Cartographic and geoinformational support for development of green urban planning in the Republic of Belarus

Abstract

In recent years, the Republic of Belarus has developed the practice of introducing elements of green infrastructure into urban development programs. This is a contribution to the transition to environmentally friendly production technologies, the construction of buildings with a low share of energy and resource consumption, the implementation of environmental-oriented transport infrastructure, the use of effective technologies for the collection, disposal and processing of waste, and an increase in amount of green areas in cities. From 2016 to the present, the country is implementing a 5-year project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “Supporting Green Urban Development in Small and Medium-Sized Cities in Belarus”. The objective of the Project is the growth of development of green urban development plans and pilot green urban development initiatives in the cities of Polack, Navapolack, Navahrudak related to energy efficiency and sustainable transport. An important component in the formation of green urban planning is the operation of spatial information. For this purpose, mapping and geoinformation approaches were applied in the study. They made it possible to identify the modern features of the distribution of green city indicators in pilot cities, carry out their analysis and propose a new development strategy that will improve the blue-green infrastructure. For each city, in the instrumental geographic information systems ArcGIS and QGIS, a methodology was developed and indicators were mapped that characterize condition of residential areas, quality of buildings, population density, location of green areas, proximity of public transport stops and other urban infrastructure, tourism service infrastructure and the distribution of energy users and sources of CO2 emissions. Based on the results of GIS analysis of the obtained layers of indicators of the profile of the green city, a spatial development strategy was formed. The information of the thematic layers on indicators of urban development became the basis for the creation of a series of web maps in ArcGIS Online, which are currently being discussed by residents of key cities. The cartographic materials prepared within the project can be finalized and used to work with city administrations, as well as to inform the population about the state of the city and the decisions taken.