Urban green spaces and their role in making cities sustainable: revisiting Multan city from 1988 to 2020

The vegetation patterns, woodlands, agriculture lands, garden, forests, parks, wetlands and green belts play a significant role in benefitting the ecological impact and social cohesion. It also maintains the balance between natural and built environment. In recent decades, it has been examined that green spaces in urban areas are quickly vanishing and destruct at an alarming rate. Studies discovered that the fast urbanization trend has brought rapid change in cities and converted into mega structures resulting in excessive destruction of green spaces. In the climate context, the vegetation cover of urbanized cities significantly impacts diminishing high temperature, decreasing air quality, retaining carbon dioxide from the air, subsiding particulate matter, and retaining smog. It is therefore helpful for achieving sustainable development objective. This study refers to the urban green spaces and their relationship to the environment and sustainability of Multan city, the largest city and an urban hub of Southern Punjab. The city witnesses the most extreme temperature and is known for sweltering summers and moderate to cold winters. This research investigates the abandoned, deteriorating, proposed and existing urban green spaces in Multan from 1988 to 2020. The study further emphasizes the role of urban green spaces in sustainable urban development. The primary data is collected from the municipal corporation, development authority, satellite images, and meteorological data to assess the urban green spaces, their decline over time and climate effects. The questionnaire and interviews were conducted to collaboratively analyze quantitative and qualitative data through participatory research investigation with local authorities, academic experts, researchers, stakeholders, and communities. The results are examined, and mitigation measures are suggested to regenerate the urban open spaces that are the service provider of the ecological impact to contribute to sustainability and rejuvenate the city's environment.