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Craska HD, Davis AY. Incongruence between residential uses and perceptions of fertilizers and deicers. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0306550. [PMID: 39028698 PMCID: PMC11259275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Fertilizers and deicers are common materials for property maintenance in the Midwest, however, their application contributes to negative environmental impacts when applied incorrectly. While fertilizer use is well researched, deicer use on private properties is not. This research aims to ascertain whether patterns of fertilizer use are different from those of deicer use in Hamilton County, Ohio, and determine what factors influence a resident's decision to use these materials. Survey data were collected from 110 single-family households (38.9% response rate). Respondents are motivated by property appearance to apply fertilizers. Deicer use stems from safety concerns. Respondents were significantly more likely to consider the environmental impact of fertilizers than deicers. Respondents felt that using deicers is a more neighborly practice while using fertilizers reflects more positively on them in their neighborhood. This information can be used to develop outreach programs to reduce the environmental impacts of fertilizers and deicers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather D. Craska
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Amélie Y. Davis
- Department of Economics and Geosciences, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America
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2
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Burke M, Marín-Spiotta E, Ponette-González AG. Black carbon in urban soils: land use and climate drive variation at the surface. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2024; 19:9. [PMID: 38429441 PMCID: PMC10908174 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-024-00255-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black carbon (BC) encompasses a range of carbonaceous materials--including soot, char, and charcoal--derived from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. Urban soils can become enriched in BC due to proximity to these combustion sources. We conducted a literature review of BC in urban soils globally and found 26 studies reporting BC and total organic carbon (TOC) content collected to a maximum of 578 cm depth in urban soils across 35 cities and 10 countries. We recorded data on city, climate, and land use/land cover characteristics to examine drivers of BC content and contribution to TOC in soil. RESULTS All studies were conducted in the northern hemisphere, with 68% of the data points collected in China and the United States. Surface samples (0-20 cm) accounted for 62% of samples in the dataset. Therefore, we focused our analysis on 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm depths. Urban soil BC content ranged from 0-124 mg/g (median = 3 mg/g) at 0-10 cm and from 0-53 mg/g (median = 2.8 mg/g) at 10-20 cm depth. The median proportional contribution of BC to TOC was 23% and 15% at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm, respectively. Surface soils sampled in industrial land use and near roads had the highest BC contents and proportions, whereas samples from residential sites had among the lowest. Soil BC content decreased with mean annual soil temperature. CONCLUSIONS Our review indicates that BC comprises a major fraction (nearly one quarter) of the TOC in urban surface soils, yet sampling bias towards the surface could hide the potential for BC storage at depth. Land use emerged as an importer driver of soil BC contents and proportions, whereas land cover effects remain uncertain. Warmer and wetter soils were found to have lower soil BC than cooler and drier soils, differences that likely reflect soil BC loss mechanisms. Additional research on urban soil BC at depth and from diverse climates is critical to better understand the role of cities in the global carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Burke
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX, 76203, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Erika Marín-Spiotta
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 North Park Street, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Alexandra G Ponette-González
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX, 76203, USA.
- Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA.
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Muvengwi J, Ndagurwa HGT, Witkowski ETF, Mbiba M. Woody species composition, diversity, and ecosystem services of yards along an urban socioeconomic gradient. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168976. [PMID: 38036145 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Woody plants offer a wide range of valuable ecosystem services, but their distribution across socioeconomic gradients in urban landscapes remains poorly understood. Thus, we explored the effect of socioeconomic and legacy factors on plant species richness and phylogenetic diversity, and the motivations for growing and keeping certain species. We sampled a total of 300 households across a socioeconomic gradient in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe, in high-, medium- and low-density areas, representing low to high wealth strata. Trees were mostly grown for ornamental purpose in the rich (low-density) suburbs and utilitarian purposes in the poorer medium to high-density areas. However, trees were also grown with similar proportion for shade across the socioeconomic gradient. Proportion of medicinal and fruit trees increased with household density, while wind break trees were more common in low-density suburbs. Exotic species exhibited greater species richness compared with indigenous species, with both combined and separate assessments of indigenous and exotic species richness revealing a significant positive association with socioeconomic and legacy factors. The composition of species displayed considerable variation along the socioeconomic gradient. Notably, in low-density environments, exotic species maintained elevated phylogenetic diversity in comparison to indigenous species. This distinction was particularly pronounced when analysed independently, revealing a significant positive correlation between exotic species richness and both property value and education level. Our study shows that residents filter specific plant species based on their socioeconomic status and that, relative to low-income households, the rich homeowners have unintentionally incorporated enough exotic species to produce novel phylogenetic diversity of woody plants in their yards. Thus, we confirm the existence of a socioeconomic gradient in terms of species richness, composition, and phylogenetic diversity. However, the imbalance in species richness and phylogenetic diversity across the socioeconomic gradient can be reduced by increased tree planting in open areas, including along streets in medium to high-density areas to improve ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justice Muvengwi
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa.
| | - Hilton G T Ndagurwa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa; Department of Geospatial Science, Faculty of Environmental Science, National University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box AC 939, Ascot, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
| | - Ed T F Witkowski
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Monicah Mbiba
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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Zhu Q, Larson KL. Multi-Scalar Drivers of Residential Vegetation Changes in Metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023:10.1007/s00267-023-01925-7. [PMID: 38129676 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01925-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
In the arid southwestern U.S., urban greening strategies have been promoted to alleviate ecosystem disservices associated with lawns, including the adoption of xeric yards with desert-adapted floras and gravel groundcover and wildlife-friendly yards with complex vegetation structure and composition. Scant studies have investigated the extent of different vegetation changes in urban greening practices and the complexity of associated human drivers. We addressed this gap by analyzing survey data from two survey periods (2017 and 2021) to answer the following questions: to what extent have residents from metropolitan Phoenix made different vegetation changes in their yards over the last decade, and how do multi-scalar human drivers affect different vegetation changes? We found a sustainable trajectory for residential vegetation changes in Phoenix since mid-2010s, with declining additions of grass and increases in trees and desert plants across residential neighborhoods. Esthetics was an influential driver of both tree planting and native gardening. Additionally, tree planting was associated with anthropocentric values (i.e., low-maintenance needs), while desert plant additions reflected the appreciation of nature (i.e., attitudes towards the desert) and environmental concerns (i.e., supporting wildlife). Institutions such as local government programs might shape residents' vegetation choices, as tree planting differed among municipalities. We also found counterintuitive influences of residential tenure controls on landscaping decisions. Specifically, renters were more likely to add yard trees compared to homeowners. Our results inform landscape sustainability by identifying potential pathways to residential yard changes that offer a multitude of services while being appreciated and maintained by residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinnan Zhu
- School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5302, USA.
| | - Kelli L Larson
- School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5302, USA
- School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-7904, USA
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Yee SH, Sharpe LM, Branoff BL, Jackson CA, Cicchetti G, Jackson S, Pryor M, Shumchenia E. Ecosystem Services Profiles for Communities Benefitting from Estuarine Habitats along the Massachusetts Coast, USA. ECOL INFORM 2023; 77:1-20. [PMID: 38487338 PMCID: PMC10936571 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.102182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership is one of 28 programs in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program (NEP) charged with developing and implementing comprehensive plans for protecting and restoring the biological integrity and beneficial uses of their estuarine systems. The Partnership has recently updated their comprehensive management plan to include restoration targets for coastal habitats, and as part of this effort, the program explored how to better demonstrate that recovery of ecological integrity of degraded ecosystems also provides ecosystem services that humans want and need. An essential step was to identify key stakeholders and understand the benefits important to them. The primary objective of the study presented here was to evaluate variability in beneficial uses of estuarine habitats across coastal communities in Massachusetts Bays. We applied a text mining approach to extract ecosystem services concepts from over 1400 community planning documents. We leveraged a Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) classification framework and related scoping tool to identify and prioritize the suite of natural resource users and ecosystem services those users care about, based on the relative frequency of mentions in documents. Top beneficiaries included residents, experiencers and viewers, property owners, educators and students, and commercial or recreational fishers. Beneficiaries had a surprising degree of shared interests, with top ecosystem services of broad relevance including for naturalness, fish and shellfish, water movement and navigability, water quality and quantity, aesthetic viewscapes, availability of land for development, flood mitigation, and birds. Community-level priorities that emerged were primarily related to regional differences, the local job industry, and local demographics. Identifying priority ecosystem services from community planning documents provides a starting point for setting locally-relevant restoration goals, designing projects that reflect what stakeholders care about, and supporting post-restoration monitoring in terms of accruing relevant benefits to local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan H Yee
- Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Division, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, USA
| | - Leah M Sharpe
- Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Division, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, USA
| | - Benjamin L Branoff
- Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Division, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, USA
- Current Address: Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Chloe A Jackson
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, USA
- Current Address: School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
| | - Giancarlo Cicchetti
- Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, Office of Research and Development, United States, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, US Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, USA
| | - Susan Jackson
- Health and Ecological Criteria Division, Office of Water, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 20460, USA
| | - Margherita Pryor
- Water Division, Region 1, New England, US Environmental Protection Agency, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, USA
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Groffman PM, Suchy AK, Locke DH, Johnston RJ, Newburn DA, Gold AJ, Band LE, Duncan J, Grove JM, Kao-Kniffin J, Meltzer H, Ndebele T, O’Neil-Dunne J, Polsky C, Thompson GL, Wang H, Zawojska E. Hydro-bio-geo-socio-chemical interactions and the sustainability of residential landscapes. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad316. [PMID: 37854707 PMCID: PMC10581338 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Residential landscapes are essential to the sustainability of large areas of the United States. However, spatial and temporal variation across multiple domains complicates developing policies to balance these systems' environmental, economic, and equity dimensions. We conducted multidisciplinary studies in the Baltimore, MD, USA, metropolitan area to identify locations (hotspots) or times (hot moments) with a disproportionate influence on nitrogen export, a widespread environmental concern. Results showed high variation in the inherent vulnerability/sensitivity of individual parcels to cause environmental damage and in the knowledge and practices of individual managers. To the extent that hotspots are the result of management choices by homeowners, there are straightforward approaches to improve outcomes, e.g. fertilizer restrictions and incentives to reduce fertilizer use. If, however, hotspots arise from the configuration and inherent characteristics of parcels and neighborhoods, efforts to improve outcomes may involve more intensive and complex interventions, such as conversion to alternative ecosystem types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Groffman
- Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, City University of NewYork, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Amanda K Suchy
- Institute for Great Lakes Research and Biology Department, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48858, USA
| | - Dexter H Locke
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Baltimore Field Station, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
| | - Robert J Johnston
- George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610, USA
| | - David A Newburn
- Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Arthur J Gold
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Lawrence E Band
- Department of Environmental Science, and Engineering Systems and Environment, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Jonathan Duncan
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - J Morgan Grove
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Baltimore Field Station, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
| | - Jenny Kao-Kniffin
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Hallee Meltzer
- NOAA National Sea Grant Office, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Tom Ndebele
- George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610, USA
| | | | - Colin Polsky
- Center for Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL 33314, USA
| | - Grant L Thompson
- Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Haoluan Wang
- Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Ewa Zawojska
- Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, 00-241, Poland
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7
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Hilbert DR, Koeser AK, Andreu MG, Hansen G, Roman LA, Thetford M, Thompson GL. Conceptualizing the human drivers of low tree diversity in planted urban landscapes. AMBIO 2023; 52:1532-1542. [PMID: 37243924 PMCID: PMC10407000 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01876-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite the abundance of tree diversity in the natural world, and generally high tree species richness in urban areas, urban forests continue to be dominated by a limited number of species. As socio-ecological systems, urban forests are shaped by historical and current management efforts and decision-making across a wide range of human actors. Drawing on past research, we offer a conceptual framework for describing the complex interactions among tree producers and consumers as trees are selected, grown, specified, and planted in private and public urban areas. We illustrate how multiple layers of selection criteria filter down the entirety of potential local tree diversity to a handful of commonly used and accepted tree species. We detail the actors and decision-makers who impact tree composition and diversity across several land types. Finally, we identify research, education, and outreach needs as they relate to creating more diverse and resilient urban forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah R. Hilbert
- Department of Environmental Horticulture, IFAS, University of Florida–Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 14625 Co. Rd. 672, Wimauma, FL 33598 USA
| | - Andrew K. Koeser
- Department of Environmental Horticulture, IFAS, University of Florida–Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 14625 Co. Rd. 672, Wimauma, FL 33598 USA
| | - Michael G. Andreu
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida–Gainesville, 136 Ne Wins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110410, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Gail Hansen
- Department of Environmental Horticulture, IFAS, University of Florida–Gainesville, 2550 Hull Road Fifield Hall, PO Box 110670, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Lara A. Roman
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station & Northern Research Station, 4955 Canyon Crest Dr., Riverside, CA 92507 USA
| | - Mack Thetford
- Department of Environmental Horticulture, IFAS, University of Florida–West Florida Research and Education Center, 5988 Hwy 90, Bldg. 4900, Milton, FL 32583 USA
| | - Grant L. Thompson
- Genus Landscape Architects, 520 42nd Street, Suite 400, Des Moines, IA 50312 USA
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Dyson K, Dawwas E, Poulton Kamakura R, Alberti M, Fuentes TL. Say where you sample: Increasing site selection transparency in urban ecology. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
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9
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Yang J, Liu Y, Zhang B. High-Rise Residential Outdoor Space Value System: A Case Study of Yangtze River Delta Area. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3111. [PMID: 36833806 PMCID: PMC9961225 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 has drawn wider attention from residents with growing demand for outdoor space in residential areas because of restrictions on residents' mobility, especially in China. However, the high-rise residential complex in China is featured with a high population density along with less outdoor space per household. This means that the current status of outdoor space in residential areas is far from satisfying residents' growing needs. This is consistent with our preliminary survey that highlights general low satisfaction of residents with outdoor space. According to the hierarchical theory of needs, a literature review, and a questionnaire survey, a framework is proposed in this study to examine the universal value system of high-rise residential outdoor space using the Yangtze River Delta Area as a case study. This framework consists of six dimensions, i.e., space physical comfort (physical environment and space size), space function (functional complexity and scale, age-range, and time-range), space safety (daily, social, and hygiene safety), space diversity (spatial layerings, forms, and scales diversity), accessibility (spatial attraction and concentration and path clarity) and sustainability (cultural, social, ecological, and financial sustainability). Consequently, a questionnaire was designed according to the framework and 251 valid questionnaires were received. Then, structural equation modeling (SEM) was undertaken to examine the impact of each dimension on the value of outdoor space and the framework was optimized into four dimensions, i.e., space physical comfort, space function, space safety, and DAT (space diversity, accessibility, and sustainability). Finally, the mechanism of how outdoor space quality influences the high-rise residential complex is analyzed. These findings provide useful input for the future planning and design of high-rise residential areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Yingzhu Liu
- Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Boyi Zhang
- Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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10
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Wheeler MM, Larson KL, Cook EM, Hall SJ. Residents manage dynamic plant communities: Change over time in urban vegetation. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.944803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionIntegrated social and ecological processes shape urban plant communities, but the temporal dynamics and potential for change in these managed communities have rarely been explored. In residential yards, which cover about 40% of urban land area, individuals make decisions that control vegetation outcomes. These decisions may lead to relatively static plant composition and structure, as residents seek to expend little effort to maintain stable landscapes. Alternatively, residents may actively modify plant communities to meet their preferences or address perceived problems, or they may passively allow them to change. In this research, we ask, how and to what extent does residential yard vegetation change over time?MethodsWe conducted co-located ecological surveys of yards (in 2008, 2018, and 2019) and social surveys of residents (in 2018) in four diverse neighborhoods of Phoenix, Arizona.Results94% of residents had made some changes to their front or back yards since moving in. On average, about 60% of woody vegetation per yard changed between 2008 and 2018, though the number of species present did not differ significantly. In comparison, about 30% of woody vegetation changed in native Sonoran Desert reference areas over 10 years. In yards, about 15% of woody vegetation changed on average in a single year, with up to 90% change in some yards. Greater turnover was observed for homes that were sold, indicating a “pulse” of management. Additionally, we observed greater vegetation turnover in the two older, lawn-dominated neighborhoods surveyed despite differences in neighborhood socioeconomic factors.DiscussionThese results indicate that residential plant communities are dynamic over time. Neighborhood age and other characteristics may be important drivers of change, while socioeconomic status neither promotes nor inhibits change at the neighborhood scale. Our findings highlight an opportunity for management interventions, wherein residents may be open to making conservation-friendly changes if they are already altering the composition of their yards.
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11
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Bridging landscape ecology and urban science to respond to the rising threat of mosquito-borne diseases. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1601-1616. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01876-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Selinske MJ, Bekessy SA, Geary WL, Faulkner R, Hames F, Fletcher C, Squires ZE, Garrard GE. Projecting biodiversity benefits of conservation behavior-change programs. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13845. [PMID: 34622490 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss is driven by human behavior, but there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of behavior-change programs in delivering benefits to biodiversity. To demonstrate their value, the biodiversity benefits and cost-effectiveness of behavior changes that directly or indirectly affect biodiversity need to be quantified. We adapted a structured decision-making prioritization tool to determine the potential biodiversity benefits of behavior changes. As a case study, we examined two hypothetical behavior-change programs--wildlife gardening and cat containment--by asking experts to consider the behaviors associated with these programs that directly and indirectly affect biodiversity. We assessed benefits to southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) and superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) by eliciting from experts estimates of the probability of each species persisting in the landscape given a range of behavior-change scenarios in which uptake of the behaviors varied. We then compared these estimates to a business-as-usual scenario to determine the relative biodiversity benefit and cost-effectiveness of each scenario. Experts projected that the behavior-change programs would benefit biodiversity and that benefits would rise with increasing uptake of the target behaviors. Biodiversity benefits were also predicted to accrue through indirect behaviors, although experts disagreed about the magnitude of additional benefit provided. Scenarios that combined the two behavior-change programs were estimated to provide the greatest benefits to species and be most cost-effective. Our method could be used in other contexts and potentially at different scales and advances the use of prioritization tools to guide conservation behavior-change programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Selinske
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah A Bekessy
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - William L Geary
- Biodiversity Division, Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology (Burwood Campus), School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard Faulkner
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fern Hames
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Zoe E Squires
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Georgia E Garrard
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Ecosystems and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Olivero-Lora S, Rojas-Sandoval J, Meléndez-Ackerman EJ, Orengo-Rolón JL. Hurricane driven changes in vegetation structure and ecosystem services in tropical urban yards: a study case in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01236-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Pham MA, Scott SB, Fyie LR, Gardiner MM. Sustainable landscaping programs in the United States and their potential to encourage conservation and support ecosystem services. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01241-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Hyun J, Kim YJ, Kim A, Plante AF, Yoo G. Ecosystem services-based soil quality index tailored to the metropolitan environment for soil assessment and management. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 820:153301. [PMID: 35066052 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The soils in urban greenery provide essential ecosystem services. However, only a few studies have assessed urban soil quality based on a comprehensive view of ecosystem services and soil multi-functionality. In this study, we suggest an urban soil quality index (uSQI) to evaluate soil status in various spatial types of urban greenery. Our objectives are 1) to develop an uSQI incorporating a range of urban soil ecosystem services in metropolitan environments and 2) to test the efficacy of the developed uSQI by applying it to nine different sites. To fully consider ecosystem services provided by the urban soil, a DPSC (drivers and pressures, state, and changes) framework was constructed. Drivers and pressures are influencing factors that continuously alter the state of the urban greenery, eventually leading to changes in ecosystem services and soil functions. The six soil functions considered were physical stability and support, water storage and infiltration, habitat provision, organic matter stabilization, nutrient supply and retention, and pollutant immobilization and decomposition. These functions were measured using ten soil indicators which can be quantified: bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, litter-layer depth, mineral-associated organic matter, clay+silt content, fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity, cation exchange capacity, inorganic nitrogen concentration, pH, and concentrations of potentially toxic elements. The uSQI was calculated as the arithmetic mean of the scores of the six soil functions, obtained through the fuzzy logic functions. The uSQI successfully identified the low soil quality sites among nine urban greeneries with different spatial types (point, line, and polygon). In addition, we could examine the degraded soil function of each site and suggest a management guideline using our uSQI. Our novel index can help urban stakeholders evaluate and monitor the soil quality of urban greenery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junge Hyun
- Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea
| | - You Jin Kim
- Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea; Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ara Kim
- Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea
| | - Alain F Plante
- Department of Earth & Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gayoung Yoo
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732, Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446701, Republic of Korea.
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Sustainable Management Practices for Urban Green Spaces to Support Green Infrastructure: An Italian Case Study. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14074243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Traditional land-use planning models have proven inadequate to address contemporary issues in sustainable development and protection governance. In recent years, new ‘performance based’ approaches that integrate ecosystem services (ES) provided via green infrastructure (GI) into traditional spatial planning models have been proven to reach a higher level of environmental performance, necessary to improve quality of life for all people. In Italy, there are no mandatory planning instruments to design and manage GI, which still remains a component of the traditional land-use plan. Here, the development of urban green spaces (UGS) based on ‘quantitative assessment’ is not suitable for guaranteeing the supply of ES. In addition, the scarcity of financial resources to develop ‘green standards’, as prescribed in the land-use plan to strategically design the GI, is an issue for most Italian public administrations. The paper provides the results of a test case conducted in a public green area of the city of Ancona, where the experimentation of a diversified maintenance strategy of an urban lawn significantly reduced the management cost and improved the environmental performance of green spaces. The identification of a unified management strategy to be applied to all the public UGS can help to achieve better results in support of sustainability, to redesign the continuity of GI and to develop strategies for future urban green master plans.
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Backyard Biomes: Is Anyone There? Improving Public Awareness of Urban Wildlife Activity. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14040263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife are increasingly being found in urban habitats, and likely rely on some resources in suburban household yards, which exposes them to the effects of yard management and human and pet activities. We compared the relationships between these potential disturbances and benefits to the number of different types of wildlife sighted by householders, using written surveys. Owing to the inability of many household respondents to identify animals to the species or genus level, each different ‘type’ of animal individually listed was counted to generate the total number of types of wildlife observed by each household. We found that relatively more types of wildlife were observed by residents whose yards provided ease of faunal access under or through fences, had reduced pesticide use, increased levels of anthropogenic noise, and increased presence of pets in yards. The latter two associations likely relate to the increased opportunities to observe wildlife in yards that each creates. We also investigated the use of yards by wildlife and domestic pets in open compared to more vegetated habitats by day and night, using motion-sensor cameras. All animals observed were compared to the activity of introduced brown and black rats (Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus), owing to their wild origins but long commensal history with humans. Camera images indicated that animals’ natural activity periods were maintained in yards. Brown antechinuses (Antechinus stuartii), northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), domestic cats (Felis catus) and native birds (species as listed below) each preferred sheltered or vegetated habitats over open habitats, when compared to the introduced rats that showed little habitat preference. However, unlike the other species, the native birds used open areas more than vegetated or sheltered areas when compared within their group only. The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) was observed to use open areas comparatively more than the introduced rats, but used vegetated or sheltered habitats more when compared to self only. The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) used open areas more than vegetated or sheltered areas, when compared to the introduced rats, and against themselves. This indicated a level of coping with urban stressors by the native animals, but with a reliance on more vegetated habitats to allow for natural stress-relieving behaviours of escape or hiding. Here, we offer insights into how each of these findings may be used to help educate and motivate increased household responsibility for urban wildlife conservation.
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McDougall R, Kristiansen P, Latty T, Jones J, Rader R. Pollination service delivery is complex: Urban garden crop yields are best explained by local canopy cover and garden‐scale plant species richness. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert McDougall
- School of Environmental and Rural SciencesUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSW2351Australia
| | - Paul Kristiansen
- School of Environmental and Rural SciencesUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSW2351Australia
| | - Tanya Latty
- School of Life and Environmental ScienceUniversity of SydneyNSW2006Australia
| | - Jeremy Jones
- School of Environmental and Rural SciencesUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSW2351Australia
| | - Romina Rader
- School of Environmental and Rural SciencesUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSW2351Australia
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Insights into Efficient Irrigation of Urban Landscapes: Analysis Using Remote Sensing, Parcel Data, Water Use, and Tiered Rates. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14031427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
To understand how landscape irrigation can be better managed, we selected two urban irrigation systems in northern Utah, USA, and performed a statistical analysis of relationships among water use, irrigated area, plant health (based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and water rate structures across thousands of parcels. Our approach combined remote sensing with 4-band imagery and on-site measurements from water meters. We present five key findings that can lead to more efficient irrigation practices. First, tiered water rates result in less water use when compared to flat water rates for comparable plant health. Second, plant health does not strictly increase with water application but has an optimum point beyond which further watering is not beneficial. Third, many water users irrigate beyond this optimum point, suggesting that there is water conservation potential without loss of aesthetics. Fourth, irrigation is not the only contributor to plant health, and other factors need more attention in research and in water conservation programs. Fifth, smaller irrigated areas correlate with higher water application rates, an observation that may inform future land use decisions. These findings are especially pertinent in responding to the current drought in the western United States.
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Socioeconomic and racial disparities of sidewalk quality in a traditional rust belt city. SSM Popul Health 2021; 16:100975. [PMID: 34917745 PMCID: PMC8666347 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neighborhood walkability is key to promoting health, accessibility, and pedestrian safety. The Accessible, Connected Communities Encouraging Safe Sidewalks (ACCESS) project was developed to assess sidewalks throughout an urban community in Pontiac, Michigan. Data were collected from 2016 to 2018 along eighty miles of sidewalk for tripping hazards, cracking, vegetation, obstructions, overhead coverage, street lighting, buffers, and crosswalks. Data were mapped in ArcGIS with sociodemographic characteristics by U.S. Census block group. The majority of sidewalks had moderate (57.6%) or major (29.4%) sidewalk quality issues, especially maintenance-related impediments (68.6%) and inadequate street lighting or shade coverage (87.2%). The majority of crosswalks had a curb ramp to improve access for people with disabilities (84.4%), however over half lacked a detectable warning strip (55.8%). Degraded sidewalk quality was associated with lower neighborhood socioeconomic status and a higher proportion of Black and Latinx residents. Equity-centered pedestrian infrastructure improvement plans can address these disparities by increasing accessible, safe active transport options that promote physical activity and reduce health disparities. Evaluations like ACCESS can connect public health professionals with municipal planners to advance Complete Streets plans and promote healthy living. Rectify decades of sidewalk infrastructure disinvestment to improve walkability. Economic, racial, and ethnic disparities in pedestrian infrastructure. Pedestrian walking environment and accessibility assessment. Equitable distribution of pedestrian infrastructure in auto-centric cities. Local planning initiatives study nanoscale sidewalk accessibility.
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Uncovering the potential for exurban properties and small working farms in the Midwestern United States to provide food and refuge for pollinators. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01094-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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22
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Avolio ML, Swan C, Pataki DE, Jenerette GD. Incorporating human behaviors into theories of urban community assembly and species coexistence. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meghan L. Avolio
- Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins Univ. Baltimore MD USA
| | - Christopher Swan
- Dept of Geography and Environmental Systems, Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County Baltimore MD USA
| | - Diane E. Pataki
- School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA
| | - G. Darrel Jenerette
- Dept of Botany and Plant Sciences, Univ. of California Riverside Riverside CA USA
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23
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Wu J. Landscape sustainability science (II): core questions and key approaches. LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 2021; 36:2453-2485. [PMID: 0 DOI: 10.1007/s10980-021-01245-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
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24
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Swan CM, Brown B, Borowy D, Cavender‐Bares J, Jeliazkov A, Knapp S, Lososová Z, Padullés Cubino J, Pavoine S, Ricotta C, Sol D. A framework for understanding how biodiversity patterns unfold across multiple spatial scales in urban ecosystems. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Bryan Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences Virginia Tech 2125 Derring Hall Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USA
| | - Dorothy Borowy
- University of Maryland Baltimore County Baltimore Maryland 21250 USA
| | - Jeannine Cavender‐Bares
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior University of Minnesota 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Alienor Jeliazkov
- INRAE UR HYCAR University of Paris‐Saclay Antony 92160 France
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - Sonja Knapp
- Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Theodor‐Lieser‐Str. 4 Halle (Saale) 06120 Germany
| | - Zdeňka Lososová
- Department of Botany and Zoology Masaryk University Kotlářská 2 Brno CZ‐61137 Czech Republic
| | - Josep Padullés Cubino
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior University of Minnesota 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
- Department of Botany and Zoology Masaryk University Kotlářská 2 Brno CZ‐61137 Czech Republic
| | - Sandrine Pavoine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO) Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Sorbonne Université CP 135, 57 rue Cuvier Paris 75005 France
| | - Carlo Ricotta
- Department of Environmental Biology University of Rome La Sapienza’ Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 Roma 00185 Italy
| | - Daniel Sol
- CSIC Spanish National Research Council CREAF‐UAB Catalonia 08193 Spain
- CREAF Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries Catalonia 08193 Spain
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Gittman RK, Scyphers SB, Baillie CJ, Brodmerkel A, Grabowski JH, Livernois M, Poray AK, Smith CS, Fodrie FJ. Reversing a tyranny of cascading shoreline‐protection decisions driving coastal habitat loss. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel K. Gittman
- Department of Biology and Coastal Studies Institute East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina USA
| | - Steven B. Scyphers
- Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences Coastal Sustainability Institute, Northeastern University Nahant Massachusetts USA
| | - Christopher J. Baillie
- Department of Biology and Coastal Studies Institute East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina USA
| | - Anna Brodmerkel
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Morehead City North Carolina USA
| | - Jonathan H. Grabowski
- Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences Coastal Sustainability Institute, Northeastern University Nahant Massachusetts USA
| | - Mariah Livernois
- Department of Marine Biology Texas A&M University at Galveston Galveston Texas USA
| | - Abigail K. Poray
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Morehead City North Carolina USA
| | - Carter S. Smith
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort North Carolina USA
| | - F. Joel Fodrie
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Morehead City North Carolina USA
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Holding E, Blank L, Crowder M, Ferrari E, Goyder E. Exploring the relationship between housing concerns, mental health and wellbeing: a qualitative study of social housing tenants. J Public Health (Oxf) 2021; 42:e231-e238. [PMID: 31294793 PMCID: PMC7435210 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdz076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The rising prevalence of mental health problems is a growing public health issue. Poor mental health is not equally distributed across social groups and is associated with poverty and insecure housing. An evaluation of a social housing intervention provided an opportunity to explore the connections between housing and wider determinants of health and wellbeing. Methods We undertook 44 interviews with social housing tenants over a two-year period to explore their views on housing, health and wellbeing. Results Poor mental health was common. The results suggest that perceptions of housing quality, service responsiveness, community safety, benefit changes and low income all have a detrimental effect on tenants’ mental health. Conclusions Social housing providers who wish to have a positive impact on the mental health of their tenants need to consider how to best support or mitigate the impact of these stresses. Addressing traditional housing officer functions such as reporting or monitoring home repairs alongside holistic support remains an important area where social housing departments can have substantial health impact. Tackling the complex nature of mental health requires a joined up approach between housing and a number of services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Holding
- The School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield, Regent Court, Regent Street, Sheffield, UK
| | - Lindsay Blank
- The School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield, Regent Court, Regent Street, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mary Crowder
- The School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield, Regent Court, Regent Street, Sheffield, UK
| | - Edward Ferrari
- Centre for Regional Economic Social Research (CRESR), Sheffield Hallam University, 54 Howard St, Sheffield, UK
| | - Elizabeth Goyder
- The School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield, Regent Court, Regent Street, Sheffield, UK
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Fuentes TL. Homeowner preferences drive lawn care practices and species diversity patterns in new lawn floras. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Households intensively manage lawns to create uniformly green, low diversity plant communities. Because lawns occupy a large proportion of urban green space, they are a crucial case for understanding how people manipulate urban vegetation. In this study, I focused on 58 homeowners who purchased a newly constructed home and yard in the Seattle Metropolitan Statistical Area, USA, to see how preferences, lawn care regimes and new lawn floras develop within a multi-scalar urban environment. A typical homeowner watered 3 times in spring, watered 24 times in summer, applied fertilizer twice, mowed 21 times and edged 15 times. Most new lawn turfgrasses were Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis and/or Festuca spp. Mean species richness was 6.5 ± 5.3 species. The most frequent species were non-native and cosmopolitan (turfgrasses, Hypochaeris radicata, Taraxacum officinale and Trifolium repens). Five variables increased the probability of homeowners managing their lawns as turfgrass monocultures: living in a neighborhood with larger yards, summer watering frequency, fertilizer frequency, valuing space for children and valuing wildlife habitat. Valuing an easy to manage yard decreased the turfgrass monoculture probability. In polyculture yards, having a larger lawn was positively correlated with non-turfgrass species richness, but elevation was negatively correlated. Homeowners who valued space for children appeared to have more intensive lawn care regimes than those who valued wildlife habitat or easy to manage yards. Although lawn floras result from complex interactions of the environment and households, urban characteristics appeared to be weaker drivers of diversity than homeowner preferences and lawn care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Fuentes
- Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Box 355740, 410 Gould Hall, Seattle, WA, 98195-5740, USA
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Wang C, Turner VK, Wentz EA, Zhao Q, Myint SW. Optimization of residential green space for environmental sustainability and property appreciation in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 763:144605. [PMID: 33383515 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cities in arid and semi-arid regions have been exploring urban sustainability policies, such as lowering the vegetation coverage to reduce residential outdoor water use. Meanwhile, urban residents express concerns that such policies could potentially impact home prices regardless of the reduced water costs because studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between vegetation coverage and home values. On the other hand, lower vegetation coverage in arid and semi-arid desert regions could increase surface temperatures, and consequently increases energy costs. The question is therefore where the point in which residential outdoor water use can be minimized without overly increasing surface temperatures and negatively impacting home values. This study examines the impacts of spatial composition of different vegetation types on land surface temperature (LST), outdoor water use (OWU), and property sales value (PSV) in 302 local residential communities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Arizona using remotely sensed data and regression analysis. In addition, the spatial composition of vegetation cover was optimized to achieve a relatively lower LST and OWU and maintain a relatively higher PSV at the same time. We found that drought-tolerant landscaping that is composed of mostly shrubs and trees adapted to the desert environment is the most water efficient way to reduce LST, but grass contributes to a higher PSV. Research findings suggest that different residential landscaping strategies may be better suited for different neighborhoods and goal sets can be used by urban planners and city managers to better design urban residential landscaping for more efficient water conservation and urban heat mitigation for desert cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuyuan Wang
- Department of Geography and Environmental Planning, College of Liberal Arts, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA.
| | - V Kelly Turner
- Urban Planning Department, Luskin School of Public Affairs and Luskin Center for Innovation, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Wentz
- School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Knowledge Exchange for Resilience, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Qunshan Zhao
- Urban Big Data Centre, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RZ, UK
| | - Soe W Myint
- School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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Acceptance of near-natural greenspace management relates to ecological and socio-cultural assigned values among European urbanites. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Meerow S, Helmrich AM, Andrade R, Larson KL. How do heat and flood risk drive residential green infrastructure implementation in Phoenix, Arizona? Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-01088-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Social-Ecological Connectivity to Understand Ecosystem Service Provision across Networks in Urban Landscapes. LAND 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/land9120530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Landscape connectivity is a critical component of dynamic processes that link the structure and function of networks at the landscape scale. In the Anthropocene, connectivity across a landscape-scale network is influenced not only by biophysical land use features, but also by characteristics and patterns of the social landscape. This is particularly apparent in urban landscapes, which are highly dynamic in land use and often in social composition. Thus, landscape connectivity, especially in cities, must be thought of in a social-ecological framework. This is relevant when considering ecosystem services—the benefits that people derive from ecological processes and properties. As relevant actors move through a connected landscape-scale network, particular services may “flow” better across space and time. For this special issue on dynamic landscape connectivity, we discuss the concept of social-ecological networks using urban landscapes as a focal system to highlight the importance of social-ecological connectivity to understand dynamic urban landscapes, particularly in regards to the provision of urban ecosystem services.
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Dyson K. Conserving native trees increases native bird diversity and community composition on commercial office developments. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In cities, woody vegetation provides critical shelter, nesting and foraging habitat for bird species of interest. Human actions—including development and landscaping choices—determine vegetation community composition and structure, making these choices critically important to urban bird conservation. A better understanding of how bird communities are impacted by parcel-scale actions can help guide policy and management best practices to improve matrix habitat quality and quantity. Here, I examined how bird habitat use varies along a vegetation gradient created by different development and landscaping choices. I surveyed 20 commercial office developments near Seattle in the Puget Trough region of Washington, USA selected using stratified random sampling, where I quantified bird communities and observed feeding behavior. I used GLMM and PERMANOVA models with data likelihood metrics to identify the best supported variables for bird site use, along with TITAN models to identify changes in community composition along environmental gradients. I found that measures of bird effective species richness and bird community are positively influenced by the presence of more native conifers, including the presence of a stand predating development and the height and density of native conifers. Measures of the native bird community are negatively influenced by higher non-native tree density. In contrast to prior research, top-down landscape-scale variables did not explain variation in measures of the bird community on office developments. Importantly, I found that birds are associated with the same habitat on office developments as observed elsewhere. Together, my findings suggest an important role for developers, land owners, landscape architects, and tree protection policy in bird conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Dyson
- Urban Ecology Research Lab, Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Gould Hall 432, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
- Dendrolytics, 4616 25th Ave NE, #558, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
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A Landscape Study of Sediment Formation and Transport in the Urban Environment. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11121320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background: Sediment deposition in the urban environment affects aesthetic, economic, and other aspects of city life, and through re-suspension of dust, may pose serious risks to human health. Proper environmental management requires further understanding of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the sedimentation processes in urbanized catchments. To fill the gaps in the knowledge about the relationship between the urban landscape and sedimentation, field landscape surveys were conducted in the residential areas of the Russian cities of Ekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, and Murmansk. Methods: In each city, six elementary urban residential landscapes were chosen in blocks of multi-story apartment buildings typical for Russian cities. The method of landscape survey involved delineating functional segments within the elementary landscapes and describing each segment according to the developed procedure during a field survey. Results: The complexity of sedimentation processes in the urban environment was demonstrated. The following main groups of factors have significant impacts on sediment formation and transport in residential areas in Russian cities: low adaptation of infrastructure to a high density of automobiles, poor municipal services, and bad urban environmental management in the course of construction and earthworks. Conclusion: A high sediment formation potential was found for a considerable portion of residential areas.
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Larson KL, Andrade R, Nelson KC, Wheeler MM, Engebreston JM, Hall SJ, Avolio ML, Groffman PM, Grove M, Heffernan JB, Hobbie SE, Lerman SB, Locke DH, Neill C, Chowdhury RR, Trammell TLE. Municipal regulation of residential landscapes across US cities: Patterns and implications for landscape sustainability. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 275:111132. [PMID: 33002703 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Local regulations on residential landscapes (yards and gardens) can facilitate or constrain ecosystem services and disservices in cities. To our knowledge, no studies have undertaken a comprehensive look at how municipalities regulate residential landscapes to achieve particular goals and to control management practices. Across six U.S. cities, we analyzed 156 municipal ordinances to examine regional patterns in local landscape regulations and their implications for sustainability. Specifically, we conducted content analysis to capture regulations aimed at: 1) goals pertaining to conservation and environmental management, aesthetics and nuisance avoidance, and health and wellbeing, and 2) management actions including vegetation maintenance, water and waste management, food production, and chemical inputs. Our results reveal significant variation in local and regional regulations. While regulatory goals stress stormwater management and nuisance avoidance, relatively few municipalities explicitly regulate residential yards to maintain property values, mitigate heat, or avoid allergens. Meanwhile, biological conservation and water quality protection are common goals, yet regulations on yard management practices (e.g., non-native plants or chemical inputs) sometimes contradict these purposes. In addition, regulations emphasizing aesthetics and the maintenance of vegetation, mowing of grass and weeds, as well as the removal of dead wood, may inhibit wildlife-friendly yards. As a whole, landscaping ordinances largely ignore tradeoffs between interacting goals and outcomes, thereby limiting their potential to support landscape sustainability. Recommendations therefore include coordinated, multiobjective planning through partnerships among planners, developers, researchers, and non-government entities at multiple scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli L Larson
- School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5302, USA.
| | - Riley Andrade
- School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5302, USA.
| | - Kristen C Nelson
- Department of Forest Resources and Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
| | - Megan M Wheeler
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
| | - Jesse M Engebreston
- Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA, 95929, USA.
| | - Sharon J Hall
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
| | - Meghan L Avolio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
| | - Peter M Groffman
- City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, New York, NY, 10031, USA; Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, 12545, USA.
| | - Morgan Grove
- Baltimore Field Station, Forest Service Northern Research Station, US Department of Agriculture, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA.
| | - James B Heffernan
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - Sarah E Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
| | - Susannah B Lerman
- Forest Service Northern Research Station, US Department of Agriculture, Amherst, MA, USA, 01003.
| | - Dexter H Locke
- Baltimore Field Station, Forest Service Northern Research Station, US Department of Agriculture, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA.
| | | | | | - Tara L E Trammell
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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Food Provision, Social Interaction or Relaxation: Which Drivers Are Vital to Being a Member of Community Gardens in Czech Cities? SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12229588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Urban gardening provides city dwellers with a wide range of benefits. Research dealing with the benefits of community gardens (CG) is often qualitative, focused on their founders’ motivations. The objective of our contemporary quantitative study is to understand why the inhabitants of Czech cities join CGs. The paper answers the research question: “What drivers exist for members’ participation in CGs?” It also deals with how the drivers of CG members differ across CGs’ locations in different urban structures. The data were obtained through an online survey from 28 CGs across Czechia, in both the capital and smaller cities. The importance of the different drivers was examined using statistical analysis and logit models. The research shows that the main motivation for the members is not crop production itself but, rather, the spending of leisure time, social contact and relaxation. Other key drivers include the passing on of experience and knowledge about nature to children, which is found mostly among the members with previous cultivation experience. Based on our results, CGs may contribute to the development of public life and to the improvement of public space; hence, the greater support by local decision makers or spatial planners can be justified.
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Mapping the Urban Population in Residential Neighborhoods by Integrating Remote Sensing and Crowdsourcing Data. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12193235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Where urban dwellers live at a fine scale is essential for the planning of services and response to city emergencies. Currently, most existing population mapping approaches considered census data as observational data for specifying models. However, census data usually have low spatial resolution and low frequency. Here, we presented a framework for mapping populations in residential neighborhoods with 30 m spatial resolution with little dependency upon census data. The framework integrated remote sensing and crowdsourcing data. The observational populations and number of households at residential neighborhood scale were obtained from real-time crowdsourcing data instead of census data. We tested our framework in Beijing. We found that (1) the number of households from a real estate trade platform could be a good proxy for accurate observational population. (2) The accuracy of the mapping population in residential neighborhoods was reasonable. The mean absolute percentage error was 47.26% and the R2 was 0.78. (3) Our framework shows great potential in mapping the population in real time. Our findings expand the knowledge in estimating urban population. In addition, the proposed framework and approach provide an effective means to quantify population distribution data for cities, which is particularly important for many of the cities worldwide lacking census data at the residential neighborhood scale.
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Scyphers SB, Beck MW, Furman KL, Haner J, Keeler AG, Landry CE, O'Donnell KL, Webb BM, Grabowski JH. Designing effective incentives for living shorelines as a habitat conservation strategy along residential coasts. Conserv Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Steven B. Scyphers
- Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences, Coastal Sustainability Institute Northeastern University Nahant Massachusetts
| | - Michael W. Beck
- Institute of Marine Science & The Nature Conservancy University of California Santa Cruz California
| | - Kelsi L. Furman
- Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences, Coastal Sustainability Institute Northeastern University Nahant Massachusetts
| | - Judy Haner
- The Nature Conservancy Alabama Coastal Program Mobile Alabama
| | - Andrew G. Keeler
- University of North Carolina—Coastal Studies Institute & Department of Economics East Carolina University Wanchese North Carolina
| | - Craig E. Landry
- Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics University of Georgia Athens Georgia
| | - Kiera L. O'Donnell
- Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences, Coastal Sustainability Institute Northeastern University Nahant Massachusetts
| | - Bret M. Webb
- Department of Civil Engineering University of South Alabama Mobile Alabama
| | - Jonathan H. Grabowski
- Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences, Coastal Sustainability Institute Northeastern University Nahant Massachusetts
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38
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Long-Term Validation and Governance Role in Contemporary Urban Tree Monitoring: A Review. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12145589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Urban trees provide important ecosystem services, across ownership and governance structures, and tree inventories are an important tool enabling urban foresters and green space managers to monitor and perform the sustainable management of urban trees. For optimal management of urban trees, a better understanding is needed concerning how urban tree inventories can provide long-term monitoring overviews across administrative borders, and how inventory protocols should be adapted to address specific practitioner issues. In this review, 98 articles on urban tree inventories were examined, the primary focus being sampling design. A governance arrangement approach was applied to identify the policy-making arrangements behind the inventories. Stratification is commonly used in the sampling design, despite being problematic for long-term representativeness. Only 10% of the stratification sampling designs identified were considered as having long-term validity. The studies frequently relied on an individual sampling design aimed at a particular issue, as opposed to using an existing longitudinal sampling network. Although private trees can constitute over 50% of the urban tree population, 41% of the studies reviewed did not include private trees at all. Urban tree inventories focused primarily on tree data on a local scale. Users or private tree owners are commonly not included in these studies, and limited attention is paid to economic, cultural or social factors. A long-term validation of sampling methods in urban areas, and a multi-lateral approach to tree inventories, are needed to maintain long-term operational value for local managers in securing ecosystem service provisions for entire urban forests.
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Avolio M, Blanchette A, Sonti NF, Locke DH. Time Is Not Money: Income Is More Important Than Lifestage for Explaining Patterns of Residential Yard Plant Community Structure and Diversity in Baltimore. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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Niemiec RM, Asner GP, Gaertner JA, Brodrick PG, Vaughn N, Heckler J, Hughes F, Keith L, Matsumoto T. Using spatially explicit, time-dependent analysis to understand how social factors influence conservation outcomes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:505-514. [PMID: 31418921 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Conservation across human-dominated landscapes requires an understanding of the social and ecological factors driving outcomes. Studies that link conservation outcomes to social and ecological factors have examined temporally static patterns. However, there may be different social and ecological processes driving increases and decreases in conservation outcomes that can only be revealed through temporal analyses. Through a case study of the invasion of Falcataria moluccana in Hawaii, we examined the association of social factors with increases and decreases in invader distributions over time and space. Over 7 years, rates of invader decrease varied substantially (66-100%) relative to social factors, such as building value, whether land was privately or publically owned, and primary residence by a homeowner, whereas rates of increase varied only slightly (<0.1-3.6%) relative to such factors. These findings suggest that links between social factors and invasion in the study system may be driven more by landowners controlling existing invasive species, rather than by landowners preventing the spread of invasive species. We suggest that spatially explicit, time-dependent analyses provide a more nuanced understanding of the way social factors influence conservation outcomes. Such an understanding can help managers develop outreach programs and policies targeted at different types of landowners in human-dominated landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Niemiec
- Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, 1401 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1401, U.S.A
| | - Greg P Asner
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, U.S.A
| | - Julie A Gaertner
- Department of Geography, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, U.S.A
| | - Philip G Brodrick
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, U.S.A
| | - Nick Vaughn
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, U.S.A
| | - Joseph Heckler
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, U.S.A
| | - Flint Hughes
- Institute for Pacific Islands Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Hilo, HI, 96720, U.S.A
| | - Lisa Keith
- Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, 96720, U.S.A
| | - Tracie Matsumoto
- Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Hilo, HI, 96720, U.S.A
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41
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Baldock KC. Opportunities and threats for pollinator conservation in global towns and cities. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 38:63-71. [PMID: 32126514 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Urban expansion is considered to be one of the main threats to global biodiversity yet some pollinator groups, particularly bees, can do well in urban areas. Recent studies indicate that both local and landscape-level drivers can influence urban pollinator communities, with local floral resources and the amount of impervious cover in the landscape affecting pollinator abundance, richness and community composition. Urban intensification, chemicals, climate change and increased honey bee colony densities all negatively affect urban pollinators. Maintaining good areas of habitat for pollinators, such as those found in allotments (community gardens) and domestic gardens, and improving management approaches in urban greenspace and highly urbanised areas (e.g. by increasing floral resources and nesting sites) will benefit pollinator conservation. Opportunities for pollinator conservation exist via multiple stakeholders including policymakers, urban residents, urban planners and landscape architects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Cr Baldock
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK; Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Royal Fort House, University of Bristol, BS8 1UH, UK.
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42
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Wheeler MM, Larson KL, Andrade R. Attitudinal and structural drivers of preferred versus actual residential landscapes in a desert city. Urban Ecosyst 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-00928-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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43
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Morera MC, Monaghan PF, Dukes MD. Determinants of Landscape Irrigation Water Use in Florida-Friendly Yards. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 65:19-31. [PMID: 31828409 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-019-01236-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to mitigate outdoor water use in Florida's urban landscapes increasingly include promotion of regionally appropriate landscaping based on its documented effectiveness. Targeted initiatives, however, require an understanding of mechanisms underpinning low irrigation use in single-family homes with Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL). This paper reports survey research conducted in southwest Florida to identify factors associated with irrigation practices among FFL clients. Results indicate that approximately half of survey participants irrigated less frequently than once per week year-round. Aesthetic considerations, horticultural knowledge, and membership in a homeowner's association (HOA) with rules regarding yard care were key variables underlying landscape characteristics and maintenance, while property values, water conservation attitudes, lawn grass, and in-ground irrigation system use significantly predicted irrigation practices. Homes with in-ground irrigation systems were more than six times more likely to water their landscapes at least once per week during the warm season when residential outdoor water use is at its peak. A $100,000 increase in a home's market value increased the odds of weekly watering by a multiplicative factor of two, whereas a one-point increase in a six-item Likert scale used to measure a homeowner's water conservation attitude decreased the odds by 76%. Homes with no grass in the landscape were 71% less likely to water on a weekly basis. Providing homeowners, and HOAs, with educational resources that build on existing support for water conservation could augment adoption of low maintenance plants and sustainable practices in Florida's urban landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Morera
- Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 305 Rolfs Hall, P.O. Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Paul F Monaghan
- Department of Agricultural Education and Communication and Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 305 Rolfs Hall, P.O. Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Michael D Dukes
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 205 Frazier Rogers Hall, P.O. Box 110570, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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44
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Proposal of an Operational Model to Measure Feelings and Emotions in Urban Space. JOURNAL OF LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/jlecol-2019-0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
People of different cultural backgrounds show different emotional reactions to different urban areas. Finding out how a constructed environment and emotional aspects are related and influence human behavior can be of a great significance in urban planning. Such studies are rooted in environmental psychology and socials sciences; there is a dearth of proper methods and techniques of evaluation with this regard. Moreover, so far there has been no academic study even a review of the relevant practical methods. Thus, there is a need for finding a valid objective evaluation procedure for emotional responses people make to urban space aiming to improve the design of urban areas and urban plan policymaking. In the present research, initially, a review of the research methodologies in environmental psychology, affect and emotions was done. Then, a qualitative content analysis of 30 of the latest projects and research was done in terms of the methodology and tools. Then, the final model was proposed in five stages based on the methods and tools of operationalizing the measurement of feelings and emotions in urban areas. The proposed model combined different research types and different methods applied in different disciplines and thus contribute greatly to solving urban problems.
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45
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Attitudes toward Residential Trees and Awareness of Tree Services and Disservices in a Tropical City. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su12010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Attitudes toward urban residential trees and awareness of their ecosystem services and disservices may play an important role in management decisions of private residential green spaces with important consequences to urban sustainability. In 2011, 397 household surveys were conducted in six locations of the Río Piedras Watershed (San Juan, Puerto Rico) to evaluate residents’ attitudes toward residential and neighborhood trees and their association with household socio-demographic factors, how awareness of services and disservices relate to the spatial proximity of trees (home versus neighborhood), and whether attitudes are associated with yard management (tree abundance). Most residents self-reported positive attitudes toward trees in general and these appeared to be more frequent than self-reported negative attitudes. Respondents recognized more tree services (emphasizing shade, lower temperature, food, and ornamental/aesthetics) and fewer disservices (emphasizing maintenance hardship, property damage, and power line obstruction). Not all tree services and disservices were equally recognized, and differences in the spatial context of trees and residents may contribute to the variation in residents’ awareness of tree ecosystem services or disservices. Variation in positive attitudes partially explained the current variation in yard tree abundance, along with residents’ age, housing tenure, yard size, and watershed location. Results have direct implications for urban forest planning and management in residential contexts.
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The ‘GartenApp’: Assessing and Communicating the Ecological Potential of Private Gardens. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su12010095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Private gardens make up large parts of urban green space. In contrast to public green spaces, planning and management is usually uncoordinated and independent of municipal planning and management strategies. Therefore, the potential for private gardens to provide ecosystem services and habitat and to function as corridors for wildlife is not fully utilized. In order to improve public knowledge on gardens, as well as provide individual gardeners with information on what they can contribute to enhance ecosystem services provision, we developed a GIS-based web application for the city of Braunschweig (Germany): the ‘GartenApp’ (garden app). Users of the app have to outline their garden on a web map and provide information on biodiversity related features and management practices. Finally, they are asked about observations of well recognizable species in their gardens. As an output, the gardeners are provided with an estimate of the ecosystem services their garden provides, with an evaluation of the biodiversity friendliness, customized advice on improving ecosystem services provision, and results from connectivity models that show gardeners the role of their garden in the green network of the city. In this paper, we describe the app architecture and show the first results from its application. We finish with a discussion on the potential of GIS-based web applications for urban sustainability, planning and conservation.
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47
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A Waterfront View of Coastal Hazards: Contextualizing Relationships among Geographic Exposure, Shoreline Type, and Hazard Concerns among Coastal Residents. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11236687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Coastal communities exist on the front lines of diverse natural hazards and the growing impacts of climate change. While traditional strategies for dealing with coastal hazards have often involved the hardening or armoring of shorelines, more recent research and practice have demonstrated the value and cost-effectiveness of “living shorelines” and other ecosystem-based strategies for coastal protection. To explore potential relationships among geographic exposure (waterfront vs. inland), shoreline condition (armored vs. natural), and hazard concerns, we surveyed 583 waterfront and inland residents in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We found that overall concern for coastal hazards was similar across waterfront and inland residents, as well as among residents with both armored and natural shorelines. However, concern for specific hazards differed across these groups. Waterfront residents were significantly more concerned about major hurricanes and erosion than inland residents. Conversely, inland residents were more concerned with drought and flooding than waterfront residents. Among waterfront residents, specific hazard concerns were similar between residents with natural and armored shorelines with two key exceptions. Residents with armored shorelines reported higher concern for erosion and sea level rise than residents with natural shorelines. Our results suggest that armored shorelines do not necessarily alleviate concerns about coastal hazards. In the context of balancing social and ecological objectives in addressing coastal hazards or adapting to climate change, understanding the perceptions and behaviors of coastal residents is essential for conserving and protecting coastal ecosystems along residential shorelines.
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Petřík P, Sádlo J, Hejda M, Štajerová K, Pyšek P, Pergl J. Composition patterns of ornamental flora in the Czech Republic. NEOBIOTA 2019. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.52.39260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Ornamental plants are an important component of urban floras and a significant source of alien plant invasions to the surrounding landscapes. We studied ornamental flora across 174 settlements in the Czech Republic, Central Europe. The aims of the study were to (i) identify clusters of sites that are defined as distinctive groups of ornamental taxa reflecting environmental or socioeconomic factors and (ii) apply the classification approach which is traditionally used for spontaneous vegetation in order to evaluate the potential of different settlement types to act as source sites of invasive species. The inventories were classified in a similar manner that is generally applied to spontaneous vegetation using the COCKTAIL method. Diagnostic taxa were classified in a repeatable manner into 17 species groups, forming five distinctive clusters with ~70% of sites attributed to one cluster. The species pools of the clusters differed in their representation of species with native or alien status and different life forms. The following clusters were distinguished, based on the prevailing type of settlement: (1) old villas neighbourhoods of towns, (2) upland settlements, (3) modern neighbourhoods, (4) old rustic settlements and (5) modern rustic settlements. Similar to spontaneous vegetation, the classification of ornamental flora reflects both basic natural gradients (i.e. altitude) and man-made factors (i.e. the preferences for certain plants and associated management practices). Alien taxa associated with modern neighbourhoods are characterised by a relatively higher invasion potential than those from, for example, old rustic settlements. This is especially true for woody species which can spread in ruderal habitats as a result of urban sprawl. Our results showed that the classification method, commonly used to analyse vegetation data, can also be applied to ornamental flora.
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Coisnon T, Rousselière D, Rousselière S. Information on biodiversity and environmental behaviors: A European study of individual and institutional drivers to adopt sustainable gardening practices. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2019; 84:102323. [PMID: 31674330 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The specific case of home gardening practices is particularly relevant when discussing lifestyle habits and ecological transition, due to the wide range of positive and negative environmental externalities private gardens may generate. However, existing studies usually focus on restricted areas, mostly at a city scale. We provide an original empirical contribution to the literature on individual and institutional drivers regarding ecological transition by exploring the variations of individual behavior between European countries with an appropriate econometric approach. Using a European database (Eurobarometer 83.4), we highlight several interesting results regarding Europeans' adoption of sustainable gardening practices, more particularly on the role of socio-demographic drivers, urban or rural residential location and access to trustworthy biodiversity-related information. In conclusion, we provide recommendations for the design of dedicated public policies, specific to a national or local level of decision.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Damien Rousselière
- SMART-LERECO, AGROCAMPUS OUEST, INRA, Angers, France; CRISES, UQAM, Montréal, Canada.
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50
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Cobley LAE, Pataki DE. Vehicle emissions and fertilizer impact the leaf chemistry of urban trees in Salt Lake Valley, UT. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 254:112984. [PMID: 31401524 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.112984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The urban nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycles are substantially influenced by human activity. Alterations to these cycles include increased inputs from fossil fuel combustion and fertilizer use. The leaf chemistry of urban trees can be used to distinguish between these different N and C sources. Here, we evaluated relationships between urban vegetation and different N and C sources in street and residential trees in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah. We tested three hypotheses: 1) unfertilized street trees on high traffic density roads will have higher leaf %N, more enriched δ15N and more depleted δ13C than unfertilized street trees on low traffic density roads; 2) trees in high income residential neighborhoods will have higher leaf %N, more depleted δ15N and more enriched δ13C than trees in lower income neighborhoods; and 3) unfertilized street trees will have lower leaf %N, more enriched δ15N and more depleted δ13C than fertilized residential trees. Leaf δ15N was more enriched near high traffic density roads for one study species. However, street tree δ15N and δ13C were largely influenced by vehicle emissions from primary and secondary roads within 1000 m radius rather than the immediately adjacent road. Leaf δ13C was correlated with neighborhood income, although this relationship may be the result of variations in irrigation practices rather than variations in C sources. Finally, unfertilized trees in downtown Salt Lake had lower leaf %N, more enriched δ15N and more depleted δ13C than fertilized trees. These results highlight that urban trees can serve as biomonitors of the environment. Moreover, they emphasize that roads can have large spatial footprints and that the leaf chemistry of urban vegetation may be influenced by the spatial patterns in roads and road densities at the landscape scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A E Cobley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - D E Pataki
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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