Provision of urban green spaces: A case study of Oujda City, Northeast Morocco

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Laboratory for the Improvement of Agricultural Production, Biotechnology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences of Oujda, Mohammed First University, B.P. 717, Oujda 60.000, Morocco

2 Laboratory of Applied Geosciences, Faculty of Sciences of Oujda, Mohammed First University, B.P. 717, Oujda 60.000, Morocco

3 UEMF Research Center, Euromed University of Fes, UEMF, BP 15, Fes 30070, Morocco

10.22124/cjes.2024.7783

Abstract

The quality and quantity of urban green spaces have a direct or indirect impact on residents' living environment, providing environmental, social, psychological, and aesthetic benefits. However, these advantages can only be realized by all citizens if there is an adequate and equitable distribution of green infrastructure that meets the needs and expectations of users. In Morocco, the analysis of urban green spaces has primarily focused on quantitative aspects, offering only a partial understanding of the current situation. This study represents a pioneering effort at the national level, aiming to introduce a methodology for evaluating the provision of urban green spaces. The city of Oujda, situated in the Northeast region of Morocco, is used as a case study, employing various approaches that prominently consider accessibility and user satisfaction. This analysis incorporates three key approaches: firstly, a quantitative assessment utilizing ratios of urban green spaces per capita and per city area; secondly, a spatial and accessibility-focused investigation using maps and Geographic Information System (GIS) software; and thirdly, a qualitative examination based on a survey conducted among the city's residents. The results reveal a total green infrastructure of 1821 hectares, comprising 10 different types of green spaces and 132,457 meters of tree-lined streets, corresponding to ratios of 23% of the city's area and 37 m² per inhabitant. These figures surpass both national and international recommendations. However, the ratio of tree-lined streets per inhabitant remains relatively low compared to other European cities, at 0.27 linear meters per inhabitant. Notably, forests stand out as the most abundantly endowed green space type, with a ratio of 33 m² per inhabitant, surpassing national recommendations, while all other types fall below the recommended minimum. The distribution analysis of green spaces throughout the city reveals significant disparities between different districts. Employing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for cartographic analysis, it was observed that vegetation within the urban perimeter covers a total of 2,331 hectares, accounting for 29% of the city's area. Furthermore, the analysis of green space service areas shows coverage across 5,805 hectares, representing 72% of the city's area. Overlaying these analyses highlights the most underserved zones in terms of vegetation, encompassing an area of 1,232 hectares, or 15% of the city's area, with an estimated population of 71,667 inhabitants, or 15% of the city's population. The inequitable distribution of urban green spaces is further underscored by the qualitative analysis, wherein city residents report having to travel considerable distances beyond accessibility norms to access green zones. They assert that these spaces are inadequately equipped and fail to meet their quality requirements. The survey also reveals that their preferences lean towards larger, versatile green spaces that offer tranquility, proximity to nature, and a sense of calm.

Keywords

References

(IAU), I. d’Aménagement et d’Urbanisme 2009, La desserte en espaces verts, un outil de suivi de la trame verte d’agglomération [In French].
Aubin, ANA, Charlemagne, N, Benal, KK, Jacob Aubin, M, Phillips, KK, Alfred, KK & Georges, AN 2021, Notoriety or Reputation: Implications for the Choice of Products with Potential Geographical Indication. Journal of Marketing Management (JMM), 9: 13–18, https://doi.org/10.15640/jmm.v9n2a2.
Baccini, A 2010, Statistique descriptive multidimensionnelle. Publications de l’Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse, 33. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&btnG=Search&q=intitle:Statistique+Descriptive +Multidimensionnelle#0 [In French].
Barbarino-Saulnier, N 2005, De la qualité de vie au diagnostic urbain : vers une nouvelle méthode d’évaluation: Le cas de la ville de Lyon [In French].
Benabdeljalil, M & Boujmal, Z 2008, Guide de l’élaboration des plans verts urbains au Maroc (2008th ed.). http://www.muat.gov.ma/sites/default/files/Publications/Guide/PLAN VERT.pdf [In French].
Bennani, M 2019, Le paysage, fondement de l’urbanisme colonial au Maroc au début du xxeme siècle l’exemple de Rabat, Ville-paysage modèle (O. universitaire de la ville et du développement Durable & / Institut de géographie et durabilité (IGD) (Eds.); pp. 61–78 [In French].
Bennasser, SM, Hnaka, A & Harrouni, C 2020, Espaces verts dans une nouvelle extension urbaine: Cas de Hay Mohammadi à Agadir. 8, 221–234 [In French].
Biernacka, M & Kronenberg, J 2019, Urban green space availability, Accessibility and attractiveness, and the delivery of ecosystem services. 12(1).
Biernacka, M, Kronenberg, J & Łaszkiewicz, E 2020, An integrated system of monitoring the availability, accessibility and attractiveness of urban parks and green squares. Applied Geography, 116, 102152. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APGEOG.2020.102152.
Boutefeu, E 2011, Les pratiques citadines de la nature Sommaire [In French].
Bulletin trimestriel de l’INRA Marrakech 2007, 2: 1–4 [In French].
Ch, C & Giuliani, G 2021, Modelling physical accessibility to public green spaces in Switzerland to support the SDG11. 383–398.
Chkird, F, Kouddane, N, Azizi, SE, Boukroute, A & Berrichi, A 2024, From Antiquity to the Present: A Perpetually Evolving History of Green Spaces, E3S Web Conf., 527, 2024 The 4th Edition of Oriental Days for the Environment “Green Lab. Solution for Sustainable Development” (JOE4), Article 03006, https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202452703006.
De La Barrera, F, Reyes-Paecke, S & Banzhaf, E 2016, Indicators for green spaces in contrasting urban settings Coherencia Normativa: un propuesta metodológica para la evaluación de políticas públicas ambientales View project Urban Transformations-Sustainable urban development towards resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience View project Indicators for green spaces in contrasting urban settings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.10.027.
François, DG 2012, Taille d’un échantillon aléatoire et Marge d’erreur. http://icp.ge.ch/sem/cms-spip/spip.php?article1641 [In French].
Gao, BC 1996, NDWI—A normalized difference water index for remote sensing of vegetation liquid water from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58: 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00067-3.
Haq, SMA 2011, Urban green spaces and an integrative approach to sustainable environment. Journal of Environmental Protection, 2(5): 601–608. https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2011.25069.
HCP 2014, Site institutionnel du Haut-Commissariat au Plan du Royaume du Maroc. https://www.hcp.ma/
Herzele, AV & Wiedemann, T 2003, A monitoring tool for the provision of accessible and attractive urban green spaces A monitoring tool for the provision of accessible and attractive urban green spaces. 2046 (May 2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(02)00192-5.
Kabisch, N, Strohbach, M, Haase, D & Kronenberg, J 2016, Urban green space availability in European cities. Ecological Indicators. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.02.029.
Kolcs, RA 2021, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening Testing the limitations of buffer zones and Urban atlas population data in urban green space provision analyses through the case study of 57 (October 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126942.
Kouddane, N 2013, Contribution à l’étude, à la valorisation et au développement du patrimoine arboré urbain: Cas de la ville d’Oujda [In French].
Kouddane, N, Mokhtari, O & Msilih, Z 2003, Gestion des espaces verts urbains : cas de la ville d’Oujda. In A. Boukroute (Ed.), Arbres et espaces verts urbains : du chercheur au gestionnaire (Actes Edit, pp. 75–82) [In French].
Kronenberg, J 2014, Why not to green a city ? Institutional barriers to preserving urban ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.07.002.
La télédétection & GéoBretagne : méthodes, produits & exemples 2017, GéoBretagne. https://cms.geobretagne.fr/sites/default/files/teledetection_metadata.pdf [In French].
Le, M, Id, T, Schiel, K & Caruso, G 2018, The provision of urban green space and its accessibility : Spatial data effects in Brussels. 1–17.
Maria, P, Alice, S & Stefano, F 2016, Measuring the accessibility of urban green areas a comparison of the green four European cities. https://doi.org/10.2788/279663.
Ministre délégué auprès du premier ministre, chargé de la protection de la nature et de l’environnement 1973, 1–16 [In French].
Morar, T, Radoslav, R, Spiridon, L C, & Păcurar, L 2014, Assessing pedestrian accessibility to green space using GIS * Tudor MORAR Radu RADOSLAV Luiza Cecilia SPIRIDON. Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, 42: 116–139.
Oh, K, & Jeong, S 2007, Assessing the spatial distribution of urban parks using GIS. 82 (January), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.01.014.
Park, K 2016, Psychological park accessibility: A systematic literature review of perceptual components affecting park use perceptual components affecting park use. Landscape Research, 6397 (December), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2016.1267127.
Poelman, H 2018, A walk to the park ? assessing access to green areas in Europe’s cities (D. for R. and U. P. T. texts of this publication do not bind the C. Lewis Dijkstra, European Commission (Ed.).
Prance, GT, Dixon, GR & Aldous, DE 2014, Biodiversity and green open space. Horticulture: Plants for people and places, Volume 2: Environmental Horticulture, 2 (December), vii–x. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8581-5_9.
Wright Wendel, HE, Zarger, RK & Mihelcic, JR 2012, Accessibility and usability: Green space preferences, perceptions, and barriers in a rapidly urbanizing city in Latin America. Landscape and Urban Planning, 107: 272–282, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.06.003.
Yao, L, Liu, J, Wang, R, Yin, K,& Han, B 2014, Effective green equivalent - A measure of public green spaces for cities. Ecological Indicators, 47, 123–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.07.009.
Zepp, H, Groß, L & Inostroza, L 2020, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening And the winner is ? Comparing urban green space provision and accessibility in eight European metropolitan areas using a spatially explicit approach. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 49 (April 2019), 126603. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.ufug.2020.126603.
Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 03 June 2024

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics