The social dimension of Green Infrastructure. A review of socio-environmental well-being in the metropolitan space

Abstract

The studies that analyse the social dimension of the spaces that support the ecological function in the urban environment have focused fundamentally on the local analysis of green spaces. However, the social dimension of Green Infrastructures (IV) as a set of free spaces on a metropolitan scale has been little analysed. This article, based on an immersive search methodology of 123 documents and 539 case studies, develops a critical review of the main aspects analysed on the social impact of the spaces that make up the IV. Our results show from a methodological point of view how the predominant qualitative and local character of these studies makes it difficult to generalise their results to a metropolitan scale. Given the growing complexity of urban space, it is necessary to focus on analysing the social dimension of the IV from the metropolitan scale, paying special attention to citizens’ perceptions and a more decentralised management of green spaces in order to ensure the socio-environmental wellbeing of citizens.