Vegetation In Urban Areas Research Articles

How outdoor and indoor green spaces affect human health: a literature review.

The analysis of the complex interactions between outdoor or indoor greenness and the health of individuals and ecosystems is a topic of current and growing interest. This review aims to examine and summarise the results of studies conducted to evaluate the effects of exposure to greenness on various aspects of human health and the natural environment. For this purpose, in April 2024 we searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, Google Scholar and specialised books. Evidence gathered demonstrates a remarkable correlation between exposure to outdoor and indoor greenness and the improvement of mental health, including the reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression. Contact with greenness is also associated with improvements in physical health, such as reductions in blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammation, as well as in cognitive abilities, concentration, and overall recovery. These benefits are recognisable both in outdoor spaces, such as urban parks, oases, and public gardens, and in indoor spaces, through the introduction of plants and nature-evoking elements in living and working environments. The presence of vegetation in indoor environments, such as offices, schools, healthcare facilities, prisons, and others, can contribute to improving the quality of social spaces, fostering communication, and collaboration, and attenuating aggressiveness and inequalities, thereby increasing employee satisfaction and work efficiency. The combination of outdoor/indoor green spaces and the well-being of the living environment includes exposure to greater biodiversity, mitigation of extreme weather events, absorption of atmospheric pollutants, attenuation of urban background noise, and increased privacy. The presence of vegetation in urban areas has a positive impact on social cohesion, promoting interpersonal interaction and facilitating the development of more cohesive and inclusive communities, thus supporting a sense of belonging and collective identity. In conclusion, these results underline the importance of considering contact with greenness as a fundamental element in promoting the psychophysical health and well-being of individuals and ecosystems, suggesting the adoption of nature-based therapies and interventions in public health policies and urban planning practices.

Moderate Red-Edge vegetation index for High-Resolution multispectral remote sensing images in urban areas

Urban green space (UGS) monitoring is significant in optimizing urban planning, protecting the ecological environment, and improving residents’ quality of life. However, in urban environments, shadow interference and the emergence of new construction materials pose challenges to monitoring green vegetation in high-resolution imagery. This study found that existing vegetation indices (VIs), such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI), perform inadequately in extracting vegetation in urban areas, resulting in significant omissions and errors. By conducting in-depth analysis and quantitative experiments on the reflectance of typical urban ground objects, this study developed a new vegetation extraction method, the moderate red-edge vegetation index (MREVI), to enhance the extraction accuracy of UGS vegetation from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) high-resolution multispectral remote sensing (RS) images. Experimental results demonstrate that MREVI performs exceptionally well in complex urban environments, significantly suppressing non-vegetation areas, achieving an overall accuracy (OA) of 98.6% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.97. This study supports for urban planning, UGS monitoring, and the evaluation of urban plant carbon sequestration capacity.

Rapid spread of the Mediterranean glycophyte Catapodium rigidum in Hungary

This paper discusses the spread of the Mediterranean plant Catapodium rigidum (L.) C.E. Hubb. in Hungary, which is found in the transition zone between the sub-Mediterranean and continental climatic zones of Central Europe. This alien species has been found at 12 new localities in Hungary in recent years. Some of these stands are located along main roads, while others are found in urban weed vegetation. The species was most likely introduced by increasing road traffic and tourism. Our preliminary findings suggest that the spread of the species is not concentrated along main roads due to its salt sensitivity. Instead, it is more likely to be found in xerothermic weed vegetation in urban areas where salting and winter de-icing are not applied.

Assessing the market opportunities for pesticide-free vegetables in Bangladesh: consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay

The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture poses threats to ecosystems and human health. To mitigate these risks, researchers have turned their attention to pesticide-free production methods. This study aimed to assess the market opportunities for pesticide-free vegetables (PFVs) through determining consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP), along with identifying factors influencing consumers' WTP decision in three major cities of the country, namely Dhaka, Khulna, and Mymensingh. Employing a multistage cluster sampling method, 150 samples were selected and data collection utilized the android-based app Kobo through direct interviews. The contingent valuation method (CVM) and double-bounded dichotomous choice model (DBDC) were used to estimate WTP and preferences while ordered logit model were employed to identify influencing factors. The findings indicated that over 90% of consumers in Mymensingh and over 92% in Dhaka and Khulna were willing to pay a premium for pesticide-free tomatoes and brinjal. Additionally, more than 18% and 19% of consumers expressed willingness to pay a 20% premium for brinjal and tomato, while over 39% were willing to pay for both a 10% premium. The study revealed that factors such as age, sex, education, household size, and income significantly influenced consumers’ WTP decisions, with age showing a negative correlation, while education and income were positively associated with interest in consuming pesticide-free vegetables. Overall, the study underscores the increasing demand for pesticide-free vegetables in urban areas, emphasizing the need for governments and stakeholders to develop supportive policies for sustainable market development. Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. Vol. 11, No. 1, April 2024: 69-77

Kitchen Gardening: A Dual Solution for Urban Heat Islands and Nutritional Security in India

Urbanization has led to significant environmental and societal challenges, including the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and nutritional insecurity. Kitchen gardening, also known as urban horticulture, emerges as a promising solution to these pressing issues. By cultivating food in urban settings, individuals and families contribute to a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem. The practice of kitchen gardening plays a pivotal role in managing the UHI effect. Vegetation in urban areas helps moderate temperature extremes, reducing the heat retained by concrete and asphalt. This cooling effect contributes to lower energy consumption for air conditioning, mitigating urban pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the proximity of urban gardens to residential areas decreases the need for transportation of produce, further cutting down on pollution and energy usage associated with food distribution. From a nutritional standpoint, kitchen gardening ensures food security by providing a direct source of fresh, healthy produce. This practice aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including zero hunger (SDG2), good health and well-being (SDG3), and responsible consumption and production (SDG12). Urban horticulture empowers individuals to take control of their food sources, promoting a balanced diet and reducing dependence on industrial-scale farming. Furthermore, it creates opportunities for community engagement and economic growth, supporting decent work and economic growth (SDG8) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG11). Kitchen gardening is a multifaceted approach that addresses both environmental and nutritional challenges. Its benefits extend beyond individual households, contributing to broader sustainability goals and fostering a more harmonious relationship between urban development and the environment.

Does urban agriculture contribute to food security, and how might this be achieved?

Food system challenges exacerbate inequalities in access to fresh healthy food and threaten food security. Lack of food security, referred to as food insecurity, is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes and has been identified as a key challenge to address by calls for food system transformation. Increasing food production through urban agriculture, the production of fruit and vegetables in urban areas, has been identified as a potentially effective contributor to food system transformation, but the effect of this on household or UK-level food security is unclear. This paper reviews international evidence of urban agriculture's impact on food security. While findings are mixed, available evidence suggests that urban agriculture makes a modest, yet positive, contribution to food security by facilitating the availability of and access to fresh fruit and vegetables to food insecure households. In the UK, studies have shown this to be particularly beneficial during times of food system disruption. Capitalising on such benefits to improve food security requires government investment and support at both the national and local level, therefore increasing access to land for food growing, reducing costs of related resources, and collaboration with existing community groups to enhance sharing of skills and expertise, are identified as avenues for exploration that may help to achieve this. This review also highlights opportunities for future research in this field that may strengthen the quality of the evidence supporting urban agriculture's impact on food security.

Urban Above-Ground Biomass Estimation Using GEDI Laser Data and Optical Remote Sensing Images

Accurate estimating of above-ground biomass (AGB) of vegetation in urbanized areas is essential for urban ecosystem services. NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission can obtain precise terrestrial vegetation structure, which is very useful for AGB estimation in large forested areas. However, the spatial heterogeneity and sparse distribution of vegetation in urban areas lead to great uncertainty in AGB estimation. This study proposes a method for estimating vegetation heights by fusing GEDI laser observations with features extracted from optical images. GEDI is utilized to extract the accurate vegetation canopy height, and the optical images are used to compensate for the spatial incoherence of GEDI. The correlation between the discrete vegetation heights of GEDI observations and image features is constructed using Random Forest (RF) to obtain the vegetation canopy heights in all vegetated areas, thus estimating the AGB. The results in Xuzhou of China using GEDI observations and image features from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 satellites indicate that: (1) The method of combining GEDI laser observation data with optical images is effective in estimating AGB, and its estimation accuracy (R2 = 0.58) is higher than that of using only optical images (R2 = 0.45). (2) The total AGB in the shorter vegetation region is higher than the other two in the broadleaf forest and the coniferous forest, but the AGB per unit area is the lowest in the shorter vegetation area at 33.60 Mg/ha, and it is the highest in the coniferous forest at 46.60 Mg/ha. And the highest average AGB occurs in October–December at 59.55 Mg/ha in Xuzhou. (3) The near-infrared band has a greater influence on inverted AGB, followed by textural features. Although more precise information about vegetation should be considered, this paper provides a new method for the AGB estimation and also a way for the evaluation and utilization of urban vegetation space.

Assessment of the impact of vehicle emissions on the geoecological state of soils and vegetation in the cities of the Irkutsk agglomeration

The study examines the problem of the influence of vehicle emissions on the condition of soils and vegetation of roadside strips in the cities of the Irkutsk agglomeration. Sampling was carried out near intersections characterized by intense traffic flows. As a result of a mass (semi-quantitative) full spectral analysis of selected samples, the content of heavy metals in them was revealed to be higher than the maximum permissible and background concentrations. Calculations of the total pollution indicator were carried out, which made it possible to establish that the soils of roadside zones in urbanized areas of the agglomeration belong to the categories “dangerous” and “extremely dangerous”. Recommendations for improving the geoecological condition of soils and vegetation in urban areas are given.

Which Plant Where: A Plant Selection Tool for Changing Urban Climates

Abstract Background Use of vegetation in urban areas for climate change adaptation is becoming increasingly important; however, urban vegetation is itself vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Better understanding of which species will survive and thrive in urban areas with projected climate change will increase confidence in choosing climate-ready species for resilient urban greening outcomes. Plant selector tools based on the suitability of species for future climates, however, are lacking. Methods The Which Plant Where plant selector webtool (www.whichplantwhere.com.au) was created by combining sophisticated species distribution models and trait and environmental tolerance data from a variety of sources to allow users to select appropriate species which are climatically suitable for Australian urban environments for 3 different time periods (2030, 2050, and 2070). The tool allows users to calculate co-benefits afforded by planting palettes and offers suggestions for alternative species based on climate suitability to help diversify plantings and provide options where substitutions may have to be made. Results The tool contains information for over 2,500 unique plant entries (encompassing species, subspecies, cultivars, varieties, and hybrids) from 9 different growth forms (trees, shrubs, palms, ferns, cycads, climbers, succulents, grass, and herbs). The tool contains many resources to design and maintain resilient urban green spaces, from the planning stage up to monitoring and maintenance. Conclusion Which Plant Where was designed to allow practitioners and urban forest managers to confidently identify climate-ready species now to ensure urban green spaces remain diverse and resilient into the future.

CARBON STOCKS ESTIMATION ON URBAN VEGETATION USING UAV-SfM PHOTOGRAMMETRY METHOD

Global warming and biodiversity loss are two critical issues currently debated among scientists and world policy makers. Forest retention and various reforestation and reforestation programs can play an important role in mitigating global climate change through sequestering atmospheric carbon. Forests are still the subject of discussion of the negotiations and exclude the contribution of vegetation outside the forest area. In fact, if trees outside the forest are not cut down, it can also reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The lack of evidence regarding its potential and contribution to carbon stocks means that trees outside the forest have not been able to enter the negotiation.
 Vegetation in urban areas are an example of tree communities outside forest that have a major contribution to carbon sequestration in the atmosphere. Urban vegetation can be found in two main locations: Urban Green Open Spaces (UGS) and Road Landscapes (RL). In Bali, especially in Denpasar City, Glodokan Tiang or Polyalthia longifolia trees are planted as road shading trees or trees in green open spaces. To prove its contribution in terms of carbon sequestration, data management and a mechanism for calculating carbon stocks are needed. Generally, the calculation of tree carbon stock consumes a lot of energy and time because it is done manually (measuring tree height and DBH). Technology of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can be used as an alternative to efficiently calculate the estimated of carbon stock in Urban Vegetation. The calculation uses the DBH value approach using the canopy area and tree height model (CHM) obtained from UAV data processing using the Sfm method.
 UAV estimates show that the highest AGB value at Bajra Sandhi Renon Field is 201.59 kg with a stored carbon content of 94.75 kg, while on I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bypass has the highest AGB value of 215.04 kg with a stored carbon content of 101.07 kg. These results have been validated by field observations, where the results of the regression analysis at the location of Bajra Sandhi Renon and I Gusti Ngurah Rai, shows that between field observation data and estimation data with UAV there is no significant difference. While the results of the t-test: Paired Two Sample for Means at the Bajra Sandhi Renon Field and the Bypass I Gusti Ngurah Rai have a value above the significance level which proves that there is no significant difference between the carbon stock value from field observations and the carbon stock from the UAV approach.
 
 Keywords: Carbon Stock; Urban Vegetation; UAV-Sfm.

Efektivitas Pertanian Perkotaan (Urban Farming) dalam Mitigasi Urban Heat Island di Kawasan Perkotaan

Title: The Effectiveness of Urban Farming for Urban Heat Island Mitigation in Urban Areas Urban farming and greenery are the emerging idea in maintaining a sustainable environment in term of economic, social, and environmental aspects. The existence of urban farming is primarily aimed to maintaining food security for the community, especially in the pandemic crisis. Moreover, the high rate of urbanization also affects the transformation of urban space, which is one of the factors causing climate change. The integration of vegetation in urban area is considered to be a strategy to maintain the quality of the microclimate and reducing the intensity of the urban heat island. This study aims to observe the effectiveness of urban farming/greenery in maintaining the microclimate quality at District of Tompeyan Yogyakarta, which is well known for their urban farming integrated inside the residential areas. Using field measurement and simulation methods, the results show that the vegetation in the outdoor space have a significant impact, especially related to surface temperature and air temperature. The simulation using ENVI-MET shows that there is an increase in the thermal comfort index in the areas with vegetation, although it has not yet reached the ideal value. This represents how the role of vegetation in urban heat island mitigation to provide a comfortable and sustainable environment. The study can be further developed regarding the impact of other physical elements on microclimate to be the foundation for spatial planning recommendations.

The seedling landscape: A new challenge for a better conservation of biodiversity in the city

The vegetation in urban areas plays several important roles. Our objective with this manuscript is not to talk about urban ecology but rather to discuss the role that cities can play in biodiversity conservation through the concept of seed-based landscaping. Biodiversity conservation by studying the reintroduction of spontaneous species in urban landscaping projects promotes a more sustainable use and management of local ornamental species. In this paper we will discuss the principles of the ’seedling landscape’ concept and its benefits in biodiversity conservation. Our findings suggest that incorporating the notion of urban ecosystem services can have a crucial impact on restoring the connection between cities and the natural environment. This approach can effectively decrease the ecological impact and environmental burden of urban areas, while simultaneously promoting resilience, well-being, and the overall quality of life for city dwellers.

Reading Greenness in Urban Areas: Possible Roles of Phenological Metrics from the Copernicus HR-VPP Dataset

Vegetation phenology is that branch of science that describes periodic plant life cycle events across the growing seasons. Remote sensing typically monitors these significant events by means of time series of vegetation indices, permitting to characterize vegetation dynamics. It is well known that vegetation in urban areas, i.e., green spaces in general, may benefit human health mainly by mitigating noise and air pollution, promoting physical or social activities, and improving mental health. Based on the influence that green space exposure seems to exert on Public Health and using a multidisciplinary approach, we mapped phenological behavior of urban green areas to explore yearly persistence of their potential favorable effect, such as heat reduction, air purification, noise mitigation, and promotion of physical/social activities and improvement of mental health. The study area corresponds to the municipality of Torino (about 800,000 inhabitants, NW, Italy). Renouncing to a rigorous at-species level phenological description, this work investigated macro-phenology of vegetated areas for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 years with reference to the new free and open Copernicus HR-VPP dataset. Vegetation type, deduced with reference to the 2019 BDTRE official technical map of the Piemonte Region, was considered and related to the correspondent macro-phenology using a limited number of metrics from the HR-VPP dataset. Investigation was aimed at exploring their capability of providing synthetic and easy-to-use information for urban planners. No validation was achieved about phenological metrics values (assuming their accuracy correspondent to the nominal one reported in the associated manuals). Nevertheless, a spatial validation was operated to investigate the capability of the dataset to properly recognize vegetated areas, thus providing correspondent metrics. Preliminary results showed a spatial inconsistency related to the HR-VPP dataset, that greatly overestimates (about 50%) vegetated areas in the city, assigning metric values to pixels that, if compared with technical maps, do not fall within vegetated areas. The work found out that, among HR-VPP metrics, LOS (Length Of Season) and SPROD (Seasonal Productivity) well characterized vegetation patches, making it possible to clearly read vegetation behavior, which can be effectively exploited to zone the city and make management of green areas and real estate considerations more effective.

Detailed Mapping and Modeling of Urban Vegetation: What Are the Benefits for Microclimatic Simulations with Town Energy Balance (TEB) at Neighborhood Scale?

Abstract Cities develop a specific climate related to their morphology and the materials that constitute them. The addition of vegetation in urban areas induces cooling and shading effects that can modify local climate and thermal comfort conditions. The Town Energy Balance (TEB) urban canopy model offers several configurations for a more or less fine-tuned consideration of natural covers and associated physical processes in the urban environment. This study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of TEB to the representation of vegetation and the resolution of the chosen databases in the simulation of microclimatic variables, at the scale of a heterogeneous urban neighborhood located in Toulouse, France. First, the effect of the improved description of the vegetation input to the model is highlighted by comparing the results obtained with a readily available national database and then with a very-high-resolution satellite-derived vegetation database. Second, the two vegetation parameterizations, with or without explicit tree stratum, that are available in the TEB model are evaluated and compared. Measurements carried out on specific routes and stop points in a neighborhood of Toulouse allowed microclimatic variables to be evaluated. Results show that refining the vegetation database can somehow improve the modeling of air temperature. As a result of enhancing the vegetation description in the model, that is, physical processes associated with the presence of trees in urban canyons, the air temperature, but also the wind and the thermal comfort index, are better simulated. These results are encouraging for the use of TEB as a decision support tool for urban planning purposes.

Assessment of health risks associated with the consumption of wastewater-irrigated vegetables in urban areas

Assessment of health risks associated with the consumption of wastewater-irrigated vegetables in urban areas

Urban development and industrialization impacts on semiaquatic bugs diversity: A case study in eastern Amazonian streams

Landscape changes have caused the decline of biodiversity and affected the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we assessed the influence of industrialization associated with urban development on aquatic environments and the biodiversity of semiaquatic bugs (Gerromorpha) at different scales (water quality, habitat, and landscape). Using the simple buffer method, we evaluated nine streams assessing water quality variables, habitat structure, and linear features (radius ​= ​300 ​m, length ​= ​600 ​m) for the percentage of land use and land cover. Our results found that species composition of Gerromorpha was mainly affected by primary forest cover, habitat integrity, leaves substrate, and water temperature (29% explanation), and the species richness was mostly influenced by the habitat integrity index (HII) and phosphorus concentrations. The model that best explained the variation in species richness showed a positive relationship with phosphorus concentrations and HII (43% variation). Therefore, our results show that those human activities are the main factors altering aquatic biodiversity from local to regional scales. Therefore, the retention of riparian forests – even in urban and industrialized areas – can maintain the diversity of semiaquatic insect species by providing suitable environments for the habitat, feeding, and reproductive requirements of these aquatic organisms. Finally, our results also show that the management of riparian vegetation in urban areas and industrial complexes promotes aquatic biodiversity conservation in regions under development in the Amazon.

Development of a Low-Cost Terrestrial Mobile Mapping System for Urban Vegetation Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Urbanization brought a lot of pollution-related issues that are mitigable by the presence of urban vegetation. Therefore, it is necessary to map vegetation in urban areas, to assist the planning and implementation of public policies. As a technology presented in the last decades, the so-called Terrestrial Mobile Mapping Systems - TMMS, are capable of providing cost and time effective data acquisition, they are composed primarily by a Navigation System and an Imaging System, both mounted on a rigid platform, attachable to the top ofa ground vehicle. In this context, it is proposed the creation of a low-cost TMMS, which has the feature of imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) where the vegetation is highly discriminable. After the image acquisition step, it becomes necessary for the semantic segmentation of vegetation and non-vegetation. The current state of the art algorithms in semantic segmentation scope are the Convolutional Neural Networks - CNNs. In this study, CNNs were trained and tested, reaching a mean value of 83% for the Intersection Over Union (IoU) indicator. From the results obtained, which demonstrated good performance for the trained neural network, it is possible to concludethat the developed TMMS is suitable to capture data regarding urban vegetation.

Vegetation cover change during a multi-year drought in Los Angeles

Vegetation in urban areas can provide many ecosystem services, such as cooler temperatures. In water-limited climates, maintaining benefits from vegetation during droughts requires significant water inputs and can be challenging due to the uneven effects of drought on vegetation. Here, we tracked changes in vegetation cover in Los Angeles, California using airborne hyperspectral imagery acquired annually from 2013 to 2018 and coinciding with the exceptional 2012–2016 California drought. Subpixel fractions for trees, turfgrass, non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV; e.g., senesced plant material), and non-vegetated urban surfaces were mapped at 18 m spatial resolution using Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis. We quantified cover changes through time, comparing how different physiographic regions of the city experienced vegetation change and assessing changes based on income and outdoor water use. From 2013 to 2018, overall turfgrass cover decreased (−17%) and NPV cover increased (+22%). Tree cover was more stable but decreased in 2018 (−6%). The inland valleys consistently lost more turfgrass than coastal areas. Higher income and water use areas had larger absolute changes in vegetation cover, likely due to their higher baseline of vegetation cover.

DESKRIPSI PROSES KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN SAYURAN ORGANIK YANG DILAKUKAN OLEH KONSUMEN WARUNG SEHAT 1000 KEBUN BANDUNG

The trend of consumption of organic vegetables in urban areas is increasing. Warung Sehat 1000 Kebun Bandung is one of the organic vegetable marketers in Bandung. The number of competitors and ensuring the availability of organic vegetables according to consumer needs is a problem that is being faced. This study aims to describe consumer characteristics, purchase decision processes, and analyze the factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions. This study applies a quantitative design with a survey technique to 42 respondents. Sampling was done by convenience. Data were analyzed by frequency distribution to determine the description of consumer characteristics, purchasing decision processes, and factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions. Based on the research results, consumers of organic vegetables at Warung Sehat 1000 Kebun Bandung are mostly women aged 36-45 years and 56-65 years, married, are housewives, and have an income of > Rp. 6,000,000. Consumption of organic vegetables is done erratically. Health and environmental sustainability are aspects that consumers consider in buying organic vegetables. Most consumers get information about organic vegetables from electronic media. Product quality, especially product freshness, is the main focus in finding information and considerations when buying products. Consumers are satisfied with the product and will continue to buy organic vegetables at Warung Sehat 1000 Kebun Bandung even though there is an increase in prices. The development of information and communication technology, income, lifestyle, and knowledge are the main considerations for consumers in buying organic vegetables. The family is the main reference for consumers in purchasing organic vegetables. Most of the purchases of organic vegetables are made by consumers at the instigation of themselves.

Continued Increases of Gross Primary Production in Urban Areas during 2000–2016

Urbanization affects vegetation within city administrative boundary and nearby rural areas. Gross primary production (GPP) of vegetation in global urban areas is one of important metrics for assessing the impacts of urbanization on terrestrial ecosystems. To date, very limited data and information on the spatial-temporal dynamics of GPP in the global urban areas are available. In this study, we reported the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of annual GPP during 2000–2016 from 8,182 gridcells (0.5° by 0.5° latitude and longitude) that have various proportion of urban areas. Approximately 79.3% of these urban gridcells had increasing trends of annual GPP during 2000-2016. As urban area proportion (%) within individual urban gridcells increased, the means of annual GPP trends also increased. Our results suggested that for those urban gridcells, the negative effect of urban expansion (often measured by impervious surfaces) on GPP was to large degree compensated by increased vegetation within the gridcells, mostly driven by urban management and local climate and environment. Our findings on the continued increases of annual GPP in most of urban gridcells shed new insight on the importance of urban areas on terrestrial carbon cycle and the potential of urban management and local climate and environment on improving vegetation in urban areas.