Abstract
The study aims to measure the greenness of an Indonesia city using tree canopy cover data. Rapid physical development brings impacts to the loss of urban trees, which leads to the increase of flooding risk, local temperature and pollution level. To address the issues, a baseline assessment of urban tree canopy existence is necessary as inputs for effective urban environmental management policies. The methods used in this research include 1) remote sensing and spatial analysis, and 2) simple quantitative analysis. Furthermore, three indicators are used in assessing the greenness, including 1) size of the canopy, 2) canopy cover percentage, and 3) canopy per capita. The results found that the city of Yogyakarta has a low level of greenness based on the canopy size in which covers only 467.37 ha or 14.38% of the total area. The second finding is Yogyakarta has an unequal distribution of canopy cover percentage in each district (kecamatan). The third finding is Yogyakarta City has a canopy per capita rate of 10.93 sq m/person. This number is below the UN recommendation of 15sq m / person. It indicates that residents have poor access to urban greenery. Additionally, the article discusses that the three indicators used have strength and weakness in measuring the level of greenness. Therefore, the assessment objectives must be taken into account. We recommend the use of each indicator as follows: 1) the canopy size is used as an initial inventory of the existence and distribution of the canopy, 2) the canopy cover percentage canopy percentage for measuring and comparing the level of greenness spatially and visually between areas, 3) the canopy per capita is used to measure the possibility of access and interaction of residents with the presence of a tree canopy. Cities’ authority can use the information to measure the achievement of SDGs number 11, 13, or 15.
Highlights
The trees that live in urban areas, which are often called urban trees, provide essential benefits for the sustainability of the built environment
The article contributes to the literature of urban tree canopy management and planning by utilising three indicators: 1) canopy size for assessing the existence of tree canopy, 2) the canopy cover percentage for assessing distribution and equality of tree canopy, and 3) the number of canopy per capita as a proxy for assessing the accessibility of residents to interact with nature
The results of this research indicate that Yogyakarta City has a relatively low level of greenness based on information on canopy size, canopy cover percentage, and canopy per capita
Summary
The trees that live in urban areas, which are often called urban trees, provide essential benefits for the sustainability of the built environment. In urban areas with predominated impervious surfaces such as buildings and full of vehicle smoke pollution, some problems may appear including flooding, poor air quality, and hot local climate. Urban trees can provide ecosystem services to regulate those impacts and balance the environment, such as by absorbing stormwater run-off to reduce the risk of flooding Chen & Borelli 2016; Farrugia, Hudson, & McCulloch 2013; Pappalardo, La Rosa, Campisano, & La Greca 2017), reducing air pollution (Ferranti, MacKenzie, Ashworth, & Hewitt 2019; Martin, Chappelka, Loewenstein, & Keever 2012) and moderating local climate The existence of urban trees can mitigate climate change in cities because of trees’ ability to absorb carbon emissions (McGovern & Pasher 2016; Russo et al 2014; Tang, Chen, & Zhao 2016). The existence of trees provides space for biodiversity to live in
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
