Geospatial analysis of the distribution of urban green spaces: a study of four Indian cities

ABSTRACT

The urban green spaces are immensely significant to ensure quality of life in a city. However, their spatial distribution is found to be inequitable. The study investigates spatial distribution of green space through remote sensing data at different times in four Indian cities. It further examines the distribution of urban parks with respect to the location of slums. The results demonstrate that green spaces in the study areas changed considerably in the last two decades. The public urban parks are far from slum areas, and their spatial distribution is inequitable. Urban green spaces should be considered a matter of environment justice.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban green spaces (UGS)
• parks
• distributional justice
• India
• geospatial techniques

Author contributions

Navjot Kaur and Saumya Sibani Padhi extracted the spatial information like boundaries, the location of parks and slums and derived park-served areas. Mandeep Kaur generated the NDVI of the study areas. Kiran Kumari Singh prepared the data sets, conceived and designed the research, and wrote the paper.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Central university of Punjab, Bathinda where this work was carried out. We would like to gratefully acknowledge the anonymous reviewers for their many insightful comments and suggestions that helped in improving our manuscript. We are also thankful to the Chief Editor for his support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Navjotpreet Kaur

Navjotpreet Kaur is Assistant Professor with research focus on urban green spaces. She explores the environmental justice issues by studying human and nature connections.

Mandeep Kaur

Mandeep Kaur completed her Master of Arts degree in Geography with a dissertation about dynamics of urban green spaces in Indian cities. Her research interest includes socio-ecological processes in cities.

Saumya Sibani Padhi

Saumya Sibani Padhi completed her Master of Arts degree in Geography with a dissertation on forest cover change in Odisha State of India using geospatial techniques. Her research interest includes integration of geospatial techniques in understanding land use dynamics.

Kiran Kumari Singh

Kiran Kumari Singh is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, India. Through interdisciplinary approach, she explores the nature and human connections. For the past ten years of her academic career, Kiran and her research team have been working on nature in the cities and environmental sustainability issues.