Our Mission
As of 2021, over 73% Canadians lived in large urban centers, and this number is continuing to grow [1]. However, a recent Statistics Canada study [2] showed that urban greenness decreased in nearly every major urban center in Canada in the previous decade. In particular, Calgary’s urban greenness reduced from 56% in 2011 to only 42% in 2019, and Calgary now ranks with the second lowest urban greenness score out of all large urban centers in Canada at a mere 37.6% [3]. Urban green space provides numerous crucial benefits to the environment and the quality of life of citizens. The increase in vegetation density that green spaces provide can improve urban air quality and mitigate the effects of urban heat islands by functioning as an air conditioning system, cooling the environment and balancing temperatures [4]. Green spaces also provide habitat to wildlife and increase connectivity of habitats that have been left fragmented by urbanization. This improves urban biodiversity and reduces conflict between humans and wildlife. Moreover, green spaces provide substantial improvements to the urban drainage system by increasing the prevalence of pervious landscapes and improving water storage capacity of the soil. This aids in reducing stormwater runoff and helps protect urban areas against flooding [5]. Finally, especially among children and young adults, access to nature has been shown to improve mental health, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function, leading to healthier and happier communities [6]. As such, increasing urban green space is vital to the health of our urban environments and the communities in which we live.
In response to the destruction of natural landscapes and habitats in and around the City of Calgary, our team, the GeoTrio, has developed an application called Cul-Grow to help address the problem of diminishing green space. Cul-Grow aims to promote the development of urban green spaces, raise awareness for the need for increased green space in Calgary, and highlight the importance of nature within our communities. We aspire to progress Canadian urban centers towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 target 11.7: “By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces…” [7]. We do so by providing a tool for urban planners to view and score potential locations for new public green spaces based on sociological and environmental factors. Moreover, we aim to communicate the importance for green space development by providing a visual analysis of the reduction in greenness that has occurred in Calgary in the 21st century.
- Promoting the Growth of Urban Green Spaces
- Raising Public Awareness of Green Spaces
- Apply GeoSpatial Technolgy in Urban Ecology
[1] “Canada's large urban centres continue to grow and spread,” Statistics Canada, Feb. 2022. Available:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220209/dq220209b-eng.htm
[2] N. Lantz, M. Grenier and J.Wang, “Urban greenness, 2001, 2011 and 2019,” Statistics Canada, Aug.
2021. Available: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/16-002-x/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm
[3] “Census of Environment: Urban greenness, 2022,” Statistics Canada, Nov. 2022. Available:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221117/dq221117e-eng.htm
[4] P. Hesslerová, J. Pokorný, H. Huryna, J. Seják, and V. Jirka, “The impacts of greenery on urban
climate and the options for use of thermal data in urban areas,” Progress in Planning, vol. 159, May
2022. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progress.2021.100545
[5] E. Zimmermann, L. Bracalenti, R. Piacentini, and L. Inostroza, “Urban Flood Risk Reduction by
Increasing Green Areas for Adaptation to Climate Change,” Procedia Engineering, vol. 161, pp. 2241-2246,
2016. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.822
[6] S. Tillmann, D. Tobin, W. Avison, and J. Gilliland, “Mental health benefits of interactions with
nature in children and teenagers: a systematic review,” Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 72, no.
10, Sept. 2018. Available: https://jech.bmj.com/content/72/10/958.abstract
[7] “Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and communities,” UNEP. Available:
https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/sustainable-development-goals/why-do-sustainable-development-goals-matter/goal-11
Functions
The application funtions / services
Branch Out -
Time Slider
Enables user to view a map and play the animation to see how the data changes spatially and temporally
Branch Out - Potential Tree Canopy
A custom potential canopy growth index aims to illustrate the potential of canopy increasing in each community
Green Space Suitability - SuitCalc
Designed to align with relevant community and provincial guidelines and balances three key themes : Accessibility, Equity, and Environment.
Green Space Suitability - Park On the Way
Showing development permits which relate to greenspaces and scores them with the suitability score
Team
Applying Geospatial techniques and reveal the truth behind the spatiotemporal data is our day to day work.
![](assets/img/team/adam.png)
Adam Smith
Master of Science in Geomatics EngineeringI’m not the best at people, but I’m pretty good at math
![](assets/img/team/wade.jpg)
Zonghao(Wade) Zhang
Master of Science in Geomatics EngineeringI'm a slow learner, it's true. But I learn.
![](assets/img/team/mark.jpg)
Mark Empey
Doctor of Philosophy in Geomatics EngineeringData or it didn't happen