The role of vegetation in purifying the urban environment Two cities, Baghdad and Annaba, as a model

Abstract

Green areas are the lungs of the city and a very important element for any city for the purpose of achieving the element of comfort, relaxation, recreation and reducing air pollution. They are the only area for providing entertainment and recreation in the urban environment. Green areas have recreational, touristic, environmental, climatic and social functions and occupy an important spatial space within the basic plan of cities.

There is a close relationship between vegetation cover and the purity of the urban environment. The more the area of ​​this cover increases, the purer the urban environment becomes and thus free of pollution and the related organic and psychological diseases for city dwellers. Rather, the importance of this cover increased after the number of city dwellers increased and what it led to in terms of pressure on public services in the city and the negative repercussions that resulted from it, which led to the disturbance of life in it, especially the increase in the ownership of vehicles by families, which are considered one of the greatest sources of pollution in cities.

Baghdad and Annaba cities suffer from poor distribution of green spaces and open spaces, as they do not match the increase in population or the standard of living that has provided the opportunity for large numbers of residents to own vehicles that facilitate the process of transportation and encourage enjoyment, especially with the presence of some areas characterized by high population density. Also, the increasing and unplanned urban expansion has caused damage to the green spaces in the city and has lost its aesthetic element and caused an imbalance in the local environmental balance of Baghdad, which has affected its local climate. As for Annaba, it is one of the Algerian cities that suffers from a significant shortage in the size of green spaces across its urban fabric compared to the number of residents, so that the urban landscape of the city has become characterized by the dominance of cement blocks and a clear delay in the completion of green spaces in areas of modern urban expansion. Also, the existing green spaces are exposed to neglect and deterioration and no longer perform their assigned role.