Methodology for planning urban green areas: the case of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

The city of Mexicali has 2.1 m² public green areas per inhabitant while the national regulation establishes 10 m² per inhabitant and the World Health Organization establishes 9 m² per inhabitant, therefore there is an important deficit of public green areas. This article presents a methodological proposal for planning urban green areas and its application in Mexicali. The approach is based on a sustainability perspective in which green areas are not only considered from the social point of view as recreational and sporting facilities, but also as urban elements that can contribute to environmental improvement as well as to reducing the global warming effect by capturing carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse effect gas. The methodological proposal is composed of five phases: organization, inventory, assessment, strategy and management and the development of six groups of components: the physical-urban, technological, environmental, financial-economical, legal-regulatory, and public participation. The green area inventory and its assessment were done according to a classification in twelve subsystems using a Quickbird satellite image with a 2.6 m resolution and data was integrated in a geographical information system (Mapinfo). Criterion is presented at the end of this paper for urban green area allocation, according to the social demands of population and the environmental needs as a result of the carbon dioxide emission by the combustion of fuels from automotive vehicles in the city. In addition, several strategies and instruments were defined for the creation, improvement, and preservation of such areas.

Isla de Calor Urbana: Modelación Dinámica y Evaluación de medidas de Mitigación en Ciudades de Clima árido Extremo

“…En contraste, la ciudad cuenta con alrededor de 140 hectáreas de áreas verdes públicas, superficie que representa una dotación de 2.1 m 2 por habitante, mientras que la normativa nacional establece 10 m 2 por habitante y la Organización Mundial de la Salud establece 9 m 2 por habitante, por lo tanto existe un importante déficit (Pena-Salmón y Rojas-Caldelas, 2009). De acuerdo a ello, se puede observar que los efectos de los espacios urbanos de alta emisión térmica se extienden por toda el área urbana.…”

Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Urban Planning: The Case of the Mexicali, B. C. Mexico

“…In contrast, the city has about 140 hectares of public green areas, surface representing an allocation of 2.1 m 2 per inhabitant, while the national legislation provides 10 m 2 per inhabitant and the World Health Organization sets 9 m 2 per inhabitant; therefore, there is a significant deficit [18]. Accordingly, it can be seen that the effects of urban areas with high thermal emission are spread throughout the city.…”