Evaluation of the changes, adequacies and accessibilities of urban green areas: The case study of Tashkent

Rapid population growth and rural-to-urban migration cause the rapid growth and spread of cities, the unplanned development of cities causes the destruction of natural resources and negatively affects the ecological environment. Urban green areas are very important for cities in terms of the protection of natural resources and the environment, the aesthetics of cities, and the mental and physical health of citizens. Therefore, the protection of natural resources in urban areas, availability of sufficient green areas and their protection are important. In this study, it is aimed to identify existing green areas, determine their changes over time, and evaluate their adequacy and accessibility by using remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) data, analysis and methods. The city of Tashkent, the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was chosen as the study area. Landsat 8 OLI satellite images, Open Street Map (OSM) data and demographic data were used in the study. Green areas were determined using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Landsat 8 OLI satellite images of 2013, 2019 and 2022, and their changes were determined. For the year 2022, active urban green areas were determined by evaluating the green areas obtained from OSM data and the results of NDVI analysis together. The adequacy of green areas was compared with the urban planning standards of different countries by calculating the areas per capita. In addition, the accessibility of urban green spaces was examined using GIS analysis.The findings obtained from the study revealed that urban green areas in the Tashkent city have decreased over time and are not sufficient. On the other hand, it has been observed that green areas are concentrated in the city center and decrease towards the fringes of the city, and the city center is more advantageous in terms of accessibility.