Allotment Gardens Research Articles

Large scale study on PFASs levels in fruits, vegetables and soil from allotments and gardens contaminated by atmospheric deposition from a Dutch fluorochemical production plant

Citizens grow their own fruits and vegetables in allotment gardens in the vicinity of a fluorochemical production plant (FCPP) in The Netherlands. Historic emissions and the subsequent atmospheric deposition of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and GenX (hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid / HFPO-DA) from the FCPP have resulted in the nearby environment being contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). This research aimed to investigate the levels of PFASs in garden produce and whether a gradient can be observed in relation to distance from the FCPP. Furthermore, differences between certain types of fruits and vegetables were explored, as well as a potential relation between the measured concentrations in garden produce and soil. 737 fruit and vegetable samples were collected from 17 allotments and 4 gardens up to 20 kilometres from the FCPP, along with soil and water samples. Garden produce included fruits, potatoes, fruiting vegetables, brassicas, leafy vegetables, root vegetables, bulb vegetables, legumes and stem vegetables. PFASs concentrations in the samples were quantified using a very sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method. PFASs were detected in most samples above the analytical limit of detection (0.3 to 12.5 pg/g ww). PFOA and GenX were found in the highest concentrations (up to 5280 pg/g ww GenX and 3020 pg/g ww PFOA) in garden produce sampled downwind and close to the FCPP. Other PFASs were also found, but at (much) lower levels. Field-derived bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were calculated for PFOA and GenX. The BAFs for PFOA were shown to be approximately 1 order of magnitude lower than BAFs from other studies. This may be explained by aging of the PFASs contamination and the intense cultivation of the garden plots. This study shows that PFOA and GenX can end up in garden produce and this will result in human exposure when the garden produce is consumed.

Valuing ecosystem services of community gardens in developing countries: a case study of Dezful City in Iran

Allotment (AGs) and community gardens (CGs) are types of urban gardens that provide diverse ecosystem services (ESs) such as climate regulation, beautiful landscapes, biodiversity and food security. Despite this, there are no AGs or CGs in many developing countries such as Iran. One of the main reasons for the lack of development of CGs in developing countries is the lack of proper understanding by policy-makers and citizens regarding the economic value of the ESs provided and the lack of disclosure of the benefits of its construction in urban areas. The purpose of this study is to analyse the preferences of citizens, to examine the existence of a potential market, to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for the creation and operation of CG services and to investigate the factors affecting residents’ WTP in Dezful, Iran. For this purpose, a choice experiment, based on the stated preferences valuation approach, was applied through interviews with 170 respondents living in Dezful urban area. The data were collected during the autumn of 2022 and analysed using conditional logit model. The results indicated that the responding citizens are willing to pay 4.57 USD per month to create CG and operate its ESs in Dezful. Amongst the attributes and ESs of the community garden, citizens valued cultural services the most, followed by provisioning services. In addition, the variables “age”, “being native”, “education”, “household expenditure level” and “awareness and recognition of CG ecosystem services” had a significant effect on WTP. According to the results, it is suggested to follow the policy of creating CGs with the participation of citizens instead of focusing only on the creation of urban green space with a government budget and heavy financial burden. CGs, while providing diverse ESs, can generate sustainable incomes for municipalities and accelerate the movement toward sustainable urban development.

On the irrelevance of (peat-free) substrates - Qualitative insights into the social practices of hobby gardeners in Germany

Reducing peat consumption in hobby gardening offers considerable potential for reducing CO2 emissions, since peatlands are one of the most important natural carbon sinks. While existing research focuses on the products and their diffusion, we focus on people and their practices of gardening. So we conducted 44 interviews with hobby gardeners in Germany from three different contexts: gardening at home, in an allotment garden, and in an urban gardening initiative. Our findings show that substrates are not a major part of gardeners' social interactions. Purchasing substrates is a utility-driven process with, compared to gardening itself, mostly passive information behavior. Although (basic) knowledge about peat is widespread among hobby gardeners, price is the dominant purchase criterion for substrates; sustainability does not play an important role. Our results suggest that communication campaigns by governments and companies should convey substrate-related messages in those places where gardeners go to seek information, e.g. gardening-related publications. Communication should focus on the functional value of peat-free substrates and not just explain environmental benefits. Lastly, campaigns should target home gardeners rather than urban gardeners and allotment gardeners who rarely buy any substrates but rely on their own production.

The potential role of the Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus as spillover vector for West Nile virus in the Netherlands

BackgroundIn recent years the Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus has invaded Europe, including the Netherlands. This species is a known vector for a range of arboviruses, possibly including West Nile virus (WNV). As WNV emerged in the Netherlands in 2020, it is important to investigate the vectorial capacity of mosquito species present in the Netherlands to estimate the risk of future outbreaks and further spread of the virus. Therefore, this study evaluates the potential role of Ae. japonicus in WNV transmission and spillover from birds to dead-end hosts in the Netherlands.MethodsWe conducted human landing collections in allotment gardens (Lelystad, the Netherlands) in June, August and September 2021 to study the diurnal and seasonal host-seeking behaviour of Ae. japonicus. Furthermore, their host preference in relation to birds using live chicken-baited traps was investigated. Vector competence of field-collected Ae. japonicus mosquitoes for two isolates of WNV at two different temperatures was determined. Based on the data generated from these studies, we developed a Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) model to calculate the risk of WNV spillover from birds to humans via Ae. japonicus, under the condition that the virus is introduced and circulates in an enzootic cycle in a given area.ResultsOur results show that Ae. japonicus mosquitoes are actively host seeking throughout the day, with peaks in activity in the morning and evening. Their abundance in August was higher than in June and September. For the host-preference experiment, we documented a small number of mosquitoes feeding on birds: only six blood-fed females were caught over 4 full days of sampling. Finally, our vector competence experiments with Ae. japonicus compared to its natural vector Culex pipiens showed a higher infection and transmission rate when infected with a local, Dutch, WNV isolate compared to a Greek isolate of the virus. Interestingly, we also found a small number of infected Cx. pipiens males with virus-positive leg and saliva samples.ConclusionsCombining the field and laboratory derived data, our model predicts that Ae. japonicus could act as a spillover vector for WNV and could be responsible for a high initial invasion risk of WNV when present in large numbers.Graphical

The Impact of Urban Allotment Gardens on Physical and Mental Health in Norway.

In Norway, many communities offer low-rent plots of land on which city dwellers can build summer cottages and grow crops. These allotment gardens serve as recreational escapes from urban life. However, little is known about the impact these gardens have on their members. This study attempts to shed light on today's impact of allotment gardens in a public health setting in Norway. The study was based on 17 semi-structured interviews and 2 in-depth interviews with allotment house owners. Informants were mainly recruited by "snowball sampling". Our data show that maintaining an allotment promotes exercise and provides a positive impact on self-perceived well-being and physical health through outdoor activities. Spending time in the garden contributes to new knowledge and experiences. Owning an allotment garden has provided new knowledge, new skills, new hobbies, and thereby an improvement in lifestyle. The allotment garden has a strong impact on perceived health, well-being, and sense of coherence (SOC) for the individuals. It promotes outdoor activities along with social interaction and can prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Knowledge-Based Identification of Urban Green Spaces: Allotments

Abstract. Urban Green Spaces (UGS) play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life in cities by providing numerous environmental, social, and health benefits. Among these green spaces, allotment gardens stand out as a unique type that contributes to ecological services, preservation of biodiversity, and the overall well-being of urban dwellers. Unfortunately, the significance of allotment gardens as a specific type of UGS is still disregarded and they are not recognized as a separate category in land use / land cover maps or city maps of green spaces. This is mainly due to the mixed use of allotment areas, their small size and absence of tailored identification or mapping workflows. In this research, we address the latter one by proposing an approach that utilizes various semantic characteristics of allotment gardens to create distinctive spatial representations. The semantic characteristics we consider include the presence, density, and height of garden huts, proximity to water bodies and railroads, as well as the presence of pathways within the allotment gardens. Allotments are delineated using a three-step procedure. This involves utilizing a Random Forest machine learning classifier to create maps of the distribution of green spaces, extracting garden huts employing a threshold, and demarcating the area using a density based clustering technique. Furthermore, we repeat the same workflow in a new study area to assess the applicability of the proposed workflow. With the established workflow, we are able to accurately identify 78% of allotments in Augsburg and 88% in Wuerzburg respectively. Our results demonstrate that the proposed workflow can be a useful approach to validate and extend existing land use and land cover data sets while remaining time and cost effective.

Urban cemeteries: The forgotten but powerful cooling islands

Urban parks play a key role in UHI mitigation. However, the role of other prominent types of urban green infrastructure has not been comprehensively studied. Thus, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the role of cemeteries and allotments as cooling islands compared to the well-studied park areas. We assessed the LST of cemeteries, allotments and parks based on Landsat 8 TM images across the five largest German cities during summertime. Random forest regressions explain the LST spatial variability of the different urban green spaces (UGS) with spectral indices (NDVI, NDMI, NDBaI) as well as with tree characteristics (tree type, tree age, trunk circumferences, trunk height or canopy density). As a result, allotments were identified as the hottest UGS with the city means varying between 23.1 and 26.9 °C, since they contain a relatively high proportion of sealed surfaces. The LST spatial variability of allotment gardens was best explained by the NDVI indicating that fields with a higher percentage of flowering shrubs and trees reveal lower LST values than those covered by annual crops. Interestingly, cemeteries were characterized as the coolest UGS, with city means between 20.4 and 24.7 °C. Despite their high proportion of sealed surfaces, they are dominated by old trees resulting in intensive transpiration processes. Parks show heterogeneous LST patterns which could not be systematically explained by spectral indices due to the variability of park functionality and shape. Compared to parks, the tree-covered areas of cemeteries have a higher cooling potential since cemeteries as cultural heritage sites are well-protected allowing old tree growth with intensive transpiration. These findings underline the relevance of cemeteries as cooling islands and deepen the understanding of the role of tree characteristics in the cooling process.

Identifying opportunities for invasive species management: an empirical study of stakeholder perceptions and interest in invasive species

Invasive species are one of the main reasons for the decline in global biodiversity. When it comes to the management of invasive species, stakeholders who are directly involved with this issue play a particularly important role, as they are directly engaged in management and can also influence the public’s perception. This study therefore investigates how different stakeholder groups in Germany perceive invasive species. In total, more than 2200 people were surveyed, belonging to nine different stakeholder groups that are in contact with invasive species (hunters and members in hunting associations, farmers, members of environmental and conservation organizations, members in allotment garden clubs, animal welfare supporters, divers, employees in zoological gardens, administrative employees in the regulatory authority, speleologists). It was found that the number of invasive animal and plant species in Germany was roughly correctly estimated in all groups, but the economic damage caused by invasive species was substantially underestimated. When invasive species were mentioned, mainly conspicuous mammals or plants were listed (e.g. Procyon lotor or Impatiens glandulifera). In all surveyed groups, there was a notable level of interest in invasive species, and they were commonly regarded as environmental issues. While these results offer valuable insights into stakeholders’ perspectives on invasive species, they also highlight the need for improvement. In particular, there is a need for greater education of stakeholders about inconspicuous invasive species, the spread of invasive species and the damage caused by them.

Microplastic contamination in soils of urban allotment gardens (Toruń, Poland)

Microplastic contamination in soils of urban allotment gardens (Toruń, Poland)

Will Allotment Gardening Save Us Again? Allotment Gardens during a COVID-19 Pandemic in a City with a Shortage of Plots

Allotment gardening as element of green infrastructure and integral part of urban agriculture supports the city’s sustainable development and builds urban resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to revisit allotment gardening in a situation of unprecedented health crisis. Therefore, this study aims to recognise the importance of allotment gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poznań (Poland), a city with a ‘famine of plots’ observed for years. A survey was conducted among allotment holders who had acquired plots during the course of the pandemic and in-depth interviews were conducted with the president of the Polish Allotment Federation of Poznań and the managers of the allotment gardens wherein we had identified the highest proportion of new allotment holders. Information was collected during field research, also using available statistical data. The methods used included desk research and a case study, interviews and a survey. The results of the study show that the pandemic caused a renaissance in allotment gardening. The increased interest in allotments triggered an increase in their price, thus further restricting access. A generational change in the allotment community was also noted, with young people appearing on allotments. However, the survey showed no change in the use of allotments: recreation is still their dominant function, with allotment holders focusing on cleaning and renovation work. For new allotment holders, the plot was a green refuge in times of isolation, a place for contact with nature, loved ones and family, and a safe space for relaxation. Our research indicates that allotment holders also appreciated its positive impact on their physical and mental health.. Moreover, the study indicates that despite the long-standing shortage of allotments in the city, only restorative allotment gardens are being created.

A citizen science report—Tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) in allotment gardens in Graz, Styria, Austria

Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is an invasive species not native to Europe. Due to its ability to transmit pathogens, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, Ae. albopictus is considered a major health threat. In Austria, it was first reported in 2012 in the Western province of Tyrol and was documented in the metropolitan area of Vienna in 2020, demonstrating its ability to colonize urban areas. In July 2021, a garden owner from Graz, Styria, Austria, contacted experts because of the possible presence of tiger mosquitoes in an allotment garden complex. Accordingly, citizen scientists collected adult mosquitoes and set up ovitraps. Adults and eggs were sent to the laboratory for morphological examination and molecular DNA barcoding within the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. In total, 217 eggs of Ae. albopictus were found at the allotment garden as well as at a second location in the city of Graz. In addition, 14 adult Ae. albopictus specimens, of which 7 were molecularly identified as an identical haplotype, were collected at the allotment garden. With its mild climate and numerous parks and gardens, Graz provides the perfect environment for reproduction of tropical/subtropical alien Aedes mosquitoes. The presence of eggs and adult specimens in the current study period indicates that Ae. albopictus is already breeding in Graz. However, monitoring efforts need to be continued to determine whether stable populations of Ae. albopictus can survive there.

Prediction of Daily Ambient Temperature and Its Hourly Estimation Using Artificial Neural Networks in Urban Allotment Gardens and an Urban Park in Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain

Urban green spaces improve quality of life by mitigating urban temperatures. However, there are challenges in obtaining urban data to analyze and understand their influence. With the aim of developing innovative methodologies for this type of research, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were developed to predict daily and hourly temperatures in urban green spaces from sensors placed in situ for 41 days. The study areas were four urban allotment gardens (with dynamic and productive vegetation) and a forested urban park in the city of Valladolid, Spain. ANNs were built and evaluated from various combinations of inputs (X), hidden neurons (Y), and outputs (Z) under the practical rule of “making networks simple, to obtain better results”. Seven ANNs architectures were tested: 7-Y-5 (Y = 6, 7, …, 14), 6-Y-5 (Y = 6, 7, …, 14), 7-Y-1 (Y = 2, 3, …, 8), 6-Y-1 (Y = 2, 3, …, 8), 4-Y-1 (Y = 1, 2, …, 7), 3-Y-1 (Y = 1, 2, …, 7), and 2-Y-1 (Y = 2, 3, …, 8). The best-performing model was the 6-Y-1 ANN architecture with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.42 °C for the urban garden called Valle de Arán. The results demonstrated that from shorter data points obtained in situ, ANNs predictions achieve acceptable results and reflect the usefulness of the methodology. These predictions were more accurate in urban gardens than in urban parks, where the type of existing vegetation can be a decisive factor. This study can contribute to the development of a sustainable and smart city, and has the potential to be replicated in cities where the influence of urban green spaces on urban temperatures is studied with traditional methodologies.

Moderate use of pesticides in allotment gardens as indicated by their residues in larval food provisions of Osmia solitary bees

Exposure to pesticides may jeopardize pollinators, but it has rarely been examined in urban landscapes. We used larval food provisions (mix of pollen and nectar) of mason bees (Osmia spp.) nested in artificial shelters as matrices to investigate the rate of pesticide pollution in twelve allotment sites in Prague and Brno cities. Seven commercial croplands (fruit orchards, oilseed rape fields) were selected for comparison. In total, 79 samples of larval provisions were analysed using a validated UPLC–MS/MS method for the presence of 262 pesticides and/or important metabolites. Fifty-six pesticide residues were detected in the allotments and 74 in cropland sites. Fifty pesticide compounds were common to both landscapes. Fewer residues were found in the allotments (14.3 ± 0.9, mean ± SE) than in croplands (21.5 ± 1.1, mean ± SE; df = 17.4; t = −2.9; p < 0.01), and they were present at low levels up to 16 ppb. In cropland sites, ten residues occurred at high individual concentrations (mean per site > 10 ppb). The highest levels were observed for the fungicide pyrimethanil (mean = 1,989 ppb, maximum = 3,983 ppb) and among insecticides for thiacloprid (mean = 136 ppb, maximum = 170 ppb). The results supported the presumption of a lower risk of pesticide exposure in urban gardens than in croplands. Given the limited knowledge on the sublethal effects of pesticides and especially pesticide mixtures on solitary bee development, the regulation or control of pesticide use in allotment gardens is recommended.

Cultivating thirdspace: Community, conflict and place in small-city urban gardens

Over the past 15 years, there has been an increased interest in urban gardening. Queues for getting a gardening spot have grown, as many urban citizens seek a spot to cultivate vegetables, and studies have stressed how urban gardens can be one ingredient in creating more sustainable cities. Following the work of urban theorists Henry Lefebvre and Edward Soja, this study explores urban gardens as thirdspaces. Interviewing allotment gardeners and community gardeners in small Swedish cities, we explore allotments as ‘lived places’, where experiences, meanings and a sense of place are developed. Thirdspace suggests us to think beyond binary constructions of space and analysing narratives of urban gardening through that lens shows that allotment spots can be understood as places where certain dualisms have, if not a transgressed, at least a more flexible and expansive logic. The result illuminates how allotment gardens are a kind of nature-human crossing point and a practice connecting city residents with countryside life and non-landowners with the land.

Circulating Silence. The Reaction to Rachel Carson’s Book Silent Spring (1962) in Scandinavian Gardening Magazines

Abstract This article examines the reception of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring in Scandinavian family gardening magazines. In Sweden, Norway and Denmark, family gardening associations were broad organisations with significant social impact. They were the most important arenas for transfer of scientific knowledge and values on gardening, linking plant protection experts, producers and sellers of gardening chemicals, horticultural advisors and the general public. Thus, these associations and their magazines influenced many social groups that had common interests in non-commercial gardening as part of their everyday life. In practice, these family gardening magazines were heavily dependent on the income from garden chemicals advertisements. Consequently, their editorial policies and plant protection technical advice were deeply rooted in the post-war ideals of chemical agriculture and horticulture. These ideals were pursued and applied everywhere—even into the tiniest allotment and family garden. Scandinavian countries and their gardening associations have many similarities and some differences between them. This makes them an interesting case for comparison. The gardening magazines of Sweden, Norway and Denmark show quite a few similarities in the way they first pretended to ignore Carson while spending much effort countering the possible effects of her message, and in the way they retrospectively engaged with her book. There are, however, quite interesting differences in the way the national garden associations, their magazine editors and the magazines’ pesticide experts handled the publicity generated by Silent Spring on the harmfulness of garden chemicals.

The Green Ring of Tradition and Culture in Łódź as an example of a strategic plan to protect and shape the landscape of a former industrial city

Natural and cultural heritage co-create the cultural landscape, forming the basis of both local and larger sense of identity. Therefore, protecting and shaping these resources is the major task of currently living generations. It is possible and appropriate to undertake integrated action to protect and shape both natural and cultural heritage together. At the same time, it is important to take into account the specificity of these resources so as to ensure parallel development of both systemic solutions and specialized ones. The Green Ring of Tradition and Culture is a design proposal for asystem of attractive spaces surrounding the city centre of Łódź, which takes into account green areas, such as parks and allotment gardens, as well as greenery along the rivers Łódka and Jasień, cemeteries and post-industrial buildings: factories, residences and factory owners’ villas, and palaces or other culturally significant architectural objects of importance for the history of Łódź. A special place in this layout is held by Piotrkowska Street together with adjacent buildings – a defining component in the layout, which cuts across it and connects all other elements. The Green Ring in Łódź is currently not implemented but could utilize that utilizes the existing, significant potential of Łódź to create an attractive system of public spaces, thus highlighting and preserving the most valuable elements of the city’s cultural and natural heritage.

Does Urban Green Infrastructure Increase the Property Value? The Example of Magdeburg, Germany

Are there any correlations between land use and the associated prices charged for the soil? What is the significance of green infrastructure and what is the significance of public facilities and transport? For the analysis of the data, various methods of factor reduction and analysis were used to identify a multiple regression model that explained the price building. An effect was found between the pricing of the standard land reference value (SLRV), number of trees and distance to allotments. Summarizing the results, less than 231 trees in an SLRV zone causes an SLRV increase, the opposite is the case with a larger number of trees. The more accessible an allotment garden is (in terms of distance &lt;421 m), the lower the SLV in the adjacent area. If the distance that must be covered to the allotment garden increases, the SLRV of the area increases. However, a more significant influence on the SLRV was concluded by the market economy variables. In summary, the present study indicates that (a) a uniform evaluation matrix for the SLRV should be created, and (b) the present subjective land assessments by the relevant experts should be complemented through targeting further training in the ecologically oriented planning context.

Changes over the last ten years in the fauna structure of aphids inhabiting the vegetation of allotment gardens in Poznań

Changes over the last ten years in the fauna structure of aphids inhabiting the vegetation of allotment gardens in Poznań

Modern issues of horticulture as the most important component of food security of Russia

This article analyses the content of the most important component of the national agricultural industry — private subsidiary farms. The author relies upon the idea that the development of horticulture is an inexpensive and stable strategy that allows to improve the food security of households by providing them with quality and environmentally friendly personally made food. According to the estimates of the Union of Gardeners of Russia, 125 million Russians belong to families receiving products from the land they cultivate themselves, or to those going to help their relatives in summer. At the same time, according to Rosstat estimates, if the entire volume of agricultural production at actual prices in 2022 preliminarily amounted to 8.851 trillion rubles, households account for 2.071 trillion rubles at actual prices (i.e. a quarter of all products). Today, in the conditions of increasing pressure of sanctions on the agricultural sector of Russia, horticulture is of great importance for achieving the principal parameters of the country’s food security. The article shows that there is a signifi cant decrease in the number of both farms themselves and indicators of production effi ciency for personal consumption and for sale. Being a practitioner — chairman of an allotment society and a leading expert of the Federal Center for Agricultural Consulting, the author highlights the main issues, regulatory and legal restrictions that signifi cantly hinder the development of households, in particular: the inability to use the "dacha amnesty" for most allotment gardens, serious cadastral errors, the growth of abandoned land plots, as well as legislative innovations related to restrictions on keeping of farm animals and birds on garden plots.

The contributions of urban horticulture to cities' liveability and resilience: Insights from Singapore

Social Impact StatementThe importance of urban horticulture, a practice of growing plants in an urban environment, is increasingly recognized. It is widely acknowledged that such initiatives contribute towards liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities. Based on Singapore as a case example, this study highlights how urban horticulture programs, informed by research and implemented at a national level, bring about important benefits to urban dwellers including health and well‐being, and social cohesion through people and plant interactions. They support Singapore's vision to be a City in Nature, in addition to promoting food security. The experience in Singapore holds useful lessons for other cities.SummaryOver the past few decades, there has been widespread recognition of the importance of urban vegetation to support cities' goals to be liveable, sustainable, and resilient to disturbances brought about by climate change. In this opinion article, we further highlight the importance of urban horticulture and its role in fostering the vision of Singapore to be a green city. Through the discussion of four national level programs, we illustrate how urban horticulture initiatives contributed to the social imperative to cultivate community ownership of green estates, community ties, and interest in horticulture. Community gardens offer distinct platforms for people to get together. Allotment gardens in parklands enable individuals to engage with nature through the various gardening activities and reap produce. The Gardening with Edibles program encourages home gardening through provision of resources. Lastly, specially designed therapeutic horticulture programs engage target groups to receive benefits from the facilitated nature‐based activities. The involvement of relevant governmental agencies, driven by taking an expanded view of urban horticulture targeted at delivering social objectives and achieving the environmental and ecological objectives of city greening, has contributed to the growth and expansion of the initiatives.