Green Infrastructure Planning Research Articles

Identifying the optimization potential for urban GI by linking supply and demand of ecosystem services under multi-scenarios : a case study of Tianjin, China

Quantitative research on the supply and demand of urban green infrastructure (GI) ecosystem services (ES) can play a crucial role in supporting ecological governance, which is vital for enhancing the health and well-being of residents and promoting sustainable development. However, current supply and demand studies often fail to consider the complexity and diversity of local climates and economic status, leading to suboptimal outcomes in urban greening programs. Therefore, there is an urgent need to incorporate the diversity and variability of demand for ES in decision-making processes for urban GI planning. To address this issue, this study proposes a multi-development scenario-based supply and demand modelling framework that measures the supply and demand of ES. By using the central city of Tianjin, China, as a case study, the resulting GI construction potential zoning and optimization strategies are determined to achieve the multiple environmental-social-economic benefits of GI. The results show that the supply and demand levels of GI in the study area are significantly spatially heterogeneous, with the demand levels of GI varying considerably under different development scenarios. Furthermore, the demand for GI is highest under the ecological priority scenario. Based on the relationship between the supply and demand of ES, the study area is classified into four zones, including a GI supply deficit zone, a supply surplus zone, a low-level balance zone, and a high-level balance zone. The area of each zone decreases in turn, indicating that the study area as a whole is in a state of mismatch between the supply and demand of ES. Finally, the study area is divided into seven GI construction potential zones based on the degree of scarcity and development orientation. The proposed planning scheme helps to achieve dynamic matching goals of ES supply and demand and provides valuable insights for policymakers to coordinate urban resources and promote sustainable development.

Epistemic justice in flood-adaptive green infrastructure planning: The recognition of local experiential knowledge in Thorncliffe Park, Toronto

Evidence shows that green infrastructure planning relies on technocratic and economic valuation approaches to protect lands of high monetary value against flooding without considering climate justice. Contrasting epistemic justice against recognition and socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services, this study explores how flood-adaptive green infrastructure planning may recognize and include the local experiential knowledge of under-represented groups. We focus on Thorncliffe Park, a dense tower neighborhood with a low-income immigrant population in Toronto, Canada, to explore: (1) the local experiential knowledge of residents about floods, climate-adaptive green infrastructure, and structural vulnerabilities; (2) the root causes of epistemic injustice in previous adaptive green infrastructure interventions; (3) siting options for future adaptive green infrastructure. The methodology includes 199 online surveys -among Thorncliffe Park's residents and 20 in-depth interviews with local community leaders and Toronto-based planning experts, policy reviews. Additionally, a spatial component consists of 120 online participatory mapping activities and spatial analysis of surface run-offs. Our findings -reveal that Thorncliffe Park residents are excluded from adaptive green infrastructure planning because flood management -remains a technocratic process -grounded in economic valuation approaches and technical justifications. Our findings -indicate that decision-makers have not credited residents’ needs and testimonies over decades due to -historical racial and socio-economic prejudice toward Thorncliffe Park's residents. We also -identify four hermeneutical barriers that prevent residents from impacting decisions, namely a lack of: social networks, citizenship rights, climate awareness opportunities, and communicational tools.

Green infrastructure optimization considering spatial functional zoning in urban stormwater management

Green infrastructure (GI) is used as an alternative and complement to traditional urban drainage system for mitigating urban stormwater issues mainly caused by climate change and urbanization. The combination of hydrological model and optimization algorithm can automatically find the optimal solution under multiple objectives. Given the multi-functional characteristics of GI, choosing the optimization objectives of GI are critical for multiple stakeholders. This study proposes a GI optimization method considering spatial functional zoning. Based on the basic conditions, the study area is divided into the flood risk control zone (FRCZ) and the total runoff control zone (TRCZ). The integrated model coupling hydrological model and optimization algorithm is applied to obtain the Pareto fronts and corresponding non-dominated solutions. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is used to support the decision-making process. The optimal solution obtained for the FRCZ achieves a flood risk reduction rate of 60.49% with an average life cycle cost per year of 0.20 × 108 Chinese Yuan (CNY); The optimal solution obtained for the TRCZ achieves a total runoff reduction rate of 22.83% with an average life cycle cost per year of 0.17 × 108 CNY. This study provides a reference for stakeholders in GI planning and design.

Evaluating the Capability of Woody Plants to Capture Atmospheric Heavy Metals in Budapest

Urban green infrastructure planning plays an important role in aspects of pollution reduction, such as heavy metal trapping. However, the reduction effects are both influenced by the different pollution conditions in each city and the species-specific interaction of trees and pollution. Herein, we investigated three common urban woody plants (Acer platanoides L., Fraxinus excelsior L. Westhof’s Glorie, and Tilia tomentosa Moench) in Budapest to compare their heavy metal trapping abilities from the airborne in leaf dust deposits and leaves. All samples were deconstructed by a wet digestion method. Four high traffic-related heavy metal elements (Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni) were determined by using an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). The investigated results showed that the relevant concentration of all measured elements was constant in all species, namely Zn < Cu < Pb < Ni. Although the total heavy metal content in the dust deposit increased towards the end of one vegetation period, the highest percentage of total metal concentration was in the summer season as the particulate matter sources varied in each season. These indicate that woody plants are ideal candidates for pollution monitoring. All of the evaluated elements were loaded highest in the dust deposit of T. tomentosa during all sampling times, followed by A. platanoides, and the least in F. excelsior. A significant correlation between metal contents in the dust deposit and leaf was found in T. tomentosa (0.926 at a p<0.01 level). Therefore, we suggest T. tomentosa, which has better atmospheric trace element capturing capacity than A. platanoides and F. excelsior and thus it is a better option for pollution reduction in the urban area.

The public consultation is open: Insights from urban green infrastructure planning in Romania

Due to its potential to help mitigate current societal challenges and provide ecological, social, and economic benefits, urban green infrastructure (UGI) is an important investment for cities. However, its planning and implementation may be challenging due to the limited application of the conceptual foundations and the often-unknown character of the ways how the results of public consultations were integrated into the implemented UGI design. Using five Romanian urban areas as model system, we developed an evaluation protocol to assess 177 written comments submitted during the public consultation processes for 13 public UGI planning documents, along with the formal responses to these comments. Our results show critical comments towards the planning proposals (86.2 % of the comments) and a discussion of the shortcomings of the planning process (60.8 % of the comments). The analysis revealed that the UGI as it is developed and implemented currently in Romania has little public support as in 52.2 % of the comments none of UGI planning principles could be identified. Furthermore, we found a relatively low level of public comment consideration into the approved version of the planning documents as only 7.6 % of the comments were included, most of them being delegitimized by the responses of public officials/municipal administration. Thus, our results highlight that UGI consultation process is characterized by a lack of both genuine conceptual aspects and public participation substance.

Greening plans as (re)presentation of the city: Toward an inclusive and gender-sensitive approach to urban greenspaces

Cities around the world are increasingly expanding their sustainability agendas and adopting urban green and blue infrastructure planning as a strategy to become more resilient, healthy and sustainable. However, the development of urban greening governance often lacks a holistic vision that considers social inequities within the planning, implementation and management of green and blue spaces. Further, gender inequities have been a specific dimension particularly overlooked in urban greening planning, despite gender concerns gaining increasing political relevance in recent years. In this research, we assessed the extento to which social and gender equity are being considered in urban greening plans and projects at the local level. We chose Barcelona (Spain) as main case study due to its pioneering role in implementing crosscutting equity and gender policies at the municipal level. Building on document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, we examined how social justice and gender are understood and operationalized in practice, from the design phase to implementation and maintenance of greening projects. Our findings suggest a shift in the role of urban greening which evolved from an ornamental role to a multifunctional vision of greening and is recently incorporating equity and inclusivity concerns. We identified three action areas of inclusive, gender-sensitive urban green planning practices: first, the incorporation of inclusivity and care as guiding visible values to recognize multiple needs of city residents; second, urban design for different uses and perceptions of greenspaces, particularly in relation to accessibility and autonomy; and third, the awareness and expertise from municipal staff vis-à-vis the consideration of social and gender equity in green planning and participatory approaches. Finally, we provide practical examples of the strategies that the City of Barcelona is implementing in each area and discuss some challenges and limitations, including what we identify as ad hoc intersectional greening.

Green Infrastructure as an Effective Tool for Urban Adaptation—Solutions from a Big City in a Postindustrial Region

Adaptation to climate change is becoming one of the main paradigms for how cities function and develop. The significant role of green infrastructure (GI) as a tool for cities to adapt to climate change is increasingly emphasized among practitioners of spatial planning and in the research literature. Thus, despite the local impact, green infrastructure planning necessitates the creation of a holistic and integrated city management system. The aim of the article is to identify the effects generated by projects implemented in the field of green infrastructure in big cities of post-industrial regions and to formulate determinants and barriers limiting the strengthening of cities’ adaptive capacity to climate change. In the methodological dimension, the article is based on the desk-research method (analysis of project documentation and specialist literature), logical reasoning and the case study method, enriched with a series of interviews and observation of the study area to present the selected projects implemented as part of green infrastructure. Solutions based on nature, green infrastructure and the adaptation of ecosystems are of strategic importance for the challenges of reducing the negative effects of urban heat islands and the risk of flooding, rational space management, regeneration of degraded urban spaces, the coexistence of urban and green space and, consequently, increasing housing, as well as cultural and recreation areas. This is especially true of post-industrial regions, such as the Katowice Conurbation in Poland, to which the examples presented here refer.

TOWARDS URBAN BIODIVERSITY: SIMULATING DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR WILDLIFE-INCLUSIVE GREEN INFRASTRCUTURE

As of 2021, more than half of the global population resides in urban areas. This resulted in an overwhelming footprint affecting species habitat areas leading to biodiversity loss. By definition, urban biodiversity is the diversity of living things within the urban realm. By providing chances for habitat as part of new developments, preserving on-site habitats, and attempting to connect with the local ecosystems, we can help promote biodiversity. Green infrastructure (GI), which includes all semi-natural areas in the urban context, can serve as a vessel for biodiversity. Therefore, the problem can be defined by the urban footprint that expands on the expense of native habitats, leading directly to biodiversity loss and impacts on human health, and indirectly affecting livelihoods. Moreover, often times the approaches are sometimes limited to ‘green’ in more aesthetic ways than operational. It is also important to seek socio-ecological frameworks to promote adequate interaction of urban communities with wildlife. Therefore, this research aims to simulate design parameters for wildlife-inclusive green infrastructure to contribute to the creation of built environments that support urban biodiversity. If equipped with a socio-ecological framework, beyond ‘green’ results can be yielded. Using a case study method, the author will provide an application of the extracted parameters from the literature on a chosen geography with reference of ecological data provided of the ‘Shouf Biosphere Reserve’ of Lebanon to provide supported insight into wildlife-inclusive green infrastructure examples. In the context of this literature, we need to examine the manifestation of those concepts mainly on an operative level with respect to ecology. Also, it is required to examine the socio-cultural aspects of this interaction through architecture. In conclusion, as presented in the case study of SBR, the additional ecological and socio-cultural layers in planning of green infrastructure, can yield beyond ‘green’ results as a whole system designed with both the local ecosystems and urban inhabitants in mind within the landscape. Each geography will display its endemic version of ‘green’ as well. Variations of wildlife species can become parameters that also help shape our built environments. ‘Our’ built environment exists in the larger scope of the natural setting. Nature-based solutions can be implemented for our urban problems. A geographically specific GI network can provide alternative infrastructure for local ecosystems. Therefore, with increasing repercussions of urban expansion on habitat areas, immediate action plans must be formulated to stop species loss.

Spatial Analysis of Flood Exposure and Vulnerability for Planning More Equal Mitigation Actions

The issue of spatial equity of Nature-Based Solutions in cities generally concerns the spatial distribution of their benefits to local residents and other city users. In the context of flood risk management, planners are challenged to identify effective mitigation and adaptation measures that can generate benefits to the higher number of people and, more specifically, to people with highest levels of exposure and vulnerability. To address these issues, an essential step is to identify the geography of needs for mitigation, intended as prior areas in which to locate measures for flood risk mitigation. This study combines geospatial layers of multiple dimensions of exposure and vulnerability to flooding and identifies prior areas suitable for design scenarios for mitigation of flooding risk, for a regional case study located in Sicily. The results show patterns of exposure and vulnerability that vary according to locally relevant physical and social urban dimensions. Based on these results, proposals for mitigation actions are advanced with the overall objective of generating equal benefits to the most vulnerable exposed social subjects. Moreover, this study argues about the particular implications of implementing stormwater green infrastructure planning for equal beneficial distribution of the potentially achievable risk reduction.

Integrating food provisioning ecosystem services and foodshed relocalisation targets with edible green infrastructure planning. A case study from Lisbon city region

Landscape changes and agricultural land take affect the spatial pattern of ecosystem services (ES) provision in city regions. The relevance of these areas for Green Infrastructure has recently received increasing interest as sources for local food supply and for functionally connecting urban and rural areas.The main objective of this study is to propose an Edible Green Infrastructure (EGI) at landscape level, in the peri‑urban and rural contexts, and to analyse food system relocalisation in the Lisbon city region. This paper examines land cover flows (LCF), performs the EGI mapping and landscape planning and assesses food provisioning ES supply, budgets, footprint, and the loss of land biocapacity due to land take.The global ES budget achieved for the potential foodshed is about 82% of food provisioning demand, with 68% of the food provisioning footprint (FPF) located in the Green Infrastructure. The loss of land biocapacity for the period 2000–2018 due to land take is per year equal to the area needed for the FPF of 1.23% of the region's population.Results are of use to support the integration of food system planning into spatial planning, and the adoption of specific policies that aim to develop city region food systems.

Prioritization of green infrastructure planning principles using analytic hierarchy process: The case of Addis Ababa

Green infrastructure planning is an innovative landscape and urban planning strategy that aims to achieve sustainable urban development. However, green infrastructure (GI) literature is vast and complex. Still, there is no consensus among scholars and experts regarding the concept of green infrastructure and its application approaches. Thus, evaluating and prioritizing the GI principles assists cities like Addis Ababa in adopting and implementing GI. Multicriteria decision analysis techniques, such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), provide a method for systematically integrating experts to establish priorities and make decisions. Consequently, the purpose of the study is to, first and foremost, evaluate GI principles and identify guiding principles for GI planning for Addis Ababa. Second, based on the first objective result, evaluate the incorporation of the GI planning principle into Addis Ababa's city planning documents, thereby indicating the city's path towards GI. The principles are weighed to determine which GI principle should precede GI planning in Addis Ababa. The AHP method was utilized to determine the urban planners' priorities regarding green infrastructure planning principles and their incorporation into planning documents. The findings indicate that multifunctionality has become the most important planning principle for developing green infrastructure. The second objective of this inquiry is to evaluate the incorporation of multifunctionality into Addis Ababa's GI planning documents. Eleven crucial documents were subjected to a content analysis tool that drew on both direct and indirect references within the texts. These documents were reviewed and analyzed using multifunctionality principles derived from the literature on green infrastructure. The document analysis revealed that the meanings of the terms green infrastructure and multifunctionality varied considerably between documents. Except in two documents, the term multifunctionality is not described directly; and in three documents not described explicitly nor implicitly. In addition, the document analysis revealed that the terms "green infrastructure" and "multifunctionality" varied significantly between documents. Despite the fact that experts and professionals identified multifunctionality as a priority principle for the city, there is no standard definition and common description throughout the documents. The results would aid policymakers, planners, and governments in trying to foster multifunctionality.

A Review of Policies and Regulations of Green Infrastructure Establishment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (KL), a capital city of Malaysia has experienced significant development that has led to the fragmentation of urban green spaces. Even though green infrastructure (GI) may address the problem of green space fragmentation, there is a notable gap in the extent to which the existing policies and regulations support the development of GI in KL. Hence, a set of policies and regulations pertaining to GI patch and corridor establishment in KL is reviewed in this study. In total, 77 documents related to policies and regulations that might contribute to GI establishment spatially were studied using thematic analysis. Next, the identified GI elements were themed together based on policies and regulations. The outcomes revealed that most policies and regulations focused on patches with 15 categories, followed by corridors (three categories) and components (one category). A typology of Malaysia’s GI from the policies and regulations is prescribed in this study. The reported findings may catalyse GI planning and establishment in KL for a more sustainable future.

Understanding Urban Green Spaces Typology’s Contribution to Comprehensive Green Infrastructure Planning: A Study of Canberra, the National Capital of Australia

The urban densification agenda for the Australian Capital Territory announced in 2012 as well as the climate-related impacts (such as flood and rising temperature) have made the role of green infrastructure in this city more critical than at any other time. The Living Infrastructure Plan for Canberra was proposed by the local government in 2019 and it is currently being developed. However, there is a lack of understanding of the variety of urban green infrastructure characters, associated urban green space types, and their contributions to the green infrastructure plan. Therefore, this research aims to study the existing types of urban green infrastructure and green spaces in Canberra and investigate their potential sociocultural and ecological contributions that need to be considered in developing green infrastructure plans. To achieve this, we employed a socioecological approach and a mix of methods including a literature review, a review of policy documents, semi-structured interviews with experts, geospatial data, and field observation. Ten main urban green infrastructures were identified in Canberra and associated green spaces and their ecosystem services were discussed. Finally, a framework was delineated to suggest recommendations for the identified urban green infrastructure types with the aim of improving the green infrastructure planning practice by enhancing, preserving, and reinforcing green spaces. The findings provide a foundation for coordinating green infrastructure decision making and suggest a framework for designing high-quality and multifunctional green spaces. The study concludes that further investigation is required to comprehend the diversity of urban green infrastructures and their ecosystem services, co-benefits, synergies, and trade-offs.

INVESTIGATION OF GREEN SPACE COOLING POTENTIAL ON LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN ANTALYA CITY OF TURKEY

Abstract. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential cooling effect of urban green spaces on land surface temperature (LST). Two significant green areas and their surroundings in the Konyaaltı district of Antalya province were selected as the sample area. Antalya is one of the most important tourist destinations in Turkey and has experienced rapid population growth along with increasing construction. Because the sample area is located in the Mediterranean Climate Zone, the research datasets were limited to a 6-month time series covering May and October, as recommended by previous studies. In the study, cloudless Landsat 8 satellite images were utilized to obtain vegetation density and land surface temperature. After making atmospheric corrections to the satellite images, the researchers used a series of algorithms to calculate NDVI and LST values from Landsat 8's NIR, Red, and thermal bands. A linear cross-section was assigned from the maps, and statistical analysis was performed by applying the Pearson correlation test to the data obtained from the pixels in contact with the section. The analysis revealed that there is a strong opposite correlation between plant density and land surface temperature, and the land surface temperature decreases as the plant density increases. The cooling effect of green areas range from 0.13–1.04 °C, although it varies according to the month. The 1st sample area had an average cooling effect of 0.77 °C, while the 2nd sample area had an average of 0.28 °C cooling effect. Combining the results from both sample areas, the researchers found that urban green spaces provide a cooling effect of 0.52 °C during the hot months of the spring and summer seasons in the Mediterranean climate zone. The results suggest that green areas play an important role in cooling today's cities that have turned into concrete jungles. Therefore, it is suggested that increasing the presence of urban green areas through green infrastructure planning can not only enhance the cooling effect of green spaces in urban areas but also help combat global climate change.

Ecological network construction and gradient zoning optimization strategy in urban-rural fringe: A case study of Licheng District, Jinan City, China

Ecological network construction and optimization is an effective way to balance the contradiction between regional development and ecological protection in the process of urbanization. The urban–rural fringe is both a frontier zone in the direction of urban expansion and an important space for improving the urban ecological environment. However, there are few studies on how to construct and optimize the ecological networks in urban–rural fringe. In this paper, the morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR) were firstly employed to initially construct the ecological network and reveal the characteristics and problems of ecological security pattern in the study area. Then, a new ecological network optimization strategy with a multi-scenario coupling of urban–rural gradient spatial zoning was proposed to meet the maximization of integrated benefits of future urban development and ecological protection. The study results show that: (1) Urbanization caused a high fragmentation of ecological patches, and exerted a strong spatial hindrance to ecological processes. (2) The spatial distribution of the initially constructed ecological network was extremely uneven, and ecological communication in the north–south direction was severely difficult. The optimized ecological network was significantly improved in this respect, and the priority construction of important corridors will also help to strengthen ecological communication in the direction of urban–rural gradient. (3) The proposed optimization strategy improved the connectivity and accessibility of the ecological network in Licheng District, and enhanced its structure, which will promote the overall ecological process cycle and better balanced the urban development and ecological protection. (4) Policy makers should strengthen the construction and implementation of ecological green corridors and forest belts in urban–rural fringe to achieve a balance between urban development and ecological protection. This study can provide scientific references for biodiversity conservation, green infrastructure planning, and sustainable development in the process of urbanization.

Stewardship and green infrastructure in England. Planning perspectives informed through an investigation of urban green infrastructure

The aim of this study is to explore the relationships and perspectives of stakeholders involved in the stewardship of ‘urban green infrastructure’ in England. We used stewardship of the urban forest network (trees and associated green space) as a focal point by referring to four meanings of ‘Stewardship’, i.e. Motivation, Ethic, Outcome and Action proposed by Peçanha Enqvist et al. (2018). We studied the perspectives of stakeholders through a multi-regional approach, in five English cities (Newcastle/Gateshead, Leeds, Sheffield, Coventry and Bristol), assessing their views expressed via questionnaire and analysing responses through NVivo. We found support for stewardship as a key aspect of urban green infrastructure planning, one that encourages ‘bottom up’ participation. In the specific area of urban forestry in England we propose that to ensure a co-stewardship role, planning professionals and citizens should work together at all levels to identify key roles and stewardship niches that are complementary.

Planning for green infrastructure based on integration of multi-driving factors: A case study in pilot site of sponge city

The implementation of green infrastructure (GI) is crucial for improving the resilience of cities to the challenges of urbanization and climate change. However, the practicality of GI retrofitting is often neglected in traditional GI planning, which tends to focus mainly on the benefits of GI. In this study, we spatially quantify regional states from six aspects, including stormwater management, air quality, access to green space, urban heat island effect, habitat quality and development level on 1km2 grids. While the first five indicators represent the benefits of GI, the last indicator represents the opportunity cost for GI retrofitting. These regional states are treated as driving factors to sway overall GI planning and are further integrated for synergy and trade-off analysis, priority ranking and grids clustering. The results reveal significant spatial unevenness of regional states, which indicates the necessity for targeted GI planning. The spatial pattern of synergy and priority ranking suggests that the city center in the eastern bank of the river should be prioritized for GI intervention. Adaptive GI strategies are proposed based on the results of grids clustering. The developed approach could be conducive for decision makers in implementing targeted GI planning for responding to spatial unevenness.

Silva Nova – Restoring soil biology and soil functions to gain multiple benefits in new forests

Afforestation is proposed as one of the most effective climate solutions for carbon sequestration. As a majority of threatened species are linked to forests, afforestation can also contribute to mitigate the biodiversity crisis. There is however a caveat: the agricultural legacy (high nutrient availability, altered soil biota structure and function) of new forests constrains the development of forest-adapted species, affects tree growth and stability, and delays environmental benefits from afforestation. We hypothesize that inoculation of former arable land with soil (including microbiome, fauna and seeds/rhizomes of understory vegetation) from old forests along with targeted tree species mixtures will improve productivity and more rapidly restore forest-adapted communities. This will ultimately result in diverse, stable and resilient multifunctional forests. We will test this hypothesis and develop applied inoculation methods by: i) exploring soil biota and benchmarking biodiversity in existing afforestation research Chronosequence platforms (chronosequences and sites with increasing distance to other forests); ii) conducting inoculation experiments in mesocosms to measure seedling performance and, above- and belowground linkages; iii) establishing field-scale inoculation experiments in new and existing afforestations to test short- and long-term inoculation success on forest productivity, biodiversity and soil functioning at the ecosystem scale; iv) incorporating the landscape context into guidelines and tools for spatially explicit prioritization of areas for assisted dispersal. The aims are to resolve barriers for successful restoration and develop landscape-scale afforestation strategies that optimize productivity and biodiversity for the planning and implementation of green infrastructure; and produce basic knowledge on the tree, understory vegetation, soil fauna and microbiome nexus and its effect on forest productivity, biodiversity and soil functions (N-retention, C-sequestration, methane uptake).

A Decision Support Tool for Green Infrastructure Planning in the Face of Rapid Urbanization

Multifunctional green infrastructure, a key component of compact sustainable cities, is challenged by the pressures associated with rapid urbanization. In this paper, we present a method that uses remote sensing, GIS modeling and stakeholder engagement to produce a decision support tool that communicates the availability and need for green infrastructure benefits. The case study presented is the City of Tshwane, South Africa, a Global South city facing rapid urbanization. We found that this method of mapping green infrastructure benefits can provide simultaneous oversight on multiple objectives for green infrastructure, including climate change adaptation, biodiversity, and equitable distribution of urban green space. We found that low-scoring benefit areas occur in dense urban areas where small-scale nature-based solutions or rehabilitation activities are required. Moderate benefit scores occurred in parts of the city that are vulnerable to urban expansion and densification activities, warranting the careful planning of green infrastructure provision, and that moderate-to-high-scoring areas can be protected as conservation areas. The results are discussed in terms of the role of decision support tools for urban planning practice. Composite indexes can provide important guidance to decision-makers involved in spatial planning and urban upgrading and expansion activities.

A Methodological Tool to Integrate Theoretical Concepts in Climate Change Adaptation to Spatial Planning

Climate change adaptation has become an important policy domain, as it has the potential to substantially reduce many of the adverse impacts of climate change. Several scientific terms and general concepts have been used to comprehend adaptation, including vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, adaptability, and resilience. However, most of these concepts are often used in inconsistent ways and their relationship is to a large extent unclear. As a result, there is a lack of clear understanding of adaptation and its practical implementation in fields such as spatial planning, whose role in tackling climate change, especially through ecosystem approaches, is critical. This paper attempts to investigate the practical integration of adaptation in the context of spatial planning, specifically through Green Infrastructure (GI) planning. Applying a thematic analysis to 91 scientific and major policy documents, the main determinants of the critical concepts that relate to adaptation were identified, classified, and intertwined with key determinants of GI planning and design. The analysis led to the development of a methodological tool, named REAd GrIn. This model can be used to prepare and evaluate spatial plans and policies, which integrate the concepts of resilience, vulnerability, and adaptability to achieve adaptation through spatial planning.