"Evaluating the Functional Efficiency of Campus Green Spaces from an Environmental Sustainability Perspective: A Case Study of Diyala University"

• Myasar Riyadh Zaman

  Author

Higher education institutions are increasingly expected to transform their campuses into environmentally sustainable environments that address ecological challenges while serving the needs of local communities. This study assesses the functional performance and sustainability of green spaces at Diyala University, whose campus covers an area of 1,654,774 m² and is designed to accommodate 12,000 students. Based on the UI Green Metric framework, the spatial analysis revealed that barren and undeveloped land accounts for 53.1% (576,145 m²) of the total master plan area (1,086,352 m²), whereas vegetation cover occupies only 30.7% (333,900 m²), and built-up areas constitute 6.8% (74,267 m²). A weighted Goal-Achievement Matrix (GAM) was applied to evaluate 25 planning and design criteria across three campus zones. The results indicated that overall functional performance was poor, with scores of 41 for Zone A, 30 for Zone B, and 42 for Zone C, all of which fell below the minimum acceptable threshold of 50 points. The main factors contributing to this poor performance included severe soil salinity associated with inadequate drainage infrastructure, the absence of modern drip irrigation systems, and the lack of an integrated sustainable environmental management plan. The study provides practical assessment metrics and strategic guidelines to support university administrators and facilities management teams in improving campus landscape planning, waste management, and resource allocation.

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