From the Capital to the Interior: Urban Planning's Impact on Forests and Landscape Metrics in South Brazil

Urban planning can show deficiencies in implementing infrastructure, especially green infrastructure, resulting in disparities between urban development, environmental quality, and quality of life. However, effective management of green infrastructure and consequently urban forests is crucial for enhancing essential ecosystem services. This study focused on analyzing the composition and configuration of the urban landscape in two scenarios: (1) the overall landscape and (2) tree vegetation landscape, based on land use and land cover (LULC) maps in southeastern Paraná cities, including Irati (IRT), Prudentópolis (PRD), Rebouças (RBC), and São Mateus do Sul (SMS), comparing them with the state capital, Curitiba (CWB). We used LULC maps generated through classifying PlanetScope Dove imagery by machine learning techniques, using six LULC classes: water, built‐up area, bare soil, tree vegetation, non‐tree vegetation, and shadow. Landscape metrics described area, fragments, edges, aggregation, and shape. The metrics CA, TE, and NP were the most important to analyze city landscapes. CWB stood out with greater tree vegetation coverage and aggregation, reflecting effective public policies. RBC, SMS, and PRD displayed disaggregated fragments, highlighting a lack of adequate management. IRT showed positive results, approaching CWB. The lack of effective public policies in southeastern Paraná cities resulted in less qualified urban forest characteristics compared to CWB. Our findings offer insights into regions experiencing rapid urbanization in developing countries and highlight the importance of promoting management strategies that prioritize preserving and expanding green infrastructure to ensure greater environmental sustainability and improved quality of life.