Scholarlink

<p>As urban density increases, small green spaces potentially compensate for the loss of large parks by providing residents with essential daily access to nature. In some dense urban neighborhoods, balcony gardens may be among the few green spaces routinely accessible to residents although this varies depending on the urban context. Yet these small green spaces, which are the outcome of resident-led gardening initiatives, remain largely invisible in urban sustainability research. Using a scoping review, this paper synthesizes current knowledge on balcony gardens and discusses key research themes related to the potential compensation of these small urban green spaces to the city. Following inclusion criteria, 160 studies revealed that balcony gardens enhance mental and physical health, foster neighborhood interaction, mitigate heat, improve air quality, and support biodiversity. While research shows that balcony gardens provide positive benefits to residents, their contribution to the city remains unknown because most studies fail to consider balcony gardens as small urban green spaces. The paper concludes that research needs to explore the distribution patterns of balcony gardens to guide inclusive policies, while aligning planning codes and incentives to mainstream balcony gardens as decentralized, resident-led greening actions.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

A scoping review of residential balcony gardens as overlooked contributors to small urban green spaces

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月22日

查看全文
  • Carine Ghassibe,
  • Dany Abou Jaoude,
  • Ibrahim Issa,
  • Christina Al Gemayel,
  • Salma N. Talhouk

摘要

As urban density increases, small green spaces potentially compensate for the loss of large parks by providing residents with essential daily access to nature. In some dense urban neighborhoods, balcony gardens may be among the few green spaces routinely accessible to residents although this varies depending on the urban context. Yet these small green spaces, which are the outcome of resident-led gardening initiatives, remain largely invisible in urban sustainability research. Using a scoping review, this paper synthesizes current knowledge on balcony gardens and discusses key research themes related to the potential compensation of these small urban green spaces to the city. Following inclusion criteria, 160 studies revealed that balcony gardens enhance mental and physical health, foster neighborhood interaction, mitigate heat, improve air quality, and support biodiversity. While research shows that balcony gardens provide positive benefits to residents, their contribution to the city remains unknown because most studies fail to consider balcony gardens as small urban green spaces. The paper concludes that research needs to explore the distribution patterns of balcony gardens to guide inclusive policies, while aligning planning codes and incentives to mainstream balcony gardens as decentralized, resident-led greening actions.