Modeling supports the implementation of urban greening as a response to the challenges of sustainable spatial planning

Urban greening is critical for sustainable urban development, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. However, the effectiveness of urban greening varies depending on the specific goals (e.g., enhancing biodiversity, reducing urban heat, or both) and their spatial implementation. To address the spatial variability in the effectiveness of greening, we propose a spatial decision support model based on the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). This model aims to optimize urban greening locations to maximize biomass density, mitigate urban heat stress, and improve landscape connectivity. Applied to Suwon City, South Korea, the model's effectiveness was evaluated against a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario across four scenarios: connectivity-based, biomass density-based, heat stress-based, and an integrated-based scenario. The integrated approach, balancing trade-offs between ecological benefits and implementation costs, outperformed the BAU scenario by 8.84 %. Despite highlighting a weaker correlation with heat stress mitigation, this outcome indicates significant improvements in biomass density and landscape connectivity. Our findings underscore the necessity of an integrated planning approach to urban greening, as it can contribute toward attaining urban development goals. Additionally, by proposing an app-based model for policymakers, our outputs should enable the reconciliation of multiple environmental objectives in urban landscapes. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.