Investigation of wall plants and the potential of urban walls as a substrate for covering plants with a study of the city of Hamadan

Nazari, Hamid; Shahsavari, Abbas; Ghahremaninejad, Farrokh; Sedigh, Reyhaneh; Jafari, Sogand

doi:10.22034/jpr.2025.8610.3405

Investigation of wall plants and the potential of urban walls as a substrate for covering plants with a study of the city of Hamadan

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Hamid Nazari ¹

Abbas Shahsavari ²

Farrokh Ghahremaninejad ³

Reyhaneh Sedigh ²

Sogand Jafari ²

¹ Department of biology, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

² Department of Biology, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

³ Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jpr.2025.8610.3405

Abstract

In recent decades, urban walls have been considered as alternative habitats for plants in areas with limited green space. This study aimed to identify wall species and analyze the impact of wall materials on biodiversity in Hamedan city. In total, 60 walls from 10 southern districts of the city (with a combination of old and new textures) were investigated, including stone-mud, brick, and concrete walls. Sampling was performed in three parts: base, wall, and top of the walls, and species were identified using standard keys. The results showed that 69 plant species belonging to 27 families (with a predominance of Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Chenopodiaceae) grow on the walls. The results confirmed a significant relationship between the type of materials and species diversity, such that stone-mud walls had the highest diversity with 85%. This study suggests that in urban planning in Hamedan, preserving old walls and using permeable materials in the construction of new walls can be used as a low-cost solution to increase green cover. In addition to the ecological value, the findings provide practical data for the design of green walls in semi-arid regions. This study not only provides the first data bank of wall plants in Hamedan, but also shows that traditional walls with permeable materials can support up to 40% more plant species than concrete walls. The achievements of this research can be used as the basis for the design of low-cost green walls in semi-arid regions.

Keywords

Climate change

ecosystem

vegetation

green space

living wall

Subjects