Why is it important to maintain, beautify and expand the urban parks?
How one should plan the beneficial and optimal environment, which will tackle the issues of the heat islands, air pollution, and floodwater run-off, cooling and warming, with nature-based methods?
Today, we do not have consistent answers to those important questions and very often, the issues related to the improvement of housing and living conditions, urban ecology, and urban sustainability are resolved through erroneous methods, and unjustified decisions.
World Health Organization have (at least partly) replied to this question at their website: https://www.who.int/sustainable-development/cities/health-risks/urban-green-space/en/
"Green spaces such as parks and sports fields as well as woods and natural meadows, wetlands or other ecosystems, represent a fundamental component of any urban ecosystem. Green urban areas facilitate physical activity and relaxation, and form a refuge from noise. Trees produce oxygen, and help filter out harmful air pollution, including airborne particulate matter. Water spots, from lakes to rivers and fountains, moderate temperatures."
Urban parks and gardens play a critical role in cooling cities, and also provide safe routes for walking and cycling for transport purposes as well as sites for physical activity, social interaction and for recreation. Recent estimates show that physical inactivity, linked to poor walkability and lack of access to recreational areas, accounts for 3.3% of global deaths.
Green spaces also are important to mental health. Having access to green spaces can reduce health inequalities, improve well-being, and aid in treatment of mental illness. Some analysis suggests that physical activity in a natural environment can help remedy mild depression and reduce physiological stress indicators."
Because it helps in providing many benefits like physical activity and it also helps in preventing soil erosion and absorb rainwater, improving drainage and form a refuge from noise.
Urban green spaces in a city prevent urban heat island, create spaces where city can equally cater for elderly, and green spaces also act as the source which purify polluted air within the city.
http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/342289/Urban-Green-
Spaces_EN_WHO_web3.pdf?ua=1
Article Green space in compact cities: the benefits and values of ur...
Please see related links:
Dear Colleagues and Friends from RG, Urban green areas are very important both for the local community living in the city as well as for the entire natural ecosystem and are an important element in counteracting the adverse effects of climate change, including the ongoing global warming process. Recently, it has been proven that honey produced by bees living in beehives located in cities and zeroing in cities, in city parks, flowerbeds created in housing estates contains much less harmful substances such as plant protection products and artificial fertilizers in comparison with honey produced by bees living and feeding in rural areas. Therefore, in some cities, some lawns do not mow or grass on lawns is cut only e.g. 1-2 times a year so that the lawn turns into a flower meadow where various insects feed, especially pollinating insects, including Bee. This is important because the number of bees has been falling rapidly in recent years. In addition, trees and shrubs provide oxygen while also absorbing CO2, i.e. one of the main greenhouse gases. City parks provide a healthy microclimate and are a good place for active recreation. Therefore, green areas in cities should be increased.
Have a nice day. Regards.
Dariusz Prokopowicz
We have found these spaces very useful during the crisis, say for example an earthquake. They make urban dwellers resilient, happy, and healthy.
Dear Levan Alpaidze
It can make our minds to be refresh with the pollutions of the Mega-Cities.
In addition to the insightful comments above, large urban parks, under certain circumstances, improve human life quality. The chapter and article below may be useful.
Chapter Biometeorological Conditions in the Urban Park of Nea Smirni...
Article Bioclimatic conditions under different ground cover types in...
Green spaces play a significant role in the sustainability of cities.
Some benefits of these spaces are as follows:
- contribute to the mitigation of the urban heat island
- improve air quality,
- decrease noise
- promote mental health,
- encourage people to physical activity,
- generate social interactions.
Urban green spaces are important to cities because they help to neutralize the toxins and environmental pollution that are produced by these cities themselves ...
More than beautification, it is vital to keep up and enhance the green spaces functionalities in the city. These should be seen as key infrastructural support, such as for urban green infrastructures. We have an edited book that addresses these for cooling perspective for example: https://www.springer.com/cn/book/9789811066375
Hi there Levan, urban green areas provide a lot of ecosystem services to the livability of cities. The latter is of a great importance since most of these spaces are located unevenly in cities. We have one article highlighting the importance of urban trees with a perspective of environmental justice. Hope it might be of your interest. Greetings.
Article Tree Ecosystem Services, for Everyone? A Compositional Analy...
The development of urban green areas, city parks, is very important to the urban community for many reasons. City parks are places for recreation, active sports and physical activity. Moreover, local festivals, picnics, cultural events organized by local authorities and other local public benefit organizations, as well as educational and pro-social actions can be held in city parks. In city parks, playgrounds for children are created in specific separate zones. In city parks, flower gardens, flower meadows, etc. can be established so that the ecosystem of flora and fauna of the park and / or forest develops. In city parks there are, among others, pollinating insects, of which there are less and less in agricultural areas. Moreover, city parks improve the air condition in the city.
Greetings,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Levan Alpaidze
green space is defined as an open area that offers many benefits; cultural, social, economic and environmental which contribute positively to physical and mental health and improve quality of life. It serves all social categories of society and is accessible and sport-friendly .
The advantages of urban green space can be divided into three main forms: entertainment value, (using open spaces for celebrations, festivals, and events…. etc.), environment value, (providing green elements purifying the air) and the Aesthetic value (adding Soft artificial landscapes or Hard landscape).
To indicate that "green" alone is not enough; the quality of this green color is also important .
As far as health is concerned, green spaces are the “lungs” with which cities breathe and increasing open space areas means a healthy human environment. They play a key role in the beautification of cities including the aesthetic views, such as fountains, ponds, arches, and others. They also embellish the surrounding sites and attract attention, in order to strongly link man with his surroundings. Man needs a place to calm down, to reassure his feelings and senses, and to rest with his beauty that compensates him for the trouble and hardship of his work.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Psychology