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| Sustainable Urban Development : Urban Greening
Program |
The immediate question that arises is how can
a community work together to improve the green space in the city.
While planting trees and gardens seems like a logical place to
start, it is very important to carefully plan the project before
actually planting anything. The planning stage must include the
input and participation of all the people who will be affected by
the green space. It is especially important to target women, youth,
and any minorities who live in an area to make sure that everyone is
included.
It is also important to establish clear goals for any
green plan, and decide in advance on who will be responsible for
each stage in the process. Finally, it is necessary to ensure that
all planting is done in an environmentally and biologically
appropriate fashion. Trees must be established in locations where
they can reach full size without damaging buildings or coming into
conflict with power lines or underground pipes. Similarly, the site
for planting must be selected away from flooded areas or areas that
are too dry to support a plant community.
It is also vital to remember that and urban green plan is a tool
where community members can come together and strengthen ties of
friendship and mutual support. As a result, it is necessary to take
the extra time and involve community members at ever step of the
way.
Site selection
If an environmental agency is planning on developing a program to
promote/improve the urban environment, it is first necessary to
select a community to work in. Not all communities will be willing
to participate in a program, or have the available land to conduct
a project. If it is a community that wishes to conduct a program
in their own neighbourhood, it is important to identify what the
possibilities within that area are. Key points to consider are:
a) Available land — what land is available, or if there is little
land, is it possible to use rooftops, balconies or other spaces for
container gardens? If land is available, who owns the land and what
arrangements can be agreed upon to green an area? Are there any
plans to develop the land? Is the proposed green space in an area
where people will have access to it?
b) Community participation — Urban green space must have public
support. As people have strong opinions on the parks, trees and
recreational areas there must be a strong degree of community
support for green space to ensure that a project will be successful
in the longer term.
c) Governmental Support — Municipal governments tend to be
responsible for parks and trees. As a result it is vital
Forming Working Group
In order for an urban green plan to be supported by the community it
must come from the community, be planned by the community, and be
completed by the community. As a result the most important element
in a successful urban green plan is having a well organized
community working group. This group should be comprised of:
a) Community leaders.
b) Stakeholders — government officials, parks board staff, local
business owners, and anyone who might be affected by this project or
be able to contribute to it.
c) Under-represented groups — it is important to specially target
any possible under-represented groups, such as residents from
different cultural backgrounds, women, the elderly, youth, or people
who are traditionally marginalized from decision-making in the
community.
d) Urban forestry experts — urban forestry experts should ensure
that proposed plans are realistic biologically. While the experts
should not unduly influence the outcome, they should provide the
resources to ensure that appropriate species are selected, that they
are planted at the correct time of the year, and that any plants are
located in areas where they will thrive.
Planning the "Green Plan"
Map and Inventory
Once the community working group has been educated through the
workshop it is necessary to plan what urban greening activities
should take place. The first step is to inventory or identify the
areas that will be planted. The outcome of this inventory will be a
map that should provide the basis for planning the urban green
space. The map should include:
a) Existing urban greenspace
b) Utilities (both above and below ground)
c) Topography (are there any low spots, banks, hills, etc. that
could influence the choice of species to plant?)
d) Buildings (large trees a cannot be placed too close to buildings
or utilities)
e) Hydrology (are there any rivers, sewers, streams, or even poorly
drained areas? Are there any areas that will flood a certain times
of the year?)
Establishing Goals
The community must then decide what it is trying to achieve with its
urban green space. Does it want community gardens? A shaded walk
way? Or is it trying to stabilize a bank or fill a poorly drained
area so that stagnant water will not accumulate. Before any planting
is discussed the goals of the community must be agreed upon.
Design Plan
The community working group must decide what the physical layout of
the green space will look like. Using the map as a guide, the
community should develop a number of different options for how to
use the space. It is important to include the advice of a forester
or landscape architect at this stage to ensure that the proposals
are realistic and that appropriate species have been planted. It is
also vital to ensure that all stakeholders' opinions are expressed
so that no one's needs are missed.
Work Plan
The next step is to develop a work schedule . This schedule should
include what tasks need to be accomplished, when they should be
accomplished and who is responsible for them. A blank sheet is
included for the work plan.
Implementation
Implementing the plan
According to the specific tasks that the community decided on the
implementation will probably take three stages:
a) Site preparation, such as filling in low spots, adding top soil
or compost, removing garbage or rubble.
b) Planting — it is important the planting occur at appropriate
times of the year for the species that have been chosen.
c) Maintenance schedule — the community working group must be made
aware that urban green space needs maintenance that must start
immediately after planting.
Monitoring
In order to ascertain weather the project has been a success it is
necessary to monitor the results. This should be done in two ways:
a) Community monitoring — By conducting surveys with community
members it is possible to determine how satisfied people have been
with the process.
b) Biological monitoring — By assessing the biological survival of
each plant that was added and by monitoring how much maintenance is
required it is possible to assess the biological success of the
project.
Source: http://www.icsc.ca/ |
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