Urban morphology and ecosystem services: a historico-geographical study of fringe belts and urban green spaces in Birmingham, UK

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Zhang, Yiting (2018). Urban morphology and ecosystem services: a historico-geographical study of fringe belts and urban green spaces in Birmingham, UK. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Cities have tended to be treated by ecologists as essentially physical entities unconnected to the concerns of historical geographers. In contrast, urban morphologists have tended to focus on how urban physical expressions of culture have changed over time: such an approach has stimulated research on the characteristics and planning of the form of cities that has been largely divorced from concerns about ecosystem services. This is somewhat paradoxical in light of the significant areas of most cities that are vegetated and the increasing evidence of the value to society of these green spaces. This thesis examines the connection between urban morphological research on the fringe-belt concept, as developed by M. R. G. Conzen and others, and the character and distribution within cities of major areas of green space. The principal focus is on how green spaces within fringe belts that are embedded within cities (for example, parks, allotment gardens, golf courses, and land attached to educational and medical institutions) have changed over time, especially during the past 100 years. Detailed studies of fringe-belt sites in Birmingham reveal a decline in green space over time but maturation of surviving green space towards mature wood-grassland. Comparisons are made with residential areas.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

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