Is there a relationship between urbanization and vegetation cover conflict or coordination? A survey of 74 federal subjects in Russia

• Published in: Cities Vol. 163; p. 106030
• Main Authors: Ma, Jun, Wang, Jinliang, He, Suling, Zhang, Jianpeng, Liu, Lanfang, Zhong, Xuzheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2025
• Subjects: Conflict or coordination; Enhanced vegetation index (EVI); Russia; Sustainable development; Urbanization; Vegetation; Urbanization; Sustainable development; Conflict or coordination; Vegetation; Enhanced vegetation index (EVI); Russia
• ISSN: 0264-2751
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106030

Investigating the connection between urbanization and vegetation is crucial for sustainable urban development and the study of urban ecological environments. The urbanization process in Russia is distinctive, and the evolving relationship between urban expansion and vegetation cover remains largely unexplored. We integrated 10-year urban physical boundary data with a 30-m resolution vegetation index to introduce the urbanization–vegetation relationship index (UVRI). This index assesses the conflict or coordination between urbanization and vegetation cover across 74 federal subjects in Russia from 1990 to 2020. The results show that (1) over the past three decades, Russia's 74 federal subjects have undergone swift and extensive yet uneven urban expansion, with urban areas increasing by 38,526.71 km2. (2) In general, the vegetation coverage of cities in various federal areas has increased, and urban vegetation has shown an apparent greening trend. However, the changes in vegetation cover vary across cities at different stages of development. (3) UVRIs are coordinated in 62 of Russia's 74 federal subjects. This indicates that the relationship between urbanization and vegetation cover in most Russian cities is coordinated. However, cities in the east and west display evident spatial heterogeneity. •We propose the urbanization–vegetation relationship index•EVI degraded in newly urbanized areas but gradually recovered and improved•The conflict and coordination between urbanization and vegetation were identified•The proportion of coordinated cities increased gradually in Russia•Vegetation in the western regions of Russia is likely to face more challenges