Green spaces as an indicator of urban sustainability in the Arctic cities: Case of Nadym

Green spaces have recently received wide acknowledgement for urban sustainability benefits and are mentioned in the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs Target 11.7. The article aims to address the knowledge gap on indicators used for assessment of green spaces for urban sustainability in the Arctic using an example of Nadym, Russia which is illustrative of compact cities built during the Soviet time using a system of microrayons. Different indicators implemented by international organizations for assessment of green spaces are compared with indicators used in Russia. Utilizing very high-resolution WorldView-3 satellite image and open source data, the quantity and quality of green spaces are estimated with high accuracy. In addition to traditionally used indicators of share of green space per capita, share of public spaces for common use within walking distance to assess availability and accessibility of green spaces, the paper suggests importance of taking into account governance, distribution, and composition using analysis of historic legacies, municipal budget allocation for green space maintenance, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values. Such detailed view can enrich discussions about green spaces as sources for resilience both at the local and global levels, in comparison with other cities and across countries