Impact of Limited-Access Green Spaces on the Qualitative and Quantitative Indices of a City.

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are fragments of city vegetation capable of providing numerous benefits, which can be measured through indices. However, even though public green spaces (PGSs) are accounted for in such indices as areas that can generate positive impacts, private green spaces (PrGSs) are not considered. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact and feasibility of the inclusion of limited-access green spaces (LAGSs—a type of PrGS—in green area index (GAI) and green space ratio (GSR) calculations, within the city of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as a model. By employing geotechnologies, private squares and spaces were identified. On-site visits were employed to determine the functions (aesthetic, ecological, and/or leisure) of such spaces. For LAGSs, only those with an index higher than 50% permeability were included. The calculated indices for PGSs are as follows: PGS index (PGSI) = 0.53 m²/inhabitant, PGS ratio (PGSR) = 0.27%, and total green space (TGS) = 62,067 m². Taking LAGSs into account, the indices are as follows: LAGS index (LAGSI) = 3.76 m²/inhabitant, LAGS ratio (LAGSR) = 1.92%, and TGS = 443,309.03 m². The results of the analyses carried out in this study allow us to conclude that LAGSs contribute significantly to the increase in the GAI and GSR in Lavras and, therefore, to the city's environmental quality. Such spaces surpass, in extension, those of the public domain and should be included in UGS calculations when assessing the green infrastructure of cities. Urban green spaces (UGSs) can be public (allowing all citizens access) or private (in which there is a restriction on who can use them). In consequence, only public areas are inserted in the UGS quantity calculations and other indicators since it is assumed that they are the only areas able to provide some benefits, such as leisure. Aiming to prove that, based on some criteria, it is feasible inserting private green areas in the urban green quantification indexes according to their provided benefits, even in a restricted manner, this research surveyed qualitative and quantitative limited-access green spaces (such as schools, clubs, religious institutions, among others) using a city as a model. It was verified that the insertion is feasible, positively impacting the indexes, meaning that these spaces are larger than the public ones considering their extension. Despite this positive aspect, such places play different functions in their population. On one side, the private ones, due to being extensively vegetated, play a mainly environmental role, needing to be protected and preserved, while the public ones promote a higher social and cultural interaction due to their open access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]