Mapping Landscape Potential for Supporting Green Infrastructure: The Case of a Watershed in Turkey

Derya Gülçin,Kemal Tuluhan Yılmaz

doi:10.3390/land9080268

Abstract

Green infrastructure (GI) is a strategic planning approach that can contribute to solutions for ecological, social, and environmental problems. GI also aims to conserve natural and semi-natural landscapes and enhance ecological networks. Within the scope of spatial planning, urban and rural landscape units can be integrated through GI planning. In this study, we propose a method to calculate the landscape potential and map GI in the lower Büyük Menderes River Basin, Turkey. We used landscape character assessment (LCA) to identify the landscape typology, which was one of the key steps for determining the landscape potential. Three thematic maps were produced and overlaid in ArcMap 10.7. A map showing the spatial distributions of 71 landscape types was created by means of LCA. Then, the landscape types were assessed according to defined criteria, and finally, GI of the study area was mapped. This study found that high-quality landscape types were located in the middle, northern, and eastern parts of the lower Büyük Menderes River Basin, rather than in the protected areas. Moreover, 68 of the 71 landscape types were present in the GI map. The findings show the necessity of including the landscape potential concept in conservation strategies. Thus, this paper provides a reference guideline for mapping GI as a contributor to nature conservation and spatial planning strategies.

Highlights

Green infrastructure (GI), which was introduced at the end of 1990s and developed as a planning approach for landscape and urban planning, is based on the concept of greenway landscapes [1,2].Greenways are linear areas that protect and restore nature, connect outdoor areas, and act as corridors for wildlife transit
The GI approach can be considered as an up-to-date approach in landscape architecture studies, and it demonstrates the relationship between open/green spaces within ecosystem services
In addition to the basic components and criteria that forminto the consideration the current protection status of landscape types may highlight the legislation in landscape pattern discussed in this study, taking into account criteria such as “current conservation force, which is applicable to the construction of the green space system in the context of

Summary

Introduction

Green infrastructure (GI), which was introduced at the end of 1990s and developed as a planning approach for landscape and urban planning, is based on the concept of greenway landscapes [1,2].Greenways are linear areas that protect and restore nature, connect outdoor areas, and act as corridors for wildlife transit. Green infrastructure (GI), which was introduced at the end of 1990s and developed as a planning approach for landscape and urban planning, is based on the concept of greenway landscapes [1,2]. Based upon the concept of greenways, the “green corridor” approach, with almost the same meaning as greenways, was introduced [2]. The greenway, green belt, and green corridor concepts often used in urban and rural landscape planning are the basic parts of GI. GI includes protected natural areas (wetlands, nature reserves, wildlife habitats, etc.), semi-natural areas (national parks, water canals, wildlife corridors, etc.), other spaces (agricultural areas, private gardens, etc.), green spaces (parks, greenways, etc.), and landscape elements of these areas [3].

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