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Green Space Functionality Along an Urban Gradient in Karachi, Pakistan: A Socio-Ecological Study

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Abstract

An important component of urban green space functionality is the way in which such spaces are perceived and used by urban residents. Use is affected by many factors including the nature and dynamics of urban morphology at the city and neighbourhood scale. This paper demonstrates a method for conducting analyses of green space socio-ecological functionality and presents the results of its application to Karachi, Pakistan. The paper explores the use of the results of an urban gradient analysis for site selection and presents the results of an associated survey of functions using three case study green spaces. The results show that, although urban dwellers in the city use green spaces infrequently, when they do it tends to be for long periods of time and for a range of purposes. Levels of overcrowding at the more accessible sites indicate the value that urban dwellers place on these resources, and their importance to the city as a whole. The results of this study provide evidence for the need to protect green spaces from the competing demands associated with increasing urbanisation, especially if the wider goal of urban sustainability is to be achieved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Group for Urban and Landscape Ecology, Department of Geography and Geology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, Salzburg, 5020, Austria

    Salman Qureshi & Jürgen H. Breuste

  2. Department of Geography, University of Karachi, University Road, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Salman Qureshi

  3. Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology, School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Sarah J. Lindley

Authors
  1. Salman Qureshi
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  2. Jürgen H. Breuste
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  3. Sarah J. Lindley
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Correspondence to Salman Qureshi.

Appendix A. Examples of the Urban Nature Problems in Karachi

Appendix A. Examples of the Urban Nature Problems in Karachi

figure a

Askari Park (left) and Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim (right).

figure b

A playing field (on left) as an integral component of urban nature and another unaddressed problem (right) related to nature spaces in Karachi.

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Qureshi, S., Breuste, J.H. & Lindley, S.J. Green Space Functionality Along an Urban Gradient in Karachi, Pakistan: A Socio-Ecological Study. Hum Ecol 38, 283–294 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-010-9303-9

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