Urban greenbelts are considered a key instrument for shaping sustainable urban growth and protecting the environment in a large number of cities in the world. In most cities, there is a widely shared belief that urban greenbelts are beneficial to the natural environment. By contrast, there is little understanding of the underlying economic impacts of greenbelts and other green space configurations in fast growing cities. The unprecedented rate and scale of urbanisation in the emerging economies has brought the role of greenbelts into an even sharper focus. In cities within these fast growing economies, the urban population is expected to double in the coming decades, which means that greenbelts are under great pressures to adapt to the large forthcoming growth. Few existing urban models are capable of addressing the dynamic nature of the urban transformations and predicting the impacts of urban greenbelts in the developing world. This prompts us to develop a new modelling method that is capable of assessing the impacts of different configurations, scales and locations of green spaces. We then use it to examine alternative futures to the greenbelt through a case study of Greater Beijing. The method we developed is a new variant in the land use-transport interaction (LUTI) model family. This model is capable of addressing the non-equilibrium nature of urban land use and transport development and the equilibrium nature of the day-to-day adaptations made by businesses and citizens. This LUTI model aims to answer the following questions: what are the short-term and long-term economic impacts of a greenbelt on a fast growing city? Which alternative green space configuration performs better in terms of economic well-being and travel costs? Where and how much should the greenbelt land be progressively reshaped or released as the city grows? The new LUTI model is calibrated and validated using data collected for 1990, 2000 and 2010 for Greater Beijing, The model is first tested retrospectively through revisiting the past greenbelt policies in Beijing from 1990 to 2010. Then the impacts of different future green space configurations from 2010 to 2030 are predicted and assessed through quantifying economic costs/benefits and travel costs for socio-economic groups. The model results suggest that under rapid transformative urban change, the configuration, scale and location of a greenbelt have a significant impact on a city’s economic efficiency. Such impacts will transcend the greenbelt boundary, and even the boundary of Beijing Municipality, onto the entire city region. A narrow greenbelt launched in the early age of urban expansion could lead to spatial mismatch of residents and jobs. A wide and strictly controlled ring-shaped greenbelt is not the highest performing intervention either, in terms of economic well-being. The green-wedges configuration is a remedial policy that balances the economic efficiency and environmental benefits. Intensive development around metro/rail stations in the designated greenbelt could reduce spatial costs and promote sustainable travel modes. This implies that a careful siting of new development within existing designations of the greenbelt can be beneficial in terms of economic well-being and sustainable transport.

Background There are a few epidemiological studies that (1) link increased ambient air pollution (AP) with an increase in lung cancer incidence rates and (2) investigate whether residing in green spaces could be protective against cancer. However, it is completely unclear whether other forms of cancer are also affected by AP and if residential green spaces could lower cancer incidence rates in general. Therefore, the objective was to estimate whether AP and green space are associated with several cancer types. Methods The analysis was based on routine health care data from around 1.9 million people from Saxony who were free of cancer in 2008 and 2009. Incident cancer cases (2010–2014) of mouth and throat, skin (non-melanoma skin cancer - NMSC), prostate, breast, and colorectum were defined as: (1) one inpatient diagnosis, or (2) two outpatient diagnoses in two different quarters within one year and a specific treatment or death within two quarters after the diagnosis. Exposures, derived from freely available 3rd party data, included particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (N02) as well as green space (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index - NDVI). Associations between air pollutants, green space, and cancer incidence were assessed by multilevel Poisson models. Age, sex, physician contacts, short- and long-term unemployment, population density, and having an alcohol-related disorder were considered as potential confounders. Results Three thousand one hundred seven people developed mouth and throat cancer, 33,178 NMSC, 9611 prostate cancer, 9577 breast cancer, and 11,975 colorectal cancer during the follow-up period (2010–2014). An increase in PM10 of 10 μg/m3 was associated with a 53% increase in relative risk (RR) of mouth and throat cancer and a 52% increase in RR of NMSC. Prostate and breast cancer were modestly associated with PM10 with an increase in RR of 23 and 19%, respectively. The associations with N02 were in the same direction as PM10 but the effect estimates were much lower (7–24%). A 10% increase in NDVI was most protective of mouth and throat cancer (− 11% RR) and of NMSC (− 16% RR). Colorectal cancer was not affected by any of the exposures. Conclusions In addition to the studies carried out so far, this study was able to provide evidence that higher ambient AP levels increase the risk of mouth and throat cancer as well as of NMSC and that a higher residential green space level might have a protective effect for NMSC in areas with low to moderate UV intensity. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out residual confounding by socioeconomic or smoking status.

There is a large body of empirical evidence that nature delivers benefits to people. In the face of progressive urbanisation, urban nature and its design are becoming increasingly important. At the same time, climate change endangers biological diversity and consequently ecosystem functioning. Thus, for urban landscape planners who consider both ecosystem health and residential well-being, it is attractive to simultaneously increase plant diversity and the recreational value of urban nature. The present dissertation investigates the role of tree parameters for perception, preference, and recreation and elucidates how findings can contribute to human and ecosystem health in cities. In a first study, the following tree parameters were identified to be relevant to perception: Conifers versus deciduous trees, crown height to crown width ratio, crown size to trunk height ratio, and crown density. These results add to previous studies, as they are based on more realistic-looking images. Furthermore, the parameters are metric, were generated by study participants and represent a hierarchy. Two further studies demonstrated that the greater the crown relative to trunk height, the more pleasant and the more beautiful a tree is perceived and the denser a crown, the heavier and the more rugged a tree is perceived. Both parameters predict tree preference. This is consistent with theories and previous findings on landscape perception and adds more precise parameters for tree preference prediction to the literature. A fourth study revealed no effects of tree characteristics’ diversity in urban green spaces on how fascinating and coherent they are perceived. This suggests that species diversity in green spaces can be increased without reducing restorativeness. The identified tree parameters can be used to select various, similar-looking species to increase both human well-being and ecosystem health. Furthermore, the knowledge on the tree parameters’ semantic meaning can facilitate expert-lay communication. The preferred tree characteristics can be used to increase residential satisfaction. Finally, tree species diversity in urban green spaces can be increased without mitigating the recreational value. / Die positiven Wirkungen von Natur auf den Menschen sind empirisch gut belegt. Angesichts steigender Urbanisierung wird Stadtnatur und ihre Gestaltung wichtiger. Gleichzeitig stellt der Klimawandel eine Bedrohung der biologischen Vielfalt und somit der ökosystemaren Funktionalität dar. Für urbane Landschaftsplanung, welche sowohl die ökosystemare Gesundheit als auch das Wohlbefinden der Stadtbewohner berücksichtigt, ist es daher attraktiv, zugleich die Pflanzenvielfalt und den Erholungswert von Stadtnatur zu erhöhen. Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht die Rolle von Baumparametern bei der Wahrnehmung, Präferenz und Erholungswirksamkeit und erläutert, wie die Ergebnisse zur Gesundheit von Mensch und Natur in Städten beitragen können. In einer ersten Studie wurden die folgenden Baumparameter als wahrnehmungsrelevant identifiziert: Nadelbäume versus Laubbäume, Verhältnis von Kronenhöhe zu Kronenbreite, Verhältnis von Kronengröße zu Stammlänge und Kronendichte. Diese Ergebnisse ergänzen bisherige Literatur, da sie auf realistischer aussehenden Bildern basieren. Zudem sind die Parameter metrisch, wurden von Probanden generiert und bilden eine Hierarchie ab. Zwei weitere Studien zeigten, dass je größer die Krone im Verhältnis zur Stammlänge desto angenehmer und schöner wird ein Baum wahrgenommen und je dichter die Krone desto schwerer und robuster wird ein Baum empfunden. Beide Parameter sagen die Baumpräferenz vorher. Dies stimmt mit Theorien und bisherigen Studien zur Landschaftswahrnehmung überein und ergänzt die Forschung um präzisere Parameter zur Vorhersage von Baumpräferenz. Eine vierte Studie ergab, dass sich die Vielfalt an Baumeigenschaften in städtischen Grünräumen nicht darauf auswirkt, wie faszinierend und kohärent sie wahrgenommen werden. Dies legt nahe, dass die Artenvielfalt in Grünräumen erhöht werden kann ohne die Erholungswirkung negativ zu beeinflussen. Die Baumparameter können dazu verwendet werden, verschiedene, ähnlich aussehende Arten zur Pflanzung auszuwählen, um das menschliche Wohlbefinden sowie die ökosystemare Gesundheit zu erhöhen. Des Weiteren kann das Wissen um die semantischen Bedeutungen der Baumparameter die Experten-Laien-Kommunikation erleichtern. Beliebte Baummerkmale können dazu herangezogen werden, die Zufriedenheit von Stadtbewohnern zu erhöhen. Schließlich kann die Baumartenvielfalt in städtischen Grünräumen erhöht werden ohne den Erholungswert zu mindern.

Flertalet studier har visat att grönområden främjar människors fysiska och psykiska hälsa. I takt med en ökad urbanisering och stadsutbyggnad ersätts naturliga miljöer med bebyggelse vilket påverkar befolkningen i urbana miljöer negativt, eftersom urbana grönområden genererar viktiga ekosystemtjänster. En urban livsstil kan dessutom medföra hälsorisker som psykisk ohälsa, hjärt-kärlsjukdomar och fysisk inaktivitet. Syftet med uppsatsen var att genom en kvalitativ ansats undersöka vilken betydelse urbana grönområden har haft för enskilda invånare i Helsingborg under covid-19-pandemin. Tio kvalitativa e-postintervjuer genomfördes och empirin analyserades med en induktiv ansats. Uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk bestod av Attention restoration theory samt Stress recovery theory och den insamlade empirin gav upphov till följande teman: lugn och ro, hämta energi, samt miljöombyte. Resultatet visar att urbana grönområden har betydelse för informanternas hälsa, eftersom urbana grönområden bidrar till återhämtning och stressminskning, vilket är betydande faktorer för en god fysisk och psykisk hälsa. Utifrån studiens resultat kan slutsatsen dras att genom att bevara urbana grönområden kanmänniskors livskvalitet öka eftersom urbana grönområden bidrar till bättre fysisk och psykisk hälsa i samhället. / Former studies have shown that urban green spaces improve physical and mental health.Urbanisation and urban development result in green environments being replaced by buildings. This has a negative effect on urban residents as urban green spaces provide important ecosystem services. An urban lifestyle can involve health risks such as mental illness, cardiovascular disease, and physical inactivity. This study aimed to investigate through a qualitative approach, the importance of urban green spaces for individual residents of Helsingborg during the covid-19 pandemic. Ten qualitative e-mail interviews were conducted, and the empirical findings were analyzed with an inductive approach. The collected empirics resulted in the following themes: peace and quiet, gain energy, and change of scenery. The results were analyzed through the theoretical framework Attention restoration theory and Stress recovery theory. The results showed that urban green spacesare essential for the informant’s health, as they contribute to recovery and stress reduction, which are significant factors for good physical and mental health. The main conclusion of this study shows that by preserving urban green spaces, people’s quality of life can increase as urban green spaces contribute to better physical and mental health in society.

There is a large body of empirical evidence that nature delivers benefits to people. In the face of progressive urbanisation, urban nature and its design are becoming increasingly important. At the same time, climate change endangers biological diversity and consequently ecosystem functioning. Thus, for urban landscape planners who consider both ecosystem health and residential well-being, it is attractive to simultaneously increase plant diversity and the recreational value of urban nature. The present dissertation investigates the role of tree parameters for perception, preference, and recreation and elucidates how findings can contribute to human and ecosystem health in cities. In a first study, the following tree parameters were identified to be relevant to perception: Conifers versus deciduous trees, crown height to crown width ratio, crown size to trunk height ratio, and crown density. These results add to previous studies, as they are based on more realistic-looking images. Furthermore, the parameters are metric, were generated by study participants and represent a hierarchy. Two further studies demonstrated that the greater the crown relative to trunk height, the more pleasant and the more beautiful a tree is perceived and the denser a crown, the heavier and the more rugged a tree is perceived. Both parameters predict tree preference. This is consistent with theories and previous findings on landscape perception and adds more precise parameters for tree preference prediction to the literature. A fourth study revealed no effects of tree characteristics’ diversity in urban green spaces on how fascinating and coherent they are perceived. This suggests that species diversity in green spaces can be increased without reducing restorativeness. The identified tree parameters can be used to select various, similar-looking species to increase both human well-being and ecosystem health. Furthermore, the knowledge on the tree parameters’ semantic meaning can facilitate expert-lay communication. The preferred tree characteristics can be used to increase residential satisfaction. Finally, tree species diversity in urban green spaces can be increased without mitigating the recreational value. / Die positiven Wirkungen von Natur auf den Menschen sind empirisch gut belegt. Angesichts steigender Urbanisierung wird Stadtnatur und ihre Gestaltung wichtiger. Gleichzeitig stellt der Klimawandel eine Bedrohung der biologischen Vielfalt und somit der ökosystemaren Funktionalität dar. Für urbane Landschaftsplanung, welche sowohl die ökosystemare Gesundheit als auch das Wohlbefinden der Stadtbewohner berücksichtigt, ist es daher attraktiv, zugleich die Pflanzenvielfalt und den Erholungswert von Stadtnatur zu erhöhen. Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht die Rolle von Baumparametern bei der Wahrnehmung, Präferenz und Erholungswirksamkeit und erläutert, wie die Ergebnisse zur Gesundheit von Mensch und Natur in Städten beitragen können. In einer ersten Studie wurden die folgenden Baumparameter als wahrnehmungsrelevant identifiziert: Nadelbäume versus Laubbäume, Verhältnis von Kronenhöhe zu Kronenbreite, Verhältnis von Kronengröße zu Stammlänge und Kronendichte. Diese Ergebnisse ergänzen bisherige Literatur, da sie auf realistischer aussehenden Bildern basieren. Zudem sind die Parameter metrisch, wurden von Probanden generiert und bilden eine Hierarchie ab. Zwei weitere Studien zeigten, dass je größer die Krone im Verhältnis zur Stammlänge desto angenehmer und schöner wird ein Baum wahrgenommen und je dichter die Krone desto schwerer und robuster wird ein Baum empfunden. Beide Parameter sagen die Baumpräferenz vorher. Dies stimmt mit Theorien und bisherigen Studien zur Landschaftswahrnehmung überein und ergänzt die Forschung um präzisere Parameter zur Vorhersage von Baumpräferenz. Eine vierte Studie ergab, dass sich die Vielfalt an Baumeigenschaften in städtischen Grünräumen nicht darauf auswirkt, wie faszinierend und kohärent sie wahrgenommen werden. Dies legt nahe, dass die Artenvielfalt in Grünräumen erhöht werden kann ohne die Erholungswirkung negativ zu beeinflussen. Die Baumparameter können dazu verwendet werden, verschiedene, ähnlich aussehende Arten zur Pflanzung auszuwählen, um das menschliche Wohlbefinden sowie die ökosystemare Gesundheit zu erhöhen. Des Weiteren kann das Wissen um die semantischen Bedeutungen der Baumparameter die Experten-Laien-Kommunikation erleichtern. Beliebte Baummerkmale können dazu herangezogen werden, die Zufriedenheit von Stadtbewohnern zu erhöhen. Schließlich kann die Baumartenvielfalt in städtischen Grünräumen erhöht werden ohne den Erholungswert zu mindern.

Schrumpfungsprozesse bestimmen seit Ende der 1990er Jahre zunehmend die Stadtentwicklung in den Neuen Bundesländern. Demografischer und ökonomischer Wandel gelten als wesentliche Ursachen für einen massiven Nachfragerückgang und erhebliche Leerstände im Wohnungsbestand. Im Zuge des Programms "Stadtumbau Ost“ werden die ungenutzten Wohngebäude abgerissen. Sowohl in Stadtzentren als auch in Randlagen erstrecken sich nicht mehr bebaute Areale, da sich nur für wenige Freiflächen eine bauliche Nachnutzung findet. Freiraumplanerische Konzepte und Maßnahmen werden möglich, aber auch notwendig für den Umgang mit den frei gewordenen Flächen und bieten gleichzeitig Potenziale zur Verbesserung der städtischen Umwelt- und Lebensqualität. Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, welche Bedeutung Freiräume im Umgang mit räumlichen Schrumpfungsprozessen haben und wo die Chancen und Grenzen der Freiraumplanung beim Stadtumbau liegen. Die Autorin legt die gegenwärtigen Rahmenbedingungen der Freiraumplanung dar und setzt sich mit Stadtmodellen, städtebaulichen Leitbildern und dem Verständnis von Natur und Landschaft in der schrumpfenden Stadt auseinander. Am Beispiel der Großstädte Chemnitz, Halle und Leipzig werden die Strategien, Entscheidungen und Handlungsansätze der Freiraumplanungspraxis schrumpfender Städte analysiert. Die Ansätze werden beschrieben und mit Blick auf ihre Eignung und Zukunftsfähigkeit für die Gestaltung des Stadtumbauprozesses diskutiert. / Since the second half of the 1990’s, the new federal states of Germany have undergone dramatic demographic and economic change, which, among other things, has led to the ongoing phenomenon of shrinking cities. The work at hand deals with the issue of what the relevance of urban green spaces is in light of the spatial shrinking processes and where the opportunities and limitations are concerning green space planning within urban restructuring.

Urban green spaces (UGS) can produce health-improving (salutogenic) and equigenic effects that narrow the health gap between disadvantaged and affluent neighbourhoods. Yet, the magnitude of such effects relies on the quality of a UGS. Various studies have found UGS quality to be worse in low-income neighbourhoods. Thus, the equigenic potential is often negated. This thesis examines if these findings can be replicated within the city of Stockholm. For this, two quality domains were identified. (1) The accessibility to a UGS determines the exposure to health benefits, as barriers to entry afford usage only to some individuals. (2) The salutogenic potentiality, determined by various qualities, influences the UGS’s ability to produce health-improving effects. For the assessment of these domains, the UGS Quality Audit Tool (UQAT) was developed, which uses GIS analysis and in-situ audits to assess 64 indicators. The UQAT produces an accessibility score, salutogenic potentiality score, total score, and individual inclusivity scores. In this thesis, the tool was used in a comparative case study of twelve UGS in six Stockholm neighbourhoods. The UGS were sorted into three groups depending on their neighbourhood’s socioeconomic status (SES) and health resilience. The aim was to determine whether the quality of the UGS differed significantly between groups. The results replicate findings from other countries, showing a significantly lower salutogenic potentiality for the UGS in low-SES neighbourhoods. Similarly, UGS gender-inclusivity scores were also significantly lower in low-SES neighbourhoods. While similar tendencies were identified concerning salutogenic potentiality and health resilience, these findings were not conclusive. Lastly, no significant relations to neighbourhood health or SES were found for accessibility or the other inclusivity categories. The findings suggest that investments into the quality of UGS in low-SES neighbourhoods are needed to create a more equitable and inclusive Stockholm.

No description available.

La variabilité de la pollution urbaine est liée à l'activité humaine qui est elle-même très variable (journalière, hebdomadaire, annuelle, pluri-annuelle). Afin de développer un modèle qui permet de prédire ces différentes variabilités, nous avons analysé des études démographiques, de l'utilisation de l'espace à partir de données cadastrales et des photographies aériennes et réalisés, des campagnes de prélèvements sur 24h. L'exemple de la Communauté Urbaine du Grand Nancy sur l'utilisation de ces outils est illustré dans ce travail. Les résultats de campagnes de prélèvements sur trois type de sous-bassins (village semi-rural, zone résidentielle, zone résidentielle avec un grand hôpital) en fonction de l?activité humaine (jour versus nuit, repas, lavage) sont discutés. Une meilleure anticipation de la variabilité de la pollution arrivant dans les installations de traitement des eaux résiduaires permettrait d'améliorer leur gestion et donc de leur performance. Les campagnes ont également permis une meilleure compréhension de la variabilité de certains micropolluants tels que les métaux lourds. La pollution est moins variable dans une grande ville que dans une localité rurale, elle est liée aux apports des activités professionnelles sur les différents sites. La variabilité dépend de la nature du réseau de collecte, de style de vie, de la démographie du bassin de collecte (en termes de répartition spatiale et de classe d'âge, etc.), des zones étudiées. Les macro-polluants (C, N-NH4, P) et les micro-polluants métalliques (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Al) ont été caractérisés. Deux pics de pollution ont été observés : le premier pendant le matin vers 10h00 et le second pic en début de soirée vers 20h00. Pour les zones résidentielles le premier pic correspond à l'activité humaine du matin avant de quitter la maison pour travailler, le deuxième pic correspond aux activités à l'heure du retour à la maison après une journée de travail. On n'a pas trouvé un schéma propre aux zones mixtes (résidentielles avec des activités commerciales, industrielles et hospitalières). Les variations du débit et de la composition des eaux usées reproduisent très bien le cycle humain. Dans ce travail, on a tenu en compte les modifications démographiques, l'occupation du sol et le déplacement domicile-travail sur les sites étudiés / The variation of urban pollution related to human activity depends on several spatial and temporal scales: daily, weekly, annual, multi-year. To develop a model predicting this variations, different tools are used including demographic characteristics (age, sex, income), on the basis of cadastral data and aerial photographs and sampling campaigns on 24h. The use of these tools is illustrated with the example of the Urban area of Nancy. The results of sampling campaigns in three different catchments (semi-rural village, residential area, and residential area with large hospital) are discussed, considering its relation with the human activities (day versus night, meals, laundry). Better anticipating the variability of pollution which arrived to the wastewater treatment plant would improve their management and therefore their performances. These measurements also allowed a better understanding of the variability of some micropollutants such as heavy metals. The daily variation pattern in the big city is less marked than rural communities. This variability is probably related to the contributions of professional activities on different sites. It depends on the modification of the collection network, lifestyle, demographics on the water catchment, in terms of spatial distribution and age class in the studied area. The macropollution (C, N-NH4, P) and metal micropollution (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Al) were considered. Pollution peaks were observed: For residential areas, the first peak corresponds to human activity in the morning (around 10:00) before leaving home to work, the second peak corresponds to the activities at the time of returning home (around 20:00) after a day's work. We did not find a proper scheme for mixed zones (residential with commercial, industrial and hospital activities). Variations in flow and composition of the wastewater reproduce very well the human cycle, taking into account modifications in population, information on land use and daily journeys between home and work in the studied sites

Urban green space is of substantial importance in regards to the development of sustainable cities. Both the UNs Agenda 2030 and the Swedish environmental goal of A Good Built Environment identify that the city's green space is important for the well-being of humans. According to the World Health Organization, urban green space contributes to mental and physical health and reduce the risk of disease and poor health amongst the urban inhabitants.  Today, Europe is experiencing a high rate of urbanization in several parts of the continent and according to the EU the rate is at its highest in the Stockholm region. The city's share of green space area has decreased in recent decades and according to government authority Boverket this negative trend is part of the reason why the goal of A Good Built Environment won't be reached in 2030. 2030 also marks the end year for the goal of building 130 000 new housing units in the municipality of the City of Stockholm, a goal the municipality has set in order to meet the increase in housing demand. The capital's green space is of importance for the inhabitants' well-being. At the same time, a race against the interest of increased development in the city is in full swing. In light of this, this essay aims to investigate how the issue of urban green space is handled by city planners and how the question is regarded by the citizens in the context of planning.  The focus of the essay lays on the municipality of the City of Stockholm and by conducting a case study, three different planning programs are investigated within the municipality. Background work, program proposals and public feedback reports are analyzed. Initially, a theoretical framework is presented together with the municipality’s guideline document Grönare Stockholm (“Greener Stockholm”) with the purpose of aiding the conclusions that are made in the essay. Conclusions show that there are similarities in regards to planning approaches between the municipality’s guideline document Greener Stockholm and the contents of the program proposals. This could be an indication that the guideline document is of importance when it comes to the result of urban green space planning in practice.  There are also similarities between the management of green space in the program proposals and the result from the early background work, that is the planning of green space tends to be based on the conditions that have been identified on site in the early stages, where the needs and wishes amongst citizens are of importance. Finally, the question of urban green space tends to be of big interest amongst citizens, based on the analysis of public feedback reports. Furthermore, the subject also seem to be sensitive amongst citizens due to the overwhelming negative feedback on the municipality's program proposals. / Tillgången av urbana grönytor är av stor betydelse i utvecklingen av hållbara städer. Både FN:s Agenda 2030 och Sveriges miljömål God Bebyggd Miljö pekar ut stadens grönytor som viktiga för människans välbefinnande. Enligt Världshälsoorganisationen kan urbana grönytor främja mental och fysisk hälsa och minska risken för sjukdomar och försämrad hälsa hos stadsbor. I Europa sker idag en hög urbaniseringsgrad i flera delar av kontinenten och enligt EU är denna som allra högst i Stockholmsregionen. Andelen grönyteareal har minskat i huvudstaden de senaste decennierna och enligt Boverket bidrar den negativa trenden till att målet om God Bebyggd Miljö ej kommer uppnås fram till år 2030. År 2030 markerar även det slutliga årtalet för målet om 130 000 nya bostäder i kommunen Stockholm stad, vilket kommunen har satt i syfte att möta den ökande bostadsefterfrågan. Huvudstadens grönytor kan ses vara av betydelse för stockholmarnas välbefinnande. Samtidigt sker en kapplöpning gentemot intresset för ny exploatering i syftet att möta bostadsbehovet. Mot bakgrund av detta har denna uppsats som syfte att undersöka hur frågan om grönytor hanteras av planerare och även hur stadens invånare ser på frågan i planeringssammanhanget.  Uppsatsen fokuserar på kommunen Stockholm stad och genom en fallstudie undersöks tre olika planprogram inom kommunen. Underlagsarbeten, programförslag och yttranden från samråd analyseras. Inledningsvis presenteras ett teoretiskt ramverk tillsammans med Stockholms stads riktlinjedokument Grönare Stockholm för hantering av grönytor i syfte att understödja uppsatsens slutsatser. Uppsatsen visar på att det förekommer likheter i förhållningssätt mellan Stockholm stads riktlinjedokument Grönare Stockholm och innehållet i de programförslag som undersökts i uppsatsen. Detta kan vara en indikation på att riktlinjedokument Grönare Stockholm är av betydelse för hur utfallet för grönytor ter sig i praktiken.  Vad gäller likheter framgår även en genomgående överensstämmelse i hanteringen av grönytor i programförslaget med resultat från det tidiga underlagsarbetet. Det vill säga hanteringen av grönytor tenderar att utgå från förhållanden som identifierats på platsen i ett tidigt skede, där behov och önskemål bland medborgare är av betydelse.  Slutligen utgör frågan om grönytor ett stort intresse bland medborgarna, utifrån analys av yttranden som inkommit under samråd. Vidare framgår ämnet om grönytor vara en känslig fråga eftersom en betydande andel av synpunkterna är kritiska till hur stadsbyggnadskontoret valt att hantera grönytor i de olika programförslagen.