{"title":"Urban Green Space and the Transition to Environmental Sustainability in Urban Tourism: An Analytical Review","authors":"Raoof Mostafazadeh, Javad Madani, Marzieh Moradi","doi":"10.1007/s12061-026-09996-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Urban tourism has experienced rapid growth over recent decades. However, its dual nature is often overlooked: while it stimulates local economies, it simultaneously imposes significant environmental pressures and exacerbates social inequalities. This analytical review examines the transition toward environmental sustainability in urban tourism, focusing on urban green spaces. Using a PRISMA-informed systematic search of Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar (1993–2025), 24 key sources were selected as the core of the review. Qualitative content analysis was organised around key themes: economic, environmental and socio‑cultural impacts, the sustainability paradox, green tourism and urban ecotourism, climate change adaptation, spatial justice, hierarchy of green spaces and stakeholder perceptions. Urban tourism creates jobs and infrastructure but pressures nature, pollution, congestion, land-use change, and unequal green space access. The sustainability paradox (growth vs. carrying capacity) is acute here. Green tourism and urban ecotourism reduce footprints and boost participation, but face high costs and low awareness. Extreme weather from climate change threatens urban destinations. Non‑park green spaces (roadside strips, community gardens, vacant lots) can, under certain conditions (adequate size, connectivity, formal protection, and community stewardship), reduce inequality, ease tourist pressure, and build climate resilience, but are systematically overlooked. Local resident support is also crucial. The paper calls for integrated action based on spatial justice, community participation, and climate adaptation. Six practical suggestions are proposed: carrying‑capacity‑based planning, equitable resource allocation for NPGS, integration of climate adaptation strategies, local community empowerment, promoting green tourism as a norm, and continuous adaptive monitoring using GIS.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46392,"journal":{"name":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","volume":"19 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12061-026-09996-9","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Urban tourism has experienced rapid growth over recent decades. However, its dual nature is often overlooked: while it stimulates local economies, it simultaneously imposes significant environmental pressures and exacerbates social inequalities. This analytical review examines the transition toward environmental sustainability in urban tourism, focusing on urban green spaces. Using a PRISMA-informed systematic search of Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar (1993–2025), 24 key sources were selected as the core of the review. Qualitative content analysis was organised around key themes: economic, environmental and socio‑cultural impacts, the sustainability paradox, green tourism and urban ecotourism, climate change adaptation, spatial justice, hierarchy of green spaces and stakeholder perceptions. Urban tourism creates jobs and infrastructure but pressures nature, pollution, congestion, land-use change, and unequal green space access. The sustainability paradox (growth vs. carrying capacity) is acute here. Green tourism and urban ecotourism reduce footprints and boost participation, but face high costs and low awareness. Extreme weather from climate change threatens urban destinations. Non‑park green spaces (roadside strips, community gardens, vacant lots) can, under certain conditions (adequate size, connectivity, formal protection, and community stewardship), reduce inequality, ease tourist pressure, and build climate resilience, but are systematically overlooked. Local resident support is also crucial. The paper calls for integrated action based on spatial justice, community participation, and climate adaptation. Six practical suggestions are proposed: carrying‑capacity‑based planning, equitable resource allocation for NPGS, integration of climate adaptation strategies, local community empowerment, promoting green tourism as a norm, and continuous adaptive monitoring using GIS.
近几十年来，城市旅游业经历了快速发展。然而，它的双重性质往往被忽视：在刺激当地经济的同时，它也带来了巨大的环境压力，加剧了社会不平等。这篇分析综述探讨了城市旅游向环境可持续性的转变，重点是城市绿地。通过对Scopus、Web of Science、ScienceDirect和谷歌Scholar（1993-2025）的系统检索，选择24个关键来源作为综述的核心。定性内容分析围绕以下关键主题进行：经济、环境和社会文化影响、可持续性悖论、绿色旅游和城市生态旅游、气候变化适应、空间正义、绿色空间层次和利益相关者的看法。城市旅游创造了就业机会和基础设施，但也给自然、污染、拥堵、土地利用变化和不平等的绿地获取带来了压力。可持续性悖论（增长vs.承载能力）在这里非常尖锐。绿色旅游和城市生态旅游减少了足迹，提高了参与度，但面临成本高、认知度低的问题。气候变化带来的极端天气威胁着城市目的地。在一定条件下（适当的规模、连通性、正式保护和社区管理），非公园绿地（路边带、社区花园、空地）可以减少不平等、缓解旅游压力和建立气候适应能力，但却被系统性地忽视了。当地居民的支持也至关重要。本文呼吁在空间正义、社区参与和气候适应的基础上采取综合行动。本文提出了六项切实可行的建议：基于承载能力的规划、为NPGS公平分配资源、整合气候适应战略、赋予当地社区权力、促进绿色旅游成为一种规范，以及利用GIS进行持续的适应性监测。
期刊介绍：
Description
The journal has an applied focus: it actively promotes the importance of geographical research in real world settings
It is policy-relevant: it seeks both a readership and contributions from practitioners as well as academics
The substantive foundation is spatial analysis: the use of quantitative techniques to identify patterns and processes within geographic environments
The combination of these points, which are fully reflected in the naming of the journal, establishes a unique position in the marketplace.
RationaleA geographical perspective has always been crucial to the understanding of the social and physical organisation of the world around us. The techniques of spatial analysis provide a powerful means for the assembly and interpretation of evidence, and thus to address critical questions about issues such as crime and deprivation, immigration and demographic restructuring, retailing activity and employment change, resource management and environmental improvement. Many of these issues are equally important to academic research as they are to policy makers and Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy aims to close the gap between these two perspectives by providing a forum for discussion of applied research in a range of different contexts
Topical and interdisciplinaryIncreasingly government organisations, administrative agencies and private businesses are requiring research to support their ‘evidence-based’ strategies or policies. Geographical location is critical in much of this work which extends across a wide range of disciplines including demography, actuarial sciences, statistics, public sector planning, business planning, economics, epidemiology, sociology, social policy, health research, environmental management.
FocusApplied Spatial Analysis and Policy will draw on applied research from diverse problem domains, such as transport, policing, education, health, environment and leisure, in different international contexts. The journal will therefore provide insights into the variations in phenomena that exist across space, it will provide evidence for comparative policy analysis between domains and between locations, and stimulate ideas about the translation of spatial analysis methods and techniques across varied policy contexts. It is essential to know how to measure, monitor and understand spatial distributions, many of which have implications for those with responsibility to plan and enhance the society and the environment in which we all exist.
Readership and Editorial BoardAs a journal focused on applications of methods of spatial analysis, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of academic fields, to practitioners in government and administrative agencies and to consultants in private sector organisations. The Editorial Board reflects the international and multidisciplinary nature of the journal.
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