REVITALIZING THE CONCEPT OF URBAN GREEN SPACES: REPLANNING OF URBAN GREEN SPACES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

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.