Comparing Ease of Living parameters & Urban Greening Index

D S Urban Analytics, Mumbai, India, divyasubramaniansuresh@gmail.com

^* Corresponding author: divyasubramaniansuresh@gmail.com

Abstract

Urban Green Spaces (UGS) provide essential ecosystem services and greatly aid in ameliorating the local climate and quality of life. UGS face an immense threat with rapid urbanization and governance apathy. With the induction of government backed initiatives like AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission, preserving and developing open spaces became integral to the urban planning practice and local area development. The Ease of Living Index (EOLI) provides multiple indicators related to UGS with varied weights. However, the present UGS condition in the most liveable cities with high green scores have quality and quantity shortcomings. This research derives and compares the Urban Greening Index (UGI) for the most liveable Indian cities as per the 2018 EOLI report. Mumbai was on the top three cities decreed most liveable as per EOLI 2018. This study used Landsat 8 remote sensing imagery with summer and winter variations for 2016 and 2019. Geospatial analysis using GIS was undertaken to derive the UGI for Mumbai. The methods adopted by EOLI to derive the green indicators, were found to be inadequate to assess the actual ground realities. The EOLI methods lacked actual consideration of vegetation quality, spatial arrangement within urban cores and clusters, proximity to residential areas, accessibility, and ecosystem services valuation, among other vital aspects. The study stipulates amended indicators that could be incorporated to better assess the EOL for Indian cities.