Evaluating the Efficiency of Green Landscaping on Abdullah Awiz Airport Street, Basra Province: Challenges and Recommendations for Urban Afforestation
Zenalabden Abdalhusein Handl
College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Iraq.
Abdul-Kadhm N.S.Al-Showily
College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Iraq.
Omar Farouk Alkaisi
Sunni Endowment Office, Iraq.
Dhia Ahmed Taain *
College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Iraq.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of green landscaping on Abdullah Awiz airport street, Basra province, challenges and recommendations for urban afforestation, based on the standards and regulations for afforestation within cities, with regard to their health, climate, aesthetic, social, and urban dimensions by utilizing field assessments and afforestation standards to quantify vegetation coverage and design adequacy. The analysis results showed that the implementation rate of afforestation standards and regulations on Abdullah Awiz airport street reached 19%, with the standard being present, while the percentage of somewhat present reached 23.8%. The highest percentage of non-existent was 57.2%. This indicates that the implementation indicators for afforestation standards and regulations in the study site are very weak and almost non-existent, and the neglect and lack of a design vision are very evident. This also requires the implementation of a afforestation campaign in accordance with afforestation standards and regulations that reflect the importance of this vital street, in addition to the environmental and health significance of the issue. The study recommended that in order to ensure the coordination of outdoor spaces within cities and main streets, emphasis must be placed on including their natural and artificial components to complete the engineering drawing of the outdoor spaces, and the sustainability can be achieved by utilizing green and water features, shading elements, and local and recycled materials in furnishings. Also, use solar energy and energy-saving lamps for lighting, and design them in an elevated manner to create open viewing angles.
Keywords: Green infrastructure, street landscaping, new airport street (Abdullah Awiz) in Basra province