Planning of urban forest in Riga and major European cities

With the increase in the number of the global population, that is likely to grow also in the nearest decades, the expansion of cities continues at the expense of forests and farmlands, and in these new areas, a more significant role is granted to the interaction between cities and countryside, revealing diverse interests of stakeholders. It is necessary to preserve, and it is even desirable, to expand the green spaces of the urbanized territories. Vienna, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Riga were selected for the study. The authors looked at the experience of the urban and green area planning through the literature review of city planning documents. Analyses of results show that planning takes place at the city, suburban or regional level and in the case of Riga, its development is similar to the development of other large European cities. The share of the urban forests in the territory of Riga city and its suburbs is comparatively large. In the European cities, which are rich in forests, the territories of the urban forests are often owned by local municipalities, and the development axes are created along highways, separating the diverse green territories. The authors offer a schematic model of the urban forest and urban area development for Riga city, which will ensure the preservation of forest areas and the non-confluence of urban areas.