Saniya Akins
Research Mentor(s): Chang Wang
Mentor Department: Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise
Authors: Saniya Akins, Chang Wang
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 41
Abstract
Temperature and bureaucratic cooperation are major influences in building urban green spaces that provide health, social, and economic benefits to the community they are within. These benefits partnered with the ability of urban green spaces to mitigate extreme temperature fluctuations, led to a recognition of their significance, leading us to focus on the necessary policy enforcement needed to allow these spaces to be created and have their benefits utilized. In a world facing climate change and record-breaking temperatures, looking at urban green spaces as one part of the solution for climate change is important in informing how the world moves forward in the future. With this potential, looking at existing research on different policies and how they were enforced, and looking at existing research on the mental and physical health benefits associated with urban green spaces, paints a clear picture of the best method of implementing urban green spaces. Mitigating climate change through urban forestry must be seen as synonymous with policy implications as well. Policy determines the extent to which urban green spaces can be integrated into a city, and including it in our research gives valuable insight into how cities should be implemented. Through our review of existing research, we conclude that policy that incentivizes urban green space creation is the most effective in creating change, and defining what a quality green space encompasses, fosters efficient and effective development of a city’s urban green spaces.
