Methodological approaches to assess the impact of landscaping on the microclimate of urban environment of southern mountain resorts

The changing urban system of resorts is characterized by a tendency towards a decrease in the volume of arborous phyto-resources of urban gardening involved in the environmental protection function of the environment, the appearance of pathogenic effects, the nature of which has not been sufficiently studied.

There have been considered some results of route landscape-climate monitoring in the southern region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters (the Russian Federation) by the methods adopted in balneology [1]. The subject of the study was the modules of the resort and recreational potential (RRP) in the experimental urbanized (open) and natural park areas (in the shade) at heights of 600, 800 and 1000 m above the sea level.

The obtained results indicate significant territorial differences in the values ​​of integral RRP in urbanized and natural areas. Differences between the extreme values ​​ranged from 0 to 2,55 points (out of 3 possible), that is from extremely unfavorable to comfortable conditions. Material analysis showed that in the “weight” ratio, the “pathogenicity” of microclimate of the urban systems had been formed due to differences in landscaping conditions at the experimental sites: by solar illumination (up to 100 lx), by total solar radiation (up to 600 W/m²), by the temperature of geological substate (up to 23-25​​°C), by relative air humidity on the Earth's surface (20%), by natural aeroanions (up to 420 ion/cm³), by the percentage of the minimum permissible level of anions (> 400 ion / cm³, up to 60%), by breathing ground-level aerosol pollution with a particle diameter of less than 1000 nm, penetrating to the alveoli (by 10-50%) when breathing, by terms of hypoxia (up to 10-20 g/m³ - 5-10%).

Conclusion: the obtained results indicate the dominant role of greening in the correction of microclimate modules and resort-recreational potential in urban mountain resorts. When developing urban planning standards for mountain resorts, it is necessary to provide a special type of urban landscaping aimed at reducing the area of stone coverings of buildings due to their vertical landscaping, increase in the “green shade” over urban pedestrians through the installation of "tent gardening" as well as bringing urban tree planting to 40-60% of the resort area.

References: 1.Resort study of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody region / Under the general edition of the prof. V.V. Uyba. Scientific publication. - Pyatigorsk. - 2011.– 368 p.