Abstract
Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) is at the heart of sustainable city development, offering solutions to the environmental challenges of the future. The way UGI is configured and distributed within a city greatly impacts the ecosystem services that enhance urban life, making strategic planning and maintenance essential. This study delves into the UGI of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, exploring how land use (LU) and ownership sectors (private and public) dictate the structure and spatial arrangement of urban greenspaces.
By analyzing detailed vegetation cover data, categorized into height strata (grass, bush, tree), this research employs three key landscape metrics—vegetation fraction, patch area, and number of patches—to assess the UGI across different LUs and ownership types. The results reveal distinct vegetation patterns across LUs, identify ways to enhance ecosystem services through strategic green arrangements, and underscore the predominance of tree strata in the urban environment.
Notably, the study finds that the private sector contributes a significant 40% of the city’s vegetation cover, with LUs generally tied to specific ownership sectors. Differences in vegetation between private and public lands for similar LUs point to diverse management approaches.
The study highlights the need for an integrated approach that considers both function and ownership in urban planning. The UGI characterization offers a powerful tool for evaluating ecosystem service potentials, optimizing green space arrangements, and addressing maintenance challenges. Understanding the functional allocation of urban areas between private and public landowners is essential for developing targeted, cooperative, inclusive planning strategies.
This research not only provides a replicable model for UGI analysis but also opens the door for deeper exploration into the complex landscape of urban green management. While offering foundational insights, the study calls for further research to fully grasp the benefits and challenges of varying land use strategies. Such work is vital to support evidence-based green planning that aligns with the broader vision of sustainable urban development.
Biography
Ms. Alejandra Narváez Vallejo is a biologist with a strong commitment to the development of sustainable cities, holding degrees from the National University of Colombia, the Technical University of Dresden (MSc in Hydroscience and Engineering), and Lund University, Sweden (Master’s in Information Systems). Her academic background equips her with a robust foundation in ecology, plant systematics, physiology, soil science, and essential analytical tools, including remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Her research experience spans four major projects across Uzbekistan, West Africa, Central Asia, and Germany, focusing on sustainable natural resource management—encompassing water, agriculture, forests, and urban vegetation—as well as climate change. Notably, her involvement with the INTERESS project at the Institute for Landscape Planning and Ecology, University of Stuttgart, was pivotal in shaping her interest in sustainable cities. This project involved comprehensive studies on city-wide vegetation classifications and the planning of sustainable urban infrastructure. Additionally, she contributed to the development of Stuttgart’s digital twin and supported the organization of electric scooter transportation, reflecting her dedication to innovative urban planning and management. Currently, she is a researcher at IAvH in Bogotá, Colombia, where she concentrates on ecosystem analysis and synthesis.