GLOBAL GARDEN REPORT 2012 - Husqvarna Group

Appendix a: Urban green spaces defined
DEFINITION OF
URBAN GREEN
SPACES:
Spaces in the
city that consist
predominantly
of unsealed,
permeable, “soft”
surfaces such as soil,
grass, shrubs and
trees. 8
At the highest level of abstraction, the urban
landscape can be divided into two entities:
structures, and the spaces in-between.
For urban planners, the spaces separating
structures and building in the city are usually
divided into two main subcategories: grey
and green. Grey spaces are, roughly speaking,
spaces in the city covered with hard surfaces
like stone, concrete or asphalt; typical examples
would be a city street, parking lot, or town
square. Green spaces, on the other hand, are
defined as those spaces in the city made up
“predominantly of unsealed, permeable, ‘soft’
surfaces such as soil, grass, shrubs and trees” 8 .
Using such a broad definition, it is clear
that urban green space is a family name for
a broad variety of green areas in the city: it
covers everything from public parks and private
backyards in the suburbs; to trees lining a
street; to green areas next to railroad tracks; to
urban farmlands and gardens. This multiplicity
presents a challenge, as there are few reliable
sources available for comparing the amount
of green space in different cities. A universal
definition has not been agreed upon, so
defining and measuring green space has often
been left in the hands of each city.
This report has focused primarily on those
green spaces in the city that are designed as
amenities – that is, for enjoyment, whether
aesthetic, recreational or something in between.
Typical examples of these kinds of green spaces
include parks, playgrounds, pocket gardens and
private backyards. Thus, other types of green
spaces typically found in urban environments
– farmland, wetlands, woodlands, etc. – have
received relative less attention.
This is not to say that these green
spaces have diminished importance – from
a biodiversity standpoint, they are vital.
Nevertheless, amenity green spaces may
stand as greatest in immediate interest to city
dwellers. In addition, they arguably fill the most
versatile function in terms of physical and social
impact on cities’ atmosphere. This renders them
especially sensible to focus on in a report such
as this, aimed at the interested public.
GLOBAL GARDEN REPORT 2012
53