The Impact of Green-Blue Infrastructure on Enhancing Cities Happiness Indicators - A Comparative Study

Abstract

Many countries have shown interest in the happiness of societies due to its significant importance to citizens. This interest has been reflected through important indicators aimed at enhancing urban happiness, including economic factors such as per capita GDP, healthcare and educational services, as well as environmental factors. The research aims to explore one aspect of the reasons for the decline in the classification of Iraqi cities in the World Happiness Index. Green spaces have been the primary focus of studies in improving urban happiness, along with blue spaces. Due to instability, Iraq has experienced a decline in the ranking of its cities globally. The research utilized the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) calculated using the Copernicus Open Access Hub, Sentinel2L1C. The study compared the reality of Iraqi cities (Mosul, Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf) with the two happiest cities in the world according to international happiness reports for 2023: Aarhus in Denmark ranked first and Amsterdam in the Netherlands ranked second. Data analysis was conducted using Land Viewer|EOS to extract the proportions of green and blue spaces for each city. The results indicated that green spaces in Iraqi cities were limited, with little attention paid to blue spaces or their preservation, resulting in their scarcity compared to Aarhus and Amsterdam. This has contributed to Iraqi cities lagging in their classification as happy cities.