Assessing street-level urban greenery using Google Street View and a modified green view index

Abstract

We explored Google Street View (GSV) as a street-level, urban greenery assessment tool. Street-level greenery has long played a critical role in the visual quality of urban landscapes. This living landscape element can and should be assessed for the quality of visual impact with the GSV information, and the assessed street-level greenery information could be incorporated into urban landscape planning and management. Information on street-level views of urban greenery assessment, however, is rare or nonexistent. Planners and managers’ ability to plan and manage urban landscapes effectively and efficiently is, therefore, limited. GSV is one tool that might provide street-level, profile views of urban landscape and greenery, yet no research on GSV for urban planning seems available in literature. We modified an existing Green View Index (GVI) formula and conducted a case study assessment of street greenery using GSV images in the area of East Village, Manhattan District, New York City. We found that GSV to be well suited for assessing street-level greenery. We suggest further that the modified GVI may be a relatively objective measurement of street-level greenery, and that GSV in combination with GVI may be well suited in guiding urban landscape planning and management.