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Day 1 2 March 2022 (Wed) |
Day 2 3 March 2022 (Thu) |
Day 3 4 March 2022 (Fri) |
| Opening Ceremony |
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Urban Nature and Its Health Relevance Mr Matthias BRAUBACH Technical Officer of Urban Health Equity, World Health Organisation European Centre for Environment and Health Synopsis The majority of the global population already lives in cities, with urbanization steadily increasing. Urban living limits access to nature and can increase exposure to certain environmental hazards, such as air and noise pollution. Many urban areas face increasing pressure from expanding populations, limited resources and growing impacts of climate change. These challenges must be addressed in order for cities to provide healthy and sustainable living environments. Green and blue spaces and other nature-based solutions offer innovative approaches to increase the quality of urban settings, enhance local resilience and promote sustainable lifestyles, improving both the health and the well-being of urban residents. Parks, playgrounds or vegetation as well as water bodies in public and private places are a central component of these approaches and can help to ensure that:
Urban nature is an important part of public open spaces and common services provided by a city and can serve as a health-promoting setting for all members of the urban community. It is therefore necessary to ensure that public green and blue spaces are easily accessible for all population groups and distributed equitably within the city. Everyone can benefit from urban interventions towards more nature, but such interventions can be of particular relevance for socially disadvantaged or underserved community groups, which often have least access to high-quality nature spaces. Presentation Material |
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City in a Forest: The Vision of Biophilic Cities Professor Timothy BEATLEY Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, University of Virginia Synopsis This presentation will introduce the vision, practice and global movement of Biophilic Cities, and consider especially the essential role of trees and urban forests. With biophilia, our innate love of and need for connection with nature, at the core, Biophilic Cities is a new approach to global urbanization that puts nature at the center of design and planning. Beatley will describe the key design attributes and planning principles that underpin the vision and discuss the ways that nature education fits in. He will discuss the global Biophilic Cities Network and specifically the creative ways that partner cities in the Network are protecting, growing and celebrating trees and forests. Presentation Material |
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Healing the World's Cities: Sponge Cities and Sponge Planet Inspired by Ancient Wisdom Professor YU Kong-jian Professor of Landscape Architecture, Peking University Founder and Principal Designer of Turenscape Synopsis The grey infrastructures made of steel and concrete, which we built to connect our physical world, are shallow or even fake constructs that are destroying the real and deep connections between human beings and nature, and among various natural processes and flows. The alternative is green infrastructure, or ecological infrastructure, the construction of which can be inspired by the ancient wisdom of peasantry. For the past twenty years, the author has tried to revive part of this peasantry wisdom, and combine it with modern sciences and technologies to solve some of the most annoying problems in today's urban environment, particularly around water. The solutions are simple, inexpensive, and beautiful and have been applied on a massive and extensive scale in over two hundred cities in China and beyond. Meet the man behind the green transformation of China's cities. World-renowned landscape architect YU Kong-jian will show how nature based solutions such as sponge city are solving ecological problems while providing beautiful living spaces. Presentation Material |
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Re-greening Urban Riverscape: Shared Goal and Joint Effort in the Greater Bay Area Dr Wendy Y CHEN Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, University of Hong Kong Synopsis The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) is facing many challenges like climate change and ecological degradation. Urban riverscapes represent a critical zone where human society encounters natural environment. During the process of urban development, urban riverscape has been seriously modified: river stretches covered or channelized, river water polluted, and riparian vegetation cleared. Re-greening and ecological restoration of urban riverscape, as a shared goal and joint effort across the GBA, hold the promise to bring valuable green-blue spaces back to urban society, create a livable and healthy urban environment, and enhance regional adaptability and resilience to climate change. Serving as one of the study areas of an ongoing EU-China Strategic Collaboration Project (CLEARING HOUSE) co-funded by the European Union and China, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou have been collaborating to re-green and restore urban riverscape, via a joint effort in identifying appropriate vegetation, embedding Lingnan culture into riverscape design, engaging citizens to shape the priorities of science, policy, and practices. In this presentation, we will share best practices in re-greening urban rivers in these three neighboring cities and put forward future research/collaboration avenues towards a greener and more resilient GBA. Presentation Material |
| Panel Discussion |
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Research on Wind Resistance of Landscape Trees and Practical Solutions Professor XIAO Jieshu Chief Landscape Architect in Shenzhen Beilinyuan Landscape and Construction Planning Design Institute Co. Ltd. Synopsis Exploration of Factors Affecting the Typhoon-resistant Ability of Landscape Trees Based on a large number of site surveys, visits and literature research, a summary of the damage caused by typhoons to landscape trees is made, upon which factors affecting the wind resistance of landscape trees are analysed. Assessment on the Wind Resistance of Tree Species Assessment on the wind resistance of tree species has been made and recommendations for species are made in descending order of wind resistance; evaluation of the wind-resistant properties of tree species has been done. Practical solutions Measures and methods for strengthening the wind resistance of landscape trees are suggested from three perspectives: planning and design; works implementation; and maintenance and management, emphasising that pruning management from the aspect of maintenance and management can significantly enhance the wind resistance of trees. Specific typhoon-resistant pruning guidelines have been formulated for 15 tree species that are prone to failure. A comprehensive summary of the suitability of all 16 types of tree grilles currently available under seven categories has been made, and recommendations are made with reference to landscape ratings. Conclusion The wind resistance of landscape trees is determined by a number of factors. Practically speaking, the wind resistance of trees can be strengthened in three aspects: (a) in planning and design, i.e. selecting the appropriate wind-resistant tree species and planting pattern for new vegetation landscape works in future, and reasonable planning of the spatial structure of green space, considering the site environment and its relevance to the nursery stock; (b) in implementing greening works, i.e. carefully monitoring the selection of nursery stock, planting, management and maintenance to guarantee quality planting processes; (c) in management and maintenance of greening, i.e. for newly planted and existing landscape trees, including root system cultivation, pruning, support, pest and disease control, etc., emphasising pruning and root system protection in maintenance work, and suggesting wind-resistant pruning methods for different tree forms and growth characteristics, provided that conditions for the healthy growth of trees are met. |
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Engineering a Safer Urban Forest under Extreme Storms Dr Anthony LEUNG Kwan Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Synopsis Urban greening has been advocated in metropolitan cities worldwide, with the aim to restore ecosystems and ‘reclaim the natural environment' within the built environment (i.e. urban forest). Governments have invested billions of dollars in building urban forests. However, the increasing intensity of cyclones caused by environmental change has led to increasing numbers of tree failures. Existing methods of assessing urban tree risk rely on tree professionals' experience and visual assessment to identify potential above-ground problems such as deterioration due to brown root rot disease. However, problems below-ground such as uprooting that are invisible have not received much attention. Indeed, assessing tree root anchorage and stability when exposed to wind (i.e., wind-tree-soil interaction) is complex and requires cross-disciplinary investigation. The presentation will share some latest research findings of tree stability from a collaborative project funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. We view trees as a flexible structure subject to wind loading, a system that can be analysed quantitatively by using scientific approaches and engineering principles. We innovate the use of a range of cutting-edge technologies such as LiDAR scanning and 3-D prototyping to produce highly realistic and representative small-scale physical models of local tree species for testing. We will demonstrate the importance of taking into account the effects of soil-root interaction and root anchorage ability that have been ignored in existing assessment methods. We will also discuss the possibility of using yard waste-derived biochar to amend the urban soils and hence to improve root growth and root anchorage. Presentation Material |
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Identification and Control of Major Landscape Pests in South China Professor WEN Xiujun Professor in the College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University Synopsis This topic mainly deals with the methods for identifying and controlling major pest species in urban greenery and landscape plants in South China, focusing on the prevalent pest species in recent years that have often led to infestations and occasionally even plagues, summarising their characteristics for identification, patterns of infestation, as well as methods for monitoring and control. This topic mainly deals with the 46 common pest species that threaten trees such as Cinnamomum camphora, Ficus microcarpa, Machilus chinensis, Aquilaria sinensis, Alstonia scholaris, Bischofia javanica, Michelia alba, Podocarpus macrophyllus var. maki, Bauhinia variegate, Saraca thaipingenis, Lagerstroemia speciose, Tectona grandis L.f., Winchia calophylla A. DC., Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser, Eucalyptus spp., etc. Among the 46 pest species, 17 feed on leaves, another 17 feed on sap, and the remaining 12 are bioeroders. The methods for monitoring and controlling each of these three categories of pest species are discussed. Presentation Material |
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The Technology and Cases of Urban Tree Management in South China City Ms HUANG Songyi School of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering; Senior Engineer Professor; Expert in science communication of landscape architecture of Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture; and ISA Certified Arborist Synopsis South China often refers to the area south of Nanling Mountain. It's full of sufficient light, warm and humid and lush vegetation here. The city clusters of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are all in South China. A dynamic world-class city cluster, and a high-quality life circle suitable for living, work and travel will be built in the Greater Bay Area. In this seminar, the experience and technical points of Guangzhou and other cities, urban tree management will be introduced and focused on the risk assessment, risk assessment of ancient and famous trees and rejuvenation management technology. Taking "Eight Road and One Island' street tree risk assessment" and other two cases to introduce the specific technical points. |
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Soil Properties in Relation to Tree Performance across Urban Green Space Types in Hong Kong Dr ZHANG Hao, Allen Associate Professor in the Faculty of Design and Environment, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong Synopsis Urban green space (UGS), including urban parks, street trees, residential gardens, lawns and roof gardens are containers for greenery development, are significant in urban ecological system and sustainability. However, the qualities of UGS in Hong Kong are poor in general due to inadequate design and management. This study evaluated the tree performance in UGS, the physiochemical properties, soil metal contaminants, and soil microbial communities in the UGS of Hong Kong, and their interrelationships. The study area covered Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and New Territories. Eight major UGS types (Grassland (Park). Level Planting Bed (Park), Remnant (Park), Tree Pit (Park), Planting Strip (Roadside), Level Planting Bed (Roadside), Tree Pit (Roadside) and Slope (Roadside)) were selected based on their function and locations. Five representative study sites Tsing Yi, Kowloon, Lok Fu, Hong Kong and Chai Wan were selected for conducting visual tree assessment and soil sampling. All soil samples were classified as sandy loam or loamy sand, with a high content of sand and relatively low silt and clay. The nutrient value in UGS was low. By comparing the soil nutrient among UGS types, the nutrient value of soils (N, P, K) in public parks was significantly lower than that in roadsides. Undetectable soil metal contaminants (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Ni) are found in the soil samples collected from UGS. The pH value of UGS mainly ranged between slightly acidic and slightly alkaline, and the soil conductivity of soil samples in public parks was significantly lower than that in roadsides. Furthermore, the soil compaction in UGS is obvious. A total of 49 out of 164 soil samples are determined as compacted. This study could help us to understand the current problems of UGS and propose potential solutions for the obstacles in a technical or manageable manner. Presentation Material |
| Panel Discussion |
