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The greenway planning movement in the Iberian Peninsula: A tribute

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Abstract

Greenways are important landscape ecology strategies. Landscape ecology and greenway planning were central to Julius Fábos’s professional life and scholarship. This essay is a memorial to the late Julius Fábos (1932–2022), a Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. It traces Julius early upbringings in Hungary before and during World War II, his academic career in the United States, and his contributions to the Iberian Greenway Planning movement. Although Julius Fábos’s work was conducted primarily in Northeastern United States, it spread worldwide due to his unparalleled vision, leadership, and joie de vivre. Iberian landscape planning benefited greatly from Julius Fábos recurrent visits to Southern Europe, and indirectly from having students study with him at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After a thirty-five year teaching career, he launched a series of conferences aimed at disseminating knowledge on ecological thinking. The 7th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning took place 30 June–3 July 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. Julius Fábos’s successful academic career offers many opportunities for inspiration and self-reflection, especially in the post-pandemic uncertain times of today.

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Acknowledgement

Two anonymous reviewers and Jay Vinskey, AICP, RLA provided attentive and valuable comments.

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The author declares that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this essay.

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  1. University of Denver, CO, USA, Denver, CO, United States

    Carlos J. L. Balsas

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Special Issue: Landscape Ecology and Landscape Approaches in the Iberian context: challenges, opportunities and future prospects.

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Balsas, C.J.L. The greenway planning movement in the Iberian Peninsula: A tribute. Landsc Ecol 38, 3329–3334 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01579-6

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