Urban Green Spaces Research Articles

Health impact of urban green spaces: a systematic review of heat-related morbidity and mortality

ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to scrutinise the impact of urban green spaces on heat-related morbidity and mortality.DesignThis systematic review was meticulously carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items...

Research on Environmental Behavior of Urban Parks in the North of China during Cold Weather—Nankai Park as a Case Study

The aging of the population is not only a global challenge, but it is also a major concern in the research on environmental behaviors. Urban green spaces are regarded as crucial for the well-being of the elderly. However, there is still a lack of in-depth investigation into the effect of spatial factors on the public activities performed by the elderly in urban parks in cold weather. Therefore, this study is aimed at filling this gap, with Nankai Park in Tianjin as the research object. In order to achieve this purpose, the behavioral patterns of elderly park users are mapped in this paper, based on participatory observation in combination with the collection of spatial data through continuous photography. To begin with, the park space is divided into 23 areas for correlation analysis. UCL Depthmap software is then used for park space syntax analysis, with Tangent used to evaluate the sunshine (shadow) factors. Specific indexes are established to quantify the spatial factors in each area, such as the shortest distance to the exit, the green space ratio, and facility density. GIS (Geographic Information System) is applied for data integration, and SPSS is applied to reveal the correlation between the behavioral data and the selected spatial factors. The key findings are as follows. (1) There are four space syntax indexes closely correlated with the activities that the elderly participate in. (2) The solar (overshadowing) conditions play an important role in the distribution of elderly park users. (3) There is no definitive relationship exhibited by the pattern of activities performed by the elderly with various factors such as number and diversity of seating facilities as well as the quantity and diversity of seating facilities. Finally, this analysis aims to explore research methodology that extends from qualitative observation to quantitative analysis. Future research will focus on the shaping of aging-friendly urban communities, which is expected to deepen our understanding of public activities held within urban parks in cold weather across the northern cities of China.

A simple method to map pollination ecosystem services potential in urban lawns

Urban areas have detrimental impacts on the ecosystems. Nevertheless, they still supply many ecosystem services (ES), such as Pollination, in different urban green spaces (UGS). Lawns are among the most degraded UGS due to very high human impact. Still, flowers such as Dandelions (Taraxacum officinalis) live in these spaces. These flowers are considered a suitable habitat for pollinators. In this work, we develop a methodology to map Pollination ES potential in urban lawns using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. A detailed protocol was developed using high-resolution images, consisting of orthomosaic creation, flower vectorisation, field validation, and finally, Pollination ES potential mapping using Kernel and Point Density. This method can be applied to urban lawns and grasslands in Spring and Summer.•A novel method was developed to map pollination potential in lawns.•Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) were mapped using UAV high-resolution images.•The method is helpful to identify areas with pollination potential in urban lawns.

Urban recreational green spaces dynamics and implications in the Bonaberi Neighbourhood of Douala IV Municipality, Cameroon

Globally, urban recreational green spaces constitute a major environmental resource of urban landscapes. These greeneries are suffering from shrinkages and transformations due to pressures on more urban land needed for housing, commercial and industrial purposes and uncontrolled urbanization. This study was conducted to assess the spatiotemporal variations and extent of transformations within the urban green spaces and their associated implications in the Bonaberi neighbourhood of Douala IV Municipality. To achieve this, empirical data was collected through field visits, in-depth interviews with urban authorities and mapping of urban green spaces for 2003 and 2022. Two hundred inhabitants were purposively sampled while local council authorities and other stakeholders were interviewed in the Douala IV Municipality. This was complemented by secondary data obtained from the Douala Urban Council. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques and results revealed that the rapid transformation and decrease of urban green spaces in terms of spatiotemporal nature is a function of expansion and uncontrolled urban settlements. The shrinkage in urban green spaces in the Douala IV municipality has resulted in loss of biodiversity, increase in urban heat islands, atmospheric pollution, unattractiveness of the environment, crimes, mental and physical health issues. This was x-rayed by the poorly arranged green spaces, littered with wastes and having multiple paths used by motorists, pedestrians and vendor activities. This study concludes that greeneries remain a vital environmental resource, thus, recommending effective application of planning policies to restrict their encroachment. Additionally, greeneries should be treated among the top priorities of the development agenda of urban planning authorities as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goal 11.

Direct and indirect effects of urbanization on vegetation: A survey of Yunnan central urban Economic Circle, China

Urbanization affects vegetation distribution by changing land cover. However, it also significantly changes urban water and heat conditions, affecting vegetation growth and development. Vegetation coverage is an effective indicator of vegetation growth. This study analyzed trends in vegetation coverage over the past 35 years, taking the Yunnan Central Urban Economic Circle as the study area. The study was based on applying the pixel dichotomy model and correlation statistical analysis on joint Landsat 5, 7, and 8 long- term remote sensing data, meteorological, and land use data. The direct and indirect effects of urbanization on vegetation coverage were also further explored by constructing an urbanization impact framework. The results revealed that: (1) The urban area during urbanization from 1986 to 2021 increased by 720.29 km2. There was a continuous decline in vegetation cover in and around urban areas, which intensified with accelerating urbanization, with the effect being more pronounced in suburban areas. (2) There were consistent increasing trends in urbanization’s direct and indirect effects on vegetation over the last 35 years, with average negative and positive effects of − 0.41 and 1.59, respectively. (3) Direct effects could mainly be attributed to the expansion of impervious surfaces, whereas the main indirect effect during the late urbanization period (2011–2020) was increasing average temperature. The average temperature showed a correlation coefficient with urbanization of 0.7767, and this relationship showed seasonal heterogeneity due to the significant growth of urban vegetation in summer and winter. (4) Cities that developed faster showed better environmental planning and construction. The direct and indirect effects of urbanization on vegetation during the early and middle stages were higher in cities developing at slow and moderate rates, with this trend reversing only in the later stages of urbanization. The results of this study can increase understanding of the effect of urbanization on vegetation coverage in the Yunnan Central Urban Economic Circle. They can assist in improving urban green spaces and urban ecological resilience.

Integrated Assessment of Health Benefits and Burdens of Urban Greenspace Designs

Integrated Assessment of Health Benefits and Burdens of Urban Greenspace Designs

Unveiling environmental justice in two US cities through greenspace accessibility and visible greenness exposure

Uneven access to greenspaces or visible greenness is an environmental justice (EJ) issue. In this paper, we use a social equity lens to develop geospatial models that measure convenient walking access to urban greenspaces such as parks and street-level green exposure en route to greenspaces. We utilized earth science, geospatial, and demographic datasets to develop two models—Greenspace Accessibility and Visible Greenness Exposure—and applied them in Camden and Jersey City, USA, two communities experiencing environmental injustices. Modeling results show that greenspace accessibility is a concern in both cities, with Jersey City experiencing more prominent disparities. We observed significant positive relationships in Camden between greenspace accessibility and two EJ variables: Black segregation and Hispanic segregation. Most streets in both cities have poor greenness exposure, although Jersey City faces higher inequality compared to Camden. We also observed significant negative relationships in Jersey City between street-level greenness exposure and low-income populations. We conclude the paper by explaining the implications of our findings for greenspace planning and policymaking.

Characterizing acoustic dimensions of health-related urban greenspace

The association of urban greenspace and human health and well-being is widely recognised, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. The acoustic environment (AE) is frequently proposed as a mediator between greenspace and human health. While it is commonly viewed as a negative health factor (e.g. noise pollution), there is growing evidence that it also has positive effects on human health. However, a general problem is the lack of information on the AE for greenspaces in high spatial resolution. To provide evidence-based support for research on this issue, we identify and assess acoustic properties of health-related urban greenspace by estimating the association between urban green area and selected acoustic indices.The analysis is based on 5-minute audio recordings collected systematically from 730 locations, four times a year (n = 2,746) in Bochum, Germany. To quantify the acoustic properties, we use an indicator-set of 30 sound pressure levels, 11 eco-, 78 psychoacoustic indices and 3 complex network measures. Greenspace is defined, in alignment with various health studies, as the percentage of green area within three buffer sizes (50, 100, 300 m) around each recording location.Through cluster analysis, we identify eleven acoustic dimensions in our indicator-set, for which representative indices are derived using principal component analysis. Descriptive statistics and multi-level regression models are used to analyse the associations between representative indices and greenspace. We find the highest effect sizes for Link Density (representing “acoustic dominance”), Acoustic Richness (representing “persistent sound volume”) and the Articulation Index (representing “sound volume”). Thus, in addition to “sound volume”, the AE of urban greenspace is characterised to a similar extent by at least two additional acoustic dimensions. If properties of the AE act as mediators between urban greenspace and human health, these three acoustic dimensions hold the potential to reflect them. Studies on pathways between greenspace and human health could incorporate measures of these dimensions to extend the understanding of the AE’s relevance for Public Health.

The classified peri-urban forest of Kua from Burkina Faso must not be declassified for ecological reasons

Densification of urban areas and rapid urbanization result in land scarcity in the Sahelian cities of West Africa. Therefore, urban greenspaces are increasingly coveted for socio-economic development. This is the case of the peri-urban forest of Kua in Burkina Faso which has been subject of controversies between ecologists and decision makers who intended to declassify this forest for hospital project. The lack of ecological evidence on this forest fueled the dichotomous conflicts between environment protection and urban planning. Hence, this study aimed to assess the ecological characteristics of the peri-urban forest of Kua. Dendrometric measurements of 2993 individuals were performed in 106 plots across the peri-urban forests of Kua and Dindéresso. We computed and compared tree diversity metrics, structural parameters and carbon stocks between the two forests. The findings revealed a γ–diversity of 40 woody species from 38 genera and 16 families in Kua forest. Through the diversity metrics, we found that the peri-urban forest of Kua exhibited lower tree diversity than the peri-urban forest of Dindéresso (p-value < 0.05). Similarly, tree density was significantly lower (p-value < 0.05) in Kua (212.446 ± 291.65 ind. ha−1) than in Dindéresso (378.461 ± 298.89 ind. ha−1). However, carbon stock was two times significantly higher (p-value < 0.05) in Kua (26.21 ± 31.27 Mg.ha−1) than in Dindéresso (13.389 ± 15.95 Mg.ha−1), highlighting the high potential of this forest in carbon sequestration. This study demonstrated that the peri-urban forest of Kua – despite its lower tree diversity and density – constitutes important carbon pools and sinks. Therefore, this forest must not be declassified, but should rather be reinforced through management plans and conservation actions. To sustain urban development, land management policies promoting the conservation of greenspaces are required to reduce biodiversity loss and carbon emissions in urban centers.

The Effectiveness of Public Green Open Space Capabilities in Reducing Flooding

The Palopo City watershed could not accommodate the high discharge of rainfall that had fallen previously. The Green Open Space (GOS) had an ecological function by absorbing rainwater. Urban green open spaces absorbed surface flow water in the past, reducing the risk of flooding. In the past, this research measured the effectiveness of three green open spaces (Islamic Center, Pancasila Field, and Salubulo Field) in reducing flooding in Palopo City. We collected data on vegetation types, infiltration capacity, and runoff discharge. Data analysis involved the analysis of infiltration capacity (F), runoff discharge (Q), and green open space effectiveness. In the three green space locations, the following vegetation types were found: Katapang (Terminalia catappa), Palm (Dypsis lutescens), Trambesi (Samanea Saman), and Grass (Cyperus rotundus). The highest total infiltration capacity in the Salubulo Field Green Space resulted in 155 m3/hour (fast category). In the past, the most significant runoff discharge's total value was GOS Pancasila Field: 713.4 mm3/minute. The study concluded that the Salubulo Field Green Space had the highest infiltration capacity (160 m3/hour) and runoff discharge (69 mm3/minute), making it the most effective in reducing flooding in Palopo City in the past. This was &gt; 1 (effectiveness criteria achieved), and the space was dominated by vegetation (trees and grasses).

Urbanization alters the relative importance of local and landscape factors affecting plant communities in the Tokyo megacity.

Plant communities are impacted by local factors (related to environmental filtering) and landscape factors (related to dispersal limitation). While many studies have shown that the relative importance of these factors in understanding plant community dynamics due to urbanization, little is known about how they are altered by urbanization-a significant threat to biodiversity. This study evaluates the relative importance of local environmental (local factors), landscape, and spatial (landscape factors) variables that influence plant communities in 34 urban green spaces comprising two different habitats (forests and grasslands) along the urban-rural gradients in the Tokyo megacity, Japan. To continuously assess the relative importance of each factor along the urban-rural gradients, we extracted 1000 landscapes within a certain range that contained several sites. Subsequently, the relative importance of each factor and urbanization rate (proportion of artificial built-up area) were estimated for each landscape. Our study found that the relative importance of both local and landscape factors decreased, while that of local factor for native species in forest habitats and that of landscape factors for native species in grassland habitats increased. Collectively, these findings suggest that city size and habitat characteristics must be considered when predicting changes in plant communities caused by urbanization.

Research on Digital Greening Management of Smart Gardens in Chenggong District, Kunming City

With the rapid urbanization in China, city scales have expanded, bringing numerous management challenges. The continuous expansion of urban green spaces highlights the difficulty of adapting traditional urban garden management to complex conditions. The solution lies in using AI and big data for smart city management, specifically termed 'Smart Gardens'. This system integrates modern information technology into daily urban garden management. Through platform management systems, it enables comprehensive planning, construction, maintenance, supervision, and service of urban green spaces. This ensures real-time data updates, visualized management, and dynamic services. This digital transformation is essential. This paper analyzes the current issues and future development strategies of digitalized garden management in Chenggong District, Kunming. Through literature review, field research, and data collection, it aims to enhance the green space management in Chenggong District and other regions.

Exploring the potentials of urban crop farming and the question of environmental sustainability

As part of efforts to promote urban green spaces in increasingly urbanized cities of Africa, urban crop farming (UCF) has become a necessary pillar of urban environmental sustainability. Beyond the primary functions of food security and employment, UCF contributes to greening the urban environment and provides valuable options for urban regeneration within the broad components of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. We draw on interviews and focus group discussions in Tamale, a rapidly urbanizing Ghanaian metropolis, to examine the potential of UCF and the question of urban environmental sustainability. Our findings revealed the tremendous contributions of UCF to the provision of greenery, beautiful scenery, healthy spaces, socio-economic inclusion, and environmental restoration. We argue that reflecting and incorporating these findings in policy will be helpful for urban landscape planning and management.

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? Conflict and Collaboration in Urban Forest Management

AbstractUrban forest management is crucial for supporting human well-being, ecosystems, and society, particularly with expanding global urban population and multi-uses of these urban greenspaces. This literature review examines the conceptualization and factors that contribute to conflicts and/or collaborations in urban forest management, including, but not limited to, diverse actors’ uses, needs, and perceptions. Using PRISMA methods, we systematically reviewed 176 scholarly articles published between 2013 and 2021 and found that most articles were primarily from the United States, Australia, and Canada. Findings highlight the need for clearer definitions of collaboration, emphasizing communication, operational tasks, planning, and shared beliefs among actors. Positive collaborations involved multi-level engagement and inclusive decision-making. In most cases, multiple issues contributed to conflict, including a variety of stakeholders with differing viewpoints on a given situation. Conflicts are commonly complex situations that do not lend themselves to a one-size-fits-all solution and tend to be a unique manifestation of the people, places, and perspectives involved. Our review can inform practitioners about more inclusive practices and adaptive management of urban forests. We conclude by providing lessons learned and suggestions for future research on stakeholder involvement, public education, governance, policy, decision-making, and the role of biophysical and ecosystem services in urban forest collaboration and conflicts.

Assessing the relationship between urban park spatial features and physical activity levels in Residents: A spatial analysis Utilizing drone remote sensing

The park environment is crucial for promoting physical activity (PA). While numerous studies show that park environments influence PA behavior, inconsistencies remain, likely due to varing research methods and parks types. This study employs a fixed spatial grid method to systematically sample four representative parks in Tianjin, China. High-precision orthophoto map (DOM) data from drones provided detailed environmental attributes (like tree canopy area, lawn area, and paved area) and PA characteristics (number of participants, intensity, diversity). The results show: 1) Cluster analysis grouped 1839 park grids into 12 environmental attribute integrations, each correlating with different PA characteristics. “Tree-lined jogging corridors” and “Large sports field areas” exhibit the highest PA intensity, while “Entrance plazas”, “Central plazas,” and “Open sports spaces” have the highest number of participants and PA diversity. 2) Correlation analysis shows that various environmental attributes, including Lawn Area, and Paved Area, are significantly correlated with PA characteristics. 3）Random Forest analysis indicates the key attributes are the paved area for the number of PA participants and PA diversity, and specialized sports facilities area for PA intensity. These findings support urban green space planning and highlight the importance of better park environments for public health.

Screening Urban Tree Species for Air Quality Enhancement: A Review

Air pollution poses a significant global challenge, particularly in urban areas, due to factors like industrialization, urbanization, increased vehicular traffic, and high energy consumption. In India, vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and power plants are major contributors to deteriorating air quality, with vehicles alone responsible for substantial carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. Unplanned urbanization and population growth further exacerbate pollution levels. Urban air pollution is linked to millions of deaths and respiratory illnesses annually, especially in developing countries. Vegetation plays a crucial role in mitigating air pollution by absorbing gaseous pollutants and particulate matter through leaves. Plants also act as bioindicators, displaying characteristic responses to specific pollutants. They employ mechanisms like leaf absorption, particulate deposition, and fallout on the leeward side to cleanse the atmosphere. Bio-monitoring with plants is a cost-effective method to assess environmental pollution impacts, highlighting the vital role of urban green spaces in improving air quality and public health. In summary, the screening of trees for pollution abatement is essential in urban planning. The APTI, coupled with assessing the dust-capturing capacity and emission reduction of trees, aids in categorizing them as sensitive indicators or effective pollution sinks.

Development Strategies for Urban Parks in Chongqing’s Main District: A New Paradigm for Urban Green Spaces

With the advent of the new concept of an “urban park” and the new paradigm of urban development, Chongqing Municipality has actively embraced this vision, integrating it with the city’s unique geographical and demographic conditions. The city has prioritized urban park construction as a key project for public welfare, aiming to address issues such as uneven geographical distribution, limited functionality, and mismatched supply and demand. This initiative seeks to optimize urban parks as vital public resources while protecting the ecological environment. Adhering to principles of functional priority, safety and comfort, shared development, and distinctive features, Chongqing has incorporated parks and other green open spaces into its basic urban planning. This approach aims to create beautiful, comfortable and age-friendly shared urban spaces. This study, grounded in the urban park development concept and the characteristics of a mountainous, multi-center city, constructs a model to measure urban park satisfaction in Chongqing’s main urban area. The model considers supply-demand matching and resident satisfaction. It aims to systematically review relevant policies, plans, and cutting-edge theories, analyze the urban park development in Chongqing, understand residents’ needs, and address issues related to supply-demand matching, multifunctionality, and quality construction. The findings provide insights into the development and conservation of urban parks in Chongqing and beyond, aiming to continually meet the public’s growing desire for a better quality of life and support high-quality development.

Identifying pollinator‐friendly sites within urban green spaces for sustainable urban agriculture

AbstractIntroductionThe relentless urban expansion has led to the depletion of forests and agricultural lands. Yet, pinpointing viable zones for urban agriculture, particularly concerning pollinator presence, remains a formidable task for city planners.Materials and MethodsOur study introduces a novel methodology to identify optimal locations for cultivating pollinator‐dependent crops. Leveraging species distribution models (SDMs), we generated habitat suitability maps for 243 pollinating insects, including bees (41 species), butterflies (140 species), and hoverflies (62 species) across South Korea. Subsequently, employing Graphab 2.8 software, we categorised 10 major cities in South Korea based on the connectivity of green space patches. Clusters exhibiting greater green space coverage, size, and connectivity displayed higher modularity values. Utilising ArcGIS software's zonal function, we computed key statistical parameters—minimum, maximum, mean, and sum values—of the pollinator taxa maps within each cluster.ResultsOur analysis unveiled a robust positive correlation between cluster modularity and the cumulative distribution of pollinators. Regions with heightened modularity exhibited richer pollinator populations, suggesting their suitability for urban agriculture for pollinator‐dependent crops.ConclusionThis study proposes that employing graph theory‐based clustering of urban green spaces can effectively delineate areas conducive to urban agriculture. This strategic identification of green space clusters with optimal pollinator abundance holds promise for urban agricultural planning and sustainability initiatives.

The value of green and blue space: Walkability and house prices

Urban green and blue spaces are important amenities within highly urbanised areas which offer social, economic and ecological benefits and provide a number of valuable direct and indirect ecosystem of services to surrounding land uses, urban households integral to sustainable urban development. Existing research has revealed that green and blue spaces are not uniform environmental amenities, but rather a set of distinct goods comprising aesthetic and hydro-morphological characteristics therefore which can influence property values. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the heterogeneity of green and blue spaces using 4985 sales transactions applying quantile regression to investigate the proximity effects of these urban amenities on property prices within the Belfast Metropolitan area, Northern Ireland. The findings show premiums for green features range between 3.0 % and 3.6 %, with blue space proximity to the coastline and lakes commanding premiums of 7.3 % and 5.3 %. Conversely, walking distance to large rivers shows a negative pricing effect of 3.8 %. The results further reveal some evidence of distance decay effects with proximity for green and blue space amenities. The quantile findings show empirical evidence of a U-shape relationship for a number of the green space amenities, indicating that lower and higher priced houses value proximity to these urban amenities differently. For urban blue spaces, the findings reveal that living near to a lake or the coastline observes larger premiums for higher priced properties. Moreover, the highest priced dwellings exhibit a higher negative pricing effect with walkability to urban rivers than those in the lowest priced properties. Overall, the findings provide empirical evidence to inform urban design and planning in line with sustainable development goals and biodiversity strategies for inclusive, and accessible public spaces within cities.

Towards More Equitable Urban Greening: A Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Co-Governance

Urban greening has grown in significance in Europe and worldwide as a presumed “public good” initiative, delivering a range of benefits for human health and wellbeing. To redress inequalities in the distribution of such benefits, attention has turned to the potential of collaborative governance. Indicator-based frameworks have also begun to receive attention for their ability to monitor and evaluate not only the performance of greening interventions, but also the policies, practices, and norms that influence their planning and implementation, with a view to transforming governance arrangements. Extensive sets of indicators have been proposed in the literature; however, few studies have addressed the process of adapting monitoring frameworks to the limited resources and highly specific conditions of local government. We address this gap by providing an account of an early phase in developing and contextualising a framework to assess governance of urban greening in seven European cities. Following review of existing indicator sets and literature related to co-governing urban green space, we compiled a set of 126 indicators and clustered these according to normative principles underpinning successful co-governance. We then worked with city representatives to contextualise a subset of 80 indicators and link them to relevant objectives. We found that organising indicators according to principles and applying the criteria of relevance and feasibility was useful to make an abstract concept operational and to promote strategic thinking. However, we also found evidence of likely barriers to using indicators in practice, chief among them the limited agency of responsible staff, with implications for the potential to politicise indicators and thereby guide transformative change.