Green Space Provision Research Articles

Community-led management of the (urban) commons: lessons from the Narroways Nature Reserve, Bristol

ABSTRACT At a local level, the role of urban green spaces for tackling sustainability issues has received renewed attention, in line with a wider shift in thinking which places cities at the heart of sustainable development action. In parallel, funding for green space provision has reduced, prompting Local Authorities to reimagine how green spaces are governed, including transferring authority to communities. Preference for community-led green spaces is frequently justified with reference to normative arguments derived from “commons” theory, which advocate for self-governing institutions as effective means of managing local resources. What is lacking in this literature is a contemporary focus on urban settings, operational prescription, and an awareness of the real challenges facing self-governance. To fill this gap, the different interactions with, and claims over, a self-governed nature reserve in Bristol, UK, are investigated; alongside the operational and legal mechanisms deployed in its governance and management. Findings reveal that governing commonly held green space in an urban context is highly complex and requires reconciling a multiplicity of claims, interests, and values. This manifests in tensions and challenges for governance, including trade-offs between autonomy and wider support, problematic decisions around prioritisation; and difficulty in establishing and legitimising norms whilst advocating for shared use. This deep empirical case provides valuable insights for policymakers and theorists as they continue to make decisions concerning the future of urban green spaces, in different localities and across scales.

A Deep Learning Approach to Identify Potential Sites for Pocket Park Installation in Nanjing, China

ABSTRACT Pocket parks are considered valuable tools for supporting green space provision in high-density environments. As the factors affecting pocket parks vary in fine-grained granularity, analyzing them efficiently on a large scale using traditional methods is challenging. Therefore, considering Nanjing as the study site, a potential identification framework was established, which includes categories of space, vitality, facility, and pleasurability for pocket park installation (PPI) based on visual information from street view images (SVIs). Then, the TrueSkill algorithm was employed to construct four parallel-task training sets according to the four categories and a convolutional neural network (CNN) and active learning (AL) approaches were applied to establish four parallel-task models of deep learning (DL). A two-phase grading score method was designed to integrate the identification results of the four DL models into a comprehensive potential score to determine priority sites for PPI. Lastly, the attributes of the potential sites and corresponding planning strategies in different scenarios were analyzed. The results showed that this modelling approach can integrally assess multiple factors on PPI within an enormous scope, overcoming traditional methods’ spatial and dimensional constraint in high-density environments. Our method and results can inform future pocket park planning and design in Nanjing and similar cities worldwide.

Healthy city development: Indonesian government plans to build a new capital city

The urgency of urban health in Indonesia is very worrying because most of Indonesia’s population now lives in urban areas with minimal supporting infrastructure. That prompted this study to analyze the government’s response to the healthy city development plan in the new capital city. This study uses a qualitative approach that focuses on thematic analysis. It helps check official government documents related to healthy city development plans. The relevant documents that were found were in the form of regulations. This regulation is Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 3 of 2022 concerning the National Capital (Ibu Kota Negara, IKN). This official document was coded by maximizing the analysis tool, namely NVivo 12 Plus. This study succeeded in mapping several bare references in the healthy city development plan for the new capital city by the Indonesian government. Some of these primary references include the healthy city model (World Health Organization, WHO), the healthy city strategy (Cardiff), and (Vancouver). All of these primary references aim to improve the quality of life of residents in cities through city development that focuses on health. However, there are several challenges that the Indonesian government may face in the future, including problems with air pollution, environmentally friendly transportation, and the provision of green public spaces, health facilities, universal health services, and other infrastructure. This all requires adequate capacity and budget plans, including ensuring transparency in budget management. This study also encourages collaboration between the government, the private sector, and civil society to support the development of healthy cities that run well and sustainably.

Association between exposure to greenspace and ECG abnormalities in China: a nationwide longitudinal study

BackgroundGreenspace is an important modifiable environmental factor that is associated with health and well-being. Although previous research has shown that exposure to greenspace is beneficial for cardiovascular diseases, studies have rarely focused on early subclinical health outcomes such as electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality.MethodsWe developed a longitudinal study using data from the China National Stroke Screening Survey (2013–2019). Monthly exposure to greenspace was assessed by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values. ECG abnormality was diagnosed by physicians based on the results of the 12-lead electrocardiogram. We used fixed-effects logistic regression with participant-specific intercepts to estimate the association between exposure to greenspace and ECG abnormalities.ResultsA total of 132,108 visits from 61,029 participants with ≥ 2 ECG measurements were included. At baseline, the lag-1 month average NDVI value was 0.29 (SD = 0.15). In the fully adjusted model, per 0.1-unit increment in lag-1 month average NDVI value was associated with a 3.0% (95% CI -1.6 ∼ 7.4%) decreased risk of ECG abnormality. In urban areas, the decreased risk associated with per 0.1-unit increment in NDVI was 14.81% (95% CI 9.38 ∼ 19.92%).ConclusionOur study found that higher exposure to greenspace was associated with a decreased risk of ECG abnormality, especially in urban areas. Our findings suggested that monthly exposure to greenspace might be beneficial to cardiovascular health, and greenspace provision and maintenance could be considered an important public health intervention in urban planning.

Social sustainability of neighbourhood parks in India - instrument content validity

Neighbourhood parks are the most proximate public spaces that promote physical and mental health, well-being and happiness, social cohesion, a sense of community, etc. This vital resource can help create socially sustainable neighbourhoods in global south cities. This paper aims to develop a validated assessment framework for the social sustainability of neighbourhood parks in India. Thematic literature analysis is used to construct an assessment instrument consisting of ten variables and eighty-one indicators related to the social sustainability of neighbourhood parks. The instrument is checked for content validity through expert review using the Content Validity Index. Use of parks by people engaged in informal economic enterprises in neighbourhoods and by non-residents, the significance of ‘third places’ in park use, safety concerns, and sociocultural aspects of perception of safety emerge as essential variables to be considered in the Indian context. The high CVI of the developed instrument indicates excellent content validity. The instrument is designed to assess the provision, user perception and social use of neighbourhood green spaces in Indian cities to promote social sustainability.

Optimization of an Urban Microgreen Space Distribution Based on the PS-ACO Algorithm: A Case Study of Shenyang, China

In this study, optimization of the microgreen space distribution through multistage regulation is investigated, with the goal of alleviating the imbalance between the supply and demand of green resources in the central urban area of Shenyang. An optimized evaluation model of green space supply and demand is employed to calculate the green space accessibility index at a 100-m grid scale and identify different levels of green space resource supply and demand. Priority is given to supplementing resources for the elderly population by balancing the green space supply in vulnerable areas. Particle swarm—ant colony optimization (PS-ACO) is used to select microgreen space sites within each priority level. On the basis of the “important-urgent” quadrant analysis, S1-priority residential areas account for 8.12% of the grid, S2-priority areas account for 67.01%, and S3-priority areas account for 24.87%. The PS-ACO algorithm outputs potential microgreen space sites within each priority level to accurately regulate the green space distribution in residential areas with different supply pressures and limited land availability. A spatial correlation analysis of the new sites reveals good spatial dispersion within service units, effectively alleviating demand pressures, and good aggregation at a regional scale to address imbalances in the supply of green space in a targeted manner. Thus, the optimized results of the PS-ACO algorithm are effective, providing reliable site-selection references for subsequent urban microgreen space distributions.

User experience of neighbourhood greenspace and perceived impact on health and wellbeing: the case of an urban extension to a ‘Healthy New Town’ in England

ABSTRACT Recognising the provision of public greenspace in urban areas as a key tool to supporting health and wellbeing, the UK government has committed to ensuring that, by 2043, all citizens can reach greenspace within 15 minutes from their homes. However, it is increasingly acknowledged that simply providing access to greenspace may not be enough to ensure that positive benefits are realised. Characteristics including their accessibility, size, aesthetics, features, condition and safety can all distinguish between greenspaces that encourage visitation and those that are uninviting. This paper reports a neighbourhood-level study of the residential development of Kingsmere, which forms a significant urban extension to Bicester, England, and was developed as part of the government-funded ‘Healthy New Town’ programme. A cross-sectional survey, including follow-up interviews, was conducted to investigate residents’ use of different types of greenspace, satisfaction, and the perceived impact on personal health and wellbeing. Findings reveal that the provision of a variety of greenspaces within a 15-20-minute walk of homes has been effective in terms of use and satisfaction but that attention to access within sites, perceived safety, cleanliness and maintenance are important factors that could encourage greater use and enhance user satisfaction.

Can wild urban woodlands be integrated into urban green infrastructure? Insights from urbanites and new urbanites in Chongqing, China

Wild urban woodlands (WUWs) are a novel category of urban forests and have been established as vital sources of diverse ecosystem services for local residents. Despite their potential to mitigate green gentrification, WUWs are often neglected in urban planning. Assessing whether different groups of residents accept WUWs as a part of urban green spaces and determining their preferred WUW type are critical for cities lacking green space supply. Therefore, a collection of photographs of 15 WUW patches was employed in this study to explore the preferences and attitudes of urbanites (n = 200) and new urbanites (i.e., individuals who have undergone a transition from rural to urban residency due to urban expansion; n = 206) toward five prevalent WUW categories and examine their perspectives on the future transformation of these WUWs. Accordingly, the following study results were obtained. (1) New urbanites exhibited greater support for integrating WUWs into urban green infrastructure compared to urbanites, primarily due to the limited supply of green spaces in their residential surroundings. (2) The one-way ANOVA shows significant differences in WUW preference scores between new urbanites and urbanites. Urbanites strongly preferred WUWs situated within stream corridors and the least for WUWs in urban villages. Conversely, new urbanites preferred WUWs on agricultural lands and found WUWs on industrial lands the least appealing. (3) Most participants expressed a desire to witness the planned transformation of WUWs. New urbanites preferred additional spaces for leisure activities, whereas urbanites hoped to witness visual improvements in the WUWs. (4) Multifactor ANOVA shows rural background significantly affects preferences scores. Spearman correlation indicates terrain ruggedness and surrounding construction intensity relate to preference. These findings underscore the substantial potential of WUWs in the urban greening in China. They contribute to urban managers' understanding of the diverse needs of the two urban resident groups regarding WUWs, thereby fostering equity in green space planning.

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC GREEN SPACES IN AN URBAN SETTLEMENT

The article examines the current land use of green spaces as an integral part of the urban economy through the example of a city in central Ukraine, Kropyvnytskyi. It analyses the regulatory framework for the functioning of green spaces. The study also includes an analysis of the geospatial distribution of public green spaces and their structure by number and area in the regional centre. The authors estimate the green areas covered with tree plantations based on vegetative indicators using remote sensing data. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) allowed for clarifying the boundaries of green areas, their area, and the density of green mass of vegetation. This index helps to identify the spatial-temporal trends of vegetation, which are necessary to support scientific-grounded management decisions for city governance. The results of determining the NDVI are presented in the example of the park-monument of landscape art ‘Dendropark’. For vegetation in good condition, its value exceeds 0.7, corresponding to 58 % of the area. The Shannon Diversity Index has been used to assess the distribution of land use types in the green areas of general use. We identified six types of green area land use in Kropyvnytskyi city and performed the index calculations according to these types of land use. The calculation of the provision of public green spaces for city residents confirmed its low value compared to the standards. The research’s results determined that Kropyvnytskyi city needs to create new green zones, preserve existing ones, inventory, and develop a database of all green areas. Planting areas of new residential buildings and applying the experience of other countries to increase green areas due to alternative landscaping types (vertical landscaping, green roofs, and others) will allow for an expansion in the green areas of settlements, especially in large cities. The practical importance of the research results is their potential use for creating a strategy to develop and preserve green plantings in the city of Kropyvnytskyi for future years. Keywords: vegetation index, land use, diversity index, green areas, parks.

Non-governmental organizations, green space equity, and policy change: A national study in the US

Worldwide, low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities tend to have a lower provision of green space than less disadvantaged groups. To address these inequities, some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have worked on projects, such as new parks in underserved communities, and policy change, such as green space funding prioritizing underserved areas. To date, limited research has examined the landscape of NGOs working to advance green space equity via policy change. In this paper, we studied what kind of NGOs engage in green space equity policy advocacy in the US. We used topic modeling, keywords-in-context, and inferential statistics to analyze grant applications for a national initiative to fund green space equity advocacy, the first and only of its kind. We found that NGOs also advocate for several interrelated topics related to green space equity (e.g., environmental issues, social services), engage numerous policy actors in campaigns (e.g., politicians, youth), and use other strategies such as coalitions, power building, and research. NGOs working to address green space inequities also need to contend with other systemic issues affecting underserved communities (e.g., poverty, health disparities). Our findings can inform the work of public and philanthropic funders, local governments seeking partnerships with NGOs, and NGOs themselves.

Analysis of Public Satisfaction Levels in Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) City Forest Based on Socio-Cultural Functions

The Jakarta City Government, along with the central government, has implemented various measures to address the issue of air pollution that has become a serious problem for the city. One of the efforts undertaken is to increase the provision of urban green spaces and restore the function of the GBK City Forest as a public green open space (GOS). However, there has been no research showing the public's perspective and satisfaction with the utilization of the GBK City Forest. This study aims to determine the level of public satisfaction with the GBK City Forest based on social-cultural functions. The assessment indicators used to measure public satisfaction in this study are based on the theory of cultural ecosystem services developed by Shijie Gai et al. The data used in this study were obtained using mixed methods data collection techniques through questionnaires (quantitative) as well as in-depth interviews and literature studies (qualitative). Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the majority of the public is highly satisfied with the utilization of the social-cultural functions of the GBK City Forest. However, some people still complain about the lack of supporting facilities for recreational activities and the disturbances from external parties that make them feel uncomfortable when engaging in activities at the GBK City Forest. Therefore, it is important for the government and the GBK City Forest management to consider public feedback and improve the quality and safety of the existing facilities.

Child health-friendly neighbourhood: a qualitative study to explore the perspectives and experiences of experts and mothers of children under 6 years of age in Tehran, Iran

ObjectivesCreating health-supportive environments is one of the key strategies for health promotion. The WHO launched the Healthy Cities Initiative which has inspired other international organisations to develop settings-based health initiatives,...

An Assessment of the Urban Streetscape Using Multiscale Data and Semantic Segmentation in Jinan Old City, China

Urban street space is a significant component of urban public spaces and an important aspect of people’s perceptions of a city. Jinan Old City exemplifies the balance between the supply of and demand for green spaces in urban streets. The sense of comfort and the demand level of street spaces are measured via the space demand index. Open platform data, such as those from Baidu Maps and Amap, are evaluated using methods including ArcGIS network analysis and Segnet semantic segmentation. The results obtained from such evaluations indicate that, in terms of the green space supply, the overall level for Shangxin Street in Jinan is not high. Only 24% of the selected sites have an adequate green space supply. The level on Wenhua West Road is higher than that on Shangxin Street. The block on the western side of Shangxin Street has the highest green space demand, with a decreasing trend from west to east. There are several higher selection points in the middle section of Shangxin Street. The demand is lowest in the middle of Wenhua East Road. Shangxin Street’s demand is higher than that of Wenhua West Road. The supply and demand are highly matched on Wenhua West Road and poorly matched on Shangxin Street, with 44.12% of the area in the “low supply, high demand” quadrant. This study proposes targeted optimization strategies based on supply and demand, thereby providing research ideas and methods for urban renewal.

The effect of peri-urban parks on life expectancy and socioeconomic inequalities: A 16-year longitudinal study in Hong Kong

Exposure to greenspaces has well-established benefits for the health and well-being of urban dwellers. Among these greenspaces, peri-urban parks (PUPs), which are human-modified, large-scale, and public-accessible greenspaces located on the urban fringe, have received increasing attention from policymakers and researchers in recent years, as the limited provision of greenspaces in urban areas barely meet the residents’ needs for nature engagement. However, the associations between PUPs and life expectancy and their potential socioeconomic inequalities remain unclear. In this study, we employed a longitudinal, territory-wide death-registration dataset to address such research gaps. The results showed that both the area and greenery of PUP significantly decreased life expectancy loss with standardized coefficients of −0.156 (p = 0.001) and −0.173 (p < 0.001), respectively. The life-expectancy benefits of PUP greenery remain significant throughout 200–8000 m buffer radii. Nevertheless, socioeconomic inequalities were found between PUPs and life expectancy associations. We found that people with higher socioeconomic status (SES) received higher PUP exposure. In addition, contrary to the hypothesis of equigenesis theory, higher-SES populations received greater benefits in life expectancy than lower-SES populations, even after controlling for inequalities in PUP exposure. Our findings uncover a complex relationship between PUPs, life expectancy, and SES, highlighting the need for targeted interventions for people with different SES to ensure equitable health benefits for all.

Exploring the user experience, quality, and provision of urban greenspace: A mixed-method approach

Urban greenspace plays a crucial role in city design, offering residents various benefits for their health and wellbeing. With increasing urbanisation and human population growth, urban greenspace is becoming an even more significant resource. By implementing a mixed-method approach, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of urban greenspace based on public usage and perceptions, and quality, availability and accessibility in Derby, UK. Our methodology included an online questionnaire to investigate greenspace usage and perceptions, an in-situ assessment to assess greenspace quality, and Geographical Information Systems analysis to quantify greenspace provision based on Natural England’s (2023) Accessible Greenspace Standards (AGS). We found that greenspace usage and perception vary according to demographic and socioeconomic aspects, with younger people and students showing lower engagement with greenspace. Positive engagement correlates with factors such as proximity, car access, employment, and education. We also found that moderately high levels of greenspace quality (69.47/100) are available in the city, with the most notable insufficiencies related to quietness/peacefulness, aesthetics, and naturalness. Finally, none of the AGS criteria are met at a city-wide scale given the lack of large greenspace sites (particularly over 100 ha) and inequalities in spatial distribution. Our study highlights the value of the use of different methodologies to assess greenspace-related factors and emphasises the significance of public engagement in evaluating greenspace quality. Additionally, we identified factors adversely affecting greenspace use, including parking fees and issues with facilities, amenities, and safety. We therefore recommend interventions to address these challenges and enhance greenspace experience and accessibility in the city.

Spatial distribution and equity of urban green space provision in Tehran Metropolis using hybrid Factor Analysis and Analytic Network Process (F’ANP) model

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The Australian Park Life project: Development of a nationally standardised spatial layer and public participatory GIS for greenspace in Australian capital cities

This paper introduces the ‘Australian Park Life Project’ and describes a protocol to standardise the capture and collation of public open greenspace spatial data across Australian cities. This method will progress greenspace research allowing for unique coherent national analyses and comparative research across Australia. We also outline the development of the Park Life public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) to spatially explore what, and how, public open greenspaces are being used by Australian communities. The combination of community crowdsourced spatial data providing location-specific information on the green public open spaces used, in combination with the national spatial layer of greenspace allows for unique analyses exploring the role of greenspace provision and design on use and represents a transformative strategy in shaping public open space policy and strategy.•A spatial layer of public open greenspace was created for the eight Australian State and Territory capital cities using a standardised data capture and collection method from local government planning schemes and land use data, and listings of managed and demarcated parks and reserves.•The Park Life public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) was built to capture spatially referenced information on the use of greenspaces - specifically what spaces are used, and how they are used.

How funding scarcity and ineffective governance tools inhibit urban greenspace provision: An exploration of municipal greenspace managers’ insights

Local government is at the forefront of providing communities with urban greenspace, amidst responding to global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and population growth. Much research has focused on the demands for more urban greenspace; far less has examined issues concerning supply. Better understanding of the dilemmas faced by those charged with the task of providing urban greenspace at the city scale can help policymakers, planners, and aligned professions ensure that municipal resources are appropriately and justly allocated. We aim to address this gap, answering two research questions: 1) what factors shape urban greenspace provision, and 2) how do these factors manifest differently for municipalities of Australia and New Zealand? We surveyed 82 local government officers/officials from mid-size municipalities of nine Anglophone countries about their experience providing municipal greenspace. We expose some of the experiences, challenges, and emerging issues facing contemporary municipal greenspace providers globally, including the drivers and barriers to urban greenspace provision. Findings reveal the complexities of supplying urban greenspace, shaped by multiple factors. While funding, community expectations, and governance tools, are the main factors, funding is the main barrier to providing urban greenspace globally. Moreover, almost all other factors affect availability of sufficient funding. Key differences for Australia and New Zealand reveal a broadening conceptualisation of the purpose of parks: more so multi-purpose than primarily sport and recreation. Revealing challenges greenspace managers face in delivering adequate urban greenspace and facilities, these findings question the efficacy of the current planning approaches embedded in planning legislation, municipal greenspace plans and strategies.

Spatial Heterogeneity Analysis of the Multidimensional Characteristics of Urban Green Spaces in China—A Study Based on 285 Prefecture-Level Cities

Quantitative measurement of urban green spaces (UGSs) plays a fundamental role in enhancing their ecological functions and services. Current studies have not adequately analyzed the multifunctional characteristics and the diverse benefits of urban green spaces at the national scale. This study developed a multidimensional indicator system in terms of scale, pattern, and services to measure green spaces in 285 prefecture-level cities in China. The influences of different geographic zones and urban development on UGS characteristics were also investigated. The results showed that per capita area of urban green spaces were significantly different between the two sides of the “Botai Line”, and the UGS structure was mainly dominated by woodlands. Urban green spaces in the central and east had higher fragmentation, lower landscape diversity, and weaker connectivity. The spatial accessibility of green spaces exhibited a “low–high–medium” pattern from north to south in China, with central-eastern China experiencing the worst equity in green space supply. Overall, cities with higher integrated benefits of green spaces were mainly located in Northeast and North China. Type I large cities had higher ratings for UGS characteristics compared with the other types of cities. These findings can serve as solid guidance for cities seeking to build green space systems with highly integrated socio–ecological benefits.

Developing Urban Design Guidelines for Creating Sustainable Healthy Neighbourhoods

The research focuses on community engagement and environmentally friendly methods in the creation of healthyneighbourhoods. Public health issues, environmental degradation, and social inequality are on the rise in urban areasas a result of rapid urbanization. A possible solution to these problems is a growing understanding of the role thatgood urban design can play in improving people's health and happiness. In order to identify important ideas andstrategies for making healthy built environments, this study examines case studies of successful healthy communitiesfrom all over the globe, such as Medellin, Colombia; Vauban, Freiburg, Germany; and Copenhagen, Denmark, amongothers. In order to build healthier, more sustainable communities, the research presents a set of thoroughrecommendations based on public health research, stakeholder participation, and urban design ideas. In order topromote social inclusion, preservation of the environment, and equal access to resources, the standards include awide range of topics related to urban planning, such as connectivity, the supply of green space, mixed land use, andcommunity participation. By drawing from a variety of research fields, this research builds to what is already knownabout healthy neighbourhoods, vibrant neighbourhoods that all individuals can be a part of.