ABSTRACT
The development of eco-smart cities has become a necessity in the present scenario of rapid and haphazard urbanization to foster sustainable urban development. Avenue plantations emerge out as an integral component behind the successful development of eco-smart cities, as well as in enhancing the environmental quality. This chapter focuses on the role of avenue plantation in carbon sequestration, pollution abatement, and their subsequent role in acting as a blueprint in the development of eco-smart cities. It has been revealed that it is necessary to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of various avenue plant species to understand their significance to assess their potential role in reducing the atmospheric CO2 concentration. The carbon storage potential of avenue plantation thus can further be improved by selecting species with traits that can maximize the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere. Moreover, these plantations also serve an innumerous purpose from reducing noise pollution to fostering energy conservation, mitigating urban heat island effect to promoting groundwater recharge. These services, in turn, ensure environmental sustainability, and thus aid in fostering the development of sustainable and economically efficient, viable eco-smart cities. The development of eco-smart cities will eventually serve as a model for sustainable urban development.
