DETERMINATION OF URBAN GREEN SPACES USING NDVI-BASED REMOTE SENSING: THE CASE OF SERIK CITY CENTER

This study aimed to identify and classify urban green spaces in the city center of Serik through the use of satellite imagery. For this purpose, an open-access Sentinel-2 satellite image dated June 24, 2025, was obtained. The presence of urban green spaces was determined using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Sentinel-2 data. NDVI data was classified based on threshold values established in the literature, and urban green spaces were evaluated according to vegetation density levels. The findings revealed that green spaces in Serik city center increase from the urban core towards the periphery, while central neighborhoods exhibit lower levels of green space compared to other areas. In addition, it was determined that green areas with dense vegetation are limited and fragmented, whereas areas with low vegetation density are more widespread and exhibit a more continuous structure. Consequently, the study demonstrates that NDVI-based remote sensing methods constitute a reliable, applicable, and reproducible tool for the identification and monitoring of urban green spaces. The spatial resolution provided by Sentinel-2 data offers data-driven contributions to landscape planning and management processes at the neighborhood scale.