Green Street Management Practices and Performance: A Global Review Integrating Bibliometric and Qualitative Analyses

Green streets—streets that systematically integrate vegetation-based and nature-based solutions into the public right-of-way as part of contemporary urban green infrastructure and climate adaptation strategies—have become an increasingly important planning and design approach. While historical precedents of vegetated and tree-lined streets exist, modern green streets represent a more integrated and performance-oriented paradigm that combines stormwater management, ecosystem service provision, climate resilience, and social functions within coordinated policy and infrastructure frameworks. This review synthesizes current knowledge on green street management practices and their performance across environmental, hydrological, ecological, and socio-spatial dimensions. The analysis examines design strategies, maintenance regimes, governance arrangements, and performance assessment methods reported in the literature. Evidence indicates that well-managed green streets can significantly reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, mitigate urban heat, enhance biodiversity, and contribute to pedestrian comfort and neighborhood livability. However, reported outcomes vary widely depending on local climate, design specifications, maintenance intensity, and institutional capacity. Persistent research gaps include limited long-term monitoring, underrepresentation of cities in the Global South, insufficient integration of governance, economic, and social dimensions, and a lack of standardized performance metrics. Comparative and longitudinal studies remain scarce, constraining understanding of lifecycle performance and trade-offs. Future research should prioritize standardized evaluation frameworks, long-term empirical monitoring, socio-spatial equity assessments, and the integration of emerging digital technologies for real-time monitoring and decision support. Strengthening these areas is essential to support evidence-based planning and scalable implementation of green streets as a key component of sustainable urban development.