Urban green space

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/urban-green-space

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the definition in planning?Open-space areas reserved for parks and other greenery within urban land-use planning
2. What is the environmental services?Contribute to cleaner air, mitigate urban heat effects, and manage surface runoff
3. Why are trees and parks important in cities?Trees and parks help cool cities by giving shade and letting water soak into the ground. They clean the air by absorbing pollution and producing oxygen. They also help stop too much rain from flooding streets.
4. Who can use urban green spaces?Everyone can use them, from kids playing in a park to people walking on a green roof. Some are public, like city parks, and some are private, like school fields or corporate gardens. All are meant to be places where people can enjoy nature.

Urban Heat Island Effect: The phenomenon where urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than their surrounding rural areas due to human activities and infrastructure.
Stormwater Runoff: Water from rain, snowmelt, or irrigation that flows over the land surface rather than infiltrating into the ground.
Environmental Justice: The principle that all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, are entitled to equal protection from environmental hazards.
Green Infrastructure: A network of natural and semi-natural areas, including parks, green roofs, and vegetated swales, designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services.