Analysis of Green Infrastructure-based Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Planning (Case Study: Birjand City)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.A In Geography and Environmental Hazards, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

2 Associate professor, department of geography, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

3 Associate professor, department of geography, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran.

Abstract

Accelerating climate change and its intensifying impacts on dry and semi‑arid cities highlight the urgent need for adaptive, green‑infrastructure‑based approaches in urban spatial planning. Birjand, characterized by an arid climate, limited water resources, and unbalanced urban expansion, faces high vulnerability to rising temperatures, urban heat island effects, severe drought, and flash floods. Despite scattered studies on green infrastructure in Iran, the simultaneous examination of spatial justice, spatial distribution of green spaces, and their role in climate adaptation in small arid cities such as Birjand remains limited, revealing a significant research gap. This study aims to identify effective green infrastructure strategies for climate adaptation within Birjand’s urban spatial planning. A mixed‑methods approach was employed, including vegetation change analysis using NDVI derived from Sentinel‑2 imagery (2017–2024), GIS‑based spatial analysis (spatial autocorrelation and kernel density), statistical analysis of expert questionnaires (n = 50) using SPSS, and qualitative interviews with urban and environmental specialists. The findings indicate that Birjand’s green infrastructure is currently at a lower‑to‑moderate performance level. Green space distribution is spatially uneven and clustered (concentrated in central, high‑density districts and insufficient in the south and west). Weak connectivity within the green network reduces ecosystem services, while public awareness and urban planning practices inadequately reflect the role of green infrastructure in climate resilience. NDVI analysis shows a relative decline in vegetation cover during the study period, driven by climatic pressures and urban expansion. Key strategies highlighted by the study include the use of drought‑resistant native species (e.g., Haloxylon, Tamarix, Melia azedarach), adoption of smart irrigation systems, establishment of continuous green corridors, development of pocket parks and green roofs/walls, and strengthening community engagement through education. These measures not only enhance climate and environmental resilience but also promote spatial justice and improve quality of life within Birjand’s urban planning framework.
By offering a localized framework tailored to the dry‑climate cities of eastern Iran, this study contributes new insights to the existing literature and provides practical recommendations for integrated climate‑responsive policymaking.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Baghirov, H. S. O., Hina, S. M., Mulani, A., Gupta, A., Mabrouk, A. S., & Aziz, F. (2025). Urban green infrastructure enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience in smart cities. Lex Localis – Journal of Local Self-Government, 23(S5), 549-578.
https://lex-localis.org/index.php/LexLocalis/article/view/801285
Beninde, J., Veith, M., & Hochkirch, A. (2015). Biodiversity in cities needs space: A meta-analysis of factors determining intra-urban biodiversity variation. Ecology Letters, 18(6), 581–592.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ele.12427
Blakely, E. J. (2007). Urban planning for climate change. Urban Studies, 44(12), 2311–2324.
https://www.lincolninst.edu/app/uploads/legacy-files/pubfiles/1310_blakely_final.pdf
Chini, C. (2016). Urban green infrastructure and climate adaptation. Sustainability, 9(10), 1811.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/Urban_Green_Infrastructure
Davoudi, S., et al. (2009). Planning for climate change: Strategies for mitigation and adaptation for spatial planners. Earthscan.
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000234666
Dunning, R., & Buck, N. T. (2017). The integration of infrastructures as a response to climate change: A critical opportunity? Sustainability, 9(5), 800.
https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3008698/
Eskandari Sani, Mohammad; Mohammadabadi, Saeede; Vafaei Fard, Mehdi. (2014). Urbanization and Food Insecurity: Examining Its New Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Agricultural Development, Case Study: Birjand City. Urban Sustainability Journal, Issue 10. (In Persian) 
Eskandari Sani, Mohammad; Safargar, Sahar. (2014). Identifying Effective Physical Components in Improving Citizens’ Sense of Security in Urban Spaces (Case Study: Moallem Street and Pasdaran City of Birjand), Khorasan Culture Journal, Issue 17. (In Persian)
Eskandari Sani, Mohammad; Safargar, Sahar. (2014). Integrating Green and Circular Economy, a New Approach to Sustainable Income in Birjand City. Green Development Management Studies, Volume 1, Issue 2, Pages 159-172.  (In Persian)
Esmailnejad, Morteza; (2014). Assessing the Vulnerability of Peri-Urban Areas of Birjand to Climate Change. Peri-urban Space Development, 78-65, (1)6. (In Persian)
Greene, M. (2024). Urban green infrastructure: Enhancing climate resilience and environmental sustainability in cities. International Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainability, 3(1), 11-21.
Meerow, S., & Newell, J. P. (2017). Urban resilience for climate adaptation. Urban Studies, 54(7), 1403–1420.
https://climateadaptationplatform.com/urban-resilience-for-climate-adaptation/
Mondal, K., Rawat, S., Khose, S. B., Tateh, S., Saha, S., Choubey, S., Nagawade, O., & Vishwakarma, S. K. (2025). Urban green infrastructure for climate change adaptation and mitigation: Roles, innovations, and challenges in sustainable cities. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, 15(12), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijecc/2025/v15i125144. 
https://journalijecc.com/index.php/IJECC/article/view/5144
Nasehi, Saeede, Al-Mohammad, Seydeh, Ramezani-Mehrian, Majid, Mobarghaei-Dinan, Naghmeh. (1402). Developing sustainability strategies for urban green infrastructures using landscape change assessment (Case study: Tehran Metropolitan Region 2). Geography and Environmental Sustainability, 13(2), 95-114. (In Persian)  
Norouzi, Maryam and Bamanian, Mohammad Reza. (1398). Analyzing the effect of urban green infrastructures on improving environmental sustainability components. Scientific Journal of Architectural Thought, 3(6)189-175. (In Persian) 
Oke, T. R., Mills, G., Christen, A., & Voogt, J. A. (2017). Urban Climates. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Rezaei, Ebrahim, Ebrahimzadeh, Isa and Eskandari-Sani, Mohammad. (2019). A critical analysis of urban water policy from the perspective of institutional capacity (case study: Birjand city). Geography and Regional Urban Planning, 9(31), 73-92. (In Persian) 
Salih, K., & Báthoryné Nagy, I. R. (2024). Review of the role of urban green infrastructure on climate resiliency: A focus on heat mitigation modelling scenario on the microclimate and building scale. Urban Science, 8(4), 220.
https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/4/220
Seiwert, A., & Rößler, S. (2020). Understanding the term green infrastructure: origins, rationales, semantic content and purposes as well as its relevance for application in spatial planning. Land Use Policy, 97, 104785. 
https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v97y2020ics0264837718309621.html
Shirgar, Elmira, Khairuddin, Reza and Behzadfar, Mostafa. (2019). Explaining the intervention model in urban green infrastructure with the aim of creating urban ecological resilience with an emphasis on climate change (case study: Yousef Abad neighborhood of Tehran). Ecology, 45(3), 545-565. (In Persian) 
Taleai, M. (2007). Urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services. Ecological Planning Journal, 22(2),    89–103.(In persian)
https://sanad.iau.ir/fa/Journal/jshsp/DownloadFile/1032263
 
Tamminga, K., Cortesão, J., & Bakx, M. (2020). Convivial greenstreets: A concept for climate-responsive urban design. Sustainability, 12(9), 3790.
Timi, Niusha, Sholeh, Mahsa, Lotfi, Sahand and Sadeghi, Alireza. (1404). Measuring the effects of urban green infrastructure with a climate-sensitive design approach (case study: Gol Mohammadi neighborhood of Isfahan). Danesh Ursasazi, 9(2)55-77 . (In Persian)
Vaisi Nabi Kandi, Bahman and Hami, Ahmad and Emami Namin, Farzin (1402), Urban Green Infrastructures as a Solution to Climate Change in Order to Improve the Quality of Urban Life, Third International Conference on Architecture, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Environment and Horizons of Islamic Art in the Declaration of the Second Step of the Revolution, Tabriz. (In Persian)