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Plants and animals of the park. Viinikka Park in Tampere. © Juha Salminen.

Various green spaces give color to urban areas. Green spaces often contain plant species that thrive in the polluted air of city environments. These plants are often brought to green spaces from elsewhere, and they are watered and taken care of regularly by humans. Because of this, urban green spaces are often very different from natural ecosystems. 


Green areas give color to urban environments. Turku, Finland.

Parks are the most common type of urban green spaces. They are often covered by grass and contain various broadleaf tree species. They provide both humans and animals with a place to relax during warm summer days. During the autumn, the falling leaves of broadleaf trees give the city a spark of color.

The fir trees planted in urban parks provide a good living habitat for many birds, such as the coal tit (pictured). 

Urban forests are forests that grow either inside or next to urban areas. The plants of urban forest are not taken care of by humans, which makes them different from parks and other similar green spaces. Some urban forests are protected in order to conserve the area's biodiversity, whereas some exist to provide citizens with recreational walking, jogging or biking routes.

The animals found in parks and urban forests have grown used to humans. There are few predators and plenty of food for animals such as squirrels, hedgehogs, and even foxes. The bird species that can be spotted in urban areas are largely the same that can be found in natural forests, mostly consisting of various tit and thrush species.

Hares are common inhabitants of urban forests and parks.