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Urban Green Infrastructure in the Global South
Abstract
Urban green infrastructure (UGI) aims to strategically develop green and blue space networks that contribute to human health and wellbeing, urban sustainability and climate resilience. However, evidence on UGI research and application in the cities of the Global South is limited. An overview of the development of UGI in the three regions of Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is presented. The selective review shows that concepts such as urban greening, urban forestry and urban agriculture are more frequently used. Traditional goals, i.e. city beautification and providing recreational spaces, still prevail, but the reduction of risks (e.g. from flooding and landslides) and securing food and livelihoods are increasingly important drivers for developing UGI. Habitat networks can be another entry point for broadening into multifunctional UGI. However, there are only few examples of integrated approaches that would transcend sector silos. Therefore, strengthening the capacity for strategic planning and collaborative governance of UGI is an important consideration for cities in the Global South and for future research. The potential of local communities for creating and managing UGI should be better recognised in policymaking, along with environmental justice because often the urban poor do not benefit fairly from UGI.
... Thus, a second round of search was carried out on Science Direct and Google Scholar combining these keywords on title, abstracts or keywords: (i) "green infrastructure", "urban planning", "design" and "Africa"; (ii) "green infrastructure", "urban planning", "design" and "Asia"; (iii) "green infrastructure", "urban planning", "design" and "Oceania"; (iv) "green infrastructure", "urban planning", "design" and "Latin America". These searches screened two book chapters, one discussing Latin America (Vásquez et al., 2019) and, the other, the Global South (Pauleit et al., 2021), which included Africa, Asia and Latin America. Regarding Oceania, none of the searches screened a comprehensive work. ...
... Other aspects need to be highlighted: (i) although North America was well represented by the U.S. (Hoover et al., 2023), this not included Canada; (ii) cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, famous for their greening policies, were not discussed in Pauleit et al. (2021); (iii) in Africa, only Sub-Saharan (Pauleit et al., 2021) regions were discussed. Thus, some cities were added to the initial list "intentionally". ...
... Other aspects need to be highlighted: (i) although North America was well represented by the U.S. (Hoover et al., 2023), this not included Canada; (ii) cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, famous for their greening policies, were not discussed in Pauleit et al. (2021); (iii) in Africa, only Sub-Saharan (Pauleit et al., 2021) regions were discussed. Thus, some cities were added to the initial list "intentionally". ...
Cities are currently facing climate change. While the greenhouse gases emissions are its main driver on the global scale, on the local one this role is mainly played by the suppression of vegetation to make way to impervious surfaces. Thus, green infrastructure must be part of urban planning policies and processes as a planning tool and a key element to make the increase of the vegetation within the urban fabric viable. However, this task is harder when consolidated areas, where there is a lack of space to add greening, are in focus. Thus, this work aimed to develop a comprehensive review worldwide, including either scientific and grey literature, systematizing urban planning instruments that provide strategies to increase the vegetation in consolidated and public urban spaces. A search carried out in scientific bases and on the cities' official websites resulted in a sample of 126 strategies distributed in 73 documents, 22 countries and 46 cities. These strategies were systematized according to their focus: on street redesign (SR), idle spaces (IS), depaving (DP) and enabling public access in private areas (PP). This systematization brings evidence that the vegetation increase throughout the consolidated urban fabric is a great challenge, but definitely feasible.
... For example, within spatial planning, NbS might be linked to green infrastructure with a stronger focus on larger green corridors, while in urban water management, the focus may lay on sustainable urban drainage systems. These perspectives can differ across regions and languages depending on previous experiences, local challenges, and planning traditions [5]. ...
... This urbanisation affects biodiversity and ecological integrity within urban areas and their surroundings [63], which is especially relevant for CELAC cities, as they are located in or near global biodiversity hotspots [56]. CELAC cities are characterised by urban sprawl and ample public housing [64] while facing larger socio-economic disparities, with 17,7 % of the urban population living in informal settlements [65], weaker governance structures and less appropriate planning policies than their EU counterparts [5,43,56,66]. In line with this marked inequality and the lack of planning, the distribution and quality of urban green spaces are unbalanced and unfair [67][68][69]. ...
... Engaging civil society would make the process more inclusive and would allow the inclusion of topics in M&A that are considered relevant by citizens and civil society [29]. To support environmental justice, which is especially relevant in CELAC cities [5], important environmental and socio-economic inequalities could be highlighted in spatial data. Moreover, M&A allows civil society to push the public agenda and pressure decision-makers by taking ownership of M&A data, providing evidence and improving their argumentation. ...
The concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) has gained interest as an approach to make significant contributions to the transformation towards more liveable, sustainable, and climate-resilient cities. However, the uptake of NbS into urban development practice is hindered by knowledge and governance barriers. Knowledge plays an essential role in evidence-based decision-making processes and in building the capacity to co-design sustainable pathways. In turn, governance processes can greatly support the acquisition, dissemination and application of
knowledge. However, little is known about how these interactions between governance and knowledge manifest in practice. Therefore, we aim to understand the interplay between governance and monitoring & assessment (M&A) and the associated challenges and opportunities for NbS implementation in European and Latin American cities. Considering different socio-economic and cultural contexts allows us to draw from a wider range of practitioners’ experiences in different governance settings. We conducted an explorative qualitative content analysis on ten semi-structured expert interviews with thirteen city experts from local governments and academia based in seven cities: Bogota (CO), Buenos Aires (AR), Santiago (CL), Sao Paulo (BR), Barcelona (ES), Lisbon (PT) and Turin (IT). Our findings show that M&A provides agency for individual, institutional actors to steer political commitment and can support integrated working. The potential of collaborative M&A with nongovernmental actors is still largely untapped, which requires acknowledgement of the capacities of nongovernmental actors to contribute to M&A and raise awareness of the value of M&A to civil society. Furthermore,
we recommend integrating more reflective learning opportunities in M&A processes, paying more attention to data sharing, and considering of more feasible M&A processes.
... This will lead to the development of unsustainable trajectories in urban areas and the large-scale transformation of valuable natural areas, putting development pressure on the green spaces in and around urban areas [2]. Different concepts are used in sub-Saharan Africa to describe these urban green spaces [3]. The concept of urban forest is often used for tree-dominated (woodland) generally divided into four classes, namely supporting (e.g., biodiversity), provisioning (e.g., food, medicine, water), regulating (e.g., climate and flood regulation, carbon sequestration, water purification) and cultural/socio-economic aspects (e.g., tourism, recreation, mental and physical health, spiritual experience, and sense of place) [24,25]. ...
... It is a construct illustrating that practical and mutually supportive building blocks, all within which introducing non-allergenic, indigenous species to urban landscapes, may well be conducive to designing healthy urban green spaces in South Africa. The building block approach relates well to specific UGI principles i.e., connectivity and multifunctionality in terms of the provision of various ES, the integration of green and grey infrastructure and relevance on multiple scales [3,12,14]. ...
... A fifth component, not captured in the building blocks of Girling and Kellet, but traversing all four components, is the social component or community that daily utilises urban networks and fabrics. Social inclusion is also an important principle of UGI planning and is often neglected in urban areas of the Global South [3]. In this regard, implementing community-based participatory planning is admittedly inevitable to obtain meaningful solutions and insight from the residents, informing decision-making in designing healthy urban green spaces in South Africa [97,98]. ...
South Africa’s urban population is increasing, and in parallel, urban green infrastructure has shown an increase in alien tree species, e.g., mulberry (Morus sp.), oak (Quercus spp.) and plane trees (Platanus spp.) to name a few. This causes ecological problems since alien trees are often more water-demanding and competitive than indigenous trees, but they also increase the abundance of respiratory diseases often triggered by an allergic reaction towards the pollen of those alien taxa. In the current study, utilizing 7-day volumetric spore traps, we illustrate that the most abundant tree pollen in the two largest cities of South Africa, Cape Town and Johannesburg, is produced by alien trees with a high risk of allergenicity. This adds another aspect related to public health when evaluating plant species composition in urban forestry and urban ecology, which underlines the urgency of more intense monitoring. More importantly, this—for South Africa—newly emphasized risk for public health underlines the applicability of current directives [i.e., Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs), localized Precinct Plans, Land Use Schemes (LUSs)] and implementation options in urban planning. Here, we present ideas that may be implemented in such a framework. From both a public health and an ecological perspective, it is recommended to plant indigenous trees like Combretum erythrophyllum, Vachellia and Senegalia spp. that have fewer ecosystem disservices, like a lower impact on public health due to lower allergenicity/lower pollen occurrence and providing more ecosystem services such as lower water needs.
... In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), GBI is gaining traction, but research has emphasized quantitative spatial assessments and ecosystem services provision while neglecting planning, management, and implementation (Pauleit et al. 2021). To fill this gap, we conducted a systematic evaluation of long-term urban policies, examining the importance given to river restoration and GBI in Latin-American local planning, using Colombia as a case study. ...
... The adoption of the GBI concept in LAC has been slow (Pauleit et al. 2021), yet more countries are incorporating it into urban planning and climate change adaptation policies (e.g., Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama). Cities are gradually including urban green infrastructure in administrative and regulatory land use planning Vásquez et al. 2019). ...
While urban river restoration has become mainstream in the Global North, it remains scarce in Latin America, where most literature focuses on water quality, stream habitats, and watershed assessment, but planning and implementation lag behind. Colombia is undergoing a paradigm shift after pioneering the integration of green and blue infrastructure (GBI) into urban planning in the early 2000s (namely Estructura Ecológica Principal). A surge in river renaturalization initiatives is underway, with large and intermediate cities planning and executing projects. We systematically assessed the integration of rivers and GBI into local policies (Planes de Ordenamiento Territorial) and found widespread and strong recognition of streams, wetlands, and ecosystem services in urban planning, higher than previously reported. Most cities emphasize river multifunctionality, ecological connectivity, public space, and recreation, as well as disaster risk reduction, advancing toward sustainable urban water and drainage systems. However, significant gaps persist regarding climate change resilience, participation, and social justice. In a region marked by high inequality, pre-existing spatial exclusion could be amplified by urban renewal, greening, and tourism due to unfair resettlement conditions and gentrification. Such trade-offs can undermine the ecological and social benefits of restoration. We highlight the crucial role of civil society and grassroots activism in protecting and defending urban commons and conclude by recommending a critical examination of GBI and river restoration efforts in Latin America. Colombia’s case can serve as both a reference and a cautionary tale for other cities in the region to achieve outcomes that promote equity and justice amid pressing social and environmental challenges.
... J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Originating in the Global North, the GI concept is increasingly adopted in other global contexts (Lindley et al., 2018;Pauleit et al., 2021). Despite some deficiencies in practical implementation strategies (Monteiro et al., 2020), examples of GI applications in various cities are growing. ...
... However, current implementation policies and strategies for GI concentrate primarily on green growth, integrated energy, climate adaptation, or climate resilience plans , with the above aspects of ecological network integration and socioeconomic and health benefits of GI generally neglected. Pauleit et al. (2021) further emphasize that, due to future risks, the most important and more immediate goals for GI in Africa include temperature regulation, food provision and security, and for cultural reasons aesthetic appeal and recreational facilities; while job creation, is rarely acknowledged as a benefit of GI. King and Shackleton (2020) report how the maintenance of UGI provides work opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers in the public and private sectors. ...
Researchers increasingly consider the systematic integration of green infrastructure (GI) concepts in urban planning as an essential approach to tackle significant current and future challenges. Cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face rapid urbanization, unregulated land-use practices, and poor enforcement of policies. These cities struggle to address the depletion and degradation of existing GI that increases their vulnerability to climatic hazards that threaten ecosystem integrity, and compromise human health. This paper draws on a review of policy documents, semi-structured interviews with metro officials, and cross-sector focus group discussions to explore ways to operationalize GI spatial planning and design on the ground. Through a case study of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, which takes a public-private co-development approach, we investigate the uptake of GI planning principles, the challenges, and local proposals for GI applications. In conjunction with the literature, we discuss the alternatives at hand. The local policy documents reflected many planning principles anchored in the Global North literature. Together with public and private partners, we co-developed four locally informed GI objectives: environmental protection, safety, joint ownership, and collaborative governance. We co- identified local planning principles and three strategies for operationalizing GI planning, including working with conventional planning, greater flexibility and creativity, and cross-sectoral collaboration. The findings suggest that collaborative strategies that allow greater access and the active, diverse use of GI could provide much- required cross-sectoral care and management. The real challenge is the establishment of such participatory partnerships as mechanisms to consolidate diverse priorities and co-develop technical and financial alternatives.
... The review has also led to the identification of specific research gaps in the literature on NBS in the GS. Some NBS typologies should also receive more consideration: for instance, similar to Pauleit et al. (2021)'s work, NBS for food security is a key theme to be explored further, based on the considerations that come from the sections on GS urban challenges and the societal challenges addressed by NBS typologies. This aspect is also left out of the NBS typologies, such as community gardens, discussed in the context of urban agriculture and urban farming approaches. ...
Urban Nature-based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly employed in research and practice to address the pressing environmental, social and economic challenges affecting cities. Nonetheless, there is a noticeable lack of an overview of the scholarship on the use of NBS in the Global South (GS) focusing especially on urban contexts, even though GS cities face unique socio-ecological challenges that could be addressed with NBS, as cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to grey infrastructural interventions. Through a systematic literature review, this article aims to examine the extent to which NBS are discussed in academic literature regarding the GS. The results show that NBS in the GS are mobilised especially to address two cross-cutting issues: rapid urbanization and informal settlements, and the impacts of climate change. NBS actions are explored both to incorporate nature into the urban environment and to "re-naturalise" existing urban areas. Water-related NBS types are the most numerous, and some research gaps highlighted are the need to further explore NBS for food safety and the lack of sufficient emphasis on reducing the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI), emphasising the importance of considering the social and economic context for the inclusion of NBS in the urban policy agenda. In terms of challenges related to the implementation and the mainstreaming of NBS adoption in urban agendas, the research highlights the problems of awareness, information accessibility, and financial sustainability. Finally, the review also raises the question of the involvement of external actors, while stressing the need to balance this involvement to avoid undermining local institutional capacity and public sector participation in the planning and implementation of NBS.
... The emergence of interest in thinking and practising urbanism from cities of the Global South -rather than just about them -has been emphasised recently (Inam, 2022). However, current research and actual applications remain limited (Pauleit et al., 2021); many scholars have been calling for reconsidering existing planning approaches to make it more relevant in the Global South context (Landman & Mady, 2022). According to Sahakian et al (2020), it is critical to underscore how such spaces provide the satisfaction needs of diverse people in these regions for architects, town planners, and local governments to be able to work on its sound provision. ...
This study aimed to understand the interaction between young people and the built environment of Taal Park, a public park located in the poblacion (central business district) of a historical town in Batangas, Philippines. With a renewed appreciation of public spaces in the post-COVID-19 era, this work builds on the promising opportunity for people to collectively claim the right to a (city) space – and to continuously reshape it through time. Employing a qualitative case study research design, the study involved the conduct of a survey and unstructured non-participant observation. Data was then analysed through complementary descriptive and thematic analysis. The results of the study highlighted the positive impact of Taal Park on youth well-being through effective design that facilitates and encourages social interactions. The nexus between placemaking and people-making in this context illustrates how the built environment design and young people’s use of public spaces are mutually reinforcing. However, limitations in terms of the planning systems that are currently in place further highlight the need for more meaningful youth engagement mechanisms. Future research should continue utilising a transdisciplinary approach to deepen the knowledge base on public space in Global South contexts focussing on exploring effective youth engagement strategies in urban planning. Overall, ensuring that youth have a substantive role in shaping these environments can lead to more inclusive, dynamic, and vibrant public spaces.
... This necessitates urgent action to support the functioning of natural systems and prevent their destruction to support human health. Governments and public bodies often advocate holistic approaches to planning, designing and managing "good quality green infrastructure" to "deliver multiple benefits for people and nature" (Natural England, 2023: unpaginated), especially in the global North (Pauleit et al., 2021). However, knowledge gaps remain regarding how the environment (both in terms of presence and quality of environmental characteristics) produces health and wellbeing benefits, how benefits may vary between people and contexts, and the causal pathways that link environment features and quality to human health (Beute et al., 2020). ...
... However, there is still a low uptake of BGI options at the city scale due to various socio-economic, institutional and political barriers and the lack of standardised guidelines for the design and optimal location of new BGI in cities (Drosou et al. 2019;Alves et al. 2020;Kuller et al. 2021;Pauleit et al. 2021). A number of recent studies have investigated the effectiveness of implementing BGI options that include rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems, infiltration trenches, bioretention cells, detention ponds, green roofs and permeable pavements in the reduction of urban flooding (Webber et al. 2020;Rodriguez et al. 2023;Mugume et al. 2024;Neumann et al. 2024). ...
Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) has been proposed as a suitable adaptation measure that can enhance the resilience of existing urban drainage systems (UDSs). However, there are limited studies that have rigorously investigated the performance of BGI options considering future climate change and internal UDS failures. In this study, a coupled 1D–2D PCSWMM model was developed and applied to investigate the effectiveness of potential BGI options in the reduction of pluvial flooding using a case study of a ‘failed’ UDS in Kampala, Uganda. The study results suggest that climate change will increase the frequency of occurrence of extreme rainfall from 1 in 100 years to 1 in 10 years thereby exacerbating the urban flooding challenge in Kampala City. The study results also ascertained that the use of spatially distributed infiltration trenches and bioretention cells at a catchment scale could lead to a modest reduction of the total flood volume and the average flood duration of at least 12.0% [9.8–14.0%] and 34.3%, respectively, when combined with improved UDS cleaning and maintenance. The findings point towards the need to implement BGI options in combination with improved asset management and investments in the expansion of grey UDSs to enhance global resilience to pluvial flooding under climate change.
... The development of urban green spaces and urban forestry in the past was driven by the need for city beautification and recreational facilities. However, the current focus is on making cities sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change, which has led to a renewed interest in reintroducing the garden city concept in its green form to city planning across countries in the SSA region (Pauleit et al. 2021). ...
Urban green infrastructure is critical for creating garden cities, promoting public health, environmental quality, and building resilience to climate change. While these spaces are increasingly recognised as valuable ecological and environmental assets, the state of urban green infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cities is concerning. Rapid urbanisation, weak enforcement of development controls, and informal settlements have reduced the availability of green infrastructure, which has implications on the sustainability of African cities. This paper provides a review of the state and challenges associated with urban green infrastructure in SSA, focusing on the loss of green spaces, urban planning challenges, and the need for policy and citizen action. Drawing on extensive literature (secondary data), the paper highlights the importance of integrating greeneries into the urban fabric of SSA cities to promote resilience to climate change and enhance environmental sustainability. It argues that concrete steps are needed at all levels of society - from policymakers to citizens - to ensure that SSA cities can regain their status as garden cities and promote a healthier, and more resilient ecological landscape.
... When analysing green spaces in the city, it is also important to mention green infrastructure, which is closely related to green spaces (Monteiro et al., 2020). Green infrastructure in a city is a network of natural and semi-natural areas and technical elements (Meerow, 2020) that are designed and managed to provide a variety of ecological, social, and economic benefits (Pauleit et al., 2021). It includes green spaces such as parks, gardens, squares, green roofs and walls, but also water systems such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that are integrated into urban infrastructure (Grabowski, 2023). ...
Green spaces are an important element of the spatial structure in large prefabricated housing estates. They have their strengths and weaknesses and generate a number of opportunities and threats, the identification of which allows the potential of these areas to be realised and further developed. The goal of the study is to present the general condition and future of green spaces in large prefabricated housing estates in Poland. It is important to note that to date no research works have been published in the literature that would investigate green spaces in such estates using the SWOT/TOWS method, as confirmed by a search of the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study area included two such estates located in two Polish cities: Toruń (Rubinkowo I) and Kraków (Bronowice Nowe). The study used the SWOT/TOWS method and an urban-architectural inventory research walk. The results of the study indicate that the best strategy for developing green spaces in estates of this kind is the competitive strategy, which involves taking advantage of opportunities while reducing the weaknesses of green spaces. The research walk also identified a diverse composition of green space species and a high proportion of green spaces in the overall estate area. In addition, green spaces are socially inclusive and can be an important element of urban resilience. The results of this research contribute to the discussion on the condition and future of green spaces in the estates.
... Tehran represents a complex urban tapestry where traditional transport modalities coexist with a growing interest in sustainable urban mobility solutions. However, rapid urban expansion and motorization have outpaced the development of necessary infrastructure, making bicycling both a challenge and an opportunity for significant urban improvement [14]. ...
This study was conducted to analyze urban bicycle traffic and evaluate the feasibility of existing and potential bicycle routes in Tehran, addressing the need for sustainable urban mobility solutions in a rapidly urbanizing environment. The research aimed to identify key factors that could enhance the efficacy of bicycling as an effective transportation method within the city. Employing a mixed-method approach, primary data were gathered through surveys distributed among cyclists and interviews with urban planners, complemented by secondary data from Tehran's Transportation and Traffic Organization. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS to discern patterns and trends in bicycle usage. The findings reveal a considerable disparity in the distribution of bicycle paths and stations, with significant infrastructural gaps impacting the practicality of cycling across Tehran. The analysis identified poorly connected routes and insufficient safety measures as major barriers, despite some regions having extensive bicycle infrastructure. The data also indicated a high willingness among non-cyclists to adopt cycling if improvements were made, highlighting the unexploited potential for growth in urban cycling. These results suggest that while Tehran has initiated steps towards integrating cycling into its urban framework, substantial efforts are required to make it a safer and more appealing option for everyday commuting. Future research should explore the socioeconomic impacts of enhancing bicycle infrastructure and consider comparative studies with other cities to adopt best practices. The study underscores the necessity of strategic urban planning to foster a more inclusive cycling culture, aligning with broader development goals to ensure the sustainability and livability of Tehran. This research contributes to the urban transportation planning literature by providing a model for other Middle Eastern cities facing similar challenges, promoting sustainable transportation solutions that are culturally and contextually adapted to local needs.
... Additionally, scholars emphasize the importance of basic social amenities and programs to support community livelihoods, especially for those residing within national park ecosystems. This perspective is reinforced by the research of (Puplampu and Boafo, 2021;Pauleit et al., 2021;Kovalenko et al., 2023). The research findings reveal that Calabar attracts numerous visitors and tourists who opt to extend their stay for various reasons. ...
This research aimed to evaluate the impact of mass tourism on the hospitality industry and tourism destination development in Cross River State, Nigeria. Primary and secondary data were collected through a checklist and questionnaire, and subsequently analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings indicated that Transcorp Hotel and Azari had the highest number of visitor arrivals, with Cuba contributing the largest percentage of tourists in the region. Moreover, the study identified overcrowding and an increase in crime rates as the primary challenges associated with mass tourism in the area. Consequently, the results emphasize the necessity of implementing effective measures to alleviate the negative impacts of overcrowding and address the challenges arising from mass tourism.
... Given this vast biodiversity, it is essential to advance research focused on understanding and valuing regional native species, ensuring that the planning of the urban forest is carried out in accordance with the biome (Miyahara et al. 2022). The planning of the urban forest is a prerequisite for the success of initiatives aimed at structuring green spaces on a large scale, addressing both organizational aspects of spatial distribution and the composition and functional diversity of species (Monalisa-Francisco and Ramos 2019;Yao et al. 2019;Pauleit et al. 2021). Thus, it is essential to encourage the diversification of species during the planning and management of the floristic composition of urban spaces, focusing primarily on native species from the regional flora in which each area is situated Lepczyk et al. 2017;Sartori et al. 2023). ...
This study analyzed urban forests in cities of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, aiming to explore the floristic composition, determine whether native or exotic species predominate, and investigate whether the biome of origin influences species composition. A survey of floristic studies in urban areas conducted in 2002–2023, utilized four databases: Google Scholar, Scopus, Scielo, and Web of Science. The search used the following descriptors: "qualitative analysis", "urban afforestation", "urban forest", "urban green spaces", and "Minas Gerais". Species were classified by origin, i.e., native or exotic, and in relation to their biome (Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Caatinga). A total of 407 species were identified, with 56% classified as exotic. The floristic profile of the urban forest was characterized by high richness of Fabaceae and significant representation of species such as Cenostigma pluviosum, Moquilea tomentosa, Terminalia catappa, Ficus benjamina, and Murraya paniculata. A Wilcoxon test revealed a significantly higher number of exotic species than natives. Based on the results of non-metric multidimensional scaling, along with cluster analysis, it was confirmed that the species composition of the urban forest is not related to the biome of origin or associated with the mesoregions of Minas Gerais, demonstrating biotic homogenization. In conclusion, the notable number of exotic species highlights a lack of planning by municipal authorities in developing a Green Infrastructure System. We recommend that species selection for the urban forest composition consider ecological, economic, and sociocultural criteria, consider the biome of local ecosystems, and prioritize the native indigenous species.
... While shared governance is an evident need in NBS lifetimes, the methods and procedural procurement in the public administration did not develop with the same rhythm. Internal silos still hold back a smooth implementation because of lack of communication and coordination strategy between different departments and a multi-scalar perspective of stakeholders' engagement (Hansen and Pauleit, 2014;Pauleit et al., 2021;Zölch et al., 2018). Nonetheless, most public administrations lack a more holistic approach to integrate NBS in urban policies by focusing on a comprehensive set of economic, social and environmental 'win-win' co-benefits. ...
Cities are living systems throughout history and contemporary ones as well. A holistic vision for urban sustainability looks at the city as an integration of energy, environment, mobility, urban design, new technologies, and most importantly “people and nature”. In this article, the aim is to shed the light on the role of Nature-based solutions (NBS) towards addressing climate change crisis and tackling a variety of socio-ecological and urban biodiversity challenges. The paper claim for more evidence-based frameworks to understand the economic, social, and environmental benefits of NBS and to promote their inclusion in urban policies. Firstly, and most importantly, the role of NBS in shaping urban planning policies as a result of expansion and densification of cities is reviewed. Secondly, the co-benefits generated by NBS within the social and cultural regeneration of cities is reflected upon. Lastly, in this article case studies are given from Nice, Utrecht, and Milan in order to showcase those cities spatial strategies to implement NBS through different scales. The article discusses the role of NBS in addressing climate challenges and emphasizes the need for collaborative stakeholder engagement in their implementation. Spatial, governance, temporal, and financial challenges related to NBS implementation are identified, underscoring the complexity of integrating NBS into urban environments. The article concludes by advocating for the systematic integration of green and blue infrastructure and NBS into urban planning, emphasizing the importance of considering socio-cultural elements alongside environmental benefits.
... Estos esfuerzos se han enfocado en asegurar los flujos e intercambios de agua, sedimentos, masas de aire, fauna y semillas entre ecosistemas a diferentes escalas de paisaje. Entre algunos ejemplos podemos encontrar la red NATURA 2000 a nivel europeo, la Red Ecológica de Lituania a nivel de país, y la Red Verde de Hamburgo y la Estructura Ecológica Principal de Bogotá a niveles de ciudades y regiones respectivamente (Orlikowska et al. 2016;Vásquez et al. 2019;Pauleit et al. 2021). ...
... Additionally, the research findings underscore the importance of essential infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, healthcare facilities, and other services, in ensuring the sustainability of the national park (Christawan et al., 2023). Scholars including corroborate this viewpoint, emphasizing t he necessity of basic social amenities and programs to support community livelihoods, particularly those residing within national park ecosystems (Nsiah, 2020;Pauleit et al., 2021;McGinlay et al., 2023). Moreover, further emphasizes that the strain on the park's ecosystem can be alleviated by introducing alternative livelihood opportunities for communities within its bounds, echoing the empirical discoveries of this research (Naah et al., 2020). ...
This research focused on evaluation of Cross River National Park as a catalyst for community livelihood sustenance, Nigeria. Interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used to obtained primary data. Reconnaissance survey was conducted for one month in the National park to assess the situation on ground and with the aid of a check-list. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to analyzed the data obtained from the study. Results findings shows that the current programs aimed at the development of the park's management were insufficient. To mitigate tensions between the park management and the communities, it is imperative to explore alternative livelihood options, with livestock rearing emerging as a viable avenue. This approach would provide the communities with improved economic opportunities.
... The economic case for urban forestry should be emphasized, highlighting job creation and the alleviation of multiple dimensions of poverty (e.g. see King and Shackleton, 2020), among other benefits (Shackleton, 2021;Pauleit et al., 2021). Governments should promote partnerships with national and international investors, showcasing successful companies and investment incentives (Mengesha et al., 2020). ...
Urban forestry is not a one-size-fits-all solution; each city and region, with its own unique set of challenges and opportunities, requires tailored strategies. In recognition of the diversity and distinctiveness of urban forestry issues and their potential for mitigating environmental and socioeconomic inequality across the globe, FAO has asked experts around the world to share their views on how urban forests and trees are perceived and managed in their respective geographical areas, bringing together a broad range of regional perspectives. The primary goal of this publication is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of urban forestry worldwide. By showcasing the regional perspectives, insights, experiences and case studies in urban and peri-urban forestry (UPF), we hope to inspire individuals, communities and policymakers to reimagine their relationships with urban green spaces. A broad range of urban forestry themes affect all the European subregions to a greater or lesser extent. The priorities that these topics are accorded and the approaches adopted to management vary considerably in relation to local political and regional sociocultural factors.
... Çoklu fonksiyonları olan ve birbirine bağlı yeşil altyapı sistemleri, kentlerde esnekliği artırmak için umut verici bir yaklaşım olarak nitelendirilmiştir. Kent yeşil altyapı sistemleri, yağmur suyu yönetimi altyapı sistemleri ve diğer çevresel faydaların yanı sıra kent sakinleri için dinlenme ve eğlence alanlarının geliştirilmesinde de bir araç konumundadır (Bilgili ve Gökyer 2012;Zuniga-Teran et al. 2020;Pauleit et al. 2021) Kentsel dirençlilik, her ölçekteki bireysel, hane halkı, topluluk, organizasyon, kamu ve/veya yerel yönetim otoritesi gibi karar vericilerin ve altyapıların hayatta kalma, yanıt verme, iyileşme, uyum sağlama ve kronik ve akut streslere tepki olarak gelişme kapasitesine nasıl katkıda bulunduğunu çerçevelemek için kullanılan bir terimdir (Davoudi et al. 2012;Jha et al. 2013;Aydın 2019;Aytaç 2022). Ahern (2011), Redman (2014, Zhang and Li (2018), Hepcan (2022) ve Yıldırım (2022) kentsel dirençliliğin kentsel sürdürülebilirlikten ayrı tutulması gerektiğini savunmaktadırlar ve Elmqvist et al. (2019) ve Korkmaz ve Balaban (2020) kentlerin gelecek senaryoları bağlamında sosyal ve çevresel zorlukları ele alması ve azaltması için temel gereksinimler göz önüne alındığında, kentsel dönüşümün önemi üzerinde durmaktadırlar. ...
... Notably, most advances in green infrastructure have occurred in the Global North (Chatzimentor et al. 2020;European Commission 2013;Slätmo et al. 2019), while the Global South, including Latin America's tropical Andes, lags (Pauleit et al. 2021). In these regions, land-use changes driven by agricultural intensification and resource exploitation pose unique challenges. ...
Context
Urbanization is rapidly increasing worldwide, with about 60% of the global population currently residing in cities and expected to reach 68% by 2050. In Latin America's tropical Andes region, managing these changes poses challenges, including biodiversity loss and vulnerability to climate change.
Objectives
This study assesses urban growth and agricultural intensification impacts on the ecological functionality of metropolitan green infrastructures and their capacity to provide ecosystem services using a landscape sustainability and sociometabolic approach. Specifically, it aims to identify landscape configurations promoting socio-ecological sustainability amidst rapid urbanization.
Methods
A landscape-metabolic model (IDC) was applied to evaluate the interactions between land use changes and ecosystem functions in the metropolitan region of Cali.
Results
Agricultural intensification and industrialization, coupled with uncontrolled urban growth, have significantly transformed the landscape, posing threats to its sustainability. The prevailing biocultural landscapes hold a substantial potential to provide essential ecosystem services to the metropolis. The IDC offers an approach that utilizes a land cover map and agricultural production/metabolism data to calculate an indicator closely related to ecosystem services and multifunctionality.
Conclusions
The IDC model stands out for efficiently capturing landscape dynamics, providing insights into landscape configuration and social metabolism without extensive resource requirements. This research highlights the importance of adopting a landscape-metabolic and green infrastructure framework to guide territorial policies in the tropical Andes and similar regions. It stresses the need for informed land use planning to address challenges and leverage opportunities presented by biocultural landscapes for regional sustainability amidst rapid urbanization and agricultural expansion.
... This paper documents the evolution of Durban's open space planning over the past 40 years and contributes to addressing the paucity of research in this field from countries of the Global South [61,62]. Through the analytical frameworks, there is evidence of the advancement of mainstreaming biodiversity concerns within local government processes, institutional functions and land-use decision-making. ...
Conserving and restoring biodiversity is central to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The need to curb biodiversity loss through the mainstreaming of biodiversity considerations within land-use planning is consistently highlighted in global biodiversity assessments intended for policymakers and practitioners. We present a Global South local government-led examination of the mainstreaming of biodiversity issues within a biodiversity hotspot area. Here, we evaluated the four-decade-long evolution in open space planning in Durban, South Africa, in response to shifting urbanisation, governance and policy/legislative contexts. We assessed the role of science in responding to contextual changes, the need for champions, and key institutional interventions undertaken to embed a biodiversity function within local government. In addition, we investigated how biodiversity concerns have been incorporated into land-use planning applications via the city’s environmental planning function. We provide evidence of the advancement of mainstreaming biodiversity concerns within local government processes, institutional functions, and land-use decision-making. This has been achieved through effective and sustained leadership; the use of science and scientific information in advancing the policy and legislative environment and building political support by responding to shifting governance contexts; investment in institutional scientific capacity and generating scale-appropriate biodiversity information. Learnings from this paper may be useful for other local governments addressing biodiversity loss through land-use planning processes, by identifying critical investment areas that may shorten the time required for effective mainstreaming.
... This suggests that simply providing a budget for local initiatives is not enough, there needs to be a concerted effort to build social capital and trust to achieve more inclusive NBS governance. The significance of the challenge becomes even more profound when zooming out to other global regions or nations that might have less of an interactive governance tradition than northwest Europe (Pauleit et al., 2021), or where the planning system is underfunded and therefore inadequate (Shackleton, 2021). ...
... The role of UGI in temperature regulation directly influences energy efficiency in urban areas, as it mitigates the urban heat island effect and reduces the demand for air conditioning during hot seasons. The temperature-regulating properties of UGI lead to a reduction in energy consumption and associated costs for both residential and commercial properties (Pauleit et al., 2021). Scientific studies have demonstrated that green roofs, for instance, act as natural insulators, reducing the need for heating and cooling. ...
Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) plays a pivotal role in shaping sustainable cities by integrating natural elements into the urban landscape. This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted contributions of UGI towards enhancing environmental quality, social well-being, and economic resilience in urban settings. As cities continue to grapple with challenges such as climate change, air and water pollution, and the urban heat island effect, UGI emerges as a key solution for fostering urban sustainability. The review delves into the various components of UGI, encompassing green spaces, urban forests, green roofs, and permeable surfaces. It examines how these elements collectively contribute to mitigating environmental issues by absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing air pollutants, and attenuating the impacts of extreme weather events. Additionally, UGI serves as a biodiversity hotspot, supporting diverse flora and fauna within urban boundaries. Beyond its environmental benefits, UGI significantly influences social dynamics and well-being. The presence of green spaces fosters recreational opportunities, promotes mental health, and strengthens community cohesion. Accessible and well-designed green infrastructure contributes to equitable distribution of environmental benefits, addressing environmental justice concerns in urban areas. Economically, UGI proves to be an asset for cities by enhancing property values, reducing energy consumption through temperature regulation, and supporting local businesses. The review explores successful case studies of cities that have effectively implemented UGI to achieve sustainable urban development, drawing insights into best practices and potential challenges. This comprehensive review underscores the integral role of Urban Green Infrastructure in creating sustainable and resilient cities. By addressing environmental, social, and economic dimensions, UGI emerges as a holistic approach that aligns with the evolving needs of urban populations and the imperatives of a sustainable future. Understanding the intricacies of UGI implementation provides a foundation for policymakers, urban planners, and researchers to collaboratively work towards fostering greener, healthier, and more sustainable urban environments.
... There is great interest in the use of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) as "actions which are inspired by, supported by or copied from nature" (Union, P.O. of the E, 2015) or Green Infrastructure (GI) as multifunctional networks of green spaces to address a wide range of environmental sustainability issues because of their ability to influence soil, water, climate, and biodiversity-related variables (Benedict and McMahon, 2006). The concepts of GI and NBS are now becoming widespread globally (Davies and Lafortezza, 2017;Pauleit et al., 2021) and there are any applications with an emphasis on urban areas (Pauleit et al., 2017;Pauleit et al., 2020). ...
Soil degradation is a short or long ongoing process that limits ecosystem services. Intensive land use, water scarcity, land disturbance, and global climate change have reduced the quality of soils worldwide. This degradation directly threatens most of the land in the Middle East and North Africa, while the remaining areas are at high risk of further desertification. Rehabilitation and control of these damaged environments are essential to avoid negative effects on human well-being (e.g., poverty, food insecurity, wars, etc.). Here we review constructed soils involving the use of waste materials as a solution to soil degradation and present approaches to address erosion, organic matter oxidation, water scarcity and salinization. Our analysis showed a high potential for using constructed soil as a complimentary reclamation solution in addition to traditional ones. Constructed soils could have the ability to overcome the limitations of existing solutions to tackle land degradation while contributing to the solution of waste management problems. These soils facilitate the provision of multiple ecosystem services and have the potential to address particularly challenging land degradation problems in semi-arid and dry climates.
... These impacts could lead to degradation of health level and well-being for society, disruption of biodiversity balance, and global warming acceleration for the planet. Besides, the need for green infrastructures in cities is increasing, especially under arid climate (González-Méndez and Chávez-García, 2020; Pauleit et al., 2021). This is also true in countries undergoing climate warming and precipitation regime decay, such as the Mediterranean, where rainfall is becoming rarer while storms are more intense. ...
Excavated material or soil is one of the most abundant types of waste produced by civil works. The study draws a methodology for assessing through selected standard tests the environmental, geotechnical, and agronomical features of excavated material to highlight the most ecological way to reuse it. In view of making a constructed soil to be implemented within green infrastructure part of new urban landscape, imperative skills of soil or material are referred to as SWOFI: safety, workability, fertility, infiltrability, and guidelines are derived accordingly. As a practical case of the application of the methodology, a non-cohesive sedimentary parent rock with a sandy loam texture excavated at Bou Argoub in Tunisia has been characterised. This excavated material is a negligible source of pollution hazard by heavy metals. It classifies in a category very sensitive to compaction and strongly influenced by the clay content, so difficult to reuse in road applications. It is very poor in organic matter and too much alkaline, so grape marc waste is used to improve its fertility, thus making a composite soil that prefigures a constructed soil. This allows the valorisation of local agriculture waste throughout the designed strategy.
Novelty resides in the selection of tests and the association of technics issued from usually separated disciplines and the integrated workflow of the soil at three stages of the value-chain: excavated-homogenised, amended, then repacked at a given bulk density as a composite soil. Immediate compactibility changes as a linear function of repacked bulk density BD; from the literature, this result is assumed true in the composite soil as well as the excavated material. Based on required intervals of permeability for the projected use in green infrastructure requiring rainwater infiltration, a decision-making table is applied with, as input, the most probable value of permeability determined from pedotransfer function as topsoil or as subsoil. Combining pollution hazard assessment, geotechnical improvement, agronomical amendment, an innovative approach leads to pedological and hydrological functionality for constructed soil, a nature-based solution.
... As NBS are designed and implemented in the context of rapid urbanisation (often characterised by informality), varying socio-economic circumstances, high demand for services and resource constraints, they need to be context specific, inclusive, innovative and co-created (Frantzeskaki, 2019;Frantzeskaki et al., 2019). This requires collaborative, transdisciplinary governance, which considers the potential of local communities in the co-production and management of NBS as well environmental justice concerns to ensure the successful implementation and maintenance thereof (Frantzeskaki, 2019;Frantzeskaki & McPhearson, 2022;McPhearson et al., 2023;Pauleit et al., 2021;Sitas et al., 2022;Venter et al., 2020). ...
Unprecedented urbanisation in the Global South is transforming natural urban landscapes, impacting on the ability of nature to provide essential ecosystem services.
Within the context of pressures facing many urban natural open spaces, particularly in Africa, we used a local municipality in South Africa as a case study to (i) identify local government priorities for a natural open space system; (ii) develop an understanding of whether, and how, ecosystem services are considered by local government, and the reasons thereof; and (iii) ascertain the extent of proactive planning regarding regulating and other ecosystem services, including the temporal and spatial scales, and implications. In‐depth qualitative interviews ( n = 12) were undertaken with senior municipal officials representing departments whose work impacts the environment. Municipal decision‐support documents were also analysed for any direct and/or indirect references to ecosystem services.
Planning for, and management of, ecosystem services provided by natural open spaces is influenced by interwoven infrastructure, municipal service delivery and equity challenges, complex institutional constraints and poverty, with little focus on the socio‐economic opportunities and other benefits of natural open space systems. Values, perceptions and knowledge also influence the management of ecosystem services.
The study contributes to understanding the opportunities and challenges for the future governance of natural open space in the Global South, which require explicit consideration in municipal planning, management and budgeting processes.
Policy and management implications identified include prioritisation of the regulating functions provided by natural open space systems, pivotal to the urban resilience agenda; building on the inherent appreciation of nature features as city assets, while achieving socio‐economic upliftment; improved (on‐site) collaborative management of natural open spaces; and involvement of local government officials in the preparation and updating of environmental policies and decision‐support documents, to ensure skills and knowledge transfer and interest are entrenched in local government departments.
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... This is consistent with the observed urban vegetation changes of this study and has been also recognized by Seto et al. (2012) that it is more likely for vegetation to decrease at the boundaries of LAC cities. In some cases, uneven and heterogeneous vegetation in cities may lead to issues of distributional injustice which have been reported for both Global North and Global South (Kabisch and Haase, 2014;Pauleit et al., 2021). Urban vegetation trends in most cities evaluated in our analyses are somewhat consistent with this expectation as only three cities had a decrease in vegetation cover for the period of analysis. ...
As cities opt for green policies to address urban socio-ecological challenges it becomes important to evaluate how the urban landscape responds to them, and if these responses are strengthening the benefits of nature for all. The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region is one of the most biodiverse and urbanized regions of the world, which makes it imperative to understand how greening policies have impacted the distribution, accessibility, and quantity of vegetated areas in cities through time. Using a landscape ecology approach, we explored the effects of local urban dynamics on the pathways of urban vegetation in ten LAC capital cities in the last 20 years. Our results showed a great fluctuation of vegetation cover change for the region, with Santiago (Chile) losing more than 10% of its urban vegetation to Brasilia gaining 19%, while fragmentation and inequities in the distribution of vegetation increased in all cities. Cities followed four pathways of vegetation change, displaying different patterns of change in fragmentation, size of the vegetated patches and their clustering. This discloses that the greening policies and actions adopted in LAC cities led to increased vegetation cover, or avoided its loss, but did not assure a better distribution of the green and its benefits. Vegetation in LAC cities are still fragmented, where vegetation is not connected and is not equitably distributed, showing that policies in place have not addressed distributional injustice yet. This is corroborated by the assessment of drivers of change where we found social factors were the most important determinants of urban vegetation dynamics. Results from our study provide evidence for developing policies towards urban greening and connectivity, not only to prevent further biodiversity loss but also for creating more resilient communities and cities that address environmental inequities.
... Há uma crescente demanda de soluções que promovam a resiliência e a justiça ambiental, sobretudo no contexto do planejamento urbano (Lafortezza et al., 2018). A maioria dos estudos que abordam a acessibilidade de áreas verdes urbanas concentra-se em cidades do hemisfério Norte e em países desenvolvidos, existindo uma lacuna de informações acerca da desigualdade na acessibilidade a áreas verdes em países emergentes, como é o caso do Brasil (Parker e Baro, 2019;Pauleit et al., 2021;Ying et al., 2021). ...
A demanda por soluções que promovam a resiliência e a sustentabilidade, sobretudo no contexto do planejamento urbano é crescente. Sendo assim, nosso objetivo é propor uma metodologia para a avaliação da acessibilidade nas áreas verdes públicas no contexto nacional, de modo a contribuir com a formulação de políticas públicas que promovam a justiça ambiental. Foi elaborado um panorama sobre os conceitos de justiça ambiental e acessibilidade às áreas verdes, bem como, um estudo de caso em Belo Horizonte, aplicando uma proposta metodológica capaz de avaliar a acessibilidade às áreas verdes da cidade. A metodologia proposta evidenciou os locais que precisam de investimentos na capital mineira, bem como, permitiu quantifi car a população afetada pela falta de acessibilidade às áreas verdes. Recomenda-se que a metodologia seja replicada nas cidades brasileiras como ferramenta de auxílio para a gestão da fl oresta urbana.
... The city is known for its efforts to promote ecological sustainability and environmental conservation. It is home to various green spaces, urban forests, and parks that contribute to the city's aesthetic appeal and provide recreational opportunities for residents (Pauleit et al, 2021). Kigali also recognizes the importance of preserving its wetlands, which play a vital role in water regulation and support diverse plant and animal species. ...
This ecological research targeting sustainable urban landscapes needs to include findings and methods from many lines of ecological research, such as the link between biodiversity and ecosystem function, the role of humans in ecosystems, landscape connectivity and resilience. This paper reviews and highlights the importance of these issues for sustainable use of ecosystem services, which is argued to be one aspect of sustainable cities. The paper stresses the need to include social and economic factors when analyzing urban landscapes and positive impacts of wetland/land restoration. Spatially explicit data can be used to assess the roles different green areas have in providing people with ecosystem services, and whether people actually have access to the services. Such data can also be used to assess connectivity and heterogeneity, both argued to be central for continuous, long-term provision of these services, and to determine the role urban form has for sustainability. In addition, ecological sustainability can be promoted through sustainable urban planning and zoning practices that encourage mixed-use development, reduce urban sprawl, and promote walkability and access to public transportation with other different initiatives. These practices can help to reduce the carbon footprint of cities, while also improving quality of life for residents. Overall, ecological sustainability is an essential component of urban landscapes and smart cities. By prioritizing the health of the environment, cities can create more livable, resilient, and prosperous communities for everyone.
... The real-estate environment and living conditions are inextricably linked, implying a broad obligation for cities to pursue sustainable development goals (Schwarz-Herion, 2020;Pauleit, 2021). In that regard, the management of carbon emissions is a primary objective of climate-change campaigns and actions in sub-Saharan Africa (Kotir, 2011). ...
Heat generation and carbon emission have been identified as major elements of climate change reality that pose a threat to humanity through activities in the built environment. Thus, a topical discourse in the built environment research agenda is adopting building resilience as an adaptive measure against vulnerabilities. Recent studies indicate the incorporation of vertical greenery systems (VGSs) as a potential approach for minimising the effect of heat generation and energy moderation. Consequently, using a mixed-method approach, this study examines barriers to the installation of VGSs at the operational stage (property management stage) in Lagos. Preliminary interview sessions were held with eleven (11) estate surveyors and valuers (ESVs), followed by the administration of a research questionnaire to 282 ESVs. Analysis showed that lack of building regulations, low awareness about green walls and their benefits, poor knowledge of the construction industry and emphasis on sustainability were the main barriers to the installation of VGSs. It was concluded that policy plays a crucial role in ensuring use of the technology in the drive for a paradigm shift in property management practice.
... En otras regiones del mundo, como Asia, África y América Latina, los ejemplos son más escasos, pero están surgiendo cada vez más iniciativas (Mell, 2016;Pauleit et al., 2021;Vásquez et al., 2019). En el caso chileno, una pionera ha sido la comuna de Coronel, cuyo plan elaborado en 2010 plantea triplicar la superficie de espacios verdes, creando un sistema que los interconecta y que ha dado resultados visibles y ampliamente valorados por la comunidad (Municipalidad de Coronel, 2012). ...
Stgo+ es una iniciativa que surgió en 2017 desde la Universidad de Chile y el SERVIU Metropolitano, sumando progresivamente actores institucionales y de la sociedad civil. El objetivo es, mediante un proceso participativo, abordar el territorio desde la bioregión metropolitana, las intercomunales y comunales, a las microintervenciones situadas. El presente artículo muestra los resultados de las primeras etapas: el análisis espacial y de actores, la definición de objetivos y la estructura espacial a distintas escalas y propuesta de implementación. El proyecto ofrece una mirada estratégica del verde urbano que permite articular actores e iniciativas públicas y privadas, para optimizar sus beneficios configurando un sistema integrado, para transformar a Santiago en una ciudad más verde, justa, equitativa y resiliente.
... Green infrastructure consists of networks of natural and semi-natural areas that are designed and managed together with other environmental features (Lafortezza et al. 2013). It consists of multifunctional elements that deliver diverse ecosystem services simultaneously (Mouchet et al. 2017) and help reduce the societal challenges caused by urbanization (Pauleit et al. 2021). Multiple case studies around the world have demonstrated the opportunities that green infrastructure offers to improve human wellbeing in cities (e.g. ...
Ecosystem services provided by green infrastructure are often discussed for their potential to address the societal challenges of urbanization. However, green infrastructure, particularly small-scale types (e.g. trees), is vulnerable to loss through urbanization and is often passed over during scientific investigations. Studies on the perceptions of ecosystem services and disservices (hereafter called ecosystem (dis)services) dynamics along the rural-urban gradient are particularly rare in the literature. Therefore, this study assessed the perceived importance of ecosystem (dis)services associated with small-scale green infrastructure along a rural-urban gradient in Bengaluru, India. Based on photos of the five most common types of small-scale green infrastructure and the three most common tree species associated with them, we conducted a photo-elicitation survey of 649 residents from 61 towns in Bengaluru. We found significant differences in the perceptions of all ecosystem (dis)services among the types of green infrastructure. The most appreciated services were air/climate regulation from platform trees and aesthetic values from farm trees. Regulating services were most appreciated in urban areas while provisioning and cultural services were most appreciated in transitional areas, and disservices were most strongly perceived in rural areas. Gender, age, education, caste, and income from agriculture significantly affected the use and valuation of the ecosystem (dis)services within the local communities. Our study reveals the crucial role of small-scale green infrastructure as a multifunctional element, which is highly relevant for the supply of provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services in Bengaluru.
... Planning for urban renaturing can set the stage to improve people's ecological literacy and their various values towards nature to enrich renaturing programs. Openness and inclusive planning approaches to different epistemologies and knowledge systems are important for understanding how renaturing cities as urban programs can elicit and enhance ecological literacy across different knowledge systems (Pauleit et al., 2021). Including the local and indigenous populations' knowledge rather than solely relying on scientific or expert knowledge can lead to solutions more aligned with both society's and nature's needs and conditions (Brondizio & Tourneau, 2016;Folke et al., 2016). ...
Renaturing urban environments is a transformative pathway for urban sustainability that can be leveraged for collaborative research and planning to reverse long trends of ecosystem degradation. People-nature connections need to be reinforced to enable the successful uptake and upscale of urban renaturing practices. Improving people’s understanding, perception, and emotions towards nature is therefore key. In this paper, we discuss how human knowledge and values of nature can be enabled through urban renaturing. Besides, we discuss the required transitions in urban planning processes to support urban renaturing practices.
Urban green areas offer the possibility of carrying out activities related to the social, physical and mental well-being of citizens, improving the city´s environment, security and landscape. This social and environmental benefits can be continually produced if conditions remain optimal, but they can be lost when conditions are not adequate. This is the context where the research takes place, refers to its governance and elements that make the well-being generated for its users and their communities last. A survey was applied to 202 respondents from the population of Cd. Obregón, Sonora. The main findings are the highest assessment for the willingness to act over the willingness to pay, an aspect that is justified by the age of the respondents, who mainly belong to the age range 18 to 24 years. Other outcomes shown the best valued ecological functions are the preservation of flora and fauna as well as biodiversity conservation.
With the rapid pace of urbanization and increasing environmental challenges, it is crucial to prioritize the adoption of sustainable practices. Unfortunately, these practices are often considered a privilege restricted to wealthy communities. The negative consequences of this inequality are experienced mostly in countries situated in the Global South. These countries are often categorized as developing countries and low-income areas, making them the most vulnerable to natural hazards. This study undertakes a document analysis approach for green infrastructure practices in urban areas of the Global South. Using a document analysis technique, it integrates findings from 20 case studies and highlights common challenges and recommendations. The selection criteria for the case study analysis focused on public engagement and perception, as community-driven projects tend to have better long-term outcomes. Given that most countries in the Global South are affected by natural hazards, it is important to raise awareness of green infrastructure projects and emphasize cost-effective, community-driven initiatives. The purpose of this research is to serve as a foundation for future primary research or case studies, and encourage governments and stakeholders to prioritize the implementation of sustainable practices in these vulnerable regions.
Unplanned urban expansion in Latin America has profoundly disturbed the natural hydrological processes of watersheds, particularly in tropical regions with extreme weather conditions. This has resulted in substantial runoff volumes, necessitating extensive engineering interventions to avoid damage. Urbanization has led not only to flooding problems, but also to a lack of recreational spaces for residents and an ecological degradation, negatively affecting the watersheds health. This study shows a methodology for creating scenarios making use of available sites for Nature-based-Solutions (NbS). Taking account of existing land cover, the methodology harnesses NbS multifunctionality to achieve hydrological, ecological and social benefits counteracting the threats to the health of a 23 km ² urban tropical watershed located in Costa Rica. In these scenarios, suitable public roads in residential areas were used as sites for implementing permeable pavement, bioretention cells, infiltration trenches and street planters, while appropriate flat roofs and car parks were converted into green roofs and permeable pavements in industrial areas. In addition, several green public spaces were transformed into multifunctional storage areas. Hydrological and hydraulic modeling was used to evaluate the performance of each scenario, while the increase in green area of each scenario was used as an indicator of the ecological and social benefits. The concurrent implementation of the residential, industrial and green space scenarios provides an area available for NbS of 165.3 ha (7.2% of the watershed area), potentially leading to a decrease of up to 63.7% in peak flow and up to 46.2% in runoff volume for a specific rainfall event. As haphazard urban growth is a common feature of most urban watersheds in Latin America, this methodology, based on the use of different land cover types to create scenarios for NbS implementation, is transferable to and adaptable for other tropical urban watersheds.
This chapter explored the challenges and consequences of soil degradation in the Global South. Soil health and productivity are vital for food security, sustainable agriculture, and livelihoods. The chapter provides an overview of prevalent soil degradation types and their causes examines the impacts of soil degradation on agriculture, food production, and rural communities, as well as its link to water resources and biodiversity. Some case studies highlighting specific threats to soil in different parts of the Global South were provided as well as relevant policies, practices, and interventions for soil conservation, including existing regulations, sustainable land management, and technology. It also emphasized the importance of strengthening soil governance and capacity building. Opportunities for sustainable soil management were identified, such as the synergies between soil health and climate change mitigation. Agro-ecological approaches and regenerative agriculture were suggested as pathways for improvement. The chapter also emphasized the potential for international collaboration and partnerships. This chapter concludes by calling for urgent action to protect and restore soil resources through sustainable practices, strengthened governance, and increased capacity building. By recognizing the importance of soil health, the Global South can pave the way for a sustainable and resilient future.
This chapter offers a thorough examination of how recreational development can play a significant part in addressing water security concerns in the ever-changing environments of developing regions around the world. It explores the interrelated challenges of water shortage, with a specific focus on the increasing demands of population expansion, urbanisation, and climate change. By analysing various case studies, it highlights the numerous advantages that well-planned leisure projects may provide. The approach surpasses traditional water management practices, emphasising the interdependent connection between water security and recreational development. The chapter also highlights the economic, social, and environmental aspects of this relationship, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive approach. It provides forward-looking suggestions, highlighting crucial areas for future investigation, suggesting practical approaches for effective recreational development, and promoting ongoing cooperation and innovation.
Open and Urban green spaces (UGS) are important assets of urban sustainability, provide essential ecosystem services, climate resilience and contribute to human well-being. However, planning open and UGS for climate resilience requires appropriate land use planning aided by urban policies and planning guidelines. In this chapter, we present a GIS (Geographical Information System) based framework to identify open and UGS for developing climate resilience using Chennai as a case city. Using high-resolution satellite imageries, we have identified 63 sq. km of potential land parcels that can be developed as open and UGS in Chennai city that will provide climate adaptation benefits against floods and urban heat island effect. We debate the importance of identifying and protecting open areas and UGS in urban development master plans and further discuss some of the current opportunities enabled by recent urban policies and missions such as the smart city and AMRUT mission and barriers, particularly on master planning including capacity gaps and urban governance for redeveloping urban green spaces in Indian cities for climate resilience.
Highlights:
High-resolution open-source satellite imageries like Sentinel are useful to map potential areas for UGS.
Understanding the city climate risks allows for better identification and evaluation of open spaces for urban resilience.
Recent urban policies in India and schemes like Smart City Mission, AMRUT provide opportunities for redeveloping open and green spaces
Constraints include poor master planning and implementation, limited capacities of urban planners in planning green spaces in the context of climate change and weak urban governance.
Due to climate change, there is an increasing risk to communities from urban floods especially in developing countries like Indonesia. Massive impacts of flooding can influence the damage cost of infrastructure as well. Furthermore, numerous literature reviews mentioned that the importance of blue-green infrastructure in disaster risk reduction has been recognized for managing urban floods by integrating with urban environmental aspects. Blue-green infrastructure provides numerous opportunities and advantages for tackling the diverse concerns related to the environment, societal well-being, and climate change. This chapter discusses the issues, gaps, opportunities, and implementation of Blue-Green Infrastructure for flood resilience especially city in Indonesia (Bandung, Balikpapan, Samarinda, and Semarang). Case studies highlighting blue-green infrastructure gaps, opportunities, successes, and threats from different cities in Indonesia. In detail, this chapter identifies the background and history of the blue-green policy in a specific area/city followed by the characteristics of the specific case. Moreover, this chapter explains how the selected cities implement blue-green infrastructure and explores its effectiveness and implications to the city.
Urban green spaces play a major role in the congested urban environment, which helps to minimize the ecological imbalance of the urban environment. Urban green spaces help to reduce stress, improve mood, promote physical activity, foster social cohesion, reduce air and water pollution etc. There are no static definitions to explain urban green space and different countries define urban green space based on the availability of their green resources. In Sri Lanka also no clear definition of urban green space. Colombo District of Sri Lanka is a highly urbanized and populated district, so land demand is very high for various uses of built-up areas. As a result, existing green spaces are depleting and it needs to emphasize strategic planning and management. However Sri Lanka does not have a standardized definition of green space, and it is one of the major obstacles to developing land use planning in the urban areas related to green spaces. This study aims to formulate an informative definition of green space for the Colombo District through the review of global and local definitions, followed by thematic analysis and expert validation. The proposed definition describes green spaces as natural and man-made vegetated areas in diverse landscapes that fulfil multifunctional roles, enhancing environmental quality and community well-being.
Ecological infrastructure and urban agriculture are enacting a green resurgence in cities. In the global South, however, ecological infrastructure is often premised on erasing already existing informal agricultural practices (green informalities) and leads to the displacement of marginalized urban dwellers. How, then, can ecological infrastructure be calibrated with the specific realities of the global South's green informalities? What other socially just modalities of infrastructure can be learned from the vantage point of informal settlements? Past urban scholarship has documented the crucial role of urban agriculture in addressing food insecurity and poverty in the global South, yet the symbolic, collective and political dimensions of agricultural practices are absent from these accounts. Drawing from critical urban scholarship and feminist political ecology, and based on engaged research with a collective of urban farmers facing eviction, I argue that green informalities bring together dwellers and plants in an intimate entanglement in the everyday gendered politics of endurability and collective power‐building at the settlement level. The article illustrates that the informal economic and political practices that constitute these green informalities are crucial for understanding grassroots practices vis‐à‐vis urban environments. Recognizing the political and affective dimensions of green informalities can move urban studies and governance towards a situated appreciation of informal urban agriculture as socially just ecological infrastructure that centers justice and dweller agency.
Rapid urbanization is projected for African cities at the cost of urban green space, which could jeopardize biodiversity and human benefits. Studies focusing specifically on human–green space relationships in the Global South are lacking, and the validity of extrapolating results from studies in the Global North remains questionable and cannot provide local context-specific design solutions. This study combines methods and perspectives from ecology and human geography with landscape design to better understand the benefits for biodiversity and people derived from unmanaged green spaces in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Based on empirical data from two unmanaged green space areas in disadvantaged communities, we identify benefits for biodiversity and people and define guidelines for inclusive trans-disciplinary interventions. We combine information from a vegetation survey, a community survey of 200 respondents and a rapid assessment of multifunctional benefit provision to formulate in holistic landscape design proposals. We show that the sites have biodiversity value and provide habitat for > 169 different plant species, including protected species, and smaller wildlife. Residents use the spaces for utility, passive and active leisure, and > 76% of residents benefit from the use of these spaces. However, the integrity and provision of benefits from green spaces are threatened by pollution, safety concerns, biological invasions, and land conversion. Context-specific designs could be developed by merging methods across disciplines and involving local stakeholders to integrate the multifunctionality of socioecological benefits into landscape interventions. Collaboration across ecology, human geography and landscape design generates multifunctional perspectives of unmanaged green spaces that consider benefits for biodiversity and disadvantaged communities.
The Neotropics, known for hosting several biodiversity hotspots, is paradoxically one of the most urbanized regions of the planet. The current global decline of insects is undoubtedly related to urbanization, but the effects of the fast Neotropical urban growth on insects are barely known. In this chapter, we performed a systematic literature review of the studies on Neotropical urban insect communities. In addition, we used green roofs in central Argentina as a study case to highlight the value of green infrastructure for insects. We analyzed 155 articles, predominantly observational field studies assessing the taxonomic diversity of terrestrial insects in the Chaco region. However, biodiversity hotspots were underrepresented in the majority of these studies. Although the number of works per year has increased steadily in the last 20 years, there are still gaps in understanding the main drivers leading to changes in species diversity. Forest remnants, rivers, and streams were the most studied urban green/blue infrastructures. Despite other green spaces being poorly considered, we showed that green roofs are valuable habitats for insect diversity conservation. We conclude that moving from describing patterns of insect biodiversity in cities to using a more systemic approach is one of the main needs for the Neotropical region.
La urbanización en América Latina ha avanzado con poca planificación, resultando en problemas socioecológicos, como inundaciones y contaminación de recursos hídricos. La infraestructura verde es un concepto reciente para responder a estos problemas. El concepto es atractivo porque propone soluciones multifuncionales y mejorar la conectividad a diferentes escalas espaciales. Sin embargo, su implementación en América Latina se encuentra aún en fase inicial con escasa documentación. Debido a su carácter multifuncional y multiescalar, su exitosa implementación requiere de procesos transformativos en diversos ámbitos. Este estudio analiza avances en estos ámbitos aplicando cinco dimensiones de transformación: entorno facilitador, institucional, gestión e instrumentos, implementación y operación, y monitoreo y evaluación. El análisis de diez ejemplos de promoción e implementación de infraestructura verde en ocho países de Latinoamérica muestra que hay menos avances en la provisión de financiamiento y en el monitoreo/evaluación, mientras que avances en la gestión e instrumentos y en la implementación/operación son frecuentemente reportados. El liderazgo y la voluntad política han sido factores claves para los avances. La caracterización general y la documentación basada en ejemplos de avances en diferentes regiones de América Latina contribuyen a informar y guiar la futura promoción e implementación de infraestructura verde.
The systematic integration of green infrastructure (GI) concepts in urban planning shows promise to reduce environmental hazards; while creating sociocultural benefits. However, cities in sub-Saharan Africa face rapid urbanisation and are challenged by the degradation of existing GI, increasing their vulnerability to climatic risks. This paper presents the findings of a transdisciplinary research project that investigated GI planning in the City of Tshwane, South Africa, over two years. The researchers conducted a community survey, an on-the-ground rapid assessment of multifunctional benefit provisions, first-hand observations of local stormwater systems, reviewed policy documents and conducted semi-structured interviews with metro officials. To integrate the above findings, four design studios and eight co-creation workshops were held that explored GI spatial planning in the city. The researchers examined the uptake of GI planning principles, and the challenges, opportunities and local proposals for GI applications, and here synthesised some main conclusions. Despite many well-known challenges, GI opportunities include creating socioeconomic incentives for stronger human-nature relations, providing for multifunctional benefits and anchoring GI in local communities. Interactive research can facilitate increased local awareness and engagement, but access to GI benefits is physically constrained and socially determined by knowledge, networks and safety factors. Based on the above findings, the researchers propose locally adapted planning strategies to enhance GI: creating opportunities for GI access and co-ownership, encouraging multifunctional, safe and flexible GI, supporting multiscale GI integration, and strengthening collaborative governance. A joint GI vision can reinforce city ownership along with flexible and creative design alternatives that are rooted in local communities.
South Africa’s urban population is increasing, and in parallel, urban green infrastructure has shown an increase in alien tree species, e.g., mulberry ( Morus sp.), oak ( Quercus spp.) and plane trees ( Platanus spp.) to name a few. This causes ecological problems since alien trees are often more water-demanding and competitive than indigenous trees, but they also increase the abundance of respiratory diseases often triggered by an allergic reaction towards the pollen of those alien taxa. In the current study, utilizing 7-day volumetric spore traps, we illustrate that the most abundant tree pollen in the two largest cities of South Africa, Cape Town and Johannesburg, is produced by alien trees with a high risk of allergenicity. This adds another aspect related to public health when evaluating plant species composition in urban forestry and urban ecology, which underlines the urgency of more intense monitoring. More importantly, this - for South Africa - newly emphasized risk for public health underlines the applicability of current directives (i.e., Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs), localized Precinct Plans, Land Use Schemes (LUSs)) and implementation options in urban planning. Here, we present ideas that may be implemented in such a framework. From both a public health and an ecological perspective, it is recommended to plant indigenous trees like Combretum erythrophyllum , Vachellia and Senegallia spp. that have fewer ecosystem disservices, like a lower impact on public health due to lower allergenicity/lower pollen occurrence and providing more ecosystem services such as lower water needs.
The concept of sustainability embraces the conservation of the environment, cultural preservation, economic stability and overcoming of social problems. To ensure urban sustainability, one of the crucial factors is the environmental health, in which the environment should be kept in the best condition in developing countries thereby leading to reduction of environmental pollution. Green corridors in cities are one such way to ensure that the green areas are being used optimally. Such studies do exist in Malaysia but there is no established and published implementation. There is a need to analyse and study the current problems of the existing green corridors plans. This paper helps to visualise all the six suggested routes of the green corridors that had been made in Kuala Lumpur city. It discusses the opportunities and limitations of the plans as well as ways to improve for a successful implementation of green corridors in Kuala Lumpur.
Increased levels of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, a legacy of the industrial revolution, population growth pressures, and consumerist lifestyle choices, are the main contributors to human-induced climate change. Climate change is commensurate of warming temperatures, reductions in rainfall, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and contributions toward declining public health trends. Green Infrastructure (GI) presents diverse opportunities to mediate adverse effects, while simultaneously delivering human health, well-being, environmental, economic, and social benefits to contemporary urban dwellers. To identify the current state of GI knowledge, a systematic quantitative literature review of peer-reviewed articles (n = 171) was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method. Temporal publication trends, geographical and geological information of research efforts, as well as research focus areas were recorded and reported against each article. The findings of this review confirm the research area to be in a state of development in most parts of the world, with the vast majority of the research emerging from the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Cooler climates produced the majority of research, which were found largely to be of a traditional research article format. The GI research area is firmly dominated by foci comprising planning and policy, environmental and ecological, and social content, although modest attempts have also appeared in health and wellbeing, economic, and quality/performance of green infrastructure areas. Knowledge gaps identified by this review as requiring attention for research growth were identified as: (i) the ambiguity of terminology and the limited broad understanding of GI, and (ii) the absence of research produced in the continents of Asia and South America, as well as in regions with warmer climates, which are arguably equally valuable research locations as cooler climate bands.
Durante las últimas décadas la provincia de Chacabuco, en el norte de Santiago, se ha transformado profundamente en términos territoriales debido a la instalación de mega- proyectos urbanos para segmentos sociales acomodados, en contextos que hasta ese entonces eran eminentemente rurales. Desde la ecología política suburbana analizamos las distintas estrategias económicas, políticas y metabólicas con vista a los recursos del agua y el suelo a través de las cuales grandes grupos económicos-financieros, apoyados por el Estado, han producido un paisaje desigual de archipiélagos. Los métodos utilizados en este trabajo incluyen revisión de prensa, entrevistas en profundidad con actores privados, estatales, y comunitarios, y un análisis de los registros de derechos de agua en la oficina de Conservador de Bienes Raíces en la provincia de Chacabuco. En términos empíricos y conceptuales, demostramos que la producción de la nueva periferia urbana y sus patrones de fragmentación socioterritorial y ambiental no son resultados de fuerzas abstractas de globalización, sino de acciones deliberadas de comodificación, concentración (de derechos de propiedad) y financiarización de recursos naturales como el suelo y el agua.
Urban green infrastructure provides ecosystem services that are essential to human wellbeing. A dearth of national-scale assessments in the Global South has precluded the ability to explore how political regimes, such as the forced racial segregation in South Africa during and after Apartheid, have influenced the extent of and access to green infrastructure over time. We investigate whether there are disparities in green infrastructure distributions across race and income geographies in urban South Africa. Using open-source satellite imagery and geographic information, along with national census statistics, we find that public and private green infrastructure is more abundant, accessible, greener and more treed in high-income relative to low-income areas, and in areas where previously advantaged racial groups (i.e. White citizens) reside. Areas with White residents report 6-fold higher income, have 11.7% greater tree cover, 8.9% higher vegetation greenness and live 700m closer to a public park than areas with predominantly Black African, Indian, and Coloured residents. The inequity in neighborhood greenness levels has been maintained (for Indian and Coloured areas) and further entrenched (for Black African areas) since the end of Apartheid in 1994 across the country. We also find that these spatial inequities are mirrored in both private (gardens) and public (street verges, parks, green belts) spaces, hinting at the failure of governance structures to plan for and implement urban greening initiatives. By leveraging open-access satellite data and methods presented here, there is scope for civil society to monitor urban green infrastructure over time and thereby hold governments accountable to addressing environmental justice imperatives in the future. Interact with the data here: green-apartheid.zsv.co.za
Gathering of uncultivated food from green spaces, also known as foraging, is observed in urban areas across the world, but the literature focuses predominantly on the global north. Our study examines the existing urban land management structure and its approach to urban foraging in the eastern coastal region of South Africa. Through interviews with municipal officials in nine cities, we identified different stakeholders and their roles in urban green space management. We then used network analysis to represent interactions and influence of these stakeholders, and environmental worldviews to determine organisational and perceptual barriers to and enablers of foraging in urban green spaces. The policy on urban green space management, as well as land managers themselves are amenable to the concept of foraging in public spaces. Lack of knowledge on wild indigenous species and sustainable offtake, ambiguous, coarse, or lacking policy, and normative views of pristine nature may hinder foraging. We recommend pathways for policy and stakeholder partnerships to incorporate sustainable foraging in their biodiversity conservation and land stewardship strategies.
Globally, approximately one billion people benefit from contributions of wild foods to their food security and dietary diversity. Wild foods are known to be important in rural communities in terms of food and micronutrient provision, diversifying diets, reducing vulnerability to non-communicable diseases and overall health. However, the potential contribution of wild foods towards food security and dietary diversity in urban food systems has been largely overlooked. This study examined the contribution of wild foods to household dietary diversity in two towns in South Africa, based on a survey of 137 households. Household diets were quite diverse, with half (51%) having consumed ≥ 8 food groups, 39% consumed 6 or 7 food groups, and only 10% recorded ≤ 5 food groups in the previous 48 h. Wild foods were prevalent across the sample, with 62% of the households consuming them to some degree. Wild vegetables and fruits were the most common wild foods, consumed by 96 and 79% of the households, respectively. Although wild foods had limited significance on overall dietary diversity, they exhibited substantial contributions within particular food groups. For example, the consumption of vegetables and oil and fats was most prevalent among households consuming wild foods than those who did not. The findings show that wild foods could contribute towards diversifying urban diets at a micro-level, within particular food groups consumed, such as vegetables and fruits. Hence, wild foods are important in ameliorating the monotonous diets of some households and in turn promoting dietary diversity.
This study assessed the economic value of public urban green spaces (UGSs) in Kuala Lumpur (KL) city by using the hedonic price method (HPM). It involves 1269 house units from eight sub-districts in KL city. Based on the hedonic price method, this study formulates a global and local model. The global model and local model are analyzed using ordinary least square (OLS) regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR). By using the hedonic price method, the house price serves as a proxy for public urban green spaces' economic value. The house price is regressed against the set of three variables which are structural characteristics, neighborhood attributes, and environmental attributes. Measurements of interest in this study are environmental characteristics, including distance to public UGSs and size of public UGSs. The results of the OLS regression illustrated that Taman Rimba Kiara and Taman Tasik Titiwangsa provide the maximum economic value. On average, reducing the distance of the house location to Taman Rimba Kiara by 10 m increased the house price by RM1700. Similarly, increasing the size of the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa by 1000 m2 increases the house price by RM60,000. The advantage of the GWR result is the economic value of public UGSs which can be analyzed by the specific location according to sub-district. From this study, the GWR result exposed that the economic values of Taman Rimba Bukit Kiara and Taman Tasik Titiwangsa were not significant in each of the sub-district within KL city. Taman Rimba Bukit Kiara was negatively significant at all sub-districts except Setapak and certain house locations located at the sub-district of KL. In contrast, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa was positively significant at all sub-districts except certain house locations at the sub-districts of Batu, KL, Setapak, and KL city center. In conclusion, results show that the house price is influenced by the environmental attribute. However, even though both of these public UGSs generate the highest economic value based on distance and size, its significant values with an expected sign are only obtained based on the specific house location as verified by the local model. In terms of model comparison, the local model was better compared with the global model.
Shade creation and radiation modification by trees is an important way of alleviating the urban heat island and improving the outdoor thermal environment. However, a major challenge is still present in numerical models: How can shade creation and radiation modification by trees be realistically represented? To address this challenge, this paper proposes a new three-dimensional model of radiation modification by shade trees for four common tree species in Guangzhou, China: Ficus microcarpa, Mangifera indica, Michelia alba and Bauhinia blakeana. Its accuracy is verified with field measurements. The results show that the proposed model can accurately simulate the canopy attenuation of incoming solar radiation (SR) (d=0.76~0.93) and long-wave radiation (LWR) (RMSE=2.7W/m2~12W/m2) in the case of Ficus microcarpa, Mangifera indica, and Bauhinia blakeana. But for Michelia alba, the difference between measured and simulated values can be large (>60W/m2), leading to a high RMSE (25W/m2 ~194 W/m2) . The predictability of surface energy budget and thermal comfort in urban environments is enhanced by incorporating the proposed model into a heat balance model to obtain the mean radiant temperature (MRT). Future development and application of this numerical model will provide useful guidelines for urban landscape management and sustainable urban planning in terms of heat island mitigation.
The 21st century has been called the urban century, as most of the human population is now living in urban areas. Current and future urbanization is mostly taking place at great speed in the Global South. The challenges are enormous and request diff erent models of urbanization as developed in the Global North. High levels of informality and poverty will not go away in the decades to come, while capacity will remain limited to adequately provide urban dwellers with basic infrastructure and economic opportunities. Grave
economic shocks and environmental disasters such as experienced in both the Jakarta and Addis Ababa urban regions are likely to remain features of these regions. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to strengthen the resilience of these cities in the best possible ways. The continued existence of agriculture in and near urban areas is an important means for this purpose that, however, is still poorly, or at best intermittently, acknowledged by politicians and urban planners, who are inspired by visions of “modern” cities where agriculture is rather a negligible activity.
Urban green space (UGS), as a form of green infrastructure, has been given increasing attention in urban planning and its policies. The quality of a UGS is fundamental for the sustainable development of the urban economy, society, environment, and quality of human life, although UGS is unevenly distributed within cities. Aiming to analyze the quality of UGS at the scale of Jiedaos in China, this paper took Haizhu district in Guangzhou as a case study based on collected data from 2010 and aerial imagery from 2012. The Urban Neighborhood Green Index (UNGI) was established by combining four weighted parameters: the green index (P1), the density of buildings (P2), proximity to green areas (P3) and building height (P4). Results from comparing with green index show that (1) the UNGI performed better for UGS planning due to its ability of uncovering impact of the built environment and its accessibility on quality of UGS; (2) the UGS has significant effects on neighbors, which underlies social inequity of UGS supply and presents rich information for urban planning and decision making; (3) a small green field attaching to a community plays a key role in fulfilling the need of neighbors for green space, fitness, and leisure in China, which is usually ignored due to the ownership of private property. It suggests recognizing UGS and improving its quality in old towns as well as improving urban villages characterized by poor quality of green space with green infrastructures. The UNGI can inform city planners regarding their consideration of UGS, and it can contribute to measurements of sustainability and the development of green infrastructure.
Managing stormwater on urban surfaces with blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is being increasingly adopted as an alternative to conventional pipe-based stormwater management in cities. BGI combats water problems and provides multiple benefits for cities, including improved livability and enhanced biodiversity. The paper examines six municipality-led pilot projects from Beijing and Copenhagen, through a review of documents, site observations and interviews with project managers. Beijing’s projects attempt to divert from a pipe-based approach but are dominated by less BGI-based solutions; they could benefit from more integration of multiple benefits with stormwater management. Copenhagen’s projects combine stormwater management with amenity improvement, but lack focus on stormwater utilization. Reviewed municipality-led pilot projects are shown to play an important role in both testing new solutions and upscaling them in the process of developing more sustainable cities. Key lessons are extracted and a simple guideline synthesized. This guideline suggests necessary considerations for a holistic solution that combines stormwater management and urban space improvements. Key lessons for sustainable solutions include defining a clear water technique priority, targeting both small and big rain events, strengthening ‘vertical design’ and providing multiple benefits. An integrated stormwater management and landscape design process is a prerequisite to the meaningful implementation of these solutions. Research and documentation integrated with pilot projects will help upscale the practice at city scale.
Coastal mega-cities will face increasing flood risk under the current protection standard because of future climate change. Previous studies seldom evaluate the comparative effectiveness of alternative options in reducing flood risk under the uncertainty of future extreme rainfall. Long-term planning to manage flood risk is further challenged by uncertainty in socioeconomic factors and contested stakeholder priorities. In this study, we conducted a knowledge co-creation process together with infrastructure experts, policy makers, and other stakeholders to develop an integrated framework for flexible testing of multiple flood-risk mitigation strategies under the condition of deep uncertainties. We implemented this framework to the reoccurrence scenarios in the 2050s of a record-breaking extreme rainfall event in central Shanghai. Three uncertain factors, including precipitation, urban rain island effect and the decrease of urban drainage capacity caused by land subsidence and sea level rise, are selected to build future extreme inundation scenarios in the case study. The risk-reduction performance and cost-effectiveness of all possible solutions are examined across different scenarios. The results show that drainage capacity decrease caused by sea-level rise and land subsidence will contribute the most to the rise of future inundation risk in central Shanghai. The combination of increased green area, improved drainage system, and the deep tunnel with a runoff absorbing capacity of 30% comes out to be the most favorable and robust solution which can reduce the future inundation risk by 85% (±8%). This research indicates that to conduct a successful synthesized trade-off analysis of alternative flood control solutions under future deep uncertainty is bound to be a knowledge co-creation process of scientists, decision makers, field experts, and other stakeholders.
Background:
Urban green open space is a valuable resource for physical activities of urban inhabitants and has the potential to reduce chronic illness and improve health. Research on the relationships between green open space and physical activity is incomplete and limited in China. Thus, the study examines how the urban green open space contributes to physical activity.
Methods:
A questionnaire was designed based on the social ecology theory to investigate the physical activity of 513 residents in urban green open space. We use the time and frequency of residents exercising in urban green space to measure physical activity, and use the factor analysis to synthesize a large number of original factors (i.e., infrastructure, safety, accessibility, landscape quality, and space environment) into relatively few composite indicators. Based on the collected data of the cross-sectional population, the Order Probit regression model was constructed to analyze how urban green open space affects the residents' physical activity from the perspective of social ecology.
Results:
① in community factors: accessibility is significantly positive correlation with residents' physical activity, and there is no significant correlation between safety and physical activity; ②in natural factors: space environment and landscape quality are not significantly correlated with residents' physical activity; ③ in built environmental factors: infrastructures, the area of green space, the size of open space, and entertainment facilities are significantly correlated to residents' activity. Basketball courts, volleyball courts, swimming pools, and sports equipment will promote physical activity; ④ apart from the attributes of green open space, other factors are significantly correlated to physical activity in the green open space, e.g. having a companion.
Conclusions:
Urban green open space plays an important role in promoting physical activity especially among the women and the old, and improving the attributes (such as accessibility, infrastructures, the area of green space, the size of open space and entertainment facilities) of the urban green open space and trying to set up group sports proper to play with companion (like "square dancing" and "Tai Chi") can promote Chinese residents' physical activity so as to improve public health. The results are significant to facilitate environment health.
The capital of China, Beijing, has a history of more than 800 years of urbanization, representing a unique site for studies of urban ecology. Urbanization can severely impact butterfly communities, yet there have been no reports of the species richness and distribution of butterflies in urban parks in Beijing. Here, we conducted the first butterfly survey in ten urban parks in Beijing and estimated butterfly species richness. Subsequently, we examined the distribution pattern of butterfly species and analyzed correlations between butterfly species richness with park variables (age, area and distance to city center), and richness of other bioindicator groups (birds and plants). We collected 587 individual butterflies belonging to 31 species from five families; 74% of the species were considered cosmopolitan. The highest butterfly species richness and abundance was recorded at parks located at the edge of city and species richness was significantly positively correlated with distance from city center (p < 0.05). No significant correlations were detected between the species richness and park age, park area and other bioindicator groups (p > 0.05). Our study provides the first data of butterfly species in urban Beijing, and serves as a baseline for further surveys and conservation efforts.
Urban growth in and around European cities affects multiple aspects of the environment including green spaces. On the one hand, many cities struggle with environmental problems, overcrowding and overuse resulting from high population densities. On the other hand, high densities result in better access to public green spaces, effective public transport, or less demand for resources. Consequently, finding a balance between density and high liveability in a green and sustainable urban environment is a major challenge for urban planning. Although many studies report and discuss the provision of green spaces in European cities, they fail to relate green space provision to the potential demand by urban dwellers, and to the extent differences can be detected between types of green. Against this background, this paper develops a systematic understanding of green space supply and its relation to the residential density of cities. In so doing, it detects turning points of green space supply in 905 European cities. The results show that green space supply is sensitive to the type of green space, population size and location of cities. Particularly the relation between residential density and the supply with urban green spaces covering parks, public gardens or cemeteries, indicate turning points: at certain residential densities the urban green space supply is decreasing. At a certain residential density, the urban green space supply is highest and cities have a high potential to optimize the balance between sustainability and liveability. However, there is no single optimal residential density. Rather, turning points are different between cities of different density and location in Europe and between different types of neighborhoods within cities. Therefore, different optimum values need to be defined sensitive to these characteristics. For most of the European cities, a decrease of population or built-area cannot be expected in the future. In this situation, the approach to identifying the turning points for green space supply as presented in this paper can be used as a comparative method. This informs green space policies for defining acceptable densities of urban development and corresponding standards for the provision of urban green space.
Cities in sub-Saharan Africa are currently confronted with a multitude, and hitherto unexperienced, magnitude of transformative phenomena such as rising inequality, exclusion, poverty and increased residency in informal settlements. These stressors are posing challenges to cities in terms of housing, infrastructure and provision of basic services as well as climate change adaptation. Despite the high dynamics and novel characteristics of city transformation, this urban transition seems to take place rather ‘quietly’ and has, so far, obviously hardly been understood or appreciated by researchers and governments. Subsequently, the multifaceted and extremely challenging problems associated with the process of urbanisation cannot be adequately addressed. Green infrastructure (GI) is currently emerging as a concept for cost-effective urban sustainability and livelihood security. Preservation and provision of accessible urban green spaces is increasingly recognised as an essential part of the liveability of cities. Extensive literature review revealed that the systematic integration of GI concepts in urban planning is seen by an increasing number of researchers as an essential approach to tackle major current and future challenges. Based on the literature review, we suggest that broadening the concept of urban GI by linking it to governance and rights-based conceptualisations will have the potential to unlock more resourceful paths for sustainable, green, and inclusive urban development of cities in Southern and Eastern Africa.
The circumstances under which different ecosystem service benefits can be realised differ. Benefits tend to be co-produced and enabled by multiple interacting social, ecological, and technological factors, which is particularly evident in cities. As many cities are undergoing rapid change, these factors need to be better understood and accounted for, especially for those most in need of benefits. We propose a framework of three systemic filters that affect the flow of ecosystem service benefits: (1) the interactions between green, blue and built infrastructures, (2) the regulatory power and governance of institutions, and (3) people’s individual and shared perceptions and values. We argue that more fully connecting green and blue infrastructure to its urban systems context and highlighting dynamic interactions among the three filters is key to understanding how and why ecosystem services have variable distribution, continuing inequities in who benefits and the long-term resilience of the flows of benefits.
It is widely recognized that brownfield regeneration to green space is a sustainable form of urban development. However, it is essential to choose those brownfields that have the greatest potential to be integrated into urban green infrastructure (GI). This paper addresses how to quantitatively assess the ecological potential of coal mining brownfields at the city level, and looks at how these brownfields can be best adapted to enhance the GI system. Taking Xuzhou as an example, an ecological potential assessment method for brownfield regeneration to green space is established considering both its ecological importance and the capacity of maintaining GI connectivity. The results show that more than half of the coal mining brownfields have relatively higher ecological importance values, and only four patches play an important role in maintaining GI connectivity. The final ecological potential values of brownfield regeneration to green space are obtained by overlaying the values of ecological importance and the capacity values of maintaining GI connectivity. Then, all the brownfields are divided into five groups according to their ecological potential values, which are significantly different in each group. Around 51.35% of the brownfields have a high or very high potential for restoration to GI, which are distributed in the southeastern part of the western mining area and the central part of the eastern mining area. The presented method can assist reclamation scientists and urban planners in decision making based on quantitative analysis.
China’s recent environmental turn in urban development has been marked by a rush of urban green projects. Many city governments have lately focused on green infrastructure of a specific kind – the greenway. This article provides a preliminary assessment of the contributions of greenways to a new, environmentally benign form of urbanisation advocated by the central government. Through a case study of the city of Maanshan, it reveals that Chinese greenways are not just a sustainability fix for the economy’s sake, as many urban green projects in China tend to be conceived. Although the greenways are far from being effective in stimulating tourism, they can promote urban liveability beyond the symbolic and lend material support to active travel. These findings endorse an analytical approach that gives equal emphasis to both the physical and political nature of emerging green infrastructure initiatives to more fully appreciate the logics and functions in their ongoing popularity.
Green infrastructure (GI) offers a new perspective on the benefits of urban and peri-urban green spaces. In Latin America, the urbanization process has involved a loss of these green spaces of high environmental value. These changes have had a series of consequences on the climate of Latin American cities that have been intensified by climate change. Although the contribution of GI to urban climate regulation and to climate change mitigation and adaptation is growing in recognition, the debate has still had little influence on urban planning initiatives, with exceptions in North America and Europe. In Latin America and Africa little is known about how climate change adaptation plans incorporate the development of urban GI. This chapter explores institutional actions to develop GI as an alternative to tackle climate change in Latin American cities. A bibliographic review was conducted using the terms “green infrastructure” or “climate change.” The analysis focused on identifying: responsible institutions, objectives, and the understanding and use of the GI concept. Results indicate that GI has been recently and slowly incorporated into urban planning. This scenario suggests a growing awareness of the need to plan sustainable, green, and more prepared cities to face climate change. However, planners have not considered enough the potential contribution of GI; thus, the role of GI has not been properly identified and valued in urban planning, and planning and design efforts do not maximize the benefits of GI.
Spatial planning decision-making is progressively acknowledging that nature-based solutions are substantially beneficial to urban communities and their host cities. This paper is a meta-study of the current state of spatial planning practice in South Africa, with special focus on nature-based solutions and green infrastructure planning. The complexities and perceptions relating to green infrastructure planning in South Africa is presented, based on the findings of nine independent studies conducted between 2014 and 2018. The collective interpretation of these findings are thematically reported on in terms of (i) the concept of Green Infrastructure as perceived from a local perspective, ii2) the functionality of green infrastructure in local (urban and rural) context, (iii) the benefits (and value) of green infrastructure in local context which probe to be contradicting international accepted theory, and (iv) long term planning strategies and opportunities relating to green infrastructure provision in South Africa and Africa. The paper emphasizes the importance of context-based planning based on the unique considerations illustrated in the (South) African case studies which amongst others disproved the green compensation hypothesis and disproved the green proximity principle. As a result, the paper calls on long-term strategies to align green infrastructure as part of mainstream spatial planning approaches, along with value capturing approaches to sensitize decision-makers to prioritize green infrastructure within broader land-use planning approaches.
Growing and densifying cities set a challenge for preserving and enhancing green spaces to cool urban spaces. Green roofs, involving the planting of vegetation on rooftops, are regarded as an alternative approach to enhancing urban greenery and urban cooling. For better cooling performances, it is essential to reasonably configure green roofs, especially in real and complex neighborhoods. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of morphological characteristics of green roofs on pedestrian cooling in real and complex neighborhoods. In specific, based on an ENVI-met model, we studied the effect of greening layout, coverage ratio, vegetation height, and building height on pedestrian air temperature reduction in the tropical city of Hangzhou, China. Results indicate green roofs could generate moderate effects on pedestrian air temperature reduction (around 0.10–0.30 °C), while achieving a cooling performance of 0.82 °C. Green roofs in upwind zones were able to generate the most favorable cooling performance, while green roofs in downwind zones made slight differences to pedestrian thermal environments. Green roofs with a low coverage ratio were not useful for lowering pedestrian temperature, and a greening coverage ratio of 25–75% in upwind zones was cost-effective in real neighborhoods. Locations that were horizontally close to green roofs enjoyed better cooling performances. Increasing vegetation height could strengthen cooling effects of green roofs, while an increase in building height weakened the cooling performance. Nevertheless, higher building height could enhance pedestrian cooling performances because of building shading effects. In addition, because of wind effects and building shading, building height limits for the cooling performance of green roofs could be higher than 60 m.
Urban green infrastructure is an approach to sustainable urban development. The aim of this research is to examine the drivers for urban green infrastructure development and planning in Bahir Dar and Hawassa cities in Ethiopia. Data was collected using focus group discussion, interview and observation. In this study, we concentrated on the main drivers for urban green infrastructure planning and development, environmental stewardship, spatial planning, economic development, policy issues, local/regional needs, stakeholders’ interest and strategies/action plans. The results show that, among the listed drivers, the top priority drivers in Bahir Dar are spatial planning, economic development and environmental stewardship. In Hawassa, these are similar although top is economic development and second is spatial planning followed by environmental stewardship.
Background
Population growth at all scales and rapid rates of urbanization, particularly in the global South, are placing increasing pressure on ecosystems and their ability to provide services essential for human well-being. The spatial consideration of threats to ecosystem services related to changes in land use is necessary in order to avoid undue impacts on society due to the loss or reduced supply of ecosystem services. This study assesses the potential threats of land use change from strategic and local development proposals to ecosystem services in the city of Durban.
Methods
We analysed the spatial relationship between five categories of ecosystem service hotspots (carbon storage, water yield, sediment retention, nutrient retention and flood attenuation) and urban land use change related to selected strategic planning proposals, development proposals and sand-mining applications in Durban, South Africa (eThekwini Municipality) with a view to determining the consequences for progress towards a more sustainable development path in the city. We identified the potential levels of threat related to habitat destruction or transformation for the five categories of ecosystem services and a subset of 13 ecosystem service hotspots, using GIS spatial analysis tools.
Results
The results show that on average, should Durban’s strategic development plans be realised, approximately 42% loss of ecosystem service hotspots is expected in the two municipal town-planning regions assessed. With respect to development applications between 2009 and 2012, approximately 36% of all environmental impact assessments and 84% of sand mining applications occurred within ecosystem service hotspots within Durban.
Discussion
The findings highlight the tension between short-term development pressures and longer-term sustainability goals and confirm that current planning and development proposals pose a threat to ecosystems and their ability to deliver services that support human well-being in Durban. We suggest practical solutions to include ecosystem services into local government decision-making.
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the most urbanized and biologically diverse regions in the world but is often characterized by weak environmental governance and socioeconomic inequalities. Given large expanses of intact biomes, a long history of pre-Colombian civilizations, and recent urbanization trends, the urban ecosystem services (UES) concept has the potential to address issues of well-being for its citizens. We review relevant regional and global literature and use expert-based knowledge to identify the state of the art of the UES concept as applicable to green spaces in LAC and elucidate three overarching guidelines for management and future research needs: 1. LAC cities can be socio-ecologically unique; 2. Drivers of UES in LAC can be different than in other regions; and 3. Context and demand need to be accounted for when valuing UES. Overall, we show that research on UES is mostly from the global north and rarely accounts for the diverse and complex socio-political and ecological drivers of LAC’s urbanization processes. We find that, as in other regions, the biophysical context and land use policies play a major role on UES provision. However, socioeconomic inequalities and weak governance are key drivers in UES supply and demand in LAC. Context-specific information on how to promote, educate, and apply UES is particularly important, not only in LAC, but in other regions where inequities, rapid urbanization, and climate change effects are stressing socio-political and ecological systems and their adaptive capacities. Standardized approaches from developed countries should be used to complement - not substitute – LAC context specific approaches for studying and applying UES. We suggest that improved research funding and local governance can also provide critical strategies, information and the means for more effective management, planning, and equitable provision of UES.
This review examines disparities in access to urban green space (UGS) based on socioeconomic status (SES) and race-ethnicity in Global South cities. It was motivated by documented human health and ecosystem services benefits of UGS in Global South countries and UGS planning barriers in rapidly urbanizing cities. Additionally, another review of Global North UGS studies uncovered that high-SES and White people have access to a higher quantity of higher quality UGSs than low-SES and racial-ethnic minority people but that no clear differences exist regarding who lives closer to UGS. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to uncover (1) whether UGS inequities in Global North cities are evident in Global South cities and (2) whether inequities in the Global South vary between continents. Through the PRISMA approach and five inclusion criteria, we identified 46 peer-reviewed articles that measured SES or racial-ethnic disparities in access to UGS in Global South cities. We found inequities for UGS quantity (high-SES people are advantaged in 85% of cases) and UGS proximity (74% of cases). Inequities were less consistent for UGS quality (65% of cases). We also found that UGS inequities were consistent across African, Asian, and Latin American cities. These findings suggest that Global South cities experience similar inequities in UGS quantity and quality as Global North cities, but that the former also face inequities in UGS proximity.
