ROLE OF GREEN SPACE IN SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENT: A CASE OF TEHRAN (IRAN) Ali Asadi (Ph.D) Assistant Professor of Tehran University Iran aasadi@ut.ac.ir 1
Abstract: Green spaces can improve the urban environment in many ways and there is broad evidence of the multiple benefits of urban green spaces. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the role of green spaces in improving human health. But still metropolitan cities, particularly, in developing countries facing a severe crisis for their green spaces. Tehran the largest metropolitan city of Iran surrounded by mountains, from the north to the east, is among worse polluted cities in the world due to its geographic position. The city s lungs (i.e. its orchards, especially in northern Tehran) have largely been destroyed over the past 10-20 years by rampant development pressures. Thus, the main objective of this study was to analyze the current situation of parks, gardens and green spaces in Tehran and find out the role of parks and green spaces in sustainable urban environment in this capital city. To fulfill this objective the study carried out based on field survey and required data were collected by a questionnaire through face-to-face interview. The research population was all Tehran s residents, aging over 16 years old. A stratified random sampling technique, based on place of residents was applied. In total 460 persons were interviewed and the data were analyzed by SPSS statistical package. Several analytical methods such as analysis of variance and Duncan Test were used. The results of the analysis indicated that a rapid destruction of orchards, green spaces and open lands are taking place in the north and south of Tehran due to a lopsided development. Key words: Green Spaces, Sustainable Urban Environment, Biography: 1- Name: Ali Asadi 2- Designation and Address: Assistant professor of Extension and Education, Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Development, University of Tehran, Karaj -IRAN - Area of Expertise: Rural Development and Agricultural Extension 4- Research interest: - Sustainable Development - Rural Development - Agricultural Extension - Project Evaluation - Environmental management 5- Courses Taught: a) Graduate courses - Principles of Extension planning - Fundamentals of Agricultural Extension b) Post Graduate courses: - Management and Evaluation of Rural Development Projects - Extension Planning c) Ph.D Courses: - Management of Agricultural technology - Evaluation of Project and Program of Agricultural and Rural Development 6- Publications: Papers published in scientific journals: 18 papers 2
Introduction: The planning of urban development involves a suitable shaping of relations holding among its basic elements, that is, in terms of the systems conception, the natural and the man-made socio-economic subsystem (Parysek, J, 2001). The most important among those relations are the impact of the socio-economic sphere on nature, and of nature on man. It is formation of these two relations that will decide if a town s development is going to be sustainable, that is to say, is its economic growth is going to be achieved at the cost of environmental quality or not. This is so because the dominance of the socio-economic subsystem in towns is the most important factor disturbing the equilibrium of the entire system (Mierzejewska, 2004). According to the natural model of urban development, the state of equilibrium in a city can be obtained if green spaces of a suitable shape and size and a high degree of conformity to natural conditions are accommodated in its spatial structure. As a result, the green spaces, parks and natural environment have acquired an almost supreme function in the evaluation of the living conditions of the urban population, (ibid, 2004). Such a crucial role ascribed to natural elements in cities, especially their green areas, probably results from the functions they play. Because of the significance of green spaces in urban environment and quality of life, there are two basic assumptions underlying all models and designs involved in urban planning: 1) Green spaces are an indispensable component of urban environment, and, 2) It is necessary to draw up an integrated plan of the development of a city s spatial structure accommodating both, built-up areas and green spaces. In the 1990 s, sustainable development of urban areas became an important issue in the world. According to a prediction made by the United Nations, in 2025, more than 60% of the world s population will live in cities (Lai, T. and Lee, C, 200). Many scholars call this century the Urban Century (Hall, 2001, Clark 1996). With these trends of Urbanization, it is necessary that people in this century face the environmental changes and, at the same time, pursue environmentally sustainable development is what people in this century need to do (Mierzejewska, L, 2004). Urban growth is not without its problems for health and the environment. It puts pressure on recreational areas and green spaces, agricultural land and biological diversity in areas close to towns. Thus in this rapid urbanization, it has become increasingly difficult in recent years to protect green spaces and areas near towns from development (Satterthwaite, D.1997). Due to these circumstances, the provision, design, management and protection of urban green spaces are at the top of the agenda of sustainability and livability. Urban green spaces play a key role in improving the livability of our towns and cities. The quality and viability of cities largely depend on the design, management and maintenance of green as well as open and public spaces in order to fulfill their role as an important social and visual focus. Urban green spaces are not only an important component in housing areas, but also in business, leisure, retail and other commercial development (Baycan, T.2002). The quality of green spaces helps to define the identity of towns and cities, which can enhance their attraction for living, working, investment and tourism. Therefore, they can contribute positively to the competitiveness of cities. From the social perspective, the development of green spaces in urban areas can improve quality of life and human well-being, which is the basic goal of sustainable development (World Bank, 200). From the planning perspective, a network of high quality green spaces linking residential areas with business, retail and leisure development can help to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of local facilities and employment centers (Baycan, T. 2002). Furthermore, well-designed urban green spaces provide a barrier to noise and can function as a visual screen (Dole, 1989). From economic perspective, a green space can create an increase in the economic value of an area. From the ecological perspective,
urban green spaces moderate the impact of human activities by, for example, absorbing pollutants and releasing oxygen (Hough, M. 1994), contribute to the maintenance of a healthy urban environment by providing clean air, water and soil, improve the urban climate and maintain the balance of the city s natural urban environment (Groot, R.S.1994). However, with the new approaches to combine strategic planning for green spaces with innovative design and delivery and the active involvement of the community at all stags, urban green spaces can be part of an urban renaissance (Baycan, T.2002). However green space can play a vital role in quality of urban life, but during last two decades natural green spaces and gardens in Tehran have largely been destroyed. During this period most of the agricultural or natural lands and orchards were converted to urban lands and the creation of public green spaces and parks did not keep pace with the growth of the built areas over this period. Green spaces, and in particular mature trees, were lost in affluent areas with bigger gardens due to lopsided development, and most of the gardens converted into new housing. As a consequence, environmental conditions became worse in Tehran. Thus present study is an attempt to analyze the situation of green spaces in Tehran and find out its role in sustainable urban environment. Green Spaces in Tehran: Tehran is one of a few capitals of the world, which is not located around the river or even close to sea. The city with 700 km 2 is divided into 22 districts. There are four accurate seasons, with the annual mean rainfall at about 20 mm. The annual mean temperature is 17 C. The highest temperature is 9 C in summer and -6 C in winter (Asadi, A. 2005). There is no rain for about 6 months of the year. Mountains surround the city from the north to the east, but in southern part it is surrounded by semi arid area. Due to this geographic position, Tehran is not a naturally green city, but it can be considered among the most polluted cities in the world. Rapid increase in population and development of industry has made this situation very worse. Twenty years ago, about 98.7% of the population of the city lived in municipality of Tehran area. But in recent years it has decreased to 67% and about % of the population has moved to the suburbs. This was occurred due to rapid increase in population. Thus in the process of increasing and replacement of population most of the green spaces, orchards, agricultural lands and natural resources of the suburbs were converted into residential areas. Because of this transformation Tehran confronted with major challenges of unsustainable environment (Kalantari, Kh. 2005). Base on Parks and Green space Organization of Tehran, per capita green space in Tehran is only 6.5 m2 per head. This figure indicates that one of environmental challenges in Tehran is shortage of parks and green space. Due to this limitation air pollution and other environmental problems are becoming crucial in this metropolis. Table (1) shows the situation of parks and green spaces and figure (1) indicates the special distribution of parks, orchards and green spaces in Tehran. This location map shows that parks and green spaces occupy a low percentage of Tehran s designated green space. Table (1) parks and green spaces in Tehran items 1- urban green space 2- public parks - urban green belt 4- per capita urban green space 79154757 m2 17422904 m2 7000 hectares 6.5 m2 Source: Parks and Green space Organization of Tehran, 2005. Area 4
However Iran established a Department of Environment in 1971 to protect on environment, and in post revolution period new constitution emphasized on environmental protection, but Iran s failure to move beyond conservation policies towards a more sustainable development has manifested itself in a range of problems today. According to Parks and Green space Organization of Tehran, per capita green space in urban areas should be reached up to 20-25 m 2 per head. This should be the main objective of urban policy makers and planners. Figure 1: Location Map of Tehran Parks, Orchards and Green Spaces Research Methodology This study is based on field survey. The questionnaire was used for data collection and the survey worked out through face-to-face interview. The research population was Tehran s residents aging over 16 years old. A stratified random sampling technique based on place of residents was applied in order to obtain a representative sample from the north, center and south of Tehran. In total 460 persons were interviewed and the data were analyzed by SPSS statistical package. Several analytical methods such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan test were used. Results and Discussion: To analyze the problem of green space destruction in Tehran 460 persons of Tehran residents (including 160 from the north, 15 from the center and 147 from the south) were selected. In case of environmental problem, more than 54% of interviewed people emphasized that air pollution in Tehran is the most serious environmental problem. More than 45% of respondents declared that destruction of green spaces is very serious environmental problem and it will increase un-sustainability in Tehran. They emphasized that during last two decades most of the green spaces, agricultural lands and orchards particularly in north and south of Tehran were destroyed and these green places were converted into residential areas. These rapid change in land use, threats the sustainability of urban life in Tehran. Table (2) clearly shows that after air pollution, destruction of green spaces and orchards, rank in second position and is considered among the most serious environmental problems in Tehran. This destruction in the north and south of Tehran is very serious. Because the results of the Analysis of Variance 5
(ANOVA) indicated that according to interviewed people there is a significant difference between the north, center and south of Tehran in terms of amount of destruction of green spaces (Table ). Duncan test (Table 4) shows that the destruction situation in the north and south is much more grater than central part. Environmental Problems Air pollution 251 54.5 Table 2: Opinion about Basic Environmental Problem of Tehran Very serious serious Not very serious Not serious at all No opinion total No % No % No % No % No % No % 174 7.8 29 6.0 - - 6 1.0 460 100 6 17 68.9 6 7.8 - - 460 100 7 1 158 4. 128 27.8 2 0.4 29 6.0 460 100 Water pollution 4 7.9 7 15.8 Traffic 14 1.0 8 Destruction of 211 45.8 green spaces 6 5 162 5.2 1 51 11.0 9 6 1.0 0 6.52 460 100 Urban garbage 56 12.1 7 71 15.4 226 49.1 67 14.5 6 40 8.69 460 100 Table : Analysis of Variance in Respect of Destruction of Green Spaces in North, Center and South of Tehran Sum of squares df. Mean F Sig. square Between groups 21.160 2 10.580 7.62 0.001 Within groups 656.777 457 1.47 Total 677.97 459 Table 4: Duncan Test for Homogeneous Subsets of Different Regions of Tehran Regions N Subset for alpha = 0.05 1 2 Center 15 2.11 South 147 2.7 2.7 North 160 2.6 Sig. 0.055 0.061 Increasing population density in Tehran and expanding industrial activities, especially large scale industries, are putting pressure on the city s environment. Specifically air pollution constitutes the most serous environmental problems, threatening public health. In Tehran, the aging transport sector, heavy industries (e.g. oil, cement and chemical plants) and small and medium enterprises add about 1.5 million tons of pollutants to the air annually. Motor vehicles are a significant contributor to air pollution. Frequently, schools have been closed and residents, especially elders have asked to remain indoors 6
due to public health risks as a result of air pollution. All these show that Tehran faces with crucial environmental problems. In these circumstances green spaces in urban areas have strong influence on the quality of life of Tehran s citizens. Well managed green spaces, parks and woodlands can become much loved and distinctive features of an urban area. Green space development should therefore be an essential aspect of strategy for improving citizen well- being in Tehran. Conclusions and Recommendations: The result of present study indicates that Tehran is facing with crucial environmental problems. Part of these environmental challenges is due to destruction of green spaces and change in land use in and around Tehran. The origin of the current discussions about Tehran s sustainable development comes from the imminent possibility of a destroyed urban environment in general and green and open spaces in particular. Destruction of green spaces is quite rapid in the north and south of Tehran. In this circumstances protection of green spaces and improving environmental quality and human well-being should be the main goal of Tehran s sustainable development program. 7
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