URBAN GREEN

ROLE OF URBAN GREEN

IN PROMOTING
INCLUSIVE URBAN
PLANNING
PREPARED BY: AFRICA, JOMARIE C.
 -Roughly 3 percent of earth’s land
surface is occupied by urban areas,
with the highest concentrations occurring
along the coasts and waterways

-according to UNEP, WRI there are 10

urban augmentations, 6 are in Asia; Global
population is around 6.4 billion and

URBAN
growing at 70 million/year, mostly in low
income countries.

-In 2000, about 47% of the worlds

population lived in urban areas
-by 2030, 60% of World population is
FACTS
expected to be urban
-and currently, 54% of the world's
population lives in urban areas
In land-use planning, urban
green space is open-space areas
reserved for parks and other
"green spaces", including plant WHAT IS
life, water features - also referred
to as blue spaces - and other URBAN
kinds of natural environment.
GREEN?
Urban greening policies are
important for revitalizing
communities, reducing
financial burdens of
WHAT IS
healthcare and increasing URBAN
quality of life.
GREEN?
According to Cities For All, an
inclusive, accessible city is a
place where everyone,
independent of their economic
circumstances, gender,
ethnicity, disability, age, sexual
What is
identity, nationality or religion,
can, and are allowed to,
inclusive
participate fully in the social, city
economic, cultural and political
opportunities that cities offer. planning
A new form of city planning is needed
that promotes cities for everyone. For
the architect and planner Jaime
Lerner, inclusive planning involves
recovering public spaces, rethinking
mobility and creating cities where
people have basic services at their
disposal within 15 minutes. Planning
that prioritizes inclusive, sustainable, What is
diverse urban spaces that result in
cities made for everyone and not inclusive
only elites.
city
“We need a new form of city
planning that promotes cities for
everyone”
planning
The architect Izaskun Chinchilla,
author of ‘The city of citizens’, agrees
with Lerner and advocates the idea of
a caring city. Chinchilla says that it
would consist of a compact urban
development with an uninterrupted
design. Everything we need would be
What is
close, with many interconnected public
spaces and ample biodiversity, and aim inclusive
to help people interact with one
another and the city. city
planning
Urban greening policies are
important for revitalizing
communities, reducing
financial burdens of
WHAT IS
healthcare and increasing URBAN
quality of life.
GREEN?
Urban green spaces offer a significant
opportunity to create the possibility that
What is the
the overall health and well-being of a role of Urban
diverse spectrum of people, including
people with disabilities, can be Green in
increased and guaranteed, while also
being intertwined with environmental promoting
sustainability development to address
the world’s current and future
inclusive
challenges. Urban
Planning
Regarding building sustainable
neighborhoods, urban green spaces
assist in enhancing city features such
What is the
an urban greenways, walking-activity role of Urban
enviroments, and free access to
amenities and facilities, all of which Green in
contribute to the creation of a vibrant
street life, a livable environment, and promoting
an affordable city, as well as promoting
the quality of life of people with
inclusive
disabilities. Urban
Planning
Examples of Inclusive
City Planning
 ‘’Barcelona, a city for
everyone’’
The ‘Manual of city planning for daily living’ brings
together the criteria, methodologies and tools for
responding to the demands of the whole population.

The idea is to design measures linked to the

management of public space, mobility and the ecology
of the city. From the perspective of urban development
planning, the City Hall works to make life in the
different quarters of the city more inclusive. The
manual promotes districts that are fully equipped for
daily living, such as shops, public transport stops, etc.
It also emphasises public space so that streets,
squares, gardens and parks are seen to be safe for all
to use with confidence.
“Paris, the city that thinks
local”

The French capital is another great example

of inclusive city planning in its adoption of the
’15-minute city’ idea. Mayor Anne Hidalgo
launched measures that promote districts
where citizens have everything they need for
daily living literally just minutes away. This
has involved a massive decentralization of
services, new services for each of the
districts, and less car traffic, so that more
cycle lanes can be added to the roads.
“Paris, the city that thinks
local”
It also consists of new economic models to
support small businesses and the
development of more green spaces. Citizens
participate in the transformation of Paris
through proposals, for example, to convert
schools into community centers in the
afternoons so that neighbors can get together
and discuss their needs.
Inclusive city planning is ending with
discriminatory architecture. New pillars on
which cities will be built with everyone in
mind.
 “Vienna: a feminist city”
Architect Izaskun Chinchilla has very
strong ideas about this, saying that “we live in
cities conceived of and for men between the
ages of 35 and 55 who can drive and travel to
work in their own vehicle”.

But that is slowly changing, with gender being

taking into account more often in urban
planning projects. Cities are transforming into
places for the working woman. But feminist
urbanism doesn’t just aim to include women.
Its benefits extend to the general population,
especially to the elderly and children.
“Vienna: a feminist city”
Vienna is one example of a city that is taking
this approach, thanks to a project that was
started over a decade ago by engineer Eva
Kail. The goal was to turn the city streets into
places that people could enjoy, rather than
just pass through.

Better lighting and mobility, and more green

spaces and pedestrian areas were just some
of the improvements that provided Vienna’s
inhabitants with a better quality of life.
“Pontevedra: a city for
children”
If the most important aspect of a city is
its productivity, where do children fit in?
This is the question that educator
Francesco Tonucci poses in his book
The City of Children, which is all about
how we can help little ones take over
the streets once again, reclaiming their
right to play and live in safe and
comfortable surroundings in which they
can have their own experiences.
“Pontevedra: a city for
children”
The Galician city of Pontevedra is a great
example of a city that has helped children do
just that. Pedestrianised areas have all but
eliminated the need for cars in the city centre.
Seventy percent of all movement around the
city is done on foot or by bicycle. There are
also safe routes that children can follow on
their way to school. The children of
Pontevedra are once again taking up the
space that is rightfully theirs.
‘’Curitiba: an inclusive city’’
Architect and urban planner Jaime Lerner initiated
the city’s transformation when he became its mayor
in the 1970s.

What has been achieved so far? Well, the main

shopping street is car-free and was the first
pedestrian-only street in Brazil. The metro was
replaced with a transport system based on rapid
transit buses with stops in elevated tubes, something
which was then implemented all across the country.

Lerner also created many green spaces that people

could share. Curitiba now has more than thirty parks
and forests, resulting in more than fifty square metres
of greenery per person. He also established an
innovative waste management system that involves
all inhabitants including children.
THANK YOU!