scholarly journals Accessibilty of public urban green spaces within the spatial metropolitan network of Doha, Qatar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heba T. Tannous ◽  
◽  
Mark David Major ◽  
Raffaello Furlan ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The World

Most people regard green spaces as a necessity to enhance the physical health and psychological well-being of residents in promoting the general health and welfare of citizens and the environment (Röbbel, 2016). In the Modern Era, the availability of green spaces has become an integral component of urban planning for sustaining the quality of life in city environments, especially since the dawn of the 20th century. Due to globalization in rapidly-developing cities around the world, studies about green spaces are becoming an increasingly important part of the urban planning process (Mitchell and Popham, 2007). Accessibility can play an essential role in determining the location of green public facilities to maximize their usability for large populations, or otherwise limit use to a smaller community (Ottensmann and Greg, 2008). However, some public green spaces are inefficiently located or distributed in urban environments (Beatley, 2000, Gehl, 2010, Gehl and Svarre, 2013). In this paper, the accessibility of urban green spaces means the ease of reaching such locations from many origins within the urban spatial network from the macro- to the micro-scale. The inaccessibility or absence of green spaces in some urban areas is a notable consequence of rapid urbanization in many cities around the world. It is especially noticeable in the capital city of Doha in the State of Qatar, where rapid urban expansion and globalization has had a significant impact on the quality and quantity of green spaces available (Salama and Wiedmann, 2013a). The paper utilizes the network analysis techniques of space syntax to objectively investigate the accessibility of urban green parks and promenades in the metropolitan region of Doha (Penn et al., 1998, Hillier et al., 1993, Hillier and Hanson, 1984). At the heart of the paper is the question, does the size and location of urban green spaces follow a discernible spatial logic in terms of accessibility, linked to the design intent of public planning policies? Some findings in the paper indicate there is distinctive spatial and social logic to the physical and spatial characteristics of urban green spaces above a certain size in terms of metric area. In contrast, these characteristics in smaller urban green spaces tend to be more random, primarily due to issues of land availability and amenity provision in private developments. We conclude by discussing the potential implications of the study for public planning policy about green urbanism in the State of Qatar and other rapidly urbanizing cities around the world

scholarly journals Challenges to the Multi-Functional Uses and Multifarious Benefits of Urban Green Spaces: Basis of Urban Biodiversity Planning and Management in the City of Manila, Philippines

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Leonora Gonzales ◽  
Dina Magnaye
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Planning And Management ◽  
Biodiversity Planning

Urbanization is a global phenomenon which is projected by the United Nations to grow annually at 65 million between 2000 and 2030 in developing countries. As an archipelagic nation, the Philippines is considered as a highly urbanized nation where over three-fourths of its population is estimated to reside in urban areas, posting a proportion of one person residing in rural area for every three in urban area. The National Capital Region (NCR), the core region of the counry, registers a 100% urbanization level and where the most densely populated areas converged. It generally exhibits an urban population growth rate that exceeds the national growth rate. Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, is the second largest and the world’s most densely populated city given its small land area and huge human population. The concentration of people in this city and the urbanization processes are foreseen to create environmental stress leading to potential biodiversity losses coupled with other urban environmental occurrences such as flooding, air pollution, sea level rise, earthquake, subsidence, traffic congestion, water pollution, among others. These natural and man-made hazards pose challenge to the multi-functional uses and various benefits of urban green spaces (UGS). UGS play a significant role in enhancing the quality and resiliency of the environment as well as in improving the health and general well being of city dwellers. It is in this context that the challenges and opportunities of UGS are examined. The paper attempts to identify and determine the factors that influence UGS as basis for urban biodiversity planning and management.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Residents Perception about Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Urban Green Spaces of Lahore, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-96
Author(s):  
Zartab Jahan ◽  
Safdar Ali Shirazi ◽  
Khadija Sharkullah
Keyword(s):  
Research Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
City Managers ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
The City

In a country like Pakistan, the presence of urban greening and parks are very essential for the well-being ofits citizens. The resident’s awareness about urban green spaces (UGSs) is essential as it would not only help towards ahealthier environment, but prepare residents to manage these spaces efficiently through local resources. This formulatesthe rationale behind current research work. This research is aimed at studying about the resident’s perception for UGS’sattributes like environmental, negative and positive. Another major focus of this research is to analyze thesocioeconomic differentials and its consequent impacts on resident’s perception about urban green spaces, which hasbeen probed with the help of MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance). In this regard the primary data of 223visitors were collected by random sampling method from eight major parks of Lahore, Pakistan. The findings of thissurvey of resident’s perception have shown that mostly male, single, low and middle class, and educated people visitthe urban green spaces and they are highly indebted by their environmental and health benefits. For the selectedcharacteristics of urban green areas, the resident’s perception has revealed that there exists an insignificant relationshipwith age and marital status of the respondents while the most significant relation was shown by the residents whovisited the UGSs regularly as ‘ρ’ value is less than the set significance level of 0.05. This study has highlighted a direneed of such UGSs in the city of Lahore which is known to be the “City of Gardens”. This could raise the spirits ofadministrators, city managers and planners to take immediate action in this regard.

scholarly journals Quantifying Rapid Urbanization and its impact on Urban Green Spaces: Directional and Zonal Analysis integrated with Landscape Expansion Index

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyasu markos woldesemayat
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Zone

Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is urbanizing rapidly in recent years mainly through the destruction of environmental resources. This study aimed at the dynamics of urban green spaces (UGS). Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to extract land use and land cover data. The Landscape Expansion Index (LEI) was employed to measure urban growth patterns. The result showed that a more noticeable growth was observed in the peri-urban zone (40.1km2 to 176.1km2), followed by the inner urban zone (from 67.1km2 to 105km2). The expansion in the urban core zone was marginal and followed a non-unidirectional trend i.e. increased in the first period (1989-1999) and second period (1999-2009) by (0.11% and 4.2%), while decreased in the third period (2009-2019) by 3.6%. The result for LEI dynamics showed that the city experienced a pronounced outlying growth (98%) pattern, while edge expansion and infilling growth were insignificant. Conversely, the UGS declined in the inner urban zone by (18.03%), (28.61%) and (18.97%) in the first, second, and third periods. Similarly, in the peri-urban zone, the UGS persistently declined by (11.5%), (17.1%) and, (28.03%). The directional analysis showed that urban areas significantly expanded in SEE, SSE, SSW, and NEE with a net increase of 5.35, 4.4 km, 2.83, and 2.3 km2/year, respectively. Conventional large-scale /citywide/ dynamics investigations are not robust enough to represent the actual magnitude and directions of change, while the zonal and directional study is more effective in characterizing the Spatio-temporal dynamics for better urban planning towards.

scholarly journals Whose Urban Green? Mapping and Classifying Public and Private Green Spaces in Padua for Spatial Planning Policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 538
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Pristeri ◽  
Francesca Peroni ◽  
Salvatore Eugenio Pappalardo ◽  
Daniele Codato ◽  
Antonio Masi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Binary Classification ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Public Areas ◽  
Planning Policies

The rising environmental issues on contemporary cities urgently calls for sustainable planning policies. Implementation of nature-based solutions, ecosystem services, and green infrastructures associated to green spaces management is at present of paramount importance. In contrast to policies mainly focused on public greenery, the inclusion of private green in planning strategies might be a promising pathway. The general aim is mapping and classifying urban green spaces in Padua, a city of 93.3 km2 (Northeast Italy). Specific aims are (i) testing an NDVI-derived extraction from very high-resolution orthophotos; (ii) classifying property status; (iii) highlighting multilevel relationships and strategies for urban green spaces implementation and management; (iv) assessing greenery in relation to per capita population. By performing remote sensing and GIS analyses, a first detailed global map of urban green spaces in Padua was created; then, binary classification and thematic maps for rural/non-rural, public/private, municipal/non-municipal greenery were produced for all urban units. Results show that, among total green spaces (52.23 km2), more than half are rural. Moreover, private green spaces represent 80%, while within public areas (20%) less than 10% are municipal (5 km2). We therefore highlight scenarios for planning policies in Padua by providing tools to policymakers for an integrated management of green spaces, where private greenery might also contribute to ecosystem services implementation for common urban well-being.

scholarly journals Characterization of Visitors’ Perception of Landscape Heterogeneity in Urban Green Spaces

Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Alice Meyer-GrandBastien ◽  
Françoise Burel ◽  
Emmanuelle Hellier ◽  
Benjamin Bergerot
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Planning And Management ◽  
Current Context

In the current context of global urbanization, interdisciplinary research is needed to identify planning and management practices in urban green spaces (UGS) that would enhance both biodiversity and visitors’ well-being. The perception of landscape heterogeneity, a core ecological concept, has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on visitors’ psychological restoration. In order to apply these findings within UGS to planning and management practices, we need to characterize visitors’ perception of landscape heterogeneity. We gathered data on 390 visitors’ perception of landscape heterogeneity. Our results highlighted that visitors perceive landscape heterogeneity through the mixing of different heights of three vegetation strata and flower areas. Planning and management practices should enhance this landscape aspect within UGS to simultaneously promote biodiversity and visitors’ psychological well-being.

scholarly journals The Cooling Effect of Urban Green Spaces in Metacities: A Case Study of Beijing, China’s Capital

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4601
Author(s):  
Liang Yan ◽  
Wenxiao Jia ◽  
Shuqing Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Cooling Effect ◽  
Heat Island ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Cooling Intensity ◽  
Urban Heat ◽  
Health And Well Being

Urban green spaces have many vital ecosystem services such as air cleaning, noise reduction, and carbon sequestration. Amid these great benefits from urban green spaces, the cooling effects via shading and evapotranspiration can mitigate the urban heat island effect. The impact of urban green spaces (UGSs) on the urban thermal environment in Beijing was quantified as a case study of metacities using four metrics: Land surface temperature (LST), cooling intensity, cooling extent, and cooling lapse. Three hundred and sixteen urban green spaces were extracted within the 4th ring road of Beijing from SPOT 6 satellite imagery and retrieved LST from Landsat 8 remote sensing data. The results showed that the cooling intensity of green spaces was generally more prominent in the areas with denser human activities and higher LST in this metacity. Vegetation density is always the dominant driver for the cooling effect indicated by all of the metrics. Furthermore, the results showed that those dispersive green spaces smaller than 9 ha, which are closely linked to the health and well-being of citizens, can possess about 6 °C of cooling effect variability, suggesting a great potential of managing the layout of small UGSs. In addition, the water nearby could be introduced to couple with the green and blue space for the promotion of cooling and enhancement of thermal comfort for tourists and residents. As the severe urban heating threatens human health and well-being in metacities, our findings may provide solutions for the mitigation of both the urban heat island and global climate warming of the UGS area customized cooling service.

scholarly journals Experiential Contacts with Green Infrastructure’s Diversity and Well-Being of Urban Community

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazlina Mansor ◽  
Ismail Said ◽  
Ismail Mohamad
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Small Town ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Infrastructure Network

The study explores the significance of residents’ experience with an array of green infrastructure in Taiping, a small town in central Peninsular Malaysia. It argues that the existence of a composite of greenery and open spaces in a town that has diversity contributes to sense of well-being of residents. Green infrastructure network is a composite of various types of greenery and open spaces linked by streets, waterways and drainages encircling and connecting urban areas, at all spatial scales. In Taiping, the green infrastructure network consists of a town park, street planting, open spaces of public buildings, pocket spaces between shop-houses, school playfields, neighbourhood open space, home gardens, and river corridors. Questionnaires (n=335) and semi-structured interviews (n=33) explored the diversity of the green infrastructure in the town and the causal relationship to well-being—physical, cognitive and social. The data suggested that green infrastructure afford residents diversity of experience. Diverse experiences of green infrastructure network, physically and visually attract residents to participate in active activities, to socialize and to perform other transactional activities outside their homes. Therefore, the effects from the participation trigger many positive moods such as serenity, relaxation, comfort and satisfaction. Moreover, in physical and social terms, experiencing urban green spaces such as parks and gardens afford town residents active living, and community participation and harmony. There were modest relationships between the dimensions of diversity with the well-being dimensions, suggesting that residents felt diversity affect their sense of well-being. Hence, the results implicate that urban green spaces are essential amenity for towns and cities that afford an individual and a community physical, cognitive and social well-being. Keywords:     Green infrastructure, Small town, Diversity, Well-being © 2017 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, UniversitiTeknologi MARA, Malaysia.

Effects of urban green spaces on residents’ well-being

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2793-2809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Ma ◽  
Tiantian Zhou ◽  
Shuo Lei ◽  
Yali Wen ◽  
Theint Theint Htun
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces

scholarly journals Impact of Frequency of Visits and Time Spent in Urban Green Space on Subjective Well-Being

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Kwon Hong ◽  
Sang-Woo Lee ◽  
Hyun-Kil Jo ◽  
Miyeon Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Visit Frequency

Exposure to green spaces can reduce the negative effects of stress. This study examines how frequency of visits and time spent in urban green spaces (UGS) affect urban dwellers’ subjective well-being. We also investigated the numbers of respondents visiting UGS, their primary motivation, and constraints on their ability to visit. Using quota sampling, an online survey was conducted of 400 residents of Daejeon City, South Korea. ANOVA results indicated no significant interactions between visit frequency and time spent in UGS. Respondents who had visited UGS within the past two weeks expressed higher positive and lower negative emotions than did non-visitors, regardless of visit frequency, and regular visitors showed higher general life satisfaction levels. These positive effects were confirmed by estimated structural equation models. However, the time spent in UGS did not affect emotions or life satisfaction in general. Heavy users mostly visited UGS to walk, and light/non-users cited the lack of urban green spaces near their home as the major constraint on visiting UGS. The estimated structural equation models clearly show positive effects from motivation and negative effects of constraints and access time to UGS on visit frequency. To improve urban dwellers’ subjective well-being, UGS should prioritize good walking environments and accessibility.

Urban Forestry in Sabah, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
pp. 252-271
Author(s):  
Andy Russel Mojiol ◽  
Wing Shen Lim
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Invasive Exotic Species ◽  
Urban Pests

This chapter provides a holistic understanding of the existing conditions of urban green spaces in Sabah by reviewing relevant past studies and publications. Nature serves as the foundation in the establishment of pocket parks, urban parks, and forest protected areas that are made available for public access within and outside of the major urban areas in Sabah. Presently, both native and exotic flora and fauna species are coexisting at the local urban green spaces, although some invasive exotic species have developed into urban pests of Sabah. Moreover, the importance and functions of urban green spaces in maintaining the well-being of mankind and ensuring the survival of indigenous wildlife species are acknowledged by society. Nevertheless, much research is required to fill up the research gaps of urban forestry, and also to provide solutions to the existing problems that happened at the urban green spaces in Sabah.

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