Urban Green Space Pattern Research Articles

Progress and prospect of the spatiotemporal change and ecosystem services evaluation of urban green space pattern

Progress and prospect of the spatiotemporal change and ecosystem services evaluation of urban green space pattern

A Quantitatively Comparative Study on Green Pattern of Urban Park in Beijing, London, Paris and New York Using Spatial Statistics Model

This paper comparatively analyzed green pattern content of Beijing, London and Paris, New York with three spatial statistical models: average nearest neighbor analysis method, weighted standard deviation ellipse method and kernel density method to achieve scientific and accurate data analysis. The paper analyzed aggregation level and distribution of urban parks, area distribution of urban parks and green pattern overall model analysis of four cities. Finally, three analysis methods of spatial statistical models provided new ideas for research on urban green space pattern and effectively realized scientific and refined research of green pattern.

Multi-year comparison of the effects of spatial pattern of urban green spaces on urban land surface temperature

Urban greening is increasingly viewed by cities worldwide as an effective measure to mitigate adverse impacts of urban heat island (UHI) effect. Despite the recognition of the possible influence of spatial pattern of urban green spaces (UGS) on their cooling effect by a small, yet growing body of literature, the results are inconsistent and inconclusive. This may be due to varying numbers and types of landscape metrics, and different statistical methods used in different studies, as well as scale-dependency of metrics and contextual differences between cities. We believe that comparative study across time and space using consistent methodology may overcome these challenges. We examined the relationships between spatial pattern and cooling effect of UGS in Singapore from 1973 to 2015 using a range of statistical and spatial methods. Landsat images were used to derive land cover and land surface temperature (LST) maps. Our results showed that: (1) four metrics of PLAND, SHAPE_AM, PD, and ENN_AM could effectively quantify UGS pattern and its relationships with LST across the years; (2) in addition to the amount of UGS (composition), four aspects of UGS configuration significantly influenced LST across the years namely, patch size, shape complexity, aggregation and fragmentation, and connectivity; (3) relative importance of composition versus configuration may depend on the existing UGS pattern; (4) relatively larger patches that are simpler in shape, more connected, and less fragmented were associated with lower LST. We discuss the significance of the results and insights they provide on optimizing UGS pattern for higher cooling effects.

Social Ecology and Urban Green Spaces in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study analyses and explains the spatial pattern of urban green spaces based on a new approach, the application of the concept of social ecology with data collected from 3410 respondents selected across the 104 communities in Ibadan using stratified random sampling technique of projected population of Ibadan for 2015 estimated at 1,783, 367 with four sample percentages, 0.1% 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.8 % respectively. Bivariate correlation analysis of SPSS version 21 was used to determine the significant social ecology indicators at P ≤ 0.05. Results show that the spatial pattern of green spaces was clustered indicating an uneven distribution of the benefits and burdens of urban green spaces for the year 2015. There are significant relationships between green spaces occurrence and such social ecology indicators as occupation (P = 0.001), income (P = 0.002) and housing type (P = 0.002). Thus, the distribution of green spaces is a function of the various social structures in existence in the metropolis. The commonly used indicators for social ecology in the literature for geographical studies are income, race and education. This study identified two additional possible indicators: occupation, and housing type. Keywords : social ecology, urbanization, green spaces, GIS

Spatial pattern of urban green spaces in a long-term compact urbanization process—A case study in China

In the process of compact city development, the limited availability of the land resources for green space (GS) would represent a major challenge for urban environments. In this paper, the long-term compact urbanization process of an island city (Xiamen, China) was selected as an example to analyze the historical spatial patterns of GS within the built environment. This study focused on urban GS at a neighborhood scale to analyze GS on a fine scale. Urban GS was extracted using the normalized difference vegetation index based on GF-1 remote sensing images. The results revealed several trends: (1) Newer built-up areas had a larger proportion of GS, more diversified GS types, and larger per-capita GS area. (2) The proportion of GS within various urban functional land use types presented great differences, both at the class level (age of the built-up area) and at the landscape level (the entire built-up area). (3) Significant differences in the proportion of GS and per-capita GS area were identified among various residential land types. The results from this study can contribute to the practical application of urban planning and policy-making.

Evaluation and sustainable development on ecological service value for urban green space system in Hangzhou City

Based on the concepts of ecological services value index (IESE), economic development index (IED) and social benefit index (ISB), the research used the method of entire-array-polygon diagram index to evaluate the ecological services value of urban green area in Hangzhou between 2005 and 2014 and calculate the comprehensive index of sustainable development of ecological service. The results showed that the total ecological services value of urban green space system in Hangzhou had increased from 1 440.67×106 RMB in 2005 to 2 463.22×106 RMB in 2014; the annual comprehensive indexes of sustainable development of ecological service in these ten years were 0, 0.008, 0.107, 0.341, 0.105, 0.781, 1.020, 0.834, 0.772 and 0.836 respectively. The ability of sustainable development had been fluctuating, showing the trend of increasing first and then decreasing. The relationship among ecological services value index (IESE), economic development index (IED) and social benefit index (ISB) could be described in linear equation: S＝0.912IESE-0.742IED+0.431ISB-0.084. The assessment of the ecological services value of urban green area and the research on sustainable development in Hangzhou will provide reference for optimizing the pattern of urban green space, and sustainable and coordinated development of ecology and economy.

Urban green spaces, their spatial pattern, and ecosystem service value: The case of Beijing

Green spaces provide various kinds of ecosystem service functions. Though some of them, such as the carbon-sinking and biodiversity preservation functions are of value to everyone, others, especially those related to aesthetic and recreational functions, only benefit people who have direct access to green spaces. In urban settings, where ecosystem services in the second category prevail, this means the spatial dimension of urban green spaces, including their richness, accessibility, shape configuration, and distributional characteristics, may considerably influence the realization of their ecosystem service value, and is therefore subject to scrutiny. In this paper, we study how the spatial pattern of urban green spaces influence the realization of their ecosystem service value by utilizing the Hedonic Price Modeling (HPM) method. Taking Beijing as the case, we use the price and other information in the city's developable land transaction records from 2000 to 2004 to construct the HPM, and use Landscape Ecological Metrics (LEM) as proxies of the spatial characteristics of urban green spaces. Four LEMs are used to measure the above mentioned spatial characteristics of urban green spaces. While subject to certain shortcomings in data quality and quantitative estimations of the magnitude of the spatial effects cannot be made, results show that most spatial characteristics of urban green spaces do influence their ecosystem service value as embedded in land value, except for the shape configuration characteristic for which the study yields no result. Further, specifically for Beijing, results indicate that in order to effectively realize their ecosystem service value, green spaces should occupy between 2.20% and 13.40% of the total urban area, located within a 50–550 m range from other developments, with green space patches so divided that each patch occupies more than 3.00% but less than 62.50% of the total green space area, and the ecosystem service value will be at the optimal level when each patch occupies 20.00% of the total green space area. Lastly, we stress the practical significance of the findings, urging an integration of the spatial patterns aspect of urban green spaces in urban planning practices.

Effect of urban green space changes on the role of rainwater runoff reduction in Beijing, China

The effects of urban green spaces on stormwater runoff have increasingly attracted attention because of climate change and rapid urbanization conditions. This study investigates the spatial–temporal changes of urban green spaces in Beijing and estimates their effects on rainwater runoff reduction based on an empirical model. Results indicate that green spaces in Beijing decreased by 199km2 from 2000 to 2010 and that landscape patches became increasingly isolated and fragmented. The volume of rainwater runoff controlled by urban green spaces first increased and then decreased with the increase in summer rainfall. The runoff reduction rate continuously decreased from 23% in 2000 to 17% in 2010, which is mainly attributed to the composition changes in urban green spaces. In addition, an immense regional difference that is closely related to the changes in the largest patch and aggregation indices of urban green spaces are observed in different regions. This study recommends an optimal landscape pattern of urban green spaces for the planning and management of green spaces in highly urbanized areas.

Cost–benefit analysis of the leisure value of urban greening in the new Chinese city of Zhuhai

Nature in cities is increasingly preserved or created to improve urban environmental quality. Green space provision is proceeding apace in many Chinese cities. Cost–benefit analysis of such projects is needed to justify the level of investment and the use of public funds. This paper assessed the use pattern of urban green spaces in the new Zhuhai city in south China, and employed the contingent valuation method to estimate the non-market leisure value of an ambitious new urban greening project. A questionnaire survey of 850 randomly chosen households was conducted. Some 65.7% of respondents used public green spaces for leisure frequently and young residents aged 20–30 were less frequent users. The new greening project was strongly supported for its leisure and ecological values. The logit regression model indicated that household income and bid amount would affect individual willingness-to-pay (WTP). The mean WTP was RMB161.84 per household per year, translated into an aggregate leisure value of RMB12.3 million per year. The net present value is projected to be RMB-32.94 million and the discounted benefit–cost ratio is 0.88 when other benefits were not included. The findings confirmed community support and verified the application of cost–benefit analysis in projects related to non-market public goods, and the applicability of contingent valuation method in the Chinese context. The study could serve as the basis to launch other cost–benefits analysis of nature conservation projects which need urgent attention in view of the rapid pace of urbanization in China to contribute to sustainable city goals.

Analyzing urban green space pattern and eco-network in Hanoi, Vietnam

In Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, there has recently been a growing awareness about the roles and benefits of greening in urbanized areas. As a result, planners and decision-makers propose a combination of water bodies and green areas, using cultural as well as historic values, in a strategic concept for city planning in Hanoi. This study aims at quantifying the landscape patterns and ecological processes or clearly linking pattern to process to identify green space changes and their driving forces, based on gradient analysis combined with landscape metrics, GIS support, and FRAGSTATS 3.3, from 1996 to 2003. The results of gradient analysis taken four directions show that green spaces have been become more fragmented in this period, especially in the south and west directions. These changes could be caused by land use change, economic growth, population increase, urbanization, and weakness in planning and managing the urban development. From this context, graph theory was also applied to find any eco-networking, by mitigating the fragmentation and enhancing the green space connectivity, as a biodiversity conservation strategy for the city. Analyzing the green network based on graph theory indicates that among six different network scenarios which were produced from several models (Traveling Salesman, Paul Revere, Least Cost to User), network F with 37 links, and gamma (0.07), beta (0.62), cost ratio (0.606), circuitry (0.098) and connectivity (0.398) is the best option for ecological restoration in the Hanoi city. This will be a basis for the 2020 Green Space Planning in Hanoi.

Measuring urban sustainability

The present study investigated the spatial distribution and accessibility of parks and urban green spaces in Tehran using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and the Geographical Information System (GIS) with an emphasis on the approach of spatial justice. For the purpose of analyzing the spatial distribution pattern of urban green spaces in Tehran, the nearest neighbor method and multi-distance spatial cluster analysis were applied. As a result, the spatial distribution pattern of this land use strongly resembled a clustered pattern, and the accessibility and distribution of green spaces in Tehran were unequal. Also, based on the Cocoso method as well, which was used to analyze access to green spaces and parks, districts 10 and 11 are by far Tehran's most deprived districts. Distribution of services in the city based on per capita in the form of comprehensive and detailed plans, financial and technical problems of municipalities, lack of approach to planning and sustainable development on a national, regional and local scale in Iran's planning system, lack of integrated urban management in the Tehran's city management system, the emphasis of most urban planning theories in Iran on planning processes and ignoring social and spatial structures are some of the main reasons for this inequality. To reduce inequality between the districts of Tehran, it is essential to devise effective regional planning and adopt balanced and impartial policies for providing equal accessibility of resources in all urban districts. The findings enhance our understanding of the level of urban inequity and the potential causes of inequality with respect to accessibility to green spaces in metropolitan areas. This study also sheds light on the critical role of policy-making in this process. These findings have implications for urban managers in terms of the accessibility, allocation, and distribution of urban services in different cities of Iran and the world.