The article, its structure and nature. Formats

Often, the urbanization and city creation processes have progressively implied the disappearance of spaces and natural processes, of a slow and cyclical rhythm, as well as of the numerous benefits that green and natural spaces offer us and which have a value not marginal, but very measurable economically.

In Barcelona, ​​New York, Paris and other cities around the world, processes are reversing this situation and this dimension is being incorporated into urban logic, urban planning, both public and private architecture or the domestic sphere. . The process of renaturation of cities, of a hybrid nature, breaks with insularization and integrates the landscape and geographic elements with urban needs. The city appears greener but, above all, more livable, clean and healthy, with less pollution, less noise, more shade and more biodiversity. In this way, it is transformed into a kinder, more balanced, participatory and humane city, with more spaces for meeting, socializing and inspiring.

But, not only parks or green corridors are examples of urban green. So are the green facades, which allow buildings to be naturally air-conditioned; ordered roofs, which collect water or produce energy; or urban gardens, which provide us with food. These examples of green spaces are beginning to become well visible here and there, like small spots that spread quickly. 

The transition between spaces of nature and culture, that is, between green elements and human manifestations, is diluted in urban projects focused on urban quality and that combine the various uses that citizens ask for; that adequately combine functionality and aesthetics, as is the case of the urban Canòpia project , in the new Les Glòries square in Barcelona, ​​which proposes a central space in the city where the new structuring element is green.

All these operations are significant contributions and an expression of the change of trend in urban design, where the border between the city and the surrounding territory is no longer abrupt and natural elements return to the city. 

In EcoTrends « City and nature. Where are the borders? »Two experts discuss this process of renaturation of the city and reconnection with the environment as a pillar of a new urban planning. They are Vicente Guallart, chief architect of the Barcelona City Council, and Olivier Philippe, co-director of Agence Ter, winner of the redevelopment of Les Glòries square in Barcelona, ​​who speak in a session moderated by Josep Maria Mallarach, consultant and member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and the IUCN Commission on Environmental Policies.

The elaboration of an original scientific article (later it will be explained what a scientific article is) always aims to show the scientific community the advances in knowledge. This means socializing, through writing, the processes and findings of the research carried out.

Hence, each new contribution, in addition to offering original content, must take into account the research carried out in the area in question, such as antecedents and contrasting the results. The writing of an academic text implies, therefore, contact with other texts, the reading of which allows, in the first instance, to know the state of the art [1] of a given subject.

Herein lies the importance of publishing the results of scientific research, since knowledge is built through it. Throughout the centuries and with great effort, numerous works are systematically published that study a reasoned hypothesis about the functioning of reality. Its legacy is what has shaped tradition over time, a culture that now represents our starting point.

A publication, whether periodical (frequently published, eg magazines, yearbooks, bulletins) or not (which is a single publication, eg books), is scientific, when its content includes original and unpublished research results. In Wikipedia it is defined (definition: 03/16/2017) as: " A scientific text, that is, a scientific publication or scientific communication, is one of the last steps in any scientific investigation, prior to external debate ."

In the case of journals, currently, there is no consensus regarding the proportion of original articles that a publication must include to be considered scientific. However, when consulting the requirements of the main scientific databases such as Scopus, WoS, Scielo, Redalyc, etc., most consider that a publication to be scientific, the original articles must represent more than 50% of their content.

There is another fundamental element that distinguishes a scientific publication and that is that its content must be evaluated by some transparent and explicit mechanism, such as peer review, in its different modalities.