Determining and prioritizing the selection criteria of urban plant species
Subject Areas : Urban EnvironmentZohreh Akhgari Sangatash 1 , Seyedhamed Mirkarimi 2 , Marjan Mohammadzadeh 3 , Fatemeh Hashemi 4
1 - PhD student in environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
2 - Associate Professor of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. *(Corresponding Author)
3 - Associate Professor of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
4 - Assistant Professor at Department of Agroecology - Agricultural Systems and Sustainability at Aarhus University
Keywords: Criterion prioritization, Plant species, Ecosystem services, Urban environment, Green space.,
Abstract :
Background and Objective: Nowadays, paying attention to environmental quality in urban design has played a significant role in improving individuals' quality of life. Urban green space, as productive land uses, provide significant benefits to citizens through social, ecological, aesthetic, and economic services, and have a remarkable impact on the livability of the city. Therefore, this research, with the aim of identifying and prioritizing the selection criteria of plant species in the indices of ecosystem, economic, ecological and aesthetic service indicators, has an important role in selecting the correct plant species. Material and Methodology: In this research, 96 criteria were extracted from the review of scientific sources and the opinions of experts in the four axes of the index of ecosystem services, economic, ecological and visual aesthetics. Then, by using the Delphi method in three cycles of receiving information from the questionnaire, the opinions of 14 experts of environmental science, art, green space and urban planning and botanists were asked. Finally, 76 of the 96 criteria introduced for the selection of species were prioritized and selected, and 20 criteria were removed from the cycle. Findings: The results showed that in the ecosystem services index, aesthetic value, tourism, and air purification criteria were important, while in the economic index, seedlings, irrigation equipment, and equipment depreciation and obsolescence criteria were important. In the ecological index, the criteria for water needs, the number of frosty days per year, and the average number of sunny days per year were important. In the beauty-cognitive visual index of green space, diversity of color and texture diversity and visual sharing criteria were considered important for aesthetic prioritization. Discussion and Conclusion: By considering these criteria, it results in the selection of plant species that are suitable for certain ecological and economic conditions, and also take into consideration their appearance and their ability to provide ecosystem services. Therefore, City planners and managers can use the prioritization of the plants introduced in this research to choose appropriate species for the urban environment.
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