Urban Green from the Environmental, Social and Health Point of View: Convergent Urban Policies

Abstract

In the century and a half since the birth of urban planning as a discipline, the inclusion of vegetation in cities has been one of the most pivotal issues addressed. Over this time, various theories and solutions have been implemented with recurring design parameters but responding to disparate arguments. This work aims to determine what planning criteria for urban green spaces have been proposed, from Western urban planning theory and practice across five historical stages, to address urban health problems, environmental impacts, and social integration. To this end, a narrative literature review is conducted, and discourses and proposals with similar theoretical bases are compared despite originating from different historical periods and diverse sociocultural contexts. Based on the analyses performed, synergies can be detected around five recurring planning and design parameters: amount of greenery, distribution of spaces, diversity of types, relationship or connectivity between them, and quality of interior design. These features have been sought through different strategies and for different reasons, but despite this, they remain present throughout the entire period studied. These results indicate that there exists a rich and extensive disciplinary corpus in Western urban planning culture that, when ordered and categorized, can serve as a tool to consolidate intervention criteria aimed at achieving a healthy, sustainable, and inclusive city.