Urban Green

Dr. Ling was awarded an Internal Grant for Research for a research project that explored the contribution to sustainability of three urban parks in New Zealand, Malaysia and France.

Urban parks and green spaces are recognized for provided wide-ranging benefits for city residents and urban environments. Research has addressed the impact these spaces have on health and well-being, climate change adaptation, urban biodiversity, ecosystem services, social interaction and cohesion, housing and property valuation, heritage value, and education. Interdisciplinary scholars have examined urban sustainability and the role of urban infrastructure in contributing to sustainable, liveable cities, with urban parks and green spaces presented largely as beneficial, with little downsides. Yet, despite this, cities and regions continue to wrestle with providing and managing these spaces for the 21st-century city. This research will examine three case studies exploring the character, nature and multi-functionality of green-space in a variety of contexts. In Christchurch, New Zealand much built space has been demolished and/or abandoned following the Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, and the city has been tackling the role and purpose of this greenspace. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, along with many rapidly growing South East Asian cities, has a potentially catastrophic lack of green infrastructure, a significant threat to the livability and resilience of the city; Aix-en-Provence in France a medieval European city with formal squares and boulevards in the centre and green spaces in the suburbs.