Short communication An integrated methodology to assess the benefits of urban green space K. De Ridder a, * , V. Adamec b , A. Ban ˜uelos c , M. Bruse d , M. Bu ¨rger d , O. Damsgaard e , J. Dufek b , J. Hirsch f , F. Lefebre a , J.M. Pe ´rez-Lacorzana c , A. Thierry e , C. Weber f a Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium b Transport Research Centre (CDV), Lisenska 33a, 63600 Brno, Czech Republic c AAC Centro de Acu ´stica Aplicada, c/ Leonardo da Vinci 9, 01510 Minano (Alava), Spain d Group Climatology, University of Bochum, Universita ¨tsstrasse 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany e Danish Town Planning Institute, Nørregade 36, DK-1165 Copenhagen, Denmark f Universite ´ Louis Pasteur, Laboratoire Image et Ville, Rue de l’Argonne 3, 67000 Strasbourg, France Accepted 1 April 2004 Abstract The interrelated issues of urban sprawl, traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution are major socioeconomic problems faced by most European cities. A methodology is currently being developed for evaluating the role of green space and urban form in alleviating the adverse effects of urbanisation, mainly focusing on the environment but also accounting for socioeconomic aspects. The objectives and structure of the methodology are briefly outlined and illustrated with preliminary results obtained from case studies performed on several European cities. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Urban green space; Traffic air quality; Noise; Well-being 1. Introduction Cities experience increasing signs of environmen- tal stress, notably in the form of poor air quality, excessive noise, and traffic congestion. At the same time, the pace at which land is being consumed by urban development in Europe is a major concern. The enhancement of green areas has the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of urbanisation in a sustainable way, making cities more attractive to live in, reversing urban sprawl, and reducing transport demand. Nowadays, there is an increasing societal support for more green space in and around cities. Benefits of Urban Green Space (BUGS) is an EU research project aiming at developing a methodology to assess the impact of green space and settlement patterns on urban environmental quality and social well-being and to formulate recommendations re- garding the use of green space as a design tool in 0048-9697/$ - see front matter D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.04.054 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +32-14336840; Fax: +32- 14322795. E-mail address: koen.deridder@vito.be (K. De Ridder). www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv Science of the Total Environment 334 – 335 (2004) 489 – 497