Hoai Thu Nguyen, Malay Pramanik, Vilas Nitivattananon, Rajendra P. Shrestha
Climate change and carbon-neutrality goals are driving cities to adopt nature-based solutions that enhance carbon sequestration and storage. Among urban green infrastructure (UGI) systems, urban parks and green corridors represent two functionally distinct yet complementary spatial typologies. However, knowledge of their carbon storage potential (CSP) remains fragmented and lacks systematic synthesis. This research conducted a systematic review of 79 studies selected from 505 records published between 2010 and 2024, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The analysis presented here examined variations in CSP across geographic and climatic contexts, identified the main factors influencing CSP, and analyzed the methods used to assess CSP in urban parks and green corridors worldwide. The review conceptualizes urban parks as ecological “nodes” or “hubs” and green corridors as spatial “links” within an integrated node–link UGI system. Evidence from the reviewed studies reveals substantial variability in CSP across urban parks (15.3–171 Mg C ha⁻¹) and green corridors (1.2–193.5 Mg C ha⁻¹), reflecting differences in vegetation structure, spatial configuration, climatic conditions, and urban land-use contexts. Four major groups of factors consistently influence CSP: (i) tree and vegetation characteristics, (ii) ecological and climatic conditions, (iii) urbanization and land-use change, and (iv) urban planning and management practices. The review also identified three major methodological approaches for CSP assessment: (i) field measurements and allometric equations, (ii) remote sensing–based empirical modeling, and (iii) ecosystem and biogeochemical process modeling. The literature synthesis demonstrates the limited extent of studies specifically addressing green corridors and the lack of practical guidance for integrating CSP assessment into urban planning and policy. Future research should move beyond isolated green spaces toward interconnected green infrastructure networks at the citywide scale and develop more standardized frameworks for CSP assessment and planning integration. By shifting attention from fragmented site-based assessments to a networked and multi-scale perspective, this analysis contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of carbon storage in urban ecosystems and provides evidence-based insights to support sustainable urban planning and green infrastructure management. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.
Urban Innovation and Sustainability, Faculty of Climate Change and Sustainability, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand; Faculty of Urban and Rural Planning, Hanoi Architectural University, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Faculty of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand; Faculty of Social Science, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia
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