Shrinking cities and vegetation dynamics: measuring change in urban green infrastructure using aerial imagery

Keywords: Shrinking cities, green infrastructure, urban planning, urban green space
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 2

Abstract

Research suggests that shrinking cities, defined in terms of population loss but also often undergoing economic change, are potential sites for innovative green space planning approaches due to increased amounts of available land. Green infrastructure, considered here as a planning concept for green space, could be applied in shrinking cities. To investigate how the green spaces of shrinking cities have changed during a period of urban shrinkage, considering not just vacant land but also existing and new green space like parks and private gardens, green infrastructure can also be used as a lens to detect change in these dynamics. In this presentation, green infrastructure is operationalized with three concepts: multifunctionality, connectivity, and equity. Buffalo, New York, is a city that shrank from 1950 to 2010, and will be used here as a case study. Aerial orthoimagery and complementary data will be used to detect areas of green space in the city, which will be analyzed to understand how green space has evolved, considering green infrastructure principles, during urban shrinkage.