Financial and analytical assessment of the costs of maintaining large urban park spaces in the Mediterranean on the example of Barcelona

Abstract

The relevance of the subject is conditioned upon the fact that large park plantations have a great positive impact on the climate of Mediterranean cities, which increases the comfort of living in them. Such weather conditions as abnormal heat are increasingly manifested in Mediterranean cities due to global warming and other causes. In addition, there is air pollution in cities with solid particles and other impurities harmful to human health. The analysis of scientific literature has demonstrated that in the cities of the Mediterranean, these problems can be solved through urban park plantings and other types of landscaping. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the costs of maintaining large urban park spaces in Barcelona. The leading method to explore this problem is the empirical method, namely, the study of urban landscaping programmes and budget expenditures. The research examines the sources of financing the costs of maintaining urban park spaces and considers urban programmes for the development of landscaping, and their financing. In addition, the influence of green spaces on the comfort of living in the city of Barcelona is explored. As a result of the study, it was found that landscaping in the city of Barcelona is financed for the most part from the city budget, while spending increases annually. It has been identified that the city of Barcelona receives a significant positive effect from investments in green spaces, namely, air pollution decreases, its temperature decreases, people get places for hiking, sports, and other types of activity, the psychological and physiological health of the population improves, the urban environment becomes more comfortable to live in. It is the large park plantings that allow reducing the air temperature, which improves the quality of life in the city