An Integrative Approach to Reinforce and Manage Social Diversity in Urban Green Spaces

Abstract

This study aims to identify effective strategies and approaches for addressing the diverse social needs and requirements of urban green spaces in a rapidly growing city. The majority of the population today would rather reside in urban centres. This has led to development that has accelerated the rate of migration between rural and urban areas, creating concerns for urban communities. The strengthening and guidance of social diversity in green spaces within the urban environment is a critical issue that warrants a thorough empirical study. This paper employs an integrative approach to develop an overall solution that provides pertinent design and management operations for sustainable landscape planning, considering the various cultural requirements of urban centres. The city of Islamabad (ekistics-based) has been taken as an example to analyse the current state of urban green spaces. The sources of data were spatial analysis, field observations, and interviews. The main discoveries include the unequal allocation of green space, which implies that central areas are more covered than peripheral ones, the age, gender, and cultural peculiarities of user preferences, the lack of accessibility, insecurity, and the absence of policy enforcement. The interviews with key actors also revealed barriers, including unprepared participatory planning, fragmented management, and ecological homogenisation. A landscape planning structure has been developed to enhance the potential of urban greenery. Lastly, this review suggests that future approaches prioritise social diversity in cities, as considerable attention should be devoted to areas such as awareness, guidelines, contextual measures, and innovative techniques.