World Urban Forum

Lakes are another type of "green" space in cities. In Hanoi, for example, they have many lakes in the city and most have parks around them. Preserving urban lakes, rivers and canals is also important to maintaining adequate drainage especially during heavy rains.

Is this really true? Or should we just density cities with space to live, work, shop etc and should we move parks and green to the outside of cities? Why this odd negative framing of stone and concrete? Cities bring us prosperity.

This is an interesting debate. Can we really have a city which is eminently livable, with great places to live, work, shop etc... but without having an open spaces, parks, gardens, lakes - whether for recreation, or environmental sustainability and quality? Does densification necessarily require doing away with parks and gardens? Can we imagine a New York without its central park, or a London or Paris without their river fronts, or their public parks and gardens?

For an interesting set of viewpoints from local residents, see this piece on Hong Kong below:

http://lsecities.net/media/objects/articles/living-at-density

And is there a difference between doing away the existing of even iconic things you mention and designing new cities or city area's where you might decide to skip the countryside elements and leave them for the countryside?

first of all, thanks for the comments.
I was just pointing out the idea of how cities sometimes come
like floods, living very little 'original' green. Where people
have to loby and protest so that naturally occuring green zones
are not substituted with tall skyscrapers and channeled rivers.
We cut down avocado trees and replace them with palm trees coz
palm trees look 'better' for city landscaping. Parks are sometimes
so structured you feel like you are in an industrially produced forest.
My opinion is that as cities expand, they should leave some free growing
vegetaion rather than clearing everything and calling expert landscape designers to design a city park. I have no problem with cities; its just the very orderly and compartmented way they are designed, which leaves little room for free existing green scenes.

Should we introduce natural forest zones in our cities? With the growing human population, it will not be out of place to organize open spaces by professional planners- to landscape the parks. I will tell you that, if we do not leave organize open spaces it would bought and inhabited. Do we want to kill antelopes or dwell with them in the city? organize open spaces; leave the rest for the human explosion. Maybe you you have the view that such natural open spaces should be kept or preserve as historic sites or artifact. Some communities in Nigeria do that, but such forest zones are shrines (sacred grounds). Please let us go for the organize open spaces.

Greens in a city are necessary not only to cool down the stressed human brain, but also the temperature peaks of build areas. Serious scientific studies highlight the positive effect of natural components (a park, a garden, a tree, even a pot plant) on human behaviour, and horticulture has become a therapy in several Asian countries (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan). Temperature records in American and European cities have pointed out 2 to 5°C differences between rural and urban areas mean temperatures, what is called the urban heat island effect. In addition, parks and garden, open spaces are sinks for rain water otherwise necessary to remove from the city center to the periphery, what is not always easy and safe (e.g. recent floods in Bangkok).
Many city centers become empty, lifeless, except during working hours, since living in a space without green is not human. Cafés, restaurants, street music etc. need space; children need space as well. Fully tared city centers see the population in heavy traffic jams every week ends on the way to and back from green places. Planning green sites in and around a city is crucial for active cities to live in.

To a certain extent I do agree with you Diriyai; if we don't leave organized spaces they may be bought up. Although I can tell you some of these investors come with so much force and monetary allurement that you find them building on spaces that are mapped out to be public spaces such as parks. Nonetheless, I think cities should be put high priority on the establishment of green spaces and not thinking about them at the end of the landscaping process. Maybe there should be a kind of policy/legal endevour like making it law that a certain percentage of the city should be 'green space'.
Remi, you have pointed out some useful details....these parks do more thatn just beautify the city and relax tired minds; the temperature and runoff aspects are a more reason to adopt them in and around the city.

Thanks for the comments

Net-working event at WUF 6
Green Public Spaces for Liveable and Sustainable Cities
Join us ,
Monday 3 September 14:30-16:30, Paviljon 5, room 16

How can high quality public urban space be planned, designed and managed using urban ecosystem services as a driving force? How to harness development towards sustainability? The point of departure is the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook which is a global assessment of the links between urbanization, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Researchers and practitioners from Cape Town, South Africa, Vancouver, Canada and Stockholm, Sweden, will showcase their practices on sustainability and green structures and discuss how these experiences can be incorporated in city planning and policy.

Preview of the Vancouver case. http://www.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/story.html?id=f1eaec79-6ecf-403d-8abe-a88c51510807
Preview of the Stockholm case. http://vimeo.com/channels/urbannet

Link to a video featuring the Vancouver case
https://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/southeast/

I was doing some research on urbanization and its impact on biodiversity. I came across this article which was an interesting read. One of the suggestions was that when constructing buidlings or highways, instead of clearing all the vegetation and then replacing it once projects are completed, planners can save as much of the indigenous vegetation as possible such that successive growth is faster and more diverse.
link:
http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CF8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.esf.edu%2Fcue%2Fdocuments%2FMcKinney_UrbanizationBiodiv-Conserv_2002.pdf&ei=ehQiULOYMobIhAeW_4HYBw&usg=AFQjCNFY_Vm4HHsQ-O3pHoe4-lmBmLrFpw

here is the pdf file: Urbanization, Biodiversity & Conservation

All, this is ultimately a question of highest and best use of land. As noted above, there is plenty of research that explains the social, economic, and psychological benefits of greenspace. You might want to note that many 'Western' cities are now replacing underutilized pavement with greenspaces, as automobile parking in cities developed after the 1950s is often excessive and wasteful. See the work of this community group in Portland, Oregon USA: www.depave.org for some inspiration.

I completely agree with the importance of your comment. I recently read a very interesting article entitled: “How Urban Parks Enhance Your Brain” by Eric Jaffe, and I think that green inter urban spaces are not only important for the build environment but also contribute to strengthen our health in the cities.

Human beings need to be in contact with nature, and by strategically placing parks and big green spaces into the city we are contributing to have transitional green corridors which eventually isolate the citizen from the artificially created surroundings.

It is equally important to involve local community in greening the cities.Some Indian Cities(Indore)have demonstrated a community movement for greening.It covers plantation of trees in the memory of forefathers,marriage /birth anneversery etc.They have created PITRA PARVAT(hillock for forefathers)created from voluntary plantations.This goes a long way to post implementation /upkeep of these plants.community has a sense of ownership and belongingness.

Dear jose,Mexico can certainly use its diversified land for further growth.It can apply transfer of development rights to go high at certain locations whic may be identified as per strategic requirements.