How cities are fighting climate change one park at a time

By Robert Mutasi

Urban green spaces are emerging as a war hub to save the environment and improve the living conditions of residents as cities around the world struggle to find a way to end the growing effects of climate change.

In addition to providing beauty, parks, community gardens and green roofs transform concrete forests into green grasslands and are at the forefront of the fight against the negative effects of urbanization.

Singapore, Copenhagen and Medellín are at the forefront of cities connecting nature in urban planning.

Those green spaces struggle with the conditions of urban heat islands, where human activity and dense development make cities warmer than the surrounding rural areas.

Urban parks provide shade for sunlight, cool air and low temperatures during the hottest summer, making cities more livable.

By removing carbon dioxide and other contaminants, it also filters the air, making it healthier and better quality.

In addition to their contribution to the environment, urban green spaces are now also important for people's happiness and health.

Research has revealed the benefits of genetic exposure to mental health, such as reducing stress, improving creativity and increasing physical activity.

People who regularly use green spaces reported feeling more connected in their community, which is important to establish greater social connections and community connections.

Where cities do not have green spaces, attempts continue to bridge the gap.

One of the ways that urban planners introduce nature to low-income neighborhoods is by implementing the "MillionTreesNYC" initiative, an effort to plant one million trees in the city.

Such programs allow everyone, regardless of their income, to be able to benefit from a green space in low-income communities, where access to the park space is limited.

However, the expansion of green spaces in cities is not without its challenges.

Acquisition, cost and maintenance of land are important obstacles.

In some cities, it is difficult for the equipment to fit in more gardens or parks.

But innovative concepts like green roofs and vertical gardens make the most of every available space, bringing green and eco-friendly projects to the city centre.

To try to fund and maintain such green projects, public-private partnerships are also becoming a necessity, which will make them sustainable over time.

Inherent inclusion in urban planning is becoming a demand and not an option, because cities are constantly growing.

It is quite possible that one of the best ways to deal with the immediate problems of climate change is to make our cities liveable and sustainable for future generations, and cities prove through planning, creativity and cooperation and