nintroductionDefinitions, purposes and history of green beltGreen belt or green belt is defined as an area set aside for undeveloped or agricultural land to protect urban areas of large cities. Controlling the development of urban areas is an essential element of national planning policy. The green belt is usually included in the local plan by local planning authorities (Green Belt UK Politics, 2009). The green belt has a number of significant purposes or functions to improve the quality of life of human beings. As for the natural environmental aspect, it could protect the natural environment and, to a certain extent, improve the air quality of urban areas. Furthermore, another function is the protection of wild animal habitats. The green belt provides an open space for the urban population to access fresh air. From a planning point of view, it is useful to prevent urban sprawl. Furthermore, the unique character of urban areas, such as historic cities, could be preserved by creating a green belt. And rural areas are separated from urban ones by a green belt. It aims to prevent neighboring cities from merging with each other (Naturenet, 2007). The concept of green belt could be traced back to ancient times. In the United Kingdom, the first green belt was built by Elizabeth I of England to prevent the spread of the plague in the city of London. However, the first real meaning of green belt was only proposed in the 1930s. It is known as the Metropolitan Green Belt, which is located around London. Since then, it seemed that green belts began to be essential in urban planning. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and some other groups are pushing for the implementation of the green belt policy in the UK.Benefits of the Green BeltIt has been proven that people benefit from the construction...... half of the paper... ...available at: http://www.politics-greenbelt.org.uk/criticism-and-disadvantages-of-green-belt-policy.html [Accessed: 6 December 2013].Quilty -Harper, C. 2012 Interactive Map: England's Green Belt - Telegraph. [online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/9708387/Interactive-map-Englands-green-belt.html [Accessed: 6 December 2013].Politics-greenbelt .org .UK. 2009. Benefits of the Green Belt Policy. [online] Available at: http://www.politics-greenbelt.org.uk/benefits-of-green-belt-policy.html [Accessed: 7 December 2013].Fawcett, T. 2010. Green Belts : A greener future (summary) - Campaign to protect rural England. [online] Available at: http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/green-belts/item/1955-green-belts-a-greener-future-summary [Accessed: 8 December 2013].Amati, M. 2008. Urban green belts in the 21st century. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.