11.30
Coffee break
L3
11.30-13.30
Poster session & Lunch Break
L4
13.30-15.30
Lynn Dicks
15.30-16.00
Knowledge synthesis for identified NbS knowledge needs / Using evidence in decision-making for Nature Based Solutions Coffee break
16.00-17.00
Nature-based solutions for urban regulating services
Davide Geneletti
18.00-20.00
Get-together, dinner (not covered by the summer school)
L5
October 2nd Fieldwork
8.45-9.00
Registration
9.00-16.00
Fieldwork 2: ReNature Trip to Comino Assessing the potential application of nature-based solutions in a protected area
Mario Balzan Davide Longato Dimitra Theochari
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
October 3rd
9.00-9.15
Registration
L1
9.15-10.15
Tadhg MacIntyre
L2
10.15-11.00
Nature-based solutions for physical and mental health in urban agglomerations Group work – identifying potential nature-based solutions and impact assessment indicators for a case-study area Coffee break Group work – identifying potential nature-based solutions and impact assessment indicators for a case-study area Lunch break
Mario Balzan Davide Geneletti
Christine Fürst
15.30-16.00
Invited expert speech: Ecosystem services in cultural landscapes Invited expert speech: Nature-based solutions for pollinators and pollination ecosystem services Coffee break
16.00-17.00
Science Communication I.
Anna Sapundzhieva
19.00-21.00
Final evening, networking dinner
11.00-11.30 L3
11.30-12.30 12.30-13.30
L4
13.30-14.30
L5
14.30-15.30
L6
October 4th L1
9.00-9.15
Registration
9.15-10.15
Science Communication II. (Elaborate practical session)
10.15-10.45
Coffee break
10.45 12.00 12.00-12.30
Student Presentations and Certificate Awarding
12.30-14.00
Lunch break Summer school students farewell ReNature HLSAB
14.00-16.00
ReNature Executive Board and General Assembly meetings
Mario Balzan Davide Geneletti
Koos Biesmeijer
Anna Sapundzhieva
Participants: ReNature HLSAB members Participants: ReNature Partners
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Abstracts Identifying nature-based solutions to societal challenges across a rural-urban gradient Mario Balzan (mario.balzan@mcast.edu.mt) Institute of Applied Sciences, Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology
Abstract: Multiple definitions have been used for the term nature-based solutions (NBS). Most notably, the EU Research and Innovation policy agenda on NBS and Re-Naturing Cities defines NBS to societal challenges as solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. The IUCN defines NBS as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. Clearly these definitions show multiple overlaps, one of which is the framing of NBS as solutions to societal challenges. These solutions should be based on interdisciplinary science, bridging approaches from socioeconomic, technological and ecological sciences to ensure effectiveness in providing conservation benefits, can be applied at landscape or territorial scale and are adapted to the cultural and natural contexts. During this session, we will analyse the opportunities for mainstreaming NBS in the Malta, a case-study Mediterranean small island state that is showing rapid economic and urban growth. With a population density of 1451 people per Km2 in 2017, the 8th highest globally, and a rapidly growing tourist population that is rapidly approaching 3 million inbound tourists per year, urbanisation and environmental degradation have become key trends within the study area. A ReNaturing Cities conceptual framework for the analysis mainstreaming of NBS across a rural-urban gradient will be presented. This will then be used to analyse spatial trends in ecosystem services and benefits derived by local communities from ecosystems and ask questions about the impact of such gradients on the well-being of residents. We will then review what works in providing benefits to communities and investigate how intervention that renature cities whilst providing solutions to key societal challenges may be applied in the local context. This session will also give an overview of the ReNature project, and the objective to establish and implement a nature-based solutions research strategy with a vision to promote research and innovation and develop solutions in a pursuit of economic growth, whilst at the same time improving human well-being and tackling environmental challenges. Essentially, we show how the ReNature project is based on 3 pillars: -
Capacity-building for excellent scientific research in NBS; Developing the evidence-base on the need for and effectiveness of NBS and openly share knowledge and data in an open-source compendium, and Creating a national research and innovation cluster that can contribute to nature-based innovation in Malta and the Mediterranean region.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Nature-based solutions for water management in a rural-urban gradient Dimitra Theochari (dimitra.theochari@gmail.com) National Technical University of Athens, Greece Abstract: In times of climate change and globally expected trends of urbanization rise, the need for rethinking, adapting and upgrading infrastructure in our cities is prevalent, and a focus on non-conventional Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is beyond a trend. Synergies between nature and city in rural and urban contexts are essential to be reproached as a source of nutrient mining, new businesses, healthy living and safety of the city in terms of food security but also from extreme flooding events. With the example of Malta and a focus in the area of Birkirkara the lecture, fieldwork and group work will focus on setting goals for future development in balance among agriculture, nature and the city; developing strategies for the identified challenges and objectives of the site; and, providing solutions and tools that can be used in smaller and larger scale with the aim of achieving a more resourceful circular city system. Responding to the recent flooding events of the Birkirkara area that challenged the existing infrastructure and created costly damages to local businesses and households, this session of the training school will present and discuss solutions for dealing with too much and too little water to sustain the needs of the agriculture area, solutions for stabilizing dry creeks and natural water ways for when extreme events take place, general structural solutions for dealing with flooding in a larger masterplan scale for when small scale solutions cannot address the full volume of the water, but also solutions for enhancing the water quality of the output water of the agriculture areas and connecting the cleansing processes of water to nutrient mining businesses that foster the local economy. At the same time, the rural areas often lack places for people to be in the agriculture fields and enjoy their value, but also spaces for people of all ages to socialize and interact in a communal way; increasing the liveability qualities are additional topics we will address and synergies between the above is aimed to be addressed. NbS in the rural context have a different focus than in urban areas, since the availability of resource to waste circles that we can close varies widely, the stakeholder groups and their power in the discussion table is often completely shifted, and the overall aims and visions of the people may vary from those of the people in the urban context due to lifestyle differences. NbS in the rural-urban context is not as often discussed as climateadaptation and NbS in cities, so this session aims to instigate new discussions and mobilize new perspectives for the development and potential of wide adaptation of NbS in people’s lives.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Nature-based solutions for urban regulating services Davide Geneletti (davide.geneletti@unitn.it) Planning for Ecosystem Services - SusPlaces Lab (www.planningfores.com) Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento (Italy)
Abstract: Regulating ecosystem services are linked to some of the most pressing urban challenges, from climate change adaptation to health. The integration of their mapping and assessment in urban planning is fundamental to achieve the associated policy goals, and to effectively design and implement nature-based solutions. However, such integration is made difficult by a limited flow of knowledge from science to planning practice. With the aim of providing participants with relevant information for integrating regulating services in urban plans, this talk will focus on a set of key regulating services (including air filtration, water regulation, noise reduction, micro-climate regulation), discussing the analysis of the spatial interaction between the service providing units (e.g., urban green space) and the service benefitting areas. A conceptual framework, based on a literature review, will be presented, which illustrates the spatial properties of the providing units that determine their ecosystem service potential, and investigates the role played by ecosystem types and structure, spatial and temporal scales and environmental conditions of the context. In the second part of the lecture, a case study illustrating how the framework can operationally assist planning practice by designing nature-based solutions is presented for the city of Trento, Italy. The case application focuses on the brownfield regeneration interventions through nature-based solutions, as part of an urban planning exercise. The proposed nature-based solutions involve different type of urban greening interventions, which are compared in terms of the provision of a set of ecosystem services, and the fruition by different groups of beneficiaries. First, we identify possible regeneration scenarios by simulating different types of greening interventions in brownfield sites, using a Geographical Information System (GIS). Second, we modelled the spatial distribution of key ecosystem services (among which microclimate regulation, noise mitigation and recreation) provided by these redevelopment scenarios. Third, we quantified the beneficiaries of these services, and their vulnerability, by using demographic and socio-economic information. Finally, the information was combined using multicriteria analysis to identify the types and location of interventions that provide the highest benefits to citizens, considering different perspectives (i.ee., assigning different priorities to different types of benefits). Finally, applications of the framework in the general context of urban planning are discussed with the participants.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Using evidence in decision-making for Nature Based Solutions Lynn Dicks (lynn.dicks@uea.ac.uk) School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia (UK)
Abstract: This session will comprise a half-hour lecture on evidence for environmental decision-making, followed by a 90-minute group exercise. Groups will collate and interpret relevant evidence relating to a specific nature-based solution case study. Evidence-based decision-making is a key aspect of successful environmental land management. It requires a number of important steps: i) Define an answerable question; ii) define a protocol for searching evidence; iii) collate and synthesize evidence following the protocol; iv) communicate the results of synthesis. The lecture will cover these steps, explaining why formalised knowledge synthesis methods are important to reduce bias. In the group session, students will work together to provide advice to a local city authority. In a fictional, but authentic case study, a local authority has to decide whether a particular nature-based solution will help them achieve public goals related to the well-being of residents. Students will need to rapidly understand and assess the underlying evidence and summarise what they have found. Recommended reading Dicks, L.V., Walsh, J., Sutherland, W.J., 2014. Organising evidence for environmental management decisions: a ‘4S’ hierarchy. Trends Ecol Evol 29, 607-613. Pullin, A., Frampton, G., Jongman, R., Kohl, C., Livoreil, B., Lux, A., Pataki, G., Petrokofsky, G., Podhora, A., Saarikoski, H., Santamaria, L., Schindler, S., Sousa-Pinto, I., Vandewalle, M., Wittmer, H., 2016. Selecting appropriate methods of knowledge synthesis to inform biodiversity policy. Biodivers Conserv 25, 1285-1300. Wyborn, C., Louder, E., Harrison, J., Montambault, J., Montana, J., Ryan, M., Bednarek, A., NesshĂśver, C., Pullin, A., Reed, M., Dellecker, E., Kramer, J., Boyd, J., Dellecker, A., Hutton, J., 2018. Understanding the Impacts of Research Synthesis. Environmental Science & Policy 86, 72-84.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Nature-based solutions for physical and mental health in urban agglomerations Tadhg E. MacIntyre (tadhg.macIntyre@ul.ie) Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland Abstract: Nature-based solutions have emerged as an opportunity to assist cities in the transition to sustainability and resilience, mitigate the risk of climate change and degraded ecosystems, solve societal problems and foster the health and well-being of urban citizens. An extensive amount of literature demonstrates that access to green and blue spaces is constantly considered as a key contributor to good health and an attribute of good places to live. The European Commission has planned investment of 240 million in NBS projects by 2020. Urbanization and climate change together present a unique set of consequences for environmental quality and human health which require further consideration of physical activity, mental health and psychological well-being. City living compounds risk factors for non-communicable diseases with environmental co-hazards of air and noise pollution exacerbating the problem. The UN SDG 5 to reduce inequalities is central to the urban health agenda as the socially and economically disadvantaged are likely to be especially vulnerable to climate change and typically have less access to urban green space. People living in cities have a 21% increased risk of anxiety disorders and a 39% increased risk of mood disorders (e.g. depression). Neuroimaging studies using fMRI confirm that city living is associated with higher levels of activity in a brain structure that mediates negative emotions (e.g. amygdala) and a regulatory brain area associated with stress. The American Psychological Association has analyzed an often-unseen impact of the future risk of climate change are the mental health effects. Effects include loss of community well-being, post-traumatic stress for individuals and what has been termed eco-anxiety and feelings of helplessness (i.e. linked to depression). Awareness of the mental health risks of city living is fundamental to making cities more resilient and livable. Health risks from urban green spaces are possible (e.g. for those with asthma) but the potential of NBS and green infrastructure to promote a salutogenic health agenda is vast. To critically appraise the impact of NBS on health we have to acknowledge that the health determinants of citizens and communities are indeed numerous and complex in terms of non-linear dynamics and limited predictability e.g. the person’s individual characteristics and behaviours, income and social status, education, physical environment, social support networks and culture, genetics, health services and gender. A multi-dimensional conceptual framework for public health which links physical health, mental health and well-being, social health, sustainability and human-nature interactions has been proposed. Termed ‘360Health’ this approach includes key factors of physical health (e.g. sleep, physical activity, nutrition), psychological factors including cognition (e.g. attention), psychological well-being (e.g. resilience), our connectedness to nature, social health (e.g. community resilience) and sustainability (e.g. pro-environmental behaviour). Embedded within this model are contemporary theories of stress (generalised unstable theory of stress), psychological resilience (e. dual process models) and models of social learning (e.g. mirror neurons). This approach accounts for the need to need to link urban health to the complex determinants (e.g. links to co-hazards of noise and air pollution), addresses concerns about the limits of the epidemiological approach which focuses on morbidity instead of the positive dimensions of health (e.g. well-being) and connects to sustainability which aligns 360Health to UN SDGs. The evidence supporting the novel approach are presented in addition to the potential impact for the evidence base supporting NBS. NBS in light of this new model highlights a shift in attitudes towards nature being paramount to community health, well-being and sustainability.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Ecosystem services in cultural landscapes Christine FĂźrst (christine.fuerst@geo.uni-halle.de) Institute for Geosciences and Geography, Department of Sustainable Landscape Development, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany)
Abstract: Cultural landscapes are of particular interest in providing and conserving ecosystem services (ES) for human well-being since they give evidence for the close interactions of humans and nature. Anyhow, the concept of ES is not yet fully adapted to assess the services of cultural landscapes which are often situated around urban areas and thus serve particularly urban dwellers. The existing gap in the assessment of ES in cultural landscapes consists in the interplay between the inherited built infrastructure and an often over centuries developed particular landscape character, where the singular ecosystem plays only an inferior role. The objective of this input lecture is to critically reflect and discuss how the ES concept can be adjusted to account for the interplay of landscape structures and inherited built infrastructure to assess cultural services that are not exclusively born from nature alone and to scrutinize if comparable adjustments or different concepts need to be applied for regulating and provisioning services. Cultural services as defined in CICES (Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services) are divided into biotic (e.g. characteristics of living systems with cultural significance) and abiotic (indoor / outdoor physical interactions) services, which however are not yet reflecting the holistic system of cultural landscapes as it is incorporated for instance in the European Landscape Convention. Cultural landscapes, and urban-rural environments count often to the most important ones, thus require several aspects of extending the ES concept. This includes extrapolating the ecosystem perspective to a more integrative landscape perspective as suggested by Temorshuizen and Opdam (2009), the perceived impact area of prominent buildings, infrastructures or landscape elements that attract people in such a landscape context and thus finally the re-definition of a socio-cultural-ecological systemic borders. An example is given from a medieval cultural landscape close to the metropolitan area Leipzig-Halle, where landscape, inherited cultural and metropolitan character form a unique ensemble of increasing touristic value.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Nature-based solutions for pollinators and pollination ecosystem services Koos Biesmeijer (koos.biesmeijer@naturalis.nl) Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands Abstract: Biodiversity and nature are complex terms, encompass many species and systems and therefore are sometimes hard to use for stakeholders in their management practice. Pollinators and pollination often emerge as one of the best entry point for engaging stakeholders in nature conservation and nature-based solutions and often leads more easily to action. I will give examples of how we have moved from scientific concern about bees and pollination to (inter)national-level concern about the recovery of biodiversity. Pollinators have become an icon for a much wider range of restoration projects and for developing green infrastructure in cities. In fact, more and more stakeholders express the need for (scientific) knowledge on biodiversity and nature for their activities. This requires also different skills and focus of scientists and new ways for collaboration and interaction. It also requires more flexibility in scientific organisations. Engaging with the ‘real world’ can be difficult and frustrating, but also highly satisfactory. I will show what can be achieved in short time when working with stakeholders on improving our natural capital and finding naturebased solutions.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Communicating scientific concepts and outcomes Anna Sapundzhieva (anna.sap@pensoft.net) Pensoft Publishers, Sofia (Bulgaria)
Abstract: The summer school communication session will teach participants how to turn a scientific idea, event or finding into engaging news piece. They will learn how to reach out to the society and spread regular content in a captivating and impactful way. Science communication is an increasingly useful and attractive soft skill for researchers. Adequate, timely and trustworthy science communication can not only magnify the impact of a research piece, but also focus the attention of media and generate social awareness and engagement in important issues tackled by it. The training will introduce students to the main communication principles and familiarise them with a variety of modes of science communication. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the specifics of several types of communication forms: press releases, blog posts and the social media channels Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Techniques for writing successful press releases, as well as tips & tricks for creating engaging social media posts will be shared and illustrated with inspiring examples. An elaborate practical session will allow participants to gather hands-on experience on science communication through personally using ReNature’s social media channels. Based on their experiences and collected knowledge and materials during the Summer School, students will be able to act as content moderators and express ideas and creativity to create live tweets and posts for the project. As part of the practical exercise, a dedicated session will encourage students to write a press release on their own, highlighting achievements and lessons learned during the Summer School. Participants will be asked to put the communication knowledge into practise and aim for a newsworthy and intriguing press release, according to best practises described within the theoretical part of the training.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Practical Information Summer School Venue The ReNature Summer School will be held at the Archbishop’s Seminary, Tal-Virtu, Rabat, Malta. Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/fLWLZRXgRztCQCce8
Figure 1 - The main entrance to the Archbishop’s Seminary, Tal-Virtu Street, Rabat, Malta (Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017_Rabat_Walk_11.jpg).
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Arrival Malta International Airport plc, Luqa, LQA 4000, Malta.
Getting to/from the Airport Reaching the airport in Malta by bus is very straightforward thanks to four express lines designated X1, X2, X3 and X4. They are fully air-conditioned and have extra space for luggage and passenger comfort. Jump on any one of these and you’re either heading towards Malta International Airport or away from it. Visit the website here for detailed information about these services and other bus routes to and from the rest of Malta. The bus service runs from just outside the Malta International Airport terminal, across the road from the Departures Hall. There is an Information and Sales Office in the Arrivals Hall, where you will be able to obtain further information on our services and to purchase our bus cards for immediate use.
Public Transport and Taxi Service More information about the public transport in Malta can be obtained from the following link: https://www.publictransport.com.mt/en/ You can also access information about public transport (routes, timings, bus stops, etc.) from Google maps.
Taxi services may be booked from the hotel or online, amongst other, from the following websites: https://taxify.eu http://ecabs.com.mt/book-a-cab-online/ http://yellowcabsmalta.com/online-booking/ http://hicabs.com.mt/
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Transport from/to the summer school venue MCAST is organising transport from/to the summer school venue and to the fieldwork sites. Figure 2 identifies the key locations for the participants of the summer school. The location of the restaurants for the dinners is also shown on the map. This map can also be accessed online using the following link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=12Us69PwOODkBg1q52mOwNcuOCQApG8iJ&usp=sharing
Figure 2 - Map showing the location of the summer school, meeting points and fieldwork sites.
Figure 3 - Map showing the coach pick up points for transport to the summer school venue.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
During the summer school transport will be available daily from the following points. Please do ensure that you are at the collection points on time. 1. MCAST Main Campus, Corradino Hill, Paola – in front of the Administration Building (orange building, close to the main road). Time: 08.00 am 2. Xerri Bus Stop, Sliema (on the seafront, opposite to the old Sliema Water Distilling plant). Time: 08.15 am 3. Chalet Bus Stop, Tower Road, Sliema (near Sliema Chalet Hotel). Time: 08.20 am 4. Balluta Bus Stop, George Borg Olivier Street, Sliema (bus stop facing the Balluta Bay). Time: 08.25 am 5. St. Julian’s/San Giljan Bus Station, Gort Street, St Julian’s. Time: 08.30 am
Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
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Fieldwork Two fieldwork sessions are being planned for the summer school. Transport to/from fieldwork sites has been organized by the summer school.
Fieldwork 1: Identifying potential nature-based solutions in an urban context (the Birkirkara-Msida catchment) The watershed area of the Birkirkara-Msida is estimated to be about 11Km2 with the highest point located in Naxxar, 128m above sea level and the lowest site being the Msida Marina at sea level. In the case of a 5year recurrent storm event, about 12 Km of roads were calculated to be inundated starting from Valletta (Sciberras et al., 2017). Reference material: •
•
Sciberras, E., Buhagiar, G., & Schembri, M. (2017). Deriving hydrological networks in the Maltese Islands for flood risk assessments - a comparative study. In S. Formosa (Ed.), Emergent realities for social wellbeing: environmental, spatial and social pathways (pp. 245-266). Malta: University of Malta. Available from here. MRA (2013) Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment. Malta: Malta Resources Authority. Available from here.
Figure 4: Msida after a heavy downpour. (Source: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/storm-lights-up-the-sky.690539)
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Fieldwork 2: Assessing the potential application of nature-based solutions in a protected area (trip to Comino)
Figure 5 – Comino and Gozo in the background (Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malta_-_Ghajnsielem__Comino_%2B_Large_Blue_Lagoon_Rock_%2B_Small_Blue_Lagoon_Rock_%2B_Cominotto_%2B_Blue_Lagoon_02_ies.jpg)
Comino and the surrounding islands (Maltese name: Kemmuna u l-Gzejjer ta’ Madwarha) form part of the Natura 2000 network and is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA) according to the Habitats and Birds Directives. The management plan of the Kemmuna u l-Gzejjer ta’ Madwarha (SAC/SPA) can be accessed from here. Comino is the third largest island in the Maltese archipelago, and is located between Gozo and Malta. It consists almost entirely of Coralline limestone, with the eastern side of the island being flanked by sheer cliffs, part of which lie over blue clay. The island has, in the past, been extensively used for agricultural purposes, and evidence of this through the presence of rubble walls and abandoned agricultural land, is found everywhere. Recently, agricultural activity on the island has been gradually abandoned, and only a small section of the land is now tilled. Most has become overgrown by native vegetation. The island is also rich in biodiversity, supporting various rare and endangered species, some of which are only found here in the Maltese Islands.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
A number of activities exert pressure on the ecology of the site: •
• •
The Blue Lagoon attracts thousands of visitors each year, especially during the summer months. Several tourist ferries operate during the summer to transport tourists and locals from the mainland to Comino. The infrastructure in the area is haphazard and extends onto the garrigue areas. Until recently, an unofficial campsite is also found in il-Bajja ta’ Santa Marija. Prior to the campsite development, the site used to be a marshland and a reed bed. Impacts from these developments on Comino include trampling, littering (especially in the Blue Lagoon area), accidental fires, and the collection of animals and plants (Source: Management Plan).
Logistical arrangements: Transport to/from Ċirkewwa has been organised. The ferries will be leaving Ċirkewwa at 09.00 am. More information will be provided during the summer school.
Poster Presentation On the second day of the summer school, we shall be having a poster session during which participating students are expected to present a poster about their ongoing research. Posters should be A0 size and should include a brief presentation of the follow elements of your work: (1) Background – why?; (2) Methods – how?; (3) Results – what?; and (4) Conclusions – so what? We recommend that you prepare the text of your poster as short sentences and paragraphs or even as bullet points, and break up the text as much as possible with visual aids such as graphs, diagrams, tables, charts, or figures as appropriate. This should make your poster more attractive and easier to read.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Dinners Two dinners are organised by the ReNature projects: -
Welcome and teambuilding dinner on the 30th September at the restaurant Bistro 516, Valletta Waterfront, Valletta at 19.00. Final evening and networking dinner on the 3rd October at the restaurant Cargo Bar & Wine, Birgu Waterfront, Birgu at 19.00.
In both cases, transport to the restaurant and back to the hotel will be provided.
We will be having dinner at the restaurant Bistro 516, Valletta Waterfront, Valletta at 19.00 on the 30th September (Figure 6).
Figure 6 – Dinner will be held at the restaurant Bistro 516 on the 30th September.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
On the 3rd October, we will be having a networking dinner at the Cargo Bar & Dine restaurant, Birgu Waterfront, Birgu (Figure 7).
Figure 7 – Dinner will be held on the 3rd October at 19.00 at the restaurant Cargo Bar & Dine.
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Renaturing cities: Interdisciplinary Summer School, 30 September - 4 October, 2019
Accommodation Suggestions Malta is fully booked during the touristic season, and September is still quite busy, so earlier booking normally helps to maintain the costs low. We are recommending hotels in the Sliema/St Julian’s area as we will be arranging transport from these locations to the meeting place. We are including below a list of hotels for your reference and assistance. Other options such as private accommodation (e.g. Airbnb) can also be considered.
• • • • • • • • •
NSTS Hibernia Residence & Hostel, Depiro Street, Sliema, Malta. Tel.: (+356) 2558 8340. https://www.nstsmalta.org/hibernia-hostel-in-sliema/ Sliema Marina Hotel (3 star), Tigne Seafront, Sliema, Malta. Telephone: +356 21 3186423 Fax: +356 21 334065. Web: http://sliemamarinahotel.com/. Depiro Point Apartments, Depiro Street, Sliema, Malta. Tel. +356 7940 4000. www.depiropoint.com/ Europa Hotel, 138, Tower Road, Sliema, Malta. Tel. +356 2133 4070. http://europahotelmalta.com/ The Diplomat Hotel (4 star), 173, Tower Road, Sliema, Malta. Tel. +356 2349 7000. http://www.diplomat.com.mt Preluna Hotel & Spa (4 star), 124 Tower Road, Sliema, Malta. Tel. +356 2133 9366. www.prelunahotel.com/ Carlton Hotel (3 star), 261 Tower Road, Sliema, Malta. Tel. +356 2131 5765. Spinola Hotel (3 star), Qaliet, St. Julian's, Malta. Tel. ++356 2014 1500. Eur/night. Web: www.spinolahotel.com Cavalieri Art Hotel (4 star), Spinola Road, St Julian's, Malta. Tel. +356 2318 0000. Web: http://www.cavalierihotelmalta.com/
