ISSN: 2148-9173 Vol: 5 Issue:1 March 2018 International Journal of Environment and Geoinformatics (IJEGEO) is an international, multidisciplinary, peer reviewed, open access journal. State of the art of greenway concept application in Tunisian green policy: A case study of an urban landscape in Sousse city Safa Bel Fekih Bousemma, Faiza Khebour Allouche, Ikram Saidane, Yosra Mechmech and Taoufik Bettaieb Editors Prof. Dr. Cem Gazioğlu, Prof. Dr. Dursun Zafer Şeker, Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Tanık, Prof. Dr. Şinasi Kaya, Assist. Prof. Dr. Volkan Demir, Scientific Committee (2018) Assist. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Aksu, Prof. Dr. Bedri Alpar, Prof. Dr. Gülşen Altuğ, Prof. Dr. Lale Balas, Prof. Dr. Can Balas, Prof. Dr. Levent Bat, Prof. Dr. Bülent Bayram, Prof. Dr. Nuray Çağlar, Prof. Dr. Jadunandan Dash, Prof. Dr. A. Evren Erginal, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Ertürk, Dr. Dieter Fritsch, Dr. Amin Gharehbaghi, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tolga Görüm, Prof. Dr. Melike Gürel, Dr. Hakan Kaya , Prof. Dr. Fatmagül Kılıç, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maged Marghany, Prof. Dr. Nebiye Musaoğlu, Prof. Dr. Masafumi Nakagawa, Prof. Dr. Haluk Özener, Prof. Dr. Erol Sarı, Prof. Dr. Elif Sertel, Prof. Dr. Nüket Sivri, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Füsun Balık Şanlı, Prof. Dr. Uğur Şanlı, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Özdemir, Prof. Dr. Taşkın Kavzoğlu Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oral Yağcı, Prof. Dr. Seyfettin Taş, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ömer Suat Taşkın, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İ. Noyan Yılmaz, Assist. Prof. Dr. Baki Yokeş, Assit. Prof. Dr. Sibel Zeki Abstracting and Indexing: DOAJ, Index Copernicus, OAJI, Scientific Indexing Services, JF, Google Scholar www.ijegeo.org Since: 2009 International Journal of Environment and Geoinformatics 5(1):36-50 (2018) State of the art of greenway concept application in Tunisian green policy: A case study of an urban landscape in Sousse city Safa Bel Fekih Bousemma 1, 2,*, Faiza Khebour Allouche 2, 3, Ikram Saidane 2, Yosra Mechmech 4, Taoufik Bettaieb 1 1 B.P 47,4042 Chott Meriem Sousse-Tunisia, Sousse University, High institute of Agronomic Science of Chott Mareiem, Departement of Horticultural Sciences and Landscape 2 B.P 43, Avenue Charles Nicolle. 1082 Tunis Mahrajène-Tunisia, Carthage University, National Agronomic Institute of Tunis, Laboratory of Horticultural Sciences 3 B.P 43, Avenue Charles Nicolle. 1082 Tunis Mahrajène-Tunisia, Carthage University, National Agronomic Institute of Tunis, Lr GREE TEAM (LR17AGR01) 4Municipality of Sousse-Tunisia, Green space direction Corresponding author* Tel: +216 69 313 385 Received 15 Nov 2017 E-mail: [email protected] Accepted 01 Mar 2018 Abstract This paper is about the concept of the greenways in Tunisia, defined as a structure allowing to connect the green spaces between them. Two steps have been applied to assess the use of greenway concept in Tunisia and especially in Sousse city. The first one shows Tunisian administrative documents recount and the second one explains the spatial distribution of Sousse city greenways using GIS software. The examination of the planning of the green spaces in Tunisia, either through the documents of town planning or through the specific programs, allowed us to reveal the place of this notion in the Tunisian political speech and to conclude that the notion of greenways and its foundations, is missing in the documents of town planning, in the Tunisian environmental policy (Green Plan of Grand Sousse) even if the use of the term "greenways" is not really explicit. Then, it is our belief that there is a great potential in Tunisia for the adoption of greenways as a planning alternative, and tools such as the GIS environment can contribute significantly to this effort. Keywords: GIS, Green space, Greenways, Urban landscape Introduction idea are more than 100 years old. They can be found in the blue line concept that defined the To introduce this notion, literature treating Adirondack Park Region, in metropolitan open greenways is showed in three sections about its space systems that were designed and general functions such as linearity, spatial scale, implemented in a number of US cities in the multifunctionality and sustainability. latter decades on the nineteenth and the early decades of the twentieth centuries, to a lesser Far from being a neologism, the notion of extent in the greenbelt concept advanced by greenways decades from hundred years. It was Ebenezer Howard in 1898, in the adaptation of similar to the vision developed by the landscape the Adirondack Park concept to contemporary architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822- landscape protection programs, and in a number 1903),as being avenues, walks or greenways of linear units of the National Park System that and defined as " a network of linear spaces were established in the 1930s (Newton, 1971; which is conceived, planned and managed in Heckscher, 1977). In addition, the so-called various purposes: ecological, entertaining, green line concept that emerged in the 1970s cultural, esthetic or any other compatible contributed to this evolution, as did awareness objective with the notion of long-lasting of the development and land ownership patterns sustainable use of the territory ". It is the first in English and Welsh national parks and the definition of the term based on a linear concept. creation of the Scenic Rivers, Scenic and However, the historical roots of the greenway Recreational Trails programs by the US Bousemma, et al., / IJEGEO 5(1):36-50 (2018) Congress in the 1960s. The system expanded nature and a counterbalance to the built over time and became known as the Emerald environment (Kullmann, 2013). Necklace (Zaitzevsky, 1982). It was after defined as “linear open space established either Recently, this notion was re-appropriated and along a natural corridor, such as a riverfront, adopted by the landscape painters because it is stream valley, or ridgeline, or overland along a about a multifunctional notion susceptible not rail road right-of-way that has been converted only to improve the living environment of the to recreational use, a canal, a scenic road, or inhabitants but also to impulse a socioeconomic other route” (Little, 1990). Then, many USA`s growth to which aspire the actors of the authors have moved towards an acceptance of territory but also of the inhabitants today the term (Flink and Searns, 1993; Smith and (Cormier et al., 2009). In general, greenways Hellmund, 1993; Zube, 1995 and Fabos, 1995). are regarded as having multiple functions, such Looking at the two root words, ‘green’ and as ecologically significant corridors (Ergen, “way” was the best way to define this concept, 2013; Linehan, Gross, and Finn, 1995; Miller, such as Searns (1995): “‘Green’ suggests areas Collins, Steiner, and Cook, 1998), recreational that are left vegetated and in most cases appear places (Tzolova, 1995; Vasconcelos and or at least strive-to be natural. The word “way” Pritchard, 2007), and paths with historical or implies movement, getting from here to there, cultural significance (Fábos, 1995; Pena, Abreu, from point to point. This is the important Teles, and Espirito-Santo, 2010). distinguishing feature of greenways-they are routes of movement-for people, for animals, for Greenways are not only for the protection of seeds, and, often, for water”. nature. Other human uses of the landscape are recognized and legitimized, and a balance The second definition of greenway is based on between resource use and protection is spatial scale; more greenways have been attempted. Sustainability should be regarded as developed to link together on different scales to a special globally accepted goal and paradigm form local and regional networks. In China, (IUCN, 1980; WCED, 1987; Lyle, 1994). They greenways were introduced initially as a type of help maintain biological diversity, protect water spatial network (Liu and Yu, 2001). This resources, conserve soils, support recreation, concept was taken back a little later (1908), in enhance community and cultural cohesion, and France by the landscape painter Jean-Claude- provide species migration routes during climate Nicolas Forestier ( 1861-1930 ) who expressed or seasonal change (Forman, 1983, 1995; through his book " Big cities and system of Forman and Godron, 1986). Greenways, parks ", the necessity of thinking of the urban sometimes referred to as environmental development from a " system of parks " corridors, landscape linkages, wildlife including spaces of different scales going from corridors, or riparian buffers, provide an " big reserves and protected landscapes " to the important means to both protect natural areas " grounds of recreation " including " avenues and to provide recreation opportunities (Little, walks ", the " suburban parks ", the " big urban 1990). They can help to maintain ecological parks ", the " small parks " up to the " district integrity in human-dominated landscapes, garden ". The continuity between these various especially with regard to sustaining high- spaces help create" a network” of vegetated quality water reserves and preserving biological spaces in the city what contributes to the diversity (Smith and Hellmund, 1993; Burak et development of the interesting landscapes. al., 2009; Gazioğlu et al., 2016). These systems (systems of parks) can be then considered as the ancestors of greenways (Arrif The greenways strategy is consistent with the et al., 2011). In the early stages, greenways concept of sustainable development, in that it is were developed as individual linear spaces, based on an assumed complementarity between while in recent years planners have proposed nature