Landscapes Forest and Global Change - ESA - Escola Superior ...

E. Uuemaa et al. 2010. Spatial gradients of landscape metrics as an indicator of human influence on landscape
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3. Results and discussion
The analysis showed that on the Tartu study area most of the new buildings were built on fields
(45,5%) in 1997−2005 and 33,3% of the new buildings were built on the yards. On the Tallinn
study area most of the buildings were built on the yards (51,4%) and only 23,9% on the fields.
74,7% of the Tartu study area had soils with good suitability for agricultural activities and
81,6% of the new buildings by area were built on these soils. In Tallinn study area only 56,2%
had soils with good suitability for agricultural activities and 79,8% of the buildings by area were
built on these soils in 1997−2005. The results showed that most of the new buildings are located
on fields with good suitability for agricultural activities and the housing tended to expand near
main roads (Figure 2 and Figure 3).
Figure 2. New housing areas on the study area of Tallinn and gradients along main roads (Tallinn-Narva,
Tallinn-Tartu, Tallinn-Haapsalu). Soils are classified according to their suitability for agricultural
activities (Kõlli, 1994).
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.