The Green Area Index as a Sustainable Urban Development Strategy for the Northern, Northwestern, and Meia Ponte Zones of Goiânia-GO, Brazil

The objective of the study was to determine the percentage of green areas in the Northern, Northwestern, and Meia Ponte zones of the city of Goiânia-Goiás, Brazil. The Green Area Index (gai) was applied, in conformity with the methodological principles used by indicators that depend on demographics, expressed by the ratio of green area surfaces per inhabitant. The gai was quantified by interpreting remote sensing images to draw the vegetation cover map, and dasymetric mapping was used for demographic density. Results made it possible to evaluate the relation among spatial distribution of the gai, population quantity, and urban environmental quality. It has been observed an unbalanced correlation between the quantitative-qualitative levels of green areas, which are subordinate to its greenery maintenance and real estate speculation.