Conference presentations by Fulvia Calcagni
Environmental values depend on social-ecological interactions and, in turn, influence the product... more Environmental values depend on social-ecological interactions and, in turn, influence the production of the underlying biophysical ecosystems. Understanding the nuanced nature of the values that humans ascribe to the environment is thus a key frontier for environmental science and planning. The development of many of these values depends on social-ecological interactions, such as outdoor recreation, landscape aesthetic appreciation or educational experiences with and within nature that can be articulated through the framework of cultural ecosystem services (CES). However, the non-material and intangible nature of CES has challenged previous attempts to assess the multiple and subjective values that people attach to them. In particular, this study focuses on assessing relational values ascribed to CES, here defined as values resonating with core principles of justice, reciprocity, care, and responsibility towards humans and more-than-humans. Building on emerging approaches for inferring relational CES values through social media (SM) images, this research explores the additional potential of a combined analysis of both the visual and textual content of SM data. To do so, we developed an inductive, empirically grounded coding protocol as well as a values typology that could be iteratively tested and verified by three different researchers to improve the consistency and replicability of the assessment. As a case study, we collected images and texts shared on the photo-sharing platform Flickr between 2004 and 2017 that were geotagged within the peri-urban park of Collserola, at the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain. Results reveal a wide spectrum of nine CES values within the park boundaries that show positive and negative correlations among each other, providing useful information for landscape planning and management. Moreover, the study highlights the need for spatial, temporal and demographic analysis, as well as for supervised machine learning techniques to further leverage SM data into contextual and just decision-making and planning.
Master thesis by Fulvia Calcagni
The ecosystem services (ES) concept is quickly gaining importance in policy and planning. Yet, cu... more The ecosystem services (ES) concept is quickly gaining importance in policy and planning. Yet, cultural ecosystem services (CES) are complex to map and operationalize in landscape planning because they emerge from dynamic human-environment interactions and their value to humans is mediated through subjective perceptions and personal backgrounds. This work investigates how landscape aesthetic capacity and flow are distributed across the Province of Barcelona, Spain, with the final objective of providing useful information for including this service in the planning and management agenda of the case study region. Firstly, for assessing landscape aesthetic capacity an index of weighted indicators is developed through a process of knowledge coproduction between policy-makers and experts. The indicators allow for assessing the spatial distribution of the CES capacity accounting for the relative contribution of different landscape types characterizing the Province of Barcelona. Secondly, the CES flow is evaluated through a photo-series approach examining the public appreciation of landscape aesthetics. This innovative method performs a spatial analysis of crowdsourced geo-data available on Flickr, a photo-sharing web platform. One of the main findings of this study confirms the preference that both experts and the general public attribute to natural features when compared with human infrastructures in providing aesthetic value. This, coupled with the high flow concentration registered in urban areas, underline the importance of urban green spaces. Finally, a comparative analysis of landscape aesthetic capacity and flow highlights the complementary potential of this assessment and provides insightful and novel information for operationalizing this CES in regional landscape planning.
Papers by Fulvia Calcagni
This paper concludes a special feature of Sustainability Science that explores a broad range of s... more This paper concludes a special feature of Sustainability Science that explores a broad range of social value theoretical traditions, such as religious studies, social psychology, indigenous knowledge, economics, sociology, and philosophy. We introduce a novel transdisciplinary conceptual framework that revolves around concepts of 'lenses' and 'tensions' to help navigate value diversity. First, we consider the notion of lenses: perspectives on value and valuation along diverse dimensions that describe what values focus on, how their sociality is envisioned, and what epistemic and procedural assumptions are made. We characterise fourteen of such dimensions. This provides a foundation for exploration of seven areas of tension, between: (1) the values of individuals vs collectives; (2) values as discrete and held vs embedded and constructed; (3) value as static or changeable; (4) valuation as descriptive vs normative and transformative; (5) social vs relational values; (6) different rationalities and their relation to value integration; (7) degrees of acknowledgment of the role of power in navigating value conflicts. In doing so, we embrace the 'mess' of diversity, yet also provide a framework to organise this mess and support and encourage active transdisciplinary collaboration. We identify key research areas where such collaborations can be harnessed for sustainability transformation. Here it is crucial to understand how certain social value lenses are privileged over others and build capacity in decision-making for understanding and drawing on multiple value, epistemic and procedural lenses.
Environmental Science and Policy, 2020
The extent to which new greening initiatives contribute to gentrification processes in urban area... more The extent to which new greening initiatives contribute to gentrification processes in urban areas is of rising interest to researchers and policymakers, but the precise (and often intangible) aspects of green spaces that embed them within gentrification processes are not well understood. The Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) literature offers new ways of measuring these aspects. In this study, we use geo-located social media data to assess the value attributed to CES in 18 urban parks in Barcelona, of which 9 were shown to have experienced green gentrification in previous studies. We performed descriptive analysis and statistical independence tests on 703 photos downloaded from the social media platform Flickr. Of the 703 photos analyzed, 85% were taken in parks associated with green gentrification; nevertheless, around 80% of all photos depicted built infrastructures rather than ecological features-indicating that green gentrification is not strictly about greenness and how visitors value it. Statistical results show that parks that experienced green gentrification were significantly associated with "aesthetics" and "recreational activities", whilst parks that did not experience green gentrification were significantly associated with "cultural identity" and "social activities". These results suggest that justice outcomes following from the relationship between urban greening and gentrification are dependent on the social-cultural associations with green spaces that the ecosystem services framework formulates, making it a potentially powerful tool for understanding how to generate more just greening policies in cities.
Sustainability Science, 2019
This paper concludes a special feature of Sustainability Science that explores a broad range of s... more This paper concludes a special feature of Sustainability Science that explores a broad range of social value theoretical traditions, such as religious studies, social psychology, indigenous knowledge, economics, sociology, and philosophy. We introduce the concepts of ‘lenses’ and ‘tensions’ to help navigate value diversity. First, we consider the notion of lenses: perspectives on value and valuation along diverse dimensions that describe what values focus on, how their sociality is envisioned, and what epistemic and procedural assumptions are made. We characterise fourteen of such dimensions. This provides a foundation for exploration of seven areas of tension, between: 1) the values of individuals vs collectives; 2) values as discrete and held vs embedded and constructed; 3) value as static or changeable; 4) valuation as positive or normative and transformative; 5) social vs relational values; 6) different rationalities and their relation to value integration; 7) degrees of acknowledgment of the role of power in navigating value conflicts. In doing so, we embrace the ‘mess’ of diversity, yet also provide a framework to organize this mess and support and encourage active transdisciplinary collaboration. We identify key research areas where such collaborations can be harnessed for sustainability transformation. Here it is crucial to understand how certain social value lenses are privileged over others and build capacity in decisionmaking for understanding and drawing on multiple value, epistemic and procedural lenses.
Sustainability Science, 2019
There is a deeply relational aspect to the systems people employ for sorting through and prioriti... more There is a deeply relational aspect to the systems people employ for sorting through and prioritizing plural values assigned to
social–ecological interactions. Spurred by interpersonal relationships and adhesion to societal core values, such as justice and
reciprocity, relational values go beyond instrumental and intrinsic approaches to understanding human behaviour vis-à-vis
the environment. Currently, this relational dimension of values is entering the spotlight of the cultural ecosystem services
(CES) literature focusing on non-material benefits and values people derive from ecosystems, such as aesthetics and sense
of place. Relational values foster reflections on appropriateness and morality of preferences and respective behaviours in
contributing to collective flourishment across space and time, holding implications for social–ecological justice and sustainability.
Recently, several studies explored the potential of using social media data for assessing values ascribed to CES, but
did not look at how this emerging approach could contribute to an enhanced understanding of relational values. In order to
take up this goal, we conducted a systematic review, screening 140 publications and selecting 29 as relevant for exploring
the extent to which relational CES values are inferable through social media. Our results show that social media data can
reveal CES values’ plural and relational dimension. Social media platforms, thus, can be understood as new arenas for the
co-construction of values, where relational values stemming from social–ecological interactions are negotiated and defined.
Yet, work on their implications for social–ecological justice and sustainability needs to be extended.
The ecosystem services concept is increasingly gaining momentum in land-use policies and landscap... more The ecosystem services concept is increasingly gaining momentum in land-use policies and landscape planning. Yet, cultural ecosystem services often lack proper assessments. With this study, we use novel methodological approaches to map the cultural ecosystem service landscape aesthetics for its enhanced consideration in land-use policies. Our study uses expert-based participatory mapping and crowd-sourced (social media) photo data to examine the spatial distribution of landscape aesthetics in the Province of Barcelona, Catalonia. We distinguish the capacity and flow of landscape aesthetics. Landscape aesthetics capacity was assessed through spatial multi-criteria evaluation, consisting of a viewshed analysis and an expert-based selection and weighting of landscape features. Landscape aesthetics flow, i.e., people's actual appreciation of landscape aesthetics, was assessed by analysing a sample of 13,460 geolocated photographs from the social media platform Flickr. Our results uncover a substantial mismatch between landscape aesthetics capacity and flow. While landscape aesthetics capacity is widely distributed across the case study area, landscape aesthetics flow is (with few exceptions) mostly concentrated in urban and periurban areas. The main insights for land-use policies derived from our results are twofold. On one hand, landscape aesthetics flow seems less dependent on 'pristine nature' than experts and planners assume, while the complex integration of green and grey landscape features plays a critical role. On the other hand, urban and periurban landscapes as key landscape aesthetics providers should receive additional attention in land-use policies.
Since the early 2000s, when the term “sharing economy” started spreading, it has gained momentum ... more Since the early 2000s, when the term “sharing economy” started spreading, it has gained momentum worldwide, in cities of every size and among people with different social cultures and practices.
Today, the sharing economy is seen to comprise a big share of a growing market that is expected to increase exponentially in the near future. Digital technologies, in particular, facilitate reduction of market barriers and increases in the scale and efficiency of exchanges through online platforms that today, it is often claimed, constitute an answer to many needs in our lives. Notwithstanding definitions of the sharing economy based on concepts such as collaboration, common resources, reciprocity, and access-based ownership, the lack of a common definition and a legislative framework raise questions about the sector’s contribution to a just and sustainable societal transition. This work analyses and compares several sharing practices, in two phases.
First, sharing economy platforms are analysed according to pre-defined indicators in order to describe existing sharing practices, identify alternatives to the current sharing economy and highlight what impedes or drives diffusion of these practices, from a social, economic and environmental perspectives.
Second, three types of sharing communities are conceptualized and described according to their sharing patterns. The selection of platforms, types of community and indicators is based on literature reviews and expert interviews. In addition, public opinions from a “Practice sharing” World Café in Santa Cruz, CA, are offered here, and the sharing communities or platforms found in that city are listed according to the previous definitions and differences.
This study frames a comprehensive methodology for analysing and distinguishing several examples of sharing practices and highlights values and counter-values related to them. Our results show how these practices influence society, the economy and the environment, and could constitute a relevant factor in addressing behaviour change in relation to sustainability.
Talks by Fulvia Calcagni
Recently, many authors have highlighted the urgent need for education reforms that go along with ... more Recently, many authors have highlighted the urgent need for education reforms that go along with and help responding to the current changes in societal and ecological needs. This manuscript aims to show the awareness that educational systems' end-users, the students, have in relation to the drawbacks and to the possible improvements of the systems themselves. Therefore, we investigated the opinions of the participants to a workshop named Re-learning to educate that we held during Borgofuturo 2017, a biannual event organized in one of the many depopulated Italian villages and meant to spur the debate on sustainability and societal transition. In addition, we complement our findings with a theoretical literature review. Issues related with three main elements of the education systems have been identified: content, methodology and structure. For instance, the former highlight the lack of
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Conference presentations by Fulvia Calcagni
Master thesis by Fulvia Calcagni
Papers by Fulvia Calcagni
social–ecological interactions. Spurred by interpersonal relationships and adhesion to societal core values, such as justice and
reciprocity, relational values go beyond instrumental and intrinsic approaches to understanding human behaviour vis-à-vis
the environment. Currently, this relational dimension of values is entering the spotlight of the cultural ecosystem services
(CES) literature focusing on non-material benefits and values people derive from ecosystems, such as aesthetics and sense
of place. Relational values foster reflections on appropriateness and morality of preferences and respective behaviours in
contributing to collective flourishment across space and time, holding implications for social–ecological justice and sustainability.
Recently, several studies explored the potential of using social media data for assessing values ascribed to CES, but
did not look at how this emerging approach could contribute to an enhanced understanding of relational values. In order to
take up this goal, we conducted a systematic review, screening 140 publications and selecting 29 as relevant for exploring
the extent to which relational CES values are inferable through social media. Our results show that social media data can
reveal CES values’ plural and relational dimension. Social media platforms, thus, can be understood as new arenas for the
co-construction of values, where relational values stemming from social–ecological interactions are negotiated and defined.
Yet, work on their implications for social–ecological justice and sustainability needs to be extended.
Today, the sharing economy is seen to comprise a big share of a growing market that is expected to increase exponentially in the near future. Digital technologies, in particular, facilitate reduction of market barriers and increases in the scale and efficiency of exchanges through online platforms that today, it is often claimed, constitute an answer to many needs in our lives. Notwithstanding definitions of the sharing economy based on concepts such as collaboration, common resources, reciprocity, and access-based ownership, the lack of a common definition and a legislative framework raise questions about the sector’s contribution to a just and sustainable societal transition. This work analyses and compares several sharing practices, in two phases.
First, sharing economy platforms are analysed according to pre-defined indicators in order to describe existing sharing practices, identify alternatives to the current sharing economy and highlight what impedes or drives diffusion of these practices, from a social, economic and environmental perspectives.
Second, three types of sharing communities are conceptualized and described according to their sharing patterns. The selection of platforms, types of community and indicators is based on literature reviews and expert interviews. In addition, public opinions from a “Practice sharing” World Café in Santa Cruz, CA, are offered here, and the sharing communities or platforms found in that city are listed according to the previous definitions and differences.
This study frames a comprehensive methodology for analysing and distinguishing several examples of sharing practices and highlights values and counter-values related to them. Our results show how these practices influence society, the economy and the environment, and could constitute a relevant factor in addressing behaviour change in relation to sustainability.
Talks by Fulvia Calcagni
social–ecological interactions. Spurred by interpersonal relationships and adhesion to societal core values, such as justice and
reciprocity, relational values go beyond instrumental and intrinsic approaches to understanding human behaviour vis-à-vis
the environment. Currently, this relational dimension of values is entering the spotlight of the cultural ecosystem services
(CES) literature focusing on non-material benefits and values people derive from ecosystems, such as aesthetics and sense
of place. Relational values foster reflections on appropriateness and morality of preferences and respective behaviours in
contributing to collective flourishment across space and time, holding implications for social–ecological justice and sustainability.
Recently, several studies explored the potential of using social media data for assessing values ascribed to CES, but
did not look at how this emerging approach could contribute to an enhanced understanding of relational values. In order to
take up this goal, we conducted a systematic review, screening 140 publications and selecting 29 as relevant for exploring
the extent to which relational CES values are inferable through social media. Our results show that social media data can
reveal CES values’ plural and relational dimension. Social media platforms, thus, can be understood as new arenas for the
co-construction of values, where relational values stemming from social–ecological interactions are negotiated and defined.
Yet, work on their implications for social–ecological justice and sustainability needs to be extended.
Today, the sharing economy is seen to comprise a big share of a growing market that is expected to increase exponentially in the near future. Digital technologies, in particular, facilitate reduction of market barriers and increases in the scale and efficiency of exchanges through online platforms that today, it is often claimed, constitute an answer to many needs in our lives. Notwithstanding definitions of the sharing economy based on concepts such as collaboration, common resources, reciprocity, and access-based ownership, the lack of a common definition and a legislative framework raise questions about the sector’s contribution to a just and sustainable societal transition. This work analyses and compares several sharing practices, in two phases.
First, sharing economy platforms are analysed according to pre-defined indicators in order to describe existing sharing practices, identify alternatives to the current sharing economy and highlight what impedes or drives diffusion of these practices, from a social, economic and environmental perspectives.
Second, three types of sharing communities are conceptualized and described according to their sharing patterns. The selection of platforms, types of community and indicators is based on literature reviews and expert interviews. In addition, public opinions from a “Practice sharing” World Café in Santa Cruz, CA, are offered here, and the sharing communities or platforms found in that city are listed according to the previous definitions and differences.
This study frames a comprehensive methodology for analysing and distinguishing several examples of sharing practices and highlights values and counter-values related to them. Our results show how these practices influence society, the economy and the environment, and could constitute a relevant factor in addressing behaviour change in relation to sustainability.