Exploring Options for Public Green Space Development: Research by Design and GIS-Based Scenario Modelling

Green spaces have a positive influence on human well-being. Therefore, an accurate evaluation of public green space provision is crucial for administrations to achieve decent urban environmental quality for all. Whereas inequalities in green space access have been studied in relation to income, the relation between neighbourhood affluence and remediation difficulty remains insufficiently investigated. A methodology is proposed for co-creating scenarios for green space development through green space proximity modelling. For Brussels, a detailed analysis of potential interventions allows for classification according to relative investment scales. This resulted in three scenarios of increasing ambition. Results of scenario modelling are combined with socio-economic data to analyse the relation between average income and green space proximity. The analysis confirms the generally accepted hypothesis that non-affluent neighbourhoods are on average underserved. The proposed scenarios reveal that the possibility of reaching a very high standard in green space proximity throughout the study area is only feasible if authorities would be willing to allocate budgets for green space development that go beyond the regular construction costs of urban green spaces, and that the types of interventions that are needed require a higher financial investment per area of realised green space in non-affluent neighbourhoods.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

Trefwoorden:public green space, urban green, proximity, accessibility, scenario, GIS, decision support tool, sustainable development, environmental justice

BOF-keylabel:ja

IOF-keylabel:ja

BOF-publication weight:1

Auteurs:Regional

Authors from:Higher Education

Toegankelijkheid:Open