Urban Green Space Planning Research Articles

What might ‘just green enough’ urban development mean in the context of climate change adaptation? The case of urban greenspace planning in Taipei Metropolis, Taiwan

This paper argues that climate change adaptation through strategic greenspace planning requires scholars and planners to think differently about what equity means in an urban greenspace context. We use the heat mitigation potential of greenspace and the case of Taipei Metropolis in Taiwan to assess challenges arising from thinking about fairness in terms of distribution of benefits from greenspace functions, as opposed to fairness in greenspace accessibility and availability. Urban greening to foster ‘resilient’ communities arguably deflects from – or even exacerbates – structural causes of vulnerability, with benefits accruing disproportionately to more affluent or empowered groups. Yet the need for practical action on climate threats in cities is urgent, and for heat, strategic greenspace use considered systematically across a city may mitigate effects through the cooling effect of vegetation. The challenge is thus to balance the justice concerns associated with urban greening with this tangible risk reduction potential.We undertake content analysis of articles from two Taiwanese newspapers – the Taipei Times and the China Post – to assess how heat and greenspace issues have been discussed in urban governance debates within Taipei. We suggest change adaptation through urban greening raises three challenges for equity thinking: (a) guiding planning and governance processes with scientific understanding of how greenspace functions are delivered, even in the face of urban development pressures and site-specific controversies; (b) tempering the social cohesion and practical deployment benefits of neighbourhood-level greening with the need for specific understanding at the city-wide level to most effectively realise ecosystem services; and (c) linking targeted adaptation actions with broader rationales for urban greening, whilst not diluting justice concerns. We caution that pragmatism towards all urban climate adaptation via greening as intrinsically ‘good’ must not serve as a blinder to the need for accompanying social policy measures to reduce unequal vulnerability to climate risks.

Effects of Green space landscape patterns on particulate matter in Zhejiang Province, China

Particulate matter (PM) pollution and its health effects are receiving more attention. Green space can provide critical ecosystem services, and increasing the supply of green space can reduce PM pollution, but effects of green spaces on PM at different scales are not clear. Based on the traffic and meteorological factors from 50 monitoring stations, principal composition cluster analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were implemented. Daily PMs (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations were measured at 50 monitoring stations in Zhejiang (1 Feb 2015 to 28 Feb 2017) to quantify the spatiotemporal change of PM concentration and its empirical relationship with green spaces and landscape structure. The result shows: (1) At 5-km, or smaller, scale, the correlation between green space and PM2.5 is stronger than PM10; (2) at 2-km scale or less, the total edge length has more impact on PMs than green cover area, while at 3–5-km scale, the influence of green cover is more dominated; (3) In the mountain and hilly area in Zhejiang that are dominated by meteorological factors, we can establish the PM2.5 forecast model by 3–4-km scale green spaces, while in those basins or low lands, we can build the PM2.5 forecast model by using 1–2-km scale green spaces. The results are of great importance for urban green space planning, especially when it comes to the size and shape of the green space. In addition, it can provide guidance to the future application of LUR model in Zhejiang area.

Evaluation and Planning of Urban Green Space Distribution Based on Mobile Phone Data and Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Method

Urban green space is closely related to the quality of life of residents. However, the traditional approach to its planning often fails to address its actual service capacity and users’ demand. In this study, facilitated by mobile phone location data, more specific features of the spatial distribution of urban residents are identified. Further, population distribution in relation to traffic analysis zones is mapped. On this basis, the two-step floating catchment area method (2SFCA) is adopted in combination with urban green space planning to evaluate the per capita area of green space and its accessibility in practice. Subsequently, classification of per capita area and spatial distribution of green spaces within the study area are obtained; thus, urban districts currently with low accessibility to green areas are identified and can be deemed as key areas for the planning of green areas in the future. The study concludes that mobile phone data can be used to more accurately map the spatial distribution of residents; while, the 2SFCA offers a more comprehensive quantitative measuring of the supply and demand of green spaces. The two combined can be used as an important basis for decision-making in the planning of urban green spaces. Since urban green space can be regarded as a kind of public facility, the methodology of the present study is also believed to be applicable in studies of other types of urban facilities.

Assessment and optimization of green space for urban transformation in resources-based city – A case study of Lengshuijiang city, China

Urbanization in China has changed gradually from production-oriented to consumption-oriented in recent years. Comfort and accessibility of green infrastructures effect the rate of urbanization and transformation. A well designed urban green space system is an essential part of the urbanization process. In this paper, the urban green space of Lengshuijiang city was assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively using data of field survey and high resolution remote sensing. In the study area, green space coverage was 37.14%, green space percentage was 33.45% and per capita park green space was 16.25 m2. The high green space coverage suggested that there were ample potentials for further urban transformation. Within a 30 min service radius of existing green space, total service area was 204.49 ha, which accounted for 16.26% of the study area. A high proportion of the green space was made up of urban parks which were unevenly distributed across the study area. A green space optimization strategy, aimed at improving green space quality and accessibility, was proposed. After optimization, total service areas within the 30 min service radius will increase to 492 ha (39.12%), an increase of 22.86%. Our study demonstrated that combining qualitative and quantitative methods is an effective and reliable way for green space assessment and reliable and can be used for urban green space planning and management for small resource-based cities like Lengshuijiang in its process of urban transformation.

Methodological framework for urban sprawl control through sustainable planning of urban green infrastructure

Urban sprawl is a significant challenge in urban areas and its negative influence on the quality of living confronts the scientific community, authorities, and stakeholders in identifying solutions to mitigate or minimize this trend.Vacant lands are common in the urban landscape, particularly in sprawling cities. In this paper, we hypothesized that by increasing the attractivity of urban vacant land through urban green space development, residential development will intensify within the city boundaries, enhancing the concept of a compact city as opposed to urban sprawl and simultaneously negating urban densification. Planning new urban green spaces increases the efficiency of the urban green infrastructure and provides ecosystem services. We used analytical hierarchy processes to determine criteria to be deemed necessary when planning new urban green spaces. We also determined the suitability of 27 types of green spaces being part of an urban green infrastructure and assessed green areas recommendations for five urban zones. Finally, we identified available vacant land for potential future urban green spaces in Ploieşti, Romania.Our results have demonstrated that criteria such as biodiversity conservation, climate change regulation, and air quality improvement are to be adopted when planning new urban green spaces. Natural features are to be included, thus urban forests, transitional ecosystem, or local natural reserves are suitable in providing the desired ecosystem services in urban areas. Land availability assessments disclosed the locations and areas of presently available tracks. The proposed methodological framework provides a valuable approach to urban green space planning in the context of urban sprawl in the cities.

Spatio-temporal disparity between demand and supply of park green space service in urban area of Wuhan from 2000 to 2014

Various green space researches are conducted on spatial and social analysis in regional scale, but few of them focus on the disparities of access to green spaces in spatial-temporal dynamics analysis in small-scale of cities in developing countries. This paper employed integrated approaches to analyze the spatial-temporal disparities between demand and supply of park green spaces (PGSs) of two traffic modes (walking and driving) in grid scale of urban center in Wuhan from 2000 to 2014: the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method calculated the accessibilities; the coefficient of variation measured the changes; and the spatial correlation analysis clarified the effects of spatial disparities by accessibility changes of each mode. Our results indicated that the supply and demand of PGSs both increased. The spatial disparities of park green spaces in urban center of Wuhan and seven districts were significantly different in walking and driving in different periods. The temporal disparities decreased by 4.6% in 2010 and then increased by 90.7% in 2014 in walking, whereas that in driving increased continually (i.e., 13.0% and 41.1% in 2010 and 2014, respectively). Spatial autocorrelation analysis affirmed that the spatial agglomeration of accessibility was profoundly strong stronger, whereas temporal correlation was weak. In addition, we discussed the factors of the changes in disparities by bivariate analysis, which verified that policies and strategies (e.g., urban green space planning, transportation planning and population policy) were the key factors of PGSs accessibility. Decision makers and planners may pay considerable attention on the quality of park services and traffic conditions right along, but the comprehensive effects of surrounding land use and socioeconomic context impacts could not be ignored. The results can provide a comprehensive understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of the urban green space, and also help decision makers and planners to balance economic development and green conservation.

Los espacios verdes en la ciudad sostenible

En el presente artículo se analiza la introducción de la noción de desarrollo sostenible en el ordenamiento jurídico y político chileno, particularmente en el ámbito de la planificación territorial de los espacios verdes urbanos.

Is urban agriculture urban green space? A comparison of policy arrangements for urban green space and urban agriculture in Santiago de Chile

Urban green spaces are crucial for citizens’ wellbeing. Nonetheless, many Latin American cities struggle to provide sufficient and equitable green space distribution for their citizens. By looking at the Chilean capital Santiago as an example, this paper examines whether the growing urban agriculture movement provides a feasible opportunity to increase public urban green space access. It does so by using the policy arrangement approach to analyse change and stability in two policy domains: urban green space planning and urban agriculture. The paper investigates urban green spaces and urban agriculture and the role of practitioners, urban planners and policymakers. The analysis found opportunities for urban agriculture to facilitate the expansion of urban green spaces in Santiago if policy mechanisms enable private or public spaces to be maintained by citizen organizations. Such mechanisms may, however, encounter resistance from public agencies, as it is unresolved who is involved and who benefits from urban agriculture. The paper concludes that urban agriculture is an opportunity for urban greening in Santiago, although changes are needed in how green areas are planned and conceived. Additionally, urban agriculture should not be understood as a substitute for parks but as a complementary form of green space provision with a distinctive value.

Consideration of urban green space in impact assessments for health

This paper explores how health aspects connected with the planning of urban green space are currently supported through two types of impact assessments: health impact assessment (HIA) and environmental assessment, including strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of policies, plans and programmes and environmental impact assessment (EIA) of projects. Seven HIAs and five EIAs/SEAs from the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany are reviewed, using an analytical framework designed on the basis of a literature review. An important finding is that whilst all HIAs follow a problem-/objectives-driven approach, designing guidelines for potential future projects, all EIAs/SEAs use an impact-driven approach, focusing on the impacts of planned and concrete action. HIAs therefore approach policy, plan, programme and project-making exercises from the outside, making suggestions to those working on them to consider certain aspects in the future, rather than working with them on improving things within a decision-making process, as is usually is usually the case with EIAs/SEAs.

Urban green infrastructure in Europe: Is greenspace planning and policy compliant?

Urban green infrastructure (UGI) planning, based on certain principles, has emerged as a way to conceptualise connected greenspace in urbanised environments. This is achieved through the application of processes and approaches linked to policy themes to which the concept can significantly contribute. Taken together the processes, approaches and policy themes constitute the principles of UGI, which when adopted can promote, maintain and enhance quality of life in resource-efficient, compact and climate-resilient cities. In this study we explore the extent to which strategic greenspace planning in Europe is UGI compliant, as we hypothesised that the above principles are presently under-represented in planning documents and policies. This was accomplished by conducting a comparative analysis of the adoption of UGI principles in current practices of greenspace planning across European city-regions based on a systematic review of previous data and reports. The study found that many UGI principles and related concepts are present to some degree in strategic greenspace planning in Europe. However, gaps exist with regard to their scope and level of consideration. Presently, conservation emerges as the predominant task in strategic urban greenspace planning. However, enhancing network connectivity is key to the development of UGI, hence a greater focus on the restoration and creation of greenspace is required in the future. Based on our analysis it can be concluded that the advancement towards UGI planning is well established and progressing, although some areas are markedly under-represented. Strategic greenspace planning in Europe, with a few exceptions, requires further development to be effectively considered as UGI compliant.

Was ist «Urban Forestry»?

What is “urban forestry”? This question is discussed in an interview with Cecil C. Konijnendijk van den Bosch, Professor of Urban Forestry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (CA). Urban forestry is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the planning, design and management of urban green spaces, and in particular with trees and forests as elements of these urban green spaces. Urban forestry is gaining importance because of health promotion policies, the improvement of quality of life in cities, and cities adapting to climate change. Urban forestry programs should be well connected with urban planning and feature a strong social dimension. Some good urban forestry programs can be found at the local level, e.g. in the city of Melbourne (AU). How ever, national urban forestry programs including political standards and funding are rather rare. In this respect, the most advanced urban forest policies can be found in the US; in Europe, the UK is probably ahead in terms of integrating urban forestry into national policies.

Biodiversity in the city: key challenges for urban green space management

Cities play important roles in the conservation of global biodiversity, particularly through the planning and management of urban green spaces (UGS). However, UGS management is subject to a complex assortment of interacting social, cultural, and economic factors, including governance, economics, social networks, multiple stakeholders, individual preferences, and social constraints. To help deliver more effective conservation outcomes in cities, we identify major challenges to managing biodiversity in UGS and important topics warranting further investigation. Biodiversity within UGS must be managed at multiple scales while accounting for various socioeconomic and cultural influences. Although the environmental consequences of management activities to enhance urban biodiversity are now beginning to be addressed, additional research and practical management strategies must be developed to balance human needs and perceptions while maintaining ecological processes.

Infrastructure and institutions: Stakeholder perspectives of stormwater governance in Chicago

This article examines the ways stakeholder preferences and perspectives of stormwater management converge and diverge in Chicago. With a greater emphasis on broad stakeholder participation in urban environmental governance and decision-making, accommodating and moderating multiple and competing perspectives will become a greater part of urban green-space planning. Decision-makers must choose how resources are to be allocated to manage stormwater and decide among the multiple and sometimes conflicting options available to reduce the impact of stormwater at different sites across the city and region. This paper examines the disparate understandings of how to best manage stormwater in the city. The results reveal that departmental silos may not adequately explain variation in stakeholder perspectives. Instead, two dominant perspectives towards stormwater management connect diverse stakeholder groups in Chicago: the Infrastructural Interventionist and the Institutional Interventionist. The first strongly views stricter laws and regulations, developed in tandem with science and data-driven approaches, as the best way to improve stormwater management. The second desires new rules and institutions to foster integrated management approaches, as well as more robust economic instruments capable of assigning a monetary value to stormwater, as critical to resolving stormwater problems. Conflicting points of perspective arise around the preferred type of infrastructure to be implemented to deal with stormwater and how it is to be developed. Understanding how these two social perspectives interact and conflict is important in considering the actions that will ultimately be undertaken to direct landscape changes capable of resolving the multiple challenges Chicago faces in managing stormwater.

Does Neighborhood Green Infrastructure (NGI) Affect Residents’ Self-Perceived Health?

Research has shown that physical inactivity is prevalent among urban residents. It is due to sedentary living and spending a little time on outdoor recreational activities. This study implies that nearby parks, green spaces or even activities on neighborhood streets can increase participation in the outdoors, thus improve health. The aim of the study was to investigate whether neighborhood green infrastructure (NGI) relates to urban residents’ self-perceive health. The findings were derived from 650 self-administered survey questionnaires, which were distributed to residents in Bandar Tun Razak. Findings suggest that the NGI encourages physical and recreational activities and satisfaction to health. Therefore, a connected NGI in towns and cities will increase the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle and promotes health equity. The unbroken sequential journey from home via tree-line streets and sidewalks with neighborhood open spaces and recreational park allows users to experience nature in the built environment. The health effects that are experienced by the urban residents will provide a basic framework to promote health by design. This finding can be translated into policy on health promotion in Malaysia through landscape design and planning of urban green spaces. Keywords: Neighborhood green infrastructure (NGI), Urban residents, Sequential experience, Health.

Numerical Study of the Impact of Green Space Layout on Microclimate

Green space offers great benefits to urban environment quality. There has been lots of research on urban green space planning and landscape ecological effect, however, few quantitative work has been carried out on its microclimate impact. The current relevant studies have been more focused on greening quantity, with less concern for greening structure. Evaluation of wind field, thermal comfort and air quality is also important for microclimate research as well as thermal environment. ENVI-met model is set up and microclimate is evaluated for temperature, wind speed, thermal comfort and concentration of PM10. The results show that eco-greening plot ratio are positively correlated with day-time cooling effects and thermal comfort of green land, and negatively correlated with wind speed and PM10 concentration. Landscape diversity index of tree patch in home-site greenbelt is negatively correlated with cooling effects and particle deposition, while positively correlated with wind speed.

Features of urban green space favourable for large and diverse bee populations (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apiformes)

Cities are habitats created almost exclusively for a single species, Homo sapiens. However, the mosaic-like character of urban environments may create favourable living conditions for various populations of bees. Due to the negative impact of intensified agriculture and landscape fragmentation on pollinator insects, interest in urban areas as refuges for local bee fauna is growing. The author’s three-year research has shown that the distance of a bee community from a large green space with direct connection to suburban areas is the decisive factor for bee species richness in a city. The proximity of such green space areas facilities penetration of species into cities. As for the density of bees in the urban environment, it was largely determined by host plant cover. These data are of practical importance, as they may be used in future urban green space planning.

Analysis of the Psychological Effects of Exposure to Different Types of Waterscape Facilities for Urban Green Space Planning

Analysis of the Psychological Effects of Exposure to Different Types of Waterscape Facilities for Urban Green Space Planning

Spatial equity analysis of urban green space from the perspective of balance between supply and demand: A case study of Futian District, Shenzhen, China.

Urban green space is an important ecological landscape, whose spatial distribution plays a significant role in improving the eco-environment and people's living quality. This study was initia-ted from the perspective of supply and demand balance to evaluate the equity of distribution of urban parks, drawing on previous research, and introduced an integrated framework for evaluating the equity of urban public facilities using spatial multi-analysis. A method concerning gravity model to assess the equity of urban green space was introduced, taking the effect of boundary into account. The case study area was the Futian District of Shenzhen and its 2000 m buffer area. Then, some optimizations were suggested for better allocation of the green space. The results showed that the equity of Futian District was low. The equity of community parks was lowest, followed by that of regional parks, while the countryside ecological parks owned the highest equity. About 50% of the Futian district area was in a state of balance between supply and demand and the rest were in a state of insufficient supply. Greening rate and space allocation of parks and road traffic systems should be improved to better plan the green space in Futian District. For urban green space planning, the parks of small area should be paid more attention to meet the needs of residents for daily recreation. By taking the effect of boundary into account, we observed that the residential area on the edge of the study area could enjoy the park green space, and the green space in the boundary area outside the region would be also shared by residents on both sides of the administrative boundary.

Appraisal of social-ecological innovation as an adaptive response by stakeholders to local conditions: Mapping stakeholder involvement in horticulture orientated green space management

Urban areas are hubs of creativity and innovation providing fertile ground for novel responses to modern environmental challenges. Previous studies have attempted to conceptualise the ecological, social and political potential of social-ecological innovation in urban green space management. However, little work has been conducted on the social-ecological conditions influencing their occurrence and distribution. Further research is therefore necessary to demonstrate whether stakeholder stewardship of green resources contributes towards adaptive capacity in social-ecological systems. The research reported here explored the extent of organised social-ecological innovations in a continuous urban landscape comprising three adjoining metropolitan areas: Manchester, Salford and Trafford (UK). Examples of horticulture orientated organised social-ecological innovation were identified using a snowball-sampling method. Their distribution, explored with GIS and remote sensing technology, was found to be significantly associated with levels of both, social and ecological, deprivation. The study presented social-ecological innovation as an adaptive response to environmental stressors, conditioned by specific social and ecological parameters in the landscape. It therefore provides empirical support for social-ecological innovation as a valid ingredient contributing to resilience in adaptive social-ecological systems. Not only do such collective community-led elements of natural resource management warrant acknowledgement in urban green space planning, but their distribution and productivity may provide a valuable social-ecological laboratory for the study of polycentric governance and adaptive capacity in the urban environment.

Urban greenspace delivery in Hong Kong: Spatial-institutional limitations and solutions

Hong Kong has developed an ultra-dense urban form dominated by buildings and roads with inadequate urban greenspace (UGS). Analyzing the fundamental constraints to UGS provision offers hints for improvements which are relevant to other compact cities. Twenty-five current issues regarding institutional and spatial limitations were evaluated with reference to three themes: open-space planning standards, urban-design guidelines and urban-greening governance. They were studied by interpreting relevant parts of government documents spanning the 1980s to 2015, map analysis, and field assessments. UGS standards of selected cities, and extensive research findings and practices reported in the literature specific to the respective constraints, have been enlisted for comparison and as the basis for formulating recommendations to improve delivery quantity and quality. The low local supply at merely 2.84m2/person is tied down by outdated planning standards and policies which have remained unchanged for eight decades. UGS planning, design and management could be enhanced based on urban ecology and landscape ecology principles and best international practices, with suitable adjustments catering to local circumstances and the inordinately tight urban fabric. The package of suggested solutions in relation to the 25 institutional and spatial constraints could be considered for applications in other cities with compact precincts or undergoing densification to forestall problems and resolve difficulties.