Methodology for planning urban green areas: the case of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

This paper describes how the city of Mexicali has 2.1 m² of public green areas per inhabitant while the national regulation establishes 10 m² per inhabitant and the World Health Organization establishes 9 m² per inhabitant. Therefore there is an important deficit of public green areas in the city. This paper presents a methodological proposal for planning urban green areas and its application in Mexicali. The approach is based on a sustainability perspective in which green areas are not only considered from the social point of view as recreational and sporting facilities, but also as urban elements that can contribute to environmental improvement as well as to reducing the global warming effect by capturing carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse effect gas. The methodological proposal is composed of five phases: organization, inventory, assessment, strategy and management and the development of six groups of components: the physical-urban, technological, environmental, financial-economical, legal-regulatory, and public participation. The green area inventory and its assessment were done according to a classification in twelve subsystems using a Quickbird satellite image with a 2.6 m resolution and data was integrated in a geographical information system (Mapinfo). Criterion are presented at the end of this paper for urban green area allocation, according to the social demands of population and the environmental needs as a result of the carbon dioxide emission by the combustion of fuels from automotive vehicles in the city. In addition, several strategies and instruments were defined for the creation, improvement, and preservation of such areas.