Urban landscape Therefore green infrastructure is justifiably as one appealing solution to improve the resilience of our cities against climate change. Apart from the microclimatic effects and the positive influence on thermal comfort, green infrastructure provides a broad range of added values: water retention, health promotion and psychological effects (stress reduction), habitat and habitat connection for fauna and flora, biodiversity and urban farming. But it must be pointed out that a single green roof or living wall are no more than a drop in the bucket. To achieve reasonable improvement of the resilience of cities or to strongly affect neighborhoods a combination of different types of green infrastructure and a network of green infrastructure throughout the city is necessary [Yu and Hien, 2005]. Although the benefits of green infrastructure and their potential to adapt cityscapes to climate change are clear, the implementation at a degree used for the simulations may be difficult to achieve. Most flat roofs could be greened with existing technical solutions as shown in the simulations. But facades are often protected or of high architectural value. There are also many regulations that need to be overcome as e.g. fire protection regulations in Vienna. Another constraint is the fact that most buildings are privately owned. Incentives have to be developed, as e.g. privatepublic-partnerships. Landscape architects play a significant role in the application of green infrastructure, being the profession that designs urban open spaces. They shall be the ambassadors of green infrastructure within cities to ensure a more livable and comfortable urban environment. References Bruse (2012). http://www.envi-met.info/dwiki/doku.php last access 6.3.2013 Chen Yu, Wong Nyuk Hien (2005). Thermal benefits of city parks. Energy and Buildings 38 (2006) 105-120. Elsevier Gruendachpotentialkataster (2013). http://www.wien.gv.at/umweltschutz/raum/gruendachpotenzial.html Formayer (2011). Aufbereitung von Klimaszenarien für die Klimafolgenforschung. Oesterreichische Gesellschaft für Meteorologie, Tagungsband des 4. Oesterreichischen MeteorologInnentag. Formayer, H., Clementschitsch, L., Hofstätter, M., Kromp-Kolb, H. (2009). Vor Sicht Klima!, Klimawandel in Österreich, regional betrachtet (Endbericht Global 2000, Mai 2008). BOKU-Met Report 16, ISSN 1994-4179 (Print), ISSN 1994-4187. http:// www.boku.ac.at/met/report/BOKU-Met_Report_16_online.pdf Greater London Authority (2006). London’s Urban Heat Island: A Summary for Decision Makers. Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk London SE1 2AA, October 2006, ISBN 10: 1852619325, ISBN 13: 9781852619329 Katzschner, L. (2011). Urban Climate Strategies Against Future Heat Stress Conditions, in: K. Otto-Zimmermann (ed.), Resilient Cities: Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change - Proceedings of the Global Forum 2010, Local Sustainability 1, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-0785-6_8, © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. p 79 – 91, 2011 ZAMG (2012). Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik. A-1190 Wien. Hohe Warte 38.
41. Preferences for Pedestrian Walkways in Tropical Urban Neighbourhoods of Kuala Lumpur Shojaei S 1, Kamal M.S M 2 1 University of Otago, 2 UPM (Universiti Putra Malaysia) abstract Urban neighbourhoods in large cities such as Kuala Lumpur are fast becoming less people friendly as they grow. This has negatively contributed to neighbourhoods as unfriendly hosts for human to live, grow a family, develop a community, and also interact with their natural environment. One of the reasons that contribute to neighbourhoods being less people friendly is the lack of opportunities to interact with one another through informal spaces. Pedestrian walkways present opportunities for this kind of interaction among residents in a neighbourhood. Preferred walkways will encourage more residents to meet informally with one another, walk more, and contribute to their social as well as physical well-being. But what kind of walkways are preferred and why? This paper discusses a preliminary study conducted using photo-questionnaires and interviews with residents and built environment professionals on the types of walkways most preferred by urban residents. The locations selected were several medium density residential complexes in and around Kuala Lumpur. A total of 70 participants took part in this study. They consisted of 44 residents as well as 26 professionals working in the city. Participants were exposed to a set of coloured photographs of different scenes of walkways and asked to state their preferences using a 5-point Likert-like scale. Selected
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