What are green corridors
Characteristics of green corridors
Benefits of green corridors
A lot of aspects of traditional urban planning in Pakistan need to change if we want to build better cities for future generations. Climate change is upon us and in order to tackle its effects, temporary plantation drives are not going to be enough. We need to change the way we build our homes—our cities. Many developed countries have realized this fact. One of the most important ways to make our cities more sustainable is to go green. This doesn’t just include creating green spaces but also comprises ways we can make green spaces more easily accessible. Case in point: green corridors in cities.
Green corridors are passages that help connect green spaces in a city. For a country like Pakistan, where most of the focus of urban expansion is fixated on grey buildings, these passages are much needed. This blog gives a complete understanding of green corridors and their importance. Read the blog till the end to know about how some countries are benefiting from green corridors.
What Are Green Corridors?
Realizing the dire need for green spaces, more countries are looking for new ways to go green. While building more vertical structures can help a city accommodate more people, cities, especially metropolises, should equally focus on creating more green spaces.
According to data gathered by the United Nations (UN), about 55% of the total world population is living in the cities currently and this number is expected to go up to 68% by the year 2050. Considering these statistics and the adverse effects of different types of pollution, most cities in the developing world are no longer livable nor sustainable. But things can change and building green corridors can help.
A green corridor, to put it simply, is defined as land that is established between urban areas and planned or unplanned natural areas. The beauty of these pathways or strips is that they are enriched with vegetation or flora and fauna. These green corridors, also referred to as wildlife corridors and biological corridors, help in engaging the public in more healthy activities such as walking and cycling.
Countries that have established these biological corridors have reaped many benefits from this innovative concept. Green corridors are not only developed to enhance the green spaces but are also maintained to attract more people to these areas where they can engage in different healthy outdoor activities.
Characteristics Of Green Corridors
While developing an urban corridor there are a few things that must be taken into account, such as the availability of space. Accessibility is another factor that has to be taken into consideration because if people cannot access it, there is no point in establishing it.
Biodiversity: These green corridors are also called biological corridors because these spaces encourage biodiversity, which is a concept that refers to the simultaneous existence of multiple living beings.
Multipurpose: These corridors are multipurpose and can be used for multiple purposes. These are developed to provide people with a place to refresh, walk and indulge in recreational activities.
Sustainability: As mentioned earlier, the primary goal of these corridors is to enhance sustainable living. As human beings, we can reap more than a few benefits of incorporating these green corridors including opening ecological corridors that enhance the dispersal of animals and other organisms in urban areas.
Benefits Of Green Corridors
One of the biggest advantages of establishing green corridors in cities is that it increases the mobility of people and encourages them for physical activities in an aesthetically pleasing environment. This also leads to the use of non-polluting modes of transportation such as bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, scooties etc. Singapore has a 24-kilometre “green corridor,” aka Rail Corridor, which passes through almost the entire length of the city-state. It connects a number of popular natural spots, including Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Hindhede Nature Park and Singapore Quarry.
If you regularly visit green corridors, you will meet other people and, possibly, get to know them. This also helps build a strong community network.
In the cities where the temperatures are usually higher, trees and shaded walking infrastructures provide protection from the sun and the scorching heat. The issue of global warming is at an alarming point and increasing the greenery is our only chance of surviving it.
The hustle and bustle in cities creates noise pollution while other elements increase the air pollution. The noise and air pollution can be reduced by building green corridors in these areas. Moreover, these green corridors in urban areas are best and most suited for those cities which are close to rivers or oceans because these can cause hindrance for flood water. The ability of these corridors to store water is enormous so less rainwater goes to waste.
So, this was all you needed to know about green corridors and their importance in cities. Be sure to keep planting trees to combat the adverse effects of climate change.
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