Grönska i centrum : -en fallstudie i Örnsköldsvik

Sammanfattning: Today almost half the world’s population live in cities, and urbanization rates continue to increase. This puts a lot of strain on green areas in urban environments where sustainability can often be a problem. To be able to provide green areas in growing cities, that becomes more densely populated, city planners need to develop new strategies when constructing new green areas and improving already existing ones. Green areas are important since they provide important ecosystem services in urban environments, for example reducing air pollution. This study evaluates the potential to develop and improve green areas in downtown Örnsköldsvik. First by conducting interviews with city planners, secondly by conducting a field study of Viktoriaesplanaden, and thirdly through a survey. The results of this study indicates that green areas needs to be allowed to take more space in cities, especially near street-related infrastructure. More specifically already green areas needs to be developed and new green areas needs to be considered early on in the planning process when a city grows and becomes more densely populated. One key factor in this process is to educate planners and builders regarding the value of green areas in the modern urban environment.