Impact of green space configuration on landscape maintenance: Case study of a park in Singapore

Assessing and maintaining urban green spaces is essential for maximizing their diverse ecosystem services, including biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, disaster risk reduction, and human well-being. While significant attention has been given to quantifying these benefits, comparatively less focus has been placed on the long-term maintenance and resource requirements of green spaces. Data on manpower, CO₂ emission and horticulture waste of an urban park were collected via on-site interviewing with landscape managers and contractors from May to November 2021. An approach integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Spearman correlation and machine learning techniques was developed to assess maintenance expenditure based on green space configuration. Results show that routine tasks, such as weeding (33.5 %) and tree pruning (14.6 %), consume the most labor. Specifically, flat lawns show strong positive correlation with manpower expenditure (0.44). Spatial and aesthetic factors, such as slope vegetation and intensively managed shrubs, contributing 22 % and 48 % respectively, are most influential in predicting overall maintenance needs, emphasizing the importance of integrating spatial planning into sustainable landscape design.