Abstract:
The innovative idea of Urban Green Space (UGS) continues to have a significant impact
on urban planning in the twenty-first century. It is still an effective instrument for
addressing global sustainable development. UGS are essential to every aspect of a city, and
these elements are designed with a particular (regional) social, cultural, economic,
topographical, ecological, and geographical aspect in mind. This is particularly true of the
urban face of a nation like Pakistan, one of the most urbanised in South Asia. The Land
Use Land Cover Changes (LULC) that have caused extreme stress on natural resources and
turned green pastures into barren land in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad are directly
linked to this rapid urbanisation, which has occurred in lieu of population growth and the
doubling of rural-to-urban migration over the last 20 years. Due to inadequate planning
and a lack of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) strategies for the capital city, this urban
sprawl is ultimately resulting in a decrease in UGS per person. To better understand the
current condition of urban green areas, this study will examine the urban heat island effect
and ecological urban green indicators in Islamabad's recently urbanised Zone II. The UGI
indicators and significant UGI indicators items were assessed using a structured
questionnaire with a sample size of 216 households. The data was analysed using the
relative importance index (RII) and interquartile range (IQR) approaches. ArcGIS 10.6 was
utilised to create UHI and NDBI maps to assess the impact of urbanisation on UHI. The
findings showed that the most significant UGS components were green parking lots and
permeable pavements, whereas UGI indicators such as decreased carbon emissions had the
greatest RII value, at 0.79, and noise quality improvement had the lowest, at 0.72.
Additionally, a direct and positive association has been observed between NDBI and UHI,
and policies have recommended that UGS be given appropriate attention as part of
sustainable spatial planning for Islamabad's sustainable development in order to improve
human well-being and lessen the impact of UHI.
Keywords: Climate change, Urbanization, Ecology, Urban Green Spaces, Urban Heat
Island, UGS policy, Islamabad/Pakistan.
