Courtesy : en. wikipwedia.org

Green space

In land-use planning, urban green space is open-space areas reserved for parks and other “green spaces”, including plant life, water features -also referred to as blue spaces- and other kinds of natural environment.Most urban open spaces are green spaces, but occasionally include other kinds of open areas. The landscape of urban open spaces can range from playing fields to highly maintained environments to relatively natural landscapes.

Generally considered open to the public, urban green spaces are sometimes privately owned, such as higher education campuses, neighborhood/community parks/gardens, and institutional or corporate grounds. Areas outside city boundaries, such as state and national parks as well as open space in the countryside, are not considered urban open space. Streets, piazzas, plazas and urban squares are not always defined as urban open space in land use planning. Urban green spaces have wide reaching positive impacts on the health of individuals and communities near the green space.

Urban greening policies are important for revitalizing communities, reducing financial burdens of healthcare and increasing quality of life. Most policies focus on community benefits, and reducing negative effects of urban development, such as surface runoff and the urban heat island effect. Historically, access to green space has favored wealthier, and more privileged communities, thus recent focus in urban greening has increasingly focused on environmental justice concerns, and community engagement in the greening process. In particular, in cities with economic decline, such as the Rust Belt in the United States, urban greening has broad community revitalization impacts.

Urban areas have greatly expanded and resulted in over half of the world’s population to be located in urban locations.As the population continues to grow, this number is predicted to be at two-thirds of people living in urban areas by 2050.

Definitions and concepts

People living in cities and towns generally have weaker mental health in comparison to people living in less crowded areas. Urban green spaces are pieces of nature in the cities designed to try to solve the problem.

Most research on the topic focus on urban green spaces. The WHO defined this as “all urban land covered by vegation of any kind”.

When doing research, some experts use “urban open space” to describe a broader range of open areas. One definition holds that, “As the counterpart of development, urban open space is a natural and cultural resource, synonymous with neither ‘unused land’ nor ‘park and recreation areas.” Another is “Open space is land and/or water area with its surface open to the sky, consciously acquired or publicly regulated to serve conservation and urban shaping function in addition to providing recreational opportunities.” In almost all instances, the space referred to by the term is, in fact, green space, focused on natural areas.

These spaces are part of “public space” broadly construed, which include meeting or gathering places that exist outside the home and workplace that are generally accessible by members of the public, and which foster resident interaction and opportunities for contact and proximity.This definition implies a higher level of community interaction and places a focus on public involvement rather than public ownership or stewardship.

Washington Park in Troy, NY, U.S., an example of privately owned urban open space

Benefits

The benefits that urban open space provides to citizens can be broken into four basic forms; recreation, ecology, aesthetic value, and positive health impacts. Psychological benefits gained by visitors to urban green spaces increased with their biodiver indicating that ‘green’ alone is not sufficient; the quality of that green is important as well.

Recreational

Sad Janka Kráľa park in Bratislava (Slovakia)

Urban open space is often appreciated for the recreational opportunities it provides. Recreation in urban open space may include active recreation (such as organized sports and individual exercise) or passive recreation, which may simply entail being in the open space. Research shows that when open spaces are attractive and accessible, people are more likely to engage in physical activity Time spent in an urban open space for recreation offers a reprieve from the urban environment and a break from over-stimulation.Studies done on physically active adults middle aged and older show there are amplified benefits when the physical activities are coupled with green space environments. Such coupling leads to decreased levels of stress, lowers the risk for depression as well as increase the frequency of participation in exercise.Casual group walks in a green environment (nature walks) increase one’s positive attitude and lower stress levels as well as risk of depression.

Ecological

The conservation of nature in an urban environment has direct impact on people for another reason as well. A Toronto civic affairs bulletin entitled Urban Open Space: Luxury or Necessity makes the claim that “popular awareness of the balance of nature, of natural processes and of man’s place in and effect on nature – i.e., “ecological awareness” – is important. As humans live more and more in man-made surroundings – i.e., cities – he risks harming himself by building and acting in ignorance of natural processes.” Beyond this man-nature benefit, urban open spaces also serve as islands of nature, promoting biodiversity and providing a home for natural species in environments that are otherwise uninhabitable due to city development.

By having the opportunity to be within an urban green space, people gain a higher appreciation for the nature around them. As Bill McKibben mentions in his book The End of Nature, people will only truly understand nature if they are immersed within it. He follows in Henry David Thoreau’s footsteps when he isolated himself in the Adirondack Mountains in order to get away from society and the overwhelming ideals it carries. Even there he writes how society and human impact follows him as he sees airplanes buzzing overhead or hears the roar of motorboats in the distance.

Aesthetic

The aesthetic value of urban open spaces is self-evident. People enjoy viewing nature, especially when it is otherwise extensively deprived, as is the case in urban environments. Therefore, open space offers the value of “substituting gray infrastructure.”One researcher states how attractive neighborhoods contribute to positive attitudes and social norms that encourage walking and community values.Properties near urban open space tend to have a higher value. One study was able to demonstrate that, “a pleasant view can lead to a considerable increase in house price, particularly if the house overlooks water (8–10%) or open space (6–12%).”Certain benefits may be derived from exposure to virtual versions of the natural environment, too. For example, people who were shown pictures of scenic, natural environments had increased brain activity in the region associated with recalling happy memories, compared to people that were shown pictures of urban lansd