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Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2025) | Viewed by 12138

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andreea-Loreta Cercleux

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Guest Editor

Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography and Interdisciplinary Center of Advanced Research on Territorial Dynamics (CICADIT), University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: deindustrialization and tertiarization; impact of economic activities on the environment; territorial dysfunctions; urban regeneration; built heritage and territorial identity; preservation of local identity values; creative industries; graffiti and street art
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Alexandru Bănică

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi and Geographic Research Center, Romanian Academy, Iasi Branch, 700506 Iasi, Romania
Interests: environmental geography; urban geography; air quality; urban sustainability; green transition; environmental impact assessment; territorial resilience; urban resilience; risk assessment; quality of life; smart cities

Dr. Elena Bogan

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Guest Editor

Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: economic development; tourism management; tourism, economics and development of urban tourism; sustainable development; cultural heritage

Dr. Marinela Istrate

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 700505 Iasi, Romania
Interests: urban geography; economic geography; territorial disparities; quality of urban environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The enlargement of green areas in cities was accelerated at the beginning of the 20th century in order to increase the quality of urban life. Furthermore, the idea of the garden city, inspired by the progressive models of pre-urbanism in the 19th century, which criticised the industrial city and promoted open and green areas, is being gradually applied to many urban environments. Throughout the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century, under the impact of urban surface enlargement, built space density, economic diversity and pollution, preoccupations with preserving and growing urban and suburban green areas have increased, and subsequent efforts have become more visible in some cities than in others. If planning policies do not support green areas, they will remain peripheral at the city level in comparison to more dynamically constructed developments and traffic areas.

Urban green areas have evolved from terrace-shaped gardens of the Renaissance to landscape gardens of the 18th and 19th centuries to the present-day ideal of green cities, and their role has become increasingly complex, encompassing the decoration and masking of elements considered unaesthetic, protection against excessive heat and filtering atmospheric pollution, moderation of daytime thermal extremes, reduction in urban noise, creation of public places, etc.

This Special Issue aims to collect research focused both on the benefits and development models of urban green areas as well as on the management, conservation and growth interventions that take place in order to respond to the objectives of different international strategies, programs and projects meant to contribute to the better integration of green areas with other elements of towns and cities (Urban Green Infrastructure Planning, Green City Accord, Urban Greening Platform, etc.).

The Special Issue invites researchers and academics from various fields to publish their original contributions. Papers may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

History, values and perceptions of urban green areas;
Dynamics of urban green areas under real estate pressure;
Accessibility to green areas for residents: amenities, inequalities and neglected green urban areas;
Green urban areas in post-COVID-19 cities;
Connected green infrastructure in cities;
Remote sensing of urban green areas;
Urban heat islands and green areas;
Role of green areas in developing public spaces;
Green areas and recreational activities;
Green areas as places for creativity and socialization in cities;
Urban green and blue areas, population health and quality of life;
Metropolisation, dynamics of urban areas, pollution and ecological issues;
Role of green areas in sustainable urban development;
Structuring green cities;
Green architecture for sustainable cities;
Placing green areas in urban regeneration policies.

Dr. Andreea-Loreta Cercleux
Dr. Alexandru Bănică
Dr. Elena Bogan
Dr. Marinela Istrate
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

green areas
urban pollution
climate change
urban planning
public spaces
accessibility
participatory approaches
social interactions

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 17577 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Depopulation and the Development of Peri-Urban Green Areas of Large Cities: Lessons Learned from Romania

by Radu Săgeată, Cristina Dumitrică and Dragoș Baroiu

Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 2925; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072925 - 26 Mar 2025

Viewed by 477

Abstract

The migration of the population from large urban centers to green areas in peri-urban areas is a characteristic phenomenon for large metropolises in Central and Eastern Europe, in the context of the accentuation of globalizing flows. Romania is a good example in this regard. The paper analyzes the impact of urban–peri-urban migration in the general context of the demographic decline in this country and the regional differentiations of the dynamics of the depopulation phenomenon. Five regional metropolises with macro-territorial polarization functions were selected as case studies: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași and Constanța. The study aims to carry out a spatio-temporal correlative analysis on the development of the peri-urban areas bordering large cities, in order to fill a gap in the scientific literature on these aspects. It attempts to explain the causes of the atypical trajectories of these localities in the general context of the demographic decline affecting the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, through a complex analysis of the interdependencies between factors, drawing attention to the fragility of these areas in terms of green infrastructure and elaborating a series of forecasts regarding integrated urban–rural development. This paper contributes to the literature on spatial planning and in particular on the post-industrial reconversion of the areas bordering large urban centers, as a result of the phenomena of depopulation and exurbanization. It can serve as a reference for the stage of development of the peri-urban areas of the capital and the main regional metropolises in Romania, cities representative of the urban development trajectories in Central and Eastern Europe. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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27 pages, 10112 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping Urban Changes Through the Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation and Built-Up Areas in Iași, Romania

by Cristian-Manuel Foșalău, Lucian Roșu, Corneliu Iațu, Oliver-Valentin Dinter and Petru-Mihai Cristodulo

Sustainability 2025, 17(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17010011 - 24 Dec 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1590

Abstract

Vegetation cover in urban and peri-urban areas is threatened by urban sprawl, through habitat fragmentation, loss of green space, biodiversity reduction, and the urban heat island effect intensifying. The intrusion of cities into natural landscapes reduces vital ecosystem services provided by vegetation. Hence, sustainable and integrated urban planning practices are required. Our study aims to investigate the dynamics of the urban and peri-urban fabric by exploring the relationship between the green fabric distribution and recent trends in urban expansion, focusing specifically on the peri-urban areas of Iași Municipality, Romania. We designed a mixed-method approach combining a multivariate analysis of four critical indicators (vegetation cover, built-up space, land surface temperature, and population density), emerging hot-spots, and space-time cubes in a GIS environment to achieve our research aims. Our results demonstrate that uncontrolled urban expansion has manifested in diverse patterns, impacting territories next to road transport networks and with construction-suitable topography. Concurrently, the development of green spaces prevails in forests and unexpected locations such as brownfields, railway corridors, and old industrial zones, through the growth of urban greenery. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of how urban sprawl impacts the environment and how different land types are prone to this transformation, creating a path towards sustainability, resilience, and equitable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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20 pages, 4654 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics in Urban Green Space via Intensity Analysis and Landscape Pattern Indices: A Case Study of Taiyuan, China

by Yang Liu, Mohd Johari Mohd Yusof, Balqis Mohamed Rehan and Junainah Abu Kasim

Sustainability 2024, 16(19), 8363; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198363 - 26 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1458

Abstract

Urban green space (UGS) is a crucial physical area that supports the functioning of urban ecosystems, and its changes affect urban ecological balance. In order to accurately analyze the dynamic processes and transfer targets of UGS during urbanization, this study proposes a new method of UGS assessment based on multi-temporal Landsat remote sensing data. This method is integrated with intensity analysis and landscape pattern indices so as to explore the spatio-temporal dynamics of the evolution process, landscape pattern, and driving forces of UGS from 2000 to 2022 in the resource-based city of Taiyuan in central China. The results of the case study show that rapid urbanization brought about a continuous reduction in UGS in the study area, but the trend of decreasing gradually slowed down; UGS patches have become more dispersed and isolated, bare land has been targeted for both gains and losses of UGS, and ecological restoration of bare land mitigated the rapid reduction of UGS. The results of this study not only confirm the applicability of this methodology for monitoring and assessing the evolution of UGS, but also reveal the identification of the targeting or avoidance of other categories during the conversion of UGS. Thus, the potential factors influencing changes in UGS can be analyzed to guide and safeguard sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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29 pages, 18629 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unveiling Istanbul’s City Dynamics: Spatiotemporal Hotspot Analysis of Vegetation, Settlement, and Surface Urban Heat Islands

by Hazal Cigerci, Filiz Bektas Balcik, Aliihsan Sekertekin and Ceyhan Kahya

Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 5981; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145981 - 12 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1658

Abstract

Investigation of cities’ spatiotemporal dynamics, including vegetation and urban areas, is of utmost importance for understanding ecological balance, urban planning, and sustainable development. This study investigated the dynamic interactions between vegetation, settlement patterns, and surface urban heat islands (SUHIs) in Istanbul using spatiotemporal hotspot analysis. Utilizing Landsat satellite imagery, we applied the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic to analyze Land Surface Temperature (LST), Urban Index (UI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) across the city. Using satellite images and the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic, this research investigated how vegetation and urbanization impact SUHIs. Based on the main results, mean NDVI, UI, and LST values for 2009 and 2017 were analyzed, revealing significant vegetation loss in 37 of Istanbul’s 39 districts, with substantial urbanization, especially in the north, due to new infrastructure development. On the other hand, hotspot analysis was conducted on normalized NDVI, UI, and LST images by analyzing 977 neighborhoods. Results showed a significant transformation of green areas to non-significant classes in NDVI, high urbanization in UI, and the formation of new hot areas in LST. SUHIs were found to cluster in areas with increasing residential and industrial activities, highlighting the role of urban development on SUHI formation. This research can be applied to any region since it offers crucial perspectives for decision-makers and urban planners aiming to mitigate SUHI effects through targeted greening strategies and sustainable urban development. By integrating environmental metrics into urban planning, this study underscores the need for comprehensive and sustainable approaches to enhance urban resilience, reduce environmental impact, and improve livability in Istanbul. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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25 pages, 5964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land Cover Patterns of Urban Lots and Their Contribution to Ecological Functions

by Marise Barreiros Horta, Sònia Maria Carvalho-Ribeiro, Jean François Mas, Francisco Medeiros Martins, Fernando de Moura Resende, Fernando Figueiredo Goulart and Geraldo Wilson Fernandes

Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 3063; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16073063 - 7 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1940

Abstract

The green infrastructure of urban lots performs socio-ecological functions and provides several ecosystem services (ESs) in urban environments. By assessing the land cover patterns of such sites, one can deduce ecological functions and potential ESs. We represented the various land cover combinations of lots by mapping and classifying the vegetation quality of 2828 lots in the city of Belo Horizonte, Southeast Brazil. We performed cluster analysis of land cover with weighting according to ecological functions, potential for ES provision, and performance. Most lots (1024, 36.21%) were in the moderate vegetation quality class (trees/native vegetation between 25% and 50% or >50% herbaceous-shrubby vegetation), which included the largest plot of 383,300 m² and a median plot size of 403 m². A total of 244 (8.63%) lots were in the highest vegetation quality class (trees/native vegetation between >50% and 100%). The lots included diverse vegetation cover combinations of up to ten land cover types, with two dominant types: herbaceous-shrubby vegetation and tree clumps. Among the four land cover patterns obtained, those covered by tree clusters (1193 lots; 42.18%) had the highest ecological performance and the greatest potential for regulating and supporting ESs. This cluster had the highest average land cover of tree clumps (49%) and the highest averages for native vegetation formations (2–6%). Our study showed a variety of land cover patterns and an expressive percentage of lots with capabilities to provide ecological functions and ESs, which can support urban sustainability policies that have yet to be addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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15 pages, 3913 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Benefits and Plant Landscape Creation in Urban Parks: A Study of Nanhu Park, Hefei, China

by Shaowei Wu, Xiaojie Yao, Yinqi Qu and Yawen Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16553; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416553 - 5 Dec 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2938

Abstract

Plant landscape creation in urban parks is an important aspect of urban ecological construction under the goal of “carbon neutrality”. In this study, the plant community of Nanhu Park in Hefei City was considered the research subject, and its tree species’ composition and diameter at breast height (DBH) were analyzed. The ecological benefits of the park’s green space were evaluated using the i-tree Eco model, and the carbon sequestration, runoff retention, air pollution removal, and oxygen production benefits were quantified as economic values and combined with the landscape effect evaluation method. The results show that Nanhu Park is rich in tree species types, with 5871 trees of 41 species in 23 families and 32 native species, among which three species of Sapindus mukorossi, Eucommia ulmoides, and Triadica sebifera accounted for 43.7% of the total number of trees. The dominant tree DBH was intermediate (7.6–15.2 cm). In Nanhu Park, the economic benefits were ordered as follows: carbon sequestration > runoff retention > air pollution removal > oxygen production benefits. The dominant tree species strongly contributed to the total ecological benefit of urban park green space; the ecological benefit of individual trees was not positively correlated with the number of tree species; native tree species had better ecological and landscape effects, while plant communities with growth changes and hierarchical depth of landscape were more popular. The analysis of ecological benefits and landscape evaluation of urban park green space provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the plant landscape, thus providing a case reference for promoting the construction of park green space in Hefei. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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Review

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24 pages, 2719 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Fengshui Forests: Ecological Functions, Humanistic Values, and Potential Applications to Enhance Biodiversity in Urban Green Landscapes and Achieve Sustainable Development Goals

by Lingzi Liang, Xiuzhi Wang, Jian-Wen Qiu, Qin Gong, Xun Li and Siu-Tai Tsim

Sustainability 2025, 17(8), 3314; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083314 - 8 Apr 2025

Viewed by 337

Abstract

Sustainable urban development increasingly aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the importance of integrating local cultural landscapes into city planning. One compelling example is the concept of fengshui forests in China, which are deeply rooted in traditional beliefs associated with prosperity for local communities. This study explores how fengshui forests can inform urban landscape design, particularly in the context of biodiversity conservation. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to examine studies on the ecological functions and cultural significance of fengshui forests. This review included research articles, case studies, and ecological assessments, revealing that fengshui forests provide essential ecosystem services—such as preserving biodiversity, regulating microclimates, and sequestering carbon—while also offering unique cultural insights, economic resources, and tourism potential. Recognizing the critical role of plant selection and combination in urban landscape design, we compiled a database of 1196 recorded plant species from fengshui forests, detailing their physiological traits, geographical distribution, and social values. By employing diverse plant arrangement and combination, urban landscape designers can select suitable species to create green spaces that support a well-functioning food web and ecosystem, ultimately fostering biodiversity conservation. By harnessing both the ecological functions and cultural values of fengshui forests, this research highlights their potential to enhance urban eco-landscape design, promote eco-tourism, and aid in the preservation of local species. These forests, with their traditional roots and ecological significance, hold promise for advancing ecological civilization through effective biodiversity conservation and sustainable urban planning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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22 pages, 971 KiB

Open AccessReview

Urban Greening and Local Planning in Italy: A Comparative Study Exploring the Possibility of Sustainable Integration Between Urban Plans

by Rosalba D’Onofrio, Antonio Bocca and Chiara Camaioni

Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 3227; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073227 - 4 Apr 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 396

Abstract

Urban green planning in Europe is of crucial importance for the sustainability of cities. Despite the existence of numerous best practices, in Italy the integration between green plans and urban planning tools still presents difficulties. This study focused on an analysis of Italian case studies that have engaged in innovative urban planning, assigning green areas a strategic role in the development of cities. The comparative analysis involved the green plans of Torino and Bolzano and the local urban plans of Prato and Bologna. The selection of cases was based on a multifaceted evaluation framework encompassing reference regulatory context, plan nature, environmental characterisation, vision and main objectives, priorities and implementation tools, communication and participation, and monitoring and management. Analysis of these case studies led to the identification of best practices for integrating human and environmental dimensions in local urban planning. However, the results indicate that integration of urban greening and local planning policies is frequently impeded by regulatory discrepancies and the varying impact capabilities of urban planning instruments. Despite the limited nature of the sample analysed, the study proposes a model of synergy between urban greening and local planning, suggesting an opportunity to create innovative interpretative and evaluative criteria for regulatory plans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Green Areas: Benefits, Design and Management Strategies)

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