Urban life away from nature, crowded, noisy, and lived between concrete piles cannot meet people’s needs of physical and psychological relaxation. Spending free time away from work, school, or any activity in a stressful, crowded, gray-toned atmosphere causes problems to increase. In addition to its many benefits, urban green areas provide us with the conditions necessary for a healthier society by enabling people to embrace nature and escape their stressful lives. For human health, a key element of sustainable urban development, green areas should be used intensively and compulsively in the urban landscape.

It is known that in the history of human existence, cities play an important role in the development of societies and that the present-day civilization was born in urban centers. After a certain period of the history of humanity, the city became the center of politics, law, market, culture, education, and art. By playing an important role in the emergence of social developments and political revolutions, the cities provided suitable environments for the development of the concept of human rights today. 

Although cities play such a significant role in human history, there is also a dark side to their history that is not desirable to be seen. The city is also home to many other problems such as poor housing, traffic, employment, population increase, garbage, and air pollution. It is possible to see this as a consequence of the inner contradiction of the capitalist city societies. In other words, while the city provides important institutionalization and progress in the social arena with the richness it offers, it also increases tensions among the lower social classes due to the social contradictions it contains. These contradictions sometimes can be seen in economic, social, ethnic, and cultural aspects. The pollution problem can be considered a contradiction in the production process of the city.

The great benefits of cities have begun to diminish significantly because of environmental and other problems. Resolving these problems, which are becoming more severe in the face of the continuous growth of urban areas, requires some measures enacted at the city and national level. These measures have begun to take shape within an understanding called sustainable development. This approach can be considered the most appropriate solution for the market economy. Naturally, the success of this approach is closely related to its capacity to be implemented in urban areas. Therefore, sustainable urban development supports many changes in Western capitalist cities.

Sustainable development is based on the idea of providing security for human beings and protecting their social, economic, and environmental values. Sustainability also includes the protection of natural resources that are important to human life. One of the most important aspects of sustainable development is undoubtedly the necessity of a compromise in society. In fact, a certain compromise is needed not just for this concept but for all systems. Especially in democratic countries, social and political compromise is the key to the success of governance. Such a compromise in society will connect the masses by removing the differences between the classes.

The issue of urban sustainability is not only a matter that the public administration can handle on its own. Urban sustainability will increase its success with broader community participation. Thus, there should be principles to which all urban groups have agreed. The ability of city governments to obtain citizen support in their sustainability work depends on the efficiency of their dialogue with citizens. It should be explained that studies on sustainability in the urban arena will positively affect the citizens in the long run and will enhance their quality of life. However, in many countries today, limited resources are not sufficiently recycled and non-renewable energy sources are being used in great quantities, causing high greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, the use of renewable energy has not reached a desired point in the world.

It can be said that there is a great harmony between the functions of the social state and sustainable urban development. The social state has undertaken a responsibility to raise citizens’ living standards in a wide area. In other words, guaranteeing livelihood only up to a certain extent to citizens does not mean a social state. The social state is a concept that goes far beyond this. The state has undertaken a wide range of functions for the citizens. Green areas, one of the main components of urban sustainability, are of great importance for citizen functions and can be said to be directly related to the quality of life of urban residents.

Urban green spaces are one of the basic tools of the city, which directly affect the quality of life of the inhabitants of the city. These areas, affecting the image of the city positively, play an important role in the fulfillment of recreational functions. The size of green areas, or the amount of green space per person, has increasingly begun to be accepted as a measure of the development of societies. The quality of life of urban residents can be positively affected by green areas with regard to their ecological, social, economic, and physical characteristics. However, increasing population pressure and housing activities threaten green areas. Protecting and developing green areas in line with the measures to be taken, especially in the developing countries, is of great importance for a more livable and safe future.

Parallel to Turkey’s urbanization process, the green space requirement of big cities is increasing. However, it cannot be said that the amount of green area allocated to the increasing population can be met. Moreover, in recent years, green areas, some of which are located in urban centers, may become permanent targets of investors. The municipal administrations can transform green areas into shopping centers. The green areas in the city can easily be sacrificed due to the city’s increasing financial problems.

More green spaces are needed in cities for a healthier future. At this point, it should not be forgotten that the green areas are the first step toward establishing sustainable urban governance. The lack of green areas is a threat to people’s lives. This is a scientifically proven fact and thus, necessary legal arrangements should be made to protect the green areas more strictly and necessary help should be given to the city administrations to increase the green area per capita. In this theoretical study, the importance of green areas will be emphasized for sustainable urban development.