Urban greening

This article presents a spatial analysis of projects selected by city residents and implemented in five successive editions (2015-2019) of the participatory budgeting in Częstochowa, Poland. The study examines the relationship between the type of hard projects (small investments in public infrastructure and landscaping) and the pre-existing characteristics of the land use of each district. Kernel density estimation and Spearman correlation analysis were used. The highest spatial density occurred in projects related to the modernization of roads and sidewalks, recreation, and greenery, indicating a relatively high number of proposals within or near residential areas. Key correlations included the following: (1) greenery projects were more common in districts lacking green areas; (2) recreational infrastructure was more frequently chosen in areas with significant water features; (3) street furniture projects were mostly selected in districts with sparse development, scattered buildings, and postindustrial sites; (4) educational infrastructure was often chosen in lowdensity, but developing districts. The selected projects often reflect local deficits in specific land use or public infrastructure, but also stress the predestination of the recreational use of waterside areas.

The rural settlements in the Najafgarh zone of Southwest Delhi are undergoing rapid transformation under intense urban pressure. This paper investigates the spatial, socioeconomic , environmental, and infrastructural changes in selected villages of Najafgarh, examines the drivers of transformation, and assesses the impacts on rural livelihoods, housing, land use, environment, and community identity. Using a mixed-methods approach combining GIS mapping, field surveys, interviews, and secondary data, the study reveals that unauthorised housing expansion, loss of agricultural land, infrastructure strain, environmental degradation, and shifting livelihoods are hallmarks of this transformation. Policy gaps and planning challenges are identified, and recommendations for sustainable management are offered. The transformation of rural settlements under urban pressure is a prominent phenomenon in rapidly urbanizing regions, particularly at the fringes of major metropolitan areas. This study focuses on the Najafgarh Zone in the Southwest District of Delhi, a region witnessing significant spatial, socioeconomic, and environmental shifts due to the encroaching urban sprawl of the National Capital Territory. Historically characterized by agriculture-based livelihoods, traditional settlement structures, and natural ecosystems such as the Najafgarh drain and wetlands, the villages in this zone are undergoing rapid and often unregulated changes. Through a mixed-methods approach involving GIS-based land use analysis, household surveys, and qualitative interviews, this research examines how rural settlements are being reshaped. Key drivers identified include land commercialization, infrastructural expansion, informal housing development, and migration. The consequences of this transformation are multifaceted: loss of agricultural land, environmental degradation, strain on public services, altered livelihoods, and erosion of traditional community identities. The findings reveal that villages closer to the urban core exhibit more intense transformation, while peripheral settlements are in early stages of change. The study also highlights gaps in planning, enforcement, and community participation, pointing to the urgent need for policy interventions that balance development with sustainability. By focusing on Najafgarh Zone as a case study, this paper contributes to broader debates on periurbanization, informal urban growth, and the future of rural settlements in India's rapidly expanding cities. The research advocates for inclusive, environmentally-sensitive, and community-driven planning approaches to manage rural-urban transitions effectively.

An ecologically planned greening strategy in an urban landscape helps provide a healthy and wholesome environment for its citizens and, at the same time, promotes biodiversity, offers ecosystem services, raises awareness about environmental conservation, protects the city’s environment (from pollution), and ameliorates climate locally. Designing a greening strategy compatible to local physico-climatic conditions requires consideration and integration of a number of complex factors. The current paper aims to develop a comprehensive framework for a greening strategy based on the principals of ecology. This paper also focuses on deriving benefits from the green cover in the landscape through maximizing the flow of ecosystem services. The outcome of such an ecologically designed greening strategy will be in the form of a customized green plan right from a neighbourhood scale to a community and finally a city scale.

Humans have been manipulating and creating massive impacts on nature ever since industrial- ization and before. Yet, even though nature has been a great source to connect to and learn from, people often tend to forget that they are a part of it, neglect it, or, worse – destroy it.
The rapid increase of vertical urbanization seems to help solving some of the problems in the cities; which is a well-known tendency in order to create more space for growing populations with less investment in expensive infrastructures. But, on the other hand, a fair amount of studies indicate that urbanization can bring along some serious adverse effects on humans too, which can lead to a decrease in people’s well-being and quality of life. Additionally, it can cause a loss of con- nection to nature, which might have physical and mental implications for humans.
This thesis aims to explore whether humans possess an intrinsic need for nature, and if bringing nature inside can increase the connectivity to the natural environment. Also, what positive effects biophilic design can potentially offer in our rapidly urbanizing cities in order to minimize the adverse effects of urbanicity and achieve healthier and good quality of life. Finally, the goal is to describe the possible ways, opportunities, and restrictions of integrating some of the qualities from nature in our built environments.
The focus of this thesis is particularly on the interconnection between humans, nature and the built-environment. Related research questions will be explored through scientific publications, relevant literature and reference projects, as well as case studies.
The outcomes of this research are used to present a design proposal, embodying how biophilic design elements can be applied and integrated in a tall-building design with the purpose of creating better living environments and nurturing the human-nature relationship, so that the long-term adverse effects of city life can be avoided or minimized. The title of the design proposal is BREATH! – a biophilic timber high-rise representing a type of nature-related affordable housing with less space but more quality of life (i.e., cubic meter instead of square meter).

Paired aerial photographs were interpreted to assess recent changes in tree, impervious and other cover types in 20 U.S. cities as well as urban land within the conterminous United States. National results indicate that tree cover in urban areas of the United States is on the decline at a rate of about 7900 ha/yr or 4.0 million trees per year. Tree cover in 17 of the 20 analyzed cities had statistically significant declines in tree cover, while 16 cities had statistically significant increases in impervious cover. Only one city (Syracuse, NY) had a statistically significant increase in tree cover. City tree cover was reduced, on average, by about 0.27 percent/yr, while impervious surfaces increased at an average rate of about 0.31 percent/yr. As tree cover provides a simple means to assess the magnitude of the overall urban forest resource, monitoring of tree cover changes is important to understand how tree cover and various environmental benefits derived from the trees may be changing. Photo-interpretation of digital aerial images can provide a simple and timely means to assess urban tree cover change to help cities monitor progress in sustaining desired urban tree cover levels.

Climate change is reshaping urban environments, intensifying the need for resilient green space design and management that supports biodiversity, improves ecosystem services, and adapts to changing conditions. Understanding the trade-offs between native and non-native species selection is important for developing climate-resilient urban green spaces. This review examines public preferences for native versus non-native plant species and their implications for urban green space design and management. We critically analyse the ecosystem services and biodiversity benefits provided by both native and non-native plants in urban spaces, highlighting the complex trade-offs involved. Our findings indicate that while native plants can be underrepresented in urban landscapes, they offer significant ecological benefits including support for local wildlife and pollinators. Some studies have highlighted the climate resilience of native plants; however, they are likely to be more affected by climate change. Therefore, conservation strategies are needed, especially for endemic and threatened plant species. Several studies suggest a more flexible approach that integrates plant species from diverse climatic origins to improve resilience. We also explore conservation gardening (CG) as a socio-ecological strategy to integrate endangered native species into urban landscapes, promoting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. This review stresses the importance of informed plant species selection and community involvement in creating climate-resilient urban green spaces.

There are creative, affordable ways to address community development and also achieve goals of environmental sustainability. Approximately thirty case studies, based on interviews and usually also site visits, were completed during 2005. The case studies examined community gardening and urban agriculture, the greening of publicly controlled urban electricity and bus agencies, reuse centers, and local business associations in the United States. Policy recommendations for city governments that emerged from the case studies are summarized here. There are many opportunities for financially pressed cities to assist the development of 'just sustainability' projects with minimal financial commitments. They can do so by rechanneling the purchasing decisions of public agencies, building partnerships with community organizations, and developing the small business sector.

This study analyses the interactions and impacts between multiple factors i.e., urban greening, building layout, and meteorological conditions that characterise the urban microclimate and thermal comfort in the urban environment. The focus was on two neighbourhoods of Lecce city (southern Italy) characterised through field campaigns and modelling simulations on a typical hot summer day. Field campaigns were performed to collect greening, building geometry, and microclimate data, which were employed in numerical simulations of several greening scenarios using the Computational Fluid Dynamics-based and microclimate model ENVI-met. Results show that, on a typical summer day, trees may lead to an average daily decrease of air temperature by up to 1.00 °C and an improvement of thermal comfort in terms of Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) by up to 5.53 °C and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) by up to 0.53. This decrease is more evident when the urban greening (in terms of green surfaces and trees) ...

The constant deterioration of the ecological state of the living environment of the urban population is today the most important problem of Chinese society. In fact it, has already begun to be solved by forming an innovative concept of «ARCHITECTURE GREEN», which is an optimization ecological innovation of the modern architecture of the world. In connection with this innovation, the task of modern Chinese architecture has become a stylistic development of appropriate landscape architecture of the interior garden, which seems to be in mini-forms and ethno-traditions of environment design should meet the leading aspects of Chinese culture.

Urbanization is a rapidly accelerating global phenomenon that challenges sustainable development, requiring innovative frameworks for understanding and managing urban complexity. This study explores the application of Complexity Theory in sustainable urban development, framing cities as Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), where dynamic social, economic, environmental, and technological interactions generate emergent behaviors. A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing 91 studies retrieved from Scopus that explicitly link Complexity Theory to urban sustainability. Key findings reveal trade-offs, such as balancing economic growth with ecological preservation and social equity, while emphasizing the role of self-organization and adaptive governance in enhancing urban resilience. Concrete examples include the application of fractal analysis in urban planning to predict sprawl and optimize infrastructure and the use of system dynamics models to align smart city initiatives with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Wider co-benefits identified include improved public health through integrated green infrastructure and the reinforcement of social cohesion via participatory urban planning. This research concludes that embracing Complexity Theory enables a holistic approach to urban sustainability, fostering adaptable, resilient systems that can better manage uncertainty. This study highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative policy frameworks to navigate the multifaceted challenges of modern urbanization.

Recent climate projections predict an amplification of global warming and more frequent extreme events such as heat waves. Therefore, the adaptation of cities to counterbalance these adverse changes is urgent. Among available adaptation strategies, urban greening is a measure that is frequently encouraged to improve thermal comfort or energy demand, but whose impacts are not well known at the scale of cities. In this study we evaluate the effects of various urban greening scenarios based on urban climate simulations across the Paris area. The modelling relies on the Town Energy Balance model. The scenarios tested consist of an increase in ground-based vegetation or an implementation of green roofs on compatible buildings, or the two combined. Results show that increasing the ground cover has a stronger cooling impact than implementing green roofs on street temperatures, and even more so when the greening rate and the proportion of trees are important. Green roofs are however the most effective way to reduce energy consumption, not only in summer but also on an annual basis. The effects the various greening measures may have over different seasons is finally addressed in order to draw up a comprehensive inventory of the climatic impacts of such strategies.

As population growth continues in our urban centers, urban forest management becomes an important priority. Trees are an essential component of resilient and healthy urban communities, providing benefits including mediating the urban heat island effect, storm water management, and energy and water efficiency, carbon sequestration, and city beautification. In order to assess the current status of Colton’s urban forest, interdisciplinary teams of students and scientists from the Center for Urban Resilience (CURes) at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) have assisted Jack Sahl & Associates with an extensive inventory of the tree resources within the City. In gathering data describing the size, distribution, age, health, and energy efficiency benefits of the city’s trees, this study seeks to provide recommendations for best management practices of Colton’s urban forest. Colton has strived to engage the public in an open dialogue about this project. Colton is the first city to deal with th...

Across the globe, our park systems, which serve as strongholds for intact ecosystems and as some of the last bastions of wilderness, are exhibiting the impacts of a changing climate. This is particularly significant because these emblematic sites serve as vital educational opportunities. While parks are uniquely positioned as prospects for promoting climate advocacy, it is important to recognize that our relationship with climate change and our connection to nature varies dramatically across different groups of people. Consequently, the effectiveness of climate-related educational efforts depends directly on strategic messaging that aligns with these distinctions. By using the Biophilia Hypothesis as a theoretical framework and employing the Biophilic Profile, an educational tool that explores our nuanced connection to nature, valuable patterns can emerge that offer insights into strategies to diversify climate messaging to better align with different people’s unique ways of knowing. This alignment can promote more effective, responsive, and meaningful climate campaigns and environmental education initiatives.

Modular green wall, or living wall (LW) system, has evolved worldwide over the past decades as a popular green building feature and a nature-based solution. Differential climatic conditions across the globe make the standardisation of practices inapplicable to local scenarios. LW projects with differing goals and preferences like aesthetic (such as plant healthiness), water-saving, and minimal plant growth require optimal combinations of plant species to achieve single or multiple goals. This exploratory study aimed to deploy empirical field LW data to optimise analytical models to support plant species selection and LW design. Plant growth performance and water demand data of 29 commonly used plant species in outdoor modular LW systems without irrigation were collected in subtropical Hong Kong for 3 weeks. The 29 species tested were grouped into five plant forms: herbaceous perennials (16 spp), succulents (2 spp), ferns (2 spp), shrubs (7 spp), and trees (2 spp). Plant species-specific plant height, LAI, plant health rating, and water absorption amount were recorded every 6 days, together with photo records. Total water demand varied widely among plant species, ranging from 52.5 to 342.5 mL in 3 weeks (equivalent to 2.5 to 16.3 mL per day). The random forest algorithm proved that the water demand of the species was a dominant predictor of plant health tendency, among other parameters. Hierarchical clustering grouped plant species with similar water demand and health rating tendencies into four groups. The health rating threshold approach identified the top-performing species that displayed a healthy appearance as a basic prerequisite, coupled with one or two optional objectives: (1) water-saving and (2) slow-growing. The comparison among the plant selection scenarios based on projected LW performance (water demand, plant health, and growth) provided sound evidence for the optimisation of LW design for sustainability. LW projects with multiple objectives inherited a multitude of multi-scalar properties; thus, the simulation of LW performance in this study demonstrated a novel data-driven approach to optimise plant species selection and planting design with minimal resource input.

This study examines the urban greening community movement through the lens of tactical urbanism as a community-based urban planning model. Tactical urbanism, gaining traction as both a response and an alternative to urban challenges, is defined by active community participation. This approach challenges traditional top-down planning by offering swift, adaptive, and creative solutions tailored to community needs. By fostering participatory planning, tactical urbanism enhances collective awareness and empowers communities to drive development and address urban issues. The emphasis on grassroots involvement ensures a more inclusive and effective planning process. Despite its potential, tactical urbanism remains under explored within Indonesia's planning framework. This study analyzes the tactical urbanism process in urban greening communities in Jakarta's urban kampung, exploring whether tactical urbanism serves as a steppingstone to achieving more strategic long-term goals and examining the role of stakeholders outside the community in this process. In-depth interviews with key members of three urban greening communities and thematic data analysis reveal several key findings: the greening movement is primarily driven by personal initiatives; the formalization of community structures plays a crucial role; government and private sector involvement influences the process of maintaining urban greening community's needs; empowerment and behavioral changes occur within the community; and organizational sustainability remains a key challenge. Based on the findings, it proposes an "organic tactical urbanism" framework as a practical guide for addressing urban challenges in various contexts.

We aim to investigate the governance challenges of many Chinese urban governments to co-deliver migrant integration and urban green space provision. In specific, we examine the existing institutional arrangements applied in the Haizhu Wetland Park Project in Guangzhou and the consequential marginality. Why is it challenging for many urban governments to take social marginality into account in the conservation of urban green spaces? We approach this research question with the concepts of marginality, complex social-ecological systems, and institutional fit. We construct a conceptual framework to identify and explain the types of marginality emerged and to analyze the institutional fit in the case study. Our analysis reveals a segregative effect in the current institutional arrangements. On the one hand, they are cost-efficient in ecological restoration and urban green space conservation; on the other, not effective in addressing migrant integration and wellbeing. Current institutional arrangements segregate these two interconnected issues, leading to the marginalization of urban migrants. The current institutional segregativity reveals the degree of challenge to balance the pursuits between social equity and ecological benefits. For more collaborative and inclusive urban governance, future research is needed to understand whether the lacking integration of urban migrants is an institutional blind spot.

This paper proposes the identification of adapted plant species with high local availability feasible for implementation as green roofs in dry cities. To this end, two experiments were conducted under controlled conditions. One of them aimed at determining the biological behaviour of a sample set of fourteen species based on the measurement of three variables: plant cover, water consumption, and leaf temperature. The other test sought to determine the thermal behaviour of green roofs by comparing preselected species according to their biological response with traditional roofs. In this case, the following meteorological variables were recorded: outdoor and indoor air temperature, substrate temperature, and water content. Finally, the data obtained were statistically processed. Biological results show that the species Aptenia cordifolia, Cynodon dactylon, Hyalis argentea, and Nassella tenuissima reach plant cover higher than 70% with Aptenia cordifolia recording the lowest water consumption, 217 l/year. Regarding thermal behaviour, the green roof with Nassella tenuissima-a shrubby native species-results in the highest mitigation of outdoor temperature, reducing average indoor temperature by 3.4°C. These results show the biological and thermal fitness of local species that guarantee the sustainability of the system itself as well as higher thermal efficiency with lower water consumption.

Singapore has witnessed rapid urban development in the last thirty years. Its landscape has changed from one of slums and squatters in the immediate post-war years to a city of gardens and high-rise high-density housing. The concept of a 'garden city' was introduced to guide the development of a city-state with abundant greenery. In the process, many parks and gardens were created including park connectors which are green linkages between parks and other land uses. This paper presents the findings of an ongoing research into park connectors. It reports on that part of the survey results which examine the views of residents towards nature provision in park connectors and suggest some design options to enhance the planning of park connectors.

IntroductionThe new coronavirus pandemic that began in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has prompted countries around the world to implement unprecedented social distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. The result of sudden and massive interruptions in daily life is likely to affect well-being, particularly among urban populations living in dense environments with limited public space (Samuelsson et al., 2020
). This disease came to change the daily development of cities and its citizens significantly, so this can be seen as a moment to redesign the way urban areas are planned (Lai et al., 2020). Aside of this, we must consider another element that has been present for a long time now, this is climate change, but international efforts are being made to transform the dominant development paradigm takes us on an inclusive, long-term vision path of sustainable development in cities.
The path to achieving sustainable urban areas is with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approved in September 2015 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. This Agenda establishes a transformative vision towards the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the 193 Member States that signed it and is a reference guide for institution’s work towards this vision during the next 15 years (Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, 2002). Among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with this Agenda, this work will reference Objective 3: Health and Well-being and Objective 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities as they both mention the importance of cities to adapt climate change with diverse mitigation activities such as the increase of green urban spaces for its capacity to retain polluted particles, improve air quality and prevent respiratory diseases.

Large-scale urban greening projects such as river renaturalisation offer enormous benefits both in social and ecological terms. For instance, they reduce heat-island effects and flood-proclivity and increase urban biodiversity. Yet, environmental justice scholarship shows that who benefits from these projects is a question that still needs consideration. Often, environmental action comes alongside economic-induced displacement and thus increased social vulnerability, a phenomenon that has been named Green Gentrification. For instance, projects such as New York’s Highline, Seoul’s Cheonggycheon Restoration or Barcelona’s Rambla significantly increased their city’s green spaces, but also displaced thousands due to sudden land value and rent price increase. While analyses have prioritised single-case studies of both local and city scales, there is still much to be learned from the comparisons at the project level. This study tries to untangle the linkages between design and green gentrification. It explores what could be key design criteria that explain why gentrification is a typical result of large-scale urban greening projects. For this, the study uses a Most Different Systems Design (MDSD) comparative analysis of two river renaturalisation interventions: Parques del Río in Medellín, Colombia and Madrid Río in Madrid, Spain. Results indicate that designers could mitigate gentrifying outcomes of projects by explicitly addressing what I name areas of strategic decision: integration of resident’s identity, tools to control land speculation, prioritising regeneration over beautification and ensuring tenancy protection frameworks. Findings indicate that there is an urgent need for an ‘equity-shift’ in urban environmentalism, where planners and designers understand that justice is at the core of sustainability, and prioritise decision with that set of ideas in mind.

We aim to investigate the governance challenges of many Chinese urban governments to co-deliver migrant integration and urban green space provision. In specific, we examine the existing institutional arrangements applied in the Haizhu Wetland Park Project in Guangzhou and the consequential marginality. Why is it challenging for many urban governments to take social marginality into account in the conservation of urban green spaces? We approach this research question with the concepts of marginality, complex social-ecological systems, and institutional fit. We construct a conceptual framework to identify and explain the types of marginality emerged and to analyze the institutional fit in the case study. Our analysis reveals a segregative effect in the current institutional arrangements. On the one hand, they are cost-efficient in ecological restoration and urban green space conservation; on the other, not effective in addressing migrant integration and wellbeing. Current institutional arrangements segregate these two interconnected issues, leading to the marginalization of urban migrants. The current institutional segregativity reveals the degree of challenge to balance the pursuits between social equity and ecological benefits. For more collaborative and inclusive urban governance, future research is needed to understand whether the lacking integration of urban migrants is an institutional blind spot.

Formal green spaces significantly enhance urban living by improving residents' quality of life and serving as hubs for recreation, cultural activities, and social interactions. They also provide economic and environmental benefits. However, these advantages can only be realized through effective planning and development. Inadequate practices such as poor spatial design, insufficient infrastructure, lack of facilities, and ineffective management often leave green spaces underutilized and unable to fulfil their intended purposes. In Durame town, Central Ethiopia region, such challenges have burdened the administration, prompting a study to analyze the functionality of formal green spaces from planning and development perspectives. The research sought to evaluate the planning and development of existing green spaces, identify gaps in proposed plans, assess development progress, and investigate associated challenges. A descriptive survey method was employed, using both probability and non-probability sampling techniques to gather and analyze qualitative data from primary and secondary sources. The findings revealed that ineffective planning practices and insufficient stakeholder investment hinder the functionality of green spaces. The research underscores the need for improved planning and development approaches to enhance the utility of these spaces, benefiting residents, the municipality, and other stakeholders in the town.

Formal green spaces significantly enhance urban living by improving residents' quality of life and serving as hubs for recreation, cultural activities, and social interactions. They also provide economic and environmental benefits. However, these advantages can only be realized through effective planning and development. Inadequate practices such as poor spatial design, insufficient infrastructure, lack of facilities, and ineffective management often leave green spaces underutilized and unable to fulfil their intended purposes. In Durame town, Central Ethiopia region, such challenges have burdened the administration, prompting a study to analyze the functionality of formal green spaces from planning and development perspectives. The research sought to evaluate the planning and development of existing green spaces, identify gaps in proposed plans, assess development progress, and investigate associated challenges. A descriptive survey method was employed, using both probability and non-probability sampling techniques to gather and analyze qualitative data from primary and secondary sources. The findings revealed that ineffective planning practices and insufficient stakeholder investment hinder the functionality of green spaces. The research underscores the need for improved planning and development approaches to enhance the utility of these spaces, benefiting residents, the municipality, and other stakeholders in the town.

This policy paper outlines a comprehensive strategy aimed at transforming Dhaka into a sustainable and livable city by addressing critical issues related to the environment, economy, and public health. Key components of this policy paper include role of stakeholder and their involvement to ensure collective commitment and engagement, a thorough PESTEL analysis to assess external factors, MCA to evaluate policy options, and comprehensive risk analysis to identify and mitigate potential challenges. These Policies align with broader goals of combating climate change, mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect, restoring ecological balance, promoting biodiversity, and enhancing human health over the long term. A selected policy option is presented for accompanied by a detailed implementation and monitoring plan, complete with a proposed budget. This budget allocation is designed to facilitate the successful execution of the policy and the attainment of desired outcomes. Furthermore, this policy emphasizes the importance of considering health, environmental sustainability, social well-being, and economic growth in tandem to create a livable and ideal city. Recommendations and action points are proposed to guide the transformation of Dhaka into a city that harmonizes the interests of its inhabitants, environment, and the broader community. By adhering to the principles outlined in this policy paper, Dhaka can move towards a future characterized by sustainability, resilience, and improved quality of life for its residents while contributing to global efforts to address climate change and promote urban livability.

Urban planning is governed by principles that create sustainable, resilient, accessible, equitable, economically vibrant, and healthpromoting cities. Formal organizations, including governmental bodies and professional associations, play a crucial role in shaping cities' physical and social fabric through systematic, multi-tiered approaches. The historical evolution of formal urban planning traces back to ancient civilizations, where foundational principles were established. Key figures like Ebenezer Howard significantly influenced modern urban planning. Howard's Garden City Movement, emerging in the late 19th century, aimed to counteract the adverse effects of rapid industrialization by proposing self-sustaining communities surrounded by greenbelts. This model harmoniously integrated urban amenities with rural landscapes, promoting a balanced lifestyle and enhancing physical and mental well-being. The formal organization of urban planning gained momentum during the Industrial Revolution, driven by the need for structured approaches to managing rapid urban growth and improving living conditions. This period highlighted the importance of comprehensive planning practices to address the challenges of urban expansion. Urban planning and design in Kenya involve a collaborative effort among national and county governments, civil society organizations, private sector entities, and academic institutions. The National Urban Development Policy (NUDP) and the New Urban Agenda guide the planning processes, focusing on inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban development. The National Land Commission and the Kenya Institute of Planners are pivotal in overseeing and implementing land use planning and urban development policies. Overall, urban planning continues to evolve, balancing historical insights with modern innovations to create sustainable and conducive environments for a high quality of life.

Малі міста Львівщини сформовані у процесі тривалого історичного розвитку. Проаналізовано  історико-культурний, соціальний та екологічний потенціал міста Кам’янка-Бузька. Визначено функціональну роль екологічної інфраструктури у формуванні сталого і природо-орієнтованого міста. Проведено польові дослідження та оцінювання сучасного стану екологічної інфраструктури міста Кам’янка-Бузька. Окреслено позитивні і негативні аспекти у функціонуванні екологічної інфраструктури міста. Запропоновано перелік оптимізаційних заходів для покращення умов проживання мешканців міста. Оптимізаційні заходи розділено на три категорії (прості, середньо тривалі та заходи
значної тривалості і вартості). Поведінкова складова екологічної інфраструктури передбачає активну участь громадськості. На
жаль, у місті громадськість не активна та природо-орієнтована, у парку є пошкоджені дерева, маргінальні групи осіб, наявні пошкоджені ігрові майданчики, а на фасадах будинків у хаотичний спосіб розміщені вивіски магазинів. Потрібно працювати над підвищенням рівня екологічної свідомості і культури мешканців шляхом створення екологічно-просвітницьких центрів і гуртків.
З огляду на сучасну екологічну ситуацію та стан компонентів довкілля першочерговими завданнями для формування екологічної інфраструктури у місті та впровадження природо-орієнтованих рішень є збільшення кількості та щільності зелених насаджень, розміщення зелених смуг вздовж доріг, модернізація очисних споруд та реконструкцій систем водопостачання і водовідведення, розміщення протишумових екранів, створення безпечних дитячих і спортивних майданчиків, робота над удосконаленням
мобільності та інклюзивності міста шляхом оснащення державних установ, лікарень і навчальних закладів пандусами, шрифтом Брайля.

The paper discusses the crucial role and importance of architects in integrating landscape design into urban spaces. It explores how architects collaborate with other stakeholders to create attractive and functional landscapes that enhance the overall quality of city life. Additionally, it touches upon architects' advocacy for public spaces and green amenities in city development policies and their use of technology to optimize the interaction between built and natural environments. The paper also emphasizes how architects drive the growing popularity of landscape design in urban settings through visionary design, collaborative efforts, advocacy for green spaces, and expert use of technology. It emphasizes the importance of architects' contributions to developing sustainable, resilient, and aesthetically pleasing landscape design that promotes the harmonious coexistence of built and natural environments.

Urbanization has significantly impacted the environment and urban life, with urban green spaces playing a crucial role in enhancing sustainability and public health. Urban Green Spaces (UGS) offer benefits such as temperature regulation, ecological services, and improved thermal comfort, while providing entertainment, culture, disaster avoidance, and ecological services. This study evaluates the cooling effects of UGS in mitigating the Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) phenomenon in Delhi, India, using satellite imagery to assess the Land Surface Temperature (LST) of 24 parks. We calculated the Park Cooling Intensity (PCI) by applying the mono-window algorithm. We found that parks larger than 1.55 hectares with dense vegetation and water bodies significantly reduced surrounding temperatures by up to 8.28 °C. The PCI effect was significantly influenced by park size, vegetation density, and the presence of water bodies, with larger parks and denser vegetation and water bodies demonstrating enhanced cooling capacity. These findings highlight the importance of integrating green spaces into urban planning as vital infrastructure for enhancing urban resilience, reducing heat-related health risks, and ensuring equitable access to public health benefits. The study also highlights the importance of addressing socio-economic disparities in park accessibility, which have significant implications for equitable urban development. This study emphasized the importance of formulating a strategic urban planning approach that focuses on green spaces' growth, conservation, and equitable allocation, thereby fostering eco-friendly, habitable, and robust urban environments.

Conserving native biodiversity in cities involves addressing social and ecological factors that contribute to the persistence of species. Multiple activities and programs are needed, with the participation of land managers across private and public realms; from householders to state and local governments. There are few planning and assessment tools that assist practitioners, at the scale of local governments and in the context of urban ecosystems, to consider and address interrelated human and ecological issues. We present a systems-based framework, drawn from diverse literature, for assessing conservation programs (before, during, or after implementation) on the basis of having social and ecological features that strengthen a community's capacity to achieve conservation and human wellbeing outcomes. The framework can assist consideration of a program's impact on the community's social and ecological resources, the linkages between them, and how these might be strengthened to better achieve desired social and ecological goals. To illustrate its use we apply the framework to data from an urban wildlife gardening program in Melbourne, Australia. Using the framework highlights where the program strengthened the community's social and ecological resources for undertaking conservation, and their deployment in conservation activities. It also helps to identify potential future actions, in this case fostering community-local government program codesign, setting ecological targets for coordinated private and public land management, and dovetailing with the municipality's community strengthening programs. Community capacity building frameworks can highlight aspects of urban conservation programs that are currently underappreciated, including modes of community involvement, and their social as well as ecological benefits.

This briefing draws upon the expertise of RMIT's urban greening, biodiversity and liveability research community to inform policy makers and the wider community on the critical opportunities nature-based solutions offer in enhancing liveability.

Butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera) contribute to the ecosystem services and thereby qualify as a group deserving conservation effort. Information on the butterfly-plant links is used as a foundation to sustain population and enhance conservation and management. Thus, in the present study, the structure of a butterfly-plant network in an urban landscape like Kolkata, India, was deciphered highlighting metrics like degree distribution, nestedness, and interaction strength and specialization index. A total of forty eight butterfly species associated with thirty different angiosperm plant species were observed during the study period of one year. While Lantana camara was observed to be the dominant plant species with 37 links to different butterflies, the Catopsilia pyranthe butterfly species was dominant in terms of the generalist pattern of links (21 links) with the plants. Differential ability of the shrubs and herbs in the sustenance of the butterflies was reflected in the network indices using the herbs and the shrubs, separately. In urban landscapes with restricted variety of flowering plants, an estimate of relative strength of interactions enables identification and further use of the concerned species in sustaining butterfly populations. In accordance with these propositions, the butterfly-plant network illustrated in the present instance may prove useful in selection of plant species required for the enhancement of population of desired butterfly species in urban areas like Kolkata, India.

This contribution presents the outcomes of an analysis of urban policies and plans in Italy where the objectives of UB safeguarding, restoration, provision, and enhancement are explicitly acknowledged. The objective is to understand the interface between biodiversity and urban policies and identify guidelines and strategies for reorienting the action of city governments towards conserving and enhancing UB. The survey has a twofold focus, respectively, on the urban policies adopted at regional, sub-regional, municipal levels, and on the spatial plans in charge of translating the general objectives identified in policies into concrete actions, and monitoring their implementations. The research findings show that, while at the European and national levels, a clear trajectory of policies regarding urban biodiversity can be observed, at the local level policies mainly have a sectoral focus as well as an ambiguous impact on UB and lack tools and mechanisms for monitoring their implementation. Concerning the plans, the survey highlighted the pervasive, although rhetorical, diffusion of UB strategies and actions in spatial plans. Nevertheless, the scarce integration between thematic and statutory plans results in the difficulty of implementing and monitoring in an integrated way the objectives related to the protection and restoration of urban biodiversity.

Can Building-Integrated Nature-based Solutions (BI-NbS) reach their full potential in the Global South? In the Egyptian context, BI-NbS are relatively new with an identified gap between the high potential in theory and low implementation rates in practice. To bridge this gap, the study conducts an in-depth investigation of BI-NbS market conditions to reveal the current trends in the residential buildings market in Egypt. It also identifies the gaps and overlaps in the perceptions of the suppliers and consumers of BI-NbS. Results reveal that the residential sector sales mainly target high-income groups yet very limited and dominated by rooftop systems. Suppliers advocate for high-tech systems over low-tech systems, whereas consumers prefer the latter. The perceptions of suppliers and consumers
mostly align regarding the basic aspects such as the production and operation preferences as well as the anxieties and concerns about the relatively new BI-NbS in this regional context. However, they diverge in key aspects affecting market penetration such as implementation conditions, aims, and barriers. Accordingly, the study identified the gap between suppliers and consumers, and outlined recommendations, directed to suppliers and policymakers, for improved market development and local
implementation of BI-NbS in emerging markets of the Global South, such as Egypt.

In the master plan of Trisakti University Nagrak Campus, the criteria for sustainable buildings are mandatory in its planning. One of the facilities in the master plan is the Lecturer Housing. In the modern era, sustainable housing design is needed because of the high energy consumption in modern housing design. This study aims to determine optimal strategies for implementing the Sustainable housing concept in lecturer housing design. Simulation methods are applied using Autodesk Revit to create the lecturer housing design. BIM models are more accurately analyzed and support the idea of more sustainable designs. Based on the simulation, the maximum power obtained from Photovoltaics is 26.181 kWh/year, saving Energy by IDR 62,102,167.05 on a payback period of 15 years. This design can also harvest 20.174,062 Liters of rainwater per year. In addition, applying solar chimneys maximized the penetration of natural daylight and cross ventilation process. Based on the modeling findings, it is evident that the average building daylight factor is 6.5%, above the minimum need of 5%, which will decrease reliance on artificial lighting during daylight hours. The fin-shaped shading device mechanism can reduce direct sunlight's glare and radiation, increasing the reflected light that touches the side of the structure. When dealing with big openings, fin shading devices are utilized to get the optimal opening height-to-shade length ratio of 3:2. The rainwater harvesting management system is well-suited for toilet flushing and plant irrigation, and implementing bio pores may significantly enhance excess rainwater soil penetration., and maximize sustainable housing design.

This research investigates the motivations driving the utilization of urban open spaces for subsistence agriculture and assesses its impact on the livelihoods of residents in Esikhaleni Township. Employing a mixedmethods approach, the study conducts structured interviews with local farmers and in-depth interviews with municipal officials from the uMhlathuze Municipality. The findings highlight food insecurity, the necessity for accessible fresh produce, agricultural passion, and rising food costs as primary drivers compelling Esikhaleni residents towards open space farming. Moreover, the research underscores the significant contribution of open space agriculture to the livelihoods of Esikhaleni residents, including improved access to fresh food, reduced food expenditures, and supplementary income generation through produce sales. The study concludes by recommending the integration of urban agriculture into urban planning efforts to safeguard land for agricultural purposes, thereby enabling residents of Esikhaleni Township to engage in sustainable agricultural practices.

Green spaces are known to improve health and wellbeing via several mechanisms, such as by reducing stress and facilitating physical activity. However, little is known about the impact of the smaller green spaces typically found in urban environments on wellbeing, especially for older adults. This study investigated experiences in adults (5 males and 10 females) aged 60 years and over of small urban green spaces in a large UK city. Fifteen older adults were interviewed using semi-structured walk-along interviews and photo elicitation methods in Old Moat, Greater Manchester. Twelve of the participants lived in Old Moat at the time of the study, and the remaining three participants previously lived in Old Moat and were frequent visitors. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Smaller urban green spaces were perceived differently to large green spaces, and participants were more likely to use larger green spaces such as parks. The smaller green spaces were perceiv...

Background and Research Aims: Tree planting holds significant potential for environmental protection in the era of climate change and variability. It is particularly crucial in semi-arid areas where tree density is extremely low, necessitating the engagement of local communities. However, information about local people's awareness and their willingness to participate in greening practices is rarely considered. We assessed the levels of community awareness, the extent of participation, and the factors influencing their willingness to green the Dodoma semi-arid area between 2018 and 2022. Methods: We collected data from 145 respondents using a household questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, and indepth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, while template analysis was applied to the qualitative data. Results: We found the overwhelming majority of respondents (n= 136) are aware of the importance of tree planting, and 89.7% of respondents participated in greening practices. Income level, education level, environmental awareness, perceived benefits of tree planting, and social influence were significant predictors of communities' willingness to plant trees. Conclusion: Despite the greater awareness and active participation of tree planting found among local actors in the study area, efforts must be directed towards suitable selection of adaptive, affordable and improved tree species for sustainable and feasible socio-ecological benefits of afforestation in semi-arid areas. Implications for conservation: The study underscores the potential of community awareness and participation in tree planting for environmental conservation and the sustainable supply of forest products, which are vital for local livelihood development. We advocate for the consideration of socioeconomic and ecological factors when engaging local actors in greening urban semi-arid lands through technical and financial empowerment.

The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with an increasingly urbanising world. Building on previous discussions of nature/culture duality, an integrative framework is presented that argues for the embracing of the 'mundane nature' found within human landscapes. As over half of the human population interacts with nature primarily within urban landscapes, increasing our awareness of such spaces is critical to understanding our ecological consciousness. The examples of a recent rooftop greening bylaw in the city of Toronto and the social impacts of urban gardening are examined in this context.

Today, urban green space (UGS) is recognized as a nature-based solution to
alleviate heat in urban environments by intensifying hot surfaces in urban areas.
This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cooling effect of
UGS, its characteristics, mechanisms, and their implementation in urban planning
and design to combat urban warming concerns. This chapter aims to outline relevant
contents in three sections: (1) Cooling effects of UGS: mechanisms and dimensions,
which will be allocated to explore the diverse mechanisms that contribute to the cooling
performance of UGS in urban areas regarding their physical and spatial features;
(2) Quantification of the cooling effect of UGS: methods and implementations. This
section will focus on recent quantitative methods and implementations at an urban
scale to apply in urban planning and design processes; and (3) Planning and design
of cooling cities: urban greening challenges and strategies will provide an overview of
urban planning and design approaches, current challenges, and recommending effective
integrated solutions to improve cooling efficiency.

Totholz spielt nicht nur im Wald eine wichtige Rolle, sondern ist auch für ein ökologisch funktionierendes Siedlungsgebiet unabdingbar. Es bietet zahlreichen Organismen Nahrung, Unterschlupf sowie ein breites Spektrum an unterschiedlichen Habitaten. Alte Bäume und verschiedenste
Formen von Totholz – liegende und stehende Stämme, Asthaufen, Baumstümpfe, Wurzeln usw. – sollten in Gärten, Parks und Alleen gezielt geschützt werden.

Ecological challenges and environmental crises are topics that are discussed not only by ecological activists; they have spilled over into global mainstream discourse. Critics such as Cheryll Glotfelty and Andrew Karvonen have discussed the interconnectedness of nature, culture, and the resultant narratives. Foucault's heterotopias, in simplest terms, are utopias which exist in the real world. Heterotopian spaces can be used as a theoretical tool to locate ecological spatial importance in South Asian fiction. Temsula Ao and Manjushree Thapa have established a meaningful link between heterotopian spaces and their relation to the greening of South Asian regions in Laburnum for My Head (2009) and Seasons of Flight (2010), respectively. Offering an insightful examination of urban ecological studies, this paper not only contributes to the effort to bridge the gap between literary texts and the environment but also discusses how heterotopian spaces exist in urban human settlements and their relation to the greening of geographical regions.

The decrease in vegetation cover due to urban expansion poses serious challenge to urban sustainability. Protected areas (PAs) are the most effective tools to prevent the loss of urban vegetation cover and to control urban expansion. Hence, this study aims to assess the importance of PAs in protecting urban vegetation and the urban expansion in the mega city of Delhi. For this, Landsat datasets were used for land use and land cover (LULC) mapping and then land cover change rate (LCCR) and land cover intensity (LCI) were calculated. For assessing urban expansion dynamics, mean landscape expansion index (MLEI) and the area-weighted LEI (AWLEI) were calculated. To evaluate the significance of PAs in protecting vegetation cover, kernel density estimation (KDE) was applied to assess the spatial variation and concentration of vegetation cover under different PAs. The result shows that urban expansion in Delhi was initially characterized by edge expansion during 1991-2001, followed by outlying expansion of built-up area during 2001-2021, while infilling of open and vegetated areas by built-up area was consistent during 1991-2021. Vegetation cover on the other hand, has followed a fluctuating trend in the city, but has overall it has declined from 13.36% to 9.30% during 1991-2021. The vegetation cover has declined significantly in eastern, northern, and western parts of Delhi but has increased significantly in central and southern parts, especially during 2001-21. This is because the central and southern parts of Delhi are well planned and have several PAs while the western, northern, and eastern parts of Delhi are unplanned regions and have only a few PAs. The KDE chart shows that the PAs have played an important role in protecting the vegetation cover in Delhi with R 2 value > 0.70. Hence, this study suggests to give special emphasis on preservation and expansion of PAs in urban planning for the long-term conservation of urban vegetation cover and sustainable urban development.

The constant deterioration of the ecological state of the living environment of the urban population is today the most important problem of Chinese society. In fact it, has already begun to be solved by forming an innovative concept of «ARCHITECTURE GREEN», which is an optimization ecological innovation of the modern architecture of the world. In connection with this innovation, the task of modern Chinese architecture has become a stylistic development of appropriate landscape architecture of the interior garden, which seems to be in mini-forms and ethno-traditions of environment design should meet the leading aspects of Chinese culture.

The Serbian city of Novi Sad is experiencing problems in managing its ecosystems and the services they provide. The problems are mostly affected by both the institutional organization and societal behavior, and a participative decision-making framework is required to motivate residents to better communicate with institutions. Our earlier research also indicated a need to more explicitly relate urban and ecosystem development indicators with management of city areas covered by public parks and other green areas, to quantify their mutual impact and to trace the road toward synergy. The hesitant analytic hierarchy process is applied in a group context to derive the priorities of ecosystems and their services, respecting both coinciding and conflicting goals and objectives of different interest groups involved. The group context enabled better communication and mutual understanding of participants (societal and institutional representatives, and experts). A discussion and evaluation process indicated options for reaching consensus between experts about recommendations to be made to the city government on how to harmonize urban and ecosystem development. The applied methodology is considered adequate because it manipulates qualitative and quantitative decision elements, commonly expressed in non-commensurate units, and because it provides a trustful environment for the participants involved while making decisions.

Urban greening, the improvement or increase of green spaces in cities, has purported environmental, individual, social and cultural benefits. The extent and qualities of urban green spaces, and our opportunities to engage with them, reflect and shape human responses to those spaces. Planning scholars recognise the traditional role and obligation of planning to help reduce social problems and see the potential for the public to be leaders in defining responses. However, use of technical, scientific and economic approaches by urban land managers can limit recognition of diverse connections to urban green and advance narrow conceptions of nature. We sample people's responses to different forms of urban green and greening in three case studies from Melbourne, Australia. We show that modern connections and expressions are personal, social and dynamic. Human experiences are embedded in nature and connections develop from interactions with and about nature, in formal and informal spaces. Diverse connections prompt responses to nature, and actions affecting nature itself. Accordingly, we propose ways to develop more receptive, responsive, inclusive and connected forms of urban greening. These include recognising diverse connections and expressions, encouraging dynamic relationships with nature, and providing varied ways of engaging with urban green spaces that foster stewardship.