1
|
Talal ML, Gruntman M. Urban nature visitation, accessibility, and impact of travel distance for sustainable cities. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17808. [PMID: 37853084 PMCID: PMC10584958 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44861-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Accessible urban nature is a key component of creating sustainable urban communities and promoting human health and well-being. To balance the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, the United Nations adopted several sustainable developmental goals (SDGs), such as SDG 11 for sustainable cities and communities, which aims to improve urban planning and management, including equitable access to urban nature. However, more information is still needed regarding how planners and managers can promote urban nature visitation and equitable access during health and environmental crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in urban nature visitation during the pandemic and then to determine if the effect of the pandemic on the frequency of urban nature site visitation varied by distance to home, using an innovative approach of analyzing both publicly available large-scale mobility data and a web-based survey of urban residents of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. The mobility data results showed that there was a negative mean % difference in park visits compared to baseline during the first and third lockdowns, but an increase compared to baseline between lockdowns and even during the second lockdown. This suggests that urban residents had greater need to reconnect with urban nature during and after periods of intense stress. In addition, the survey results showed an increasing negative effect of distance on urban nature site visitation during the pandemic, specifically for urban nature sites located more than 1 km from home. Altogether, the mobility data and survey results suggest that people who lived within 1 km of their preferred urban nature site had disproportionate access to the benefits of urban nature during and after lockdowns than others. To effectively make social and ecological transitions toward urban sustainability, it is vital that cities promote urban nature accessibility during current and future environmental and health crises. Cities should collaborate with diverse stakeholders to create/maintain accessible urban nature sites nearby all sociodemographic groups, provide sustainability education and training to convey the benefits of urban nature, and pursue participatory solutions for understanding urban nature needs and preferences. In this manner, it will be possible to address the growing influence of proximity/travel distance and additional factors that affect urban nature visitation and ultimately, human health and urban sustainability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle L Talal
- Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
- Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - Michal Gruntman
- Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Randler C, Jokimäki J, de Salvo M, de Almeida Barbosa R, Staller N, Tryjanowski P, Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki ML, Tsai JS, Ortiz-Pulido R, Rahafar A, Giuffrida L. Spatial, temporal, and motivational changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a nature-based leisure activity - A global survey of birders. iScience 2023; 26:107483. [PMID: 37588164 PMCID: PMC10425937 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Birdwatchers contribute an immense amount of data to citizen science databases. Thus, birding is important from the leisure perspective and from nature conservation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we studied birdwatchers on a global scale in over 50 countries by applying the model of behavior change, which focuses on changes in opportunity (spatial, temporal), motivation, and capability (avoidance behavior). The sample consisted of 5051 participants (3437 men, 1575 women, mean age 49 years). Birders changed their spatial behavior to more local birding and to avoidance behavior by choosing different places and different clock times. Concerning motivation, being outdoors showed the highest increase and being with friends the strongest decrease. Higher specialized birders experienced a stronger shift toward regional birding. Birders that focused on new, local, or unrewarding places experienced an increase in motivation. Our study empirically supports the behavior change model and highlights the need to address the heterogeneity of the recreationists.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Randler
- Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jukka Jokimäki
- Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | - Maria de Salvo
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Renan de Almeida Barbosa
- Graduate Program in Science Education, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Naomi Staller
- Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Piotr Tryjanowski
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland
- Department of Life Science Systems, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | | | - Jo-Szu Tsai
- Department of Biological Resources, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Raúl Ortiz-Pulido
- Population Ecology Laboratory, Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, Pachuca, Mexico
| | - Arash Rahafar
- Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Laura Giuffrida
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
van Eeden LM, Francis L, Squires ZE, Hames F, Bekessy SA, Smith L, Hatty M. Demographic and spatial variables associated with spending time in nature during COVID-19 lockdowns. URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING 2023; 82:127895. [PMID: 36919044 PMCID: PMC9985542 DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
To stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) governments around the world implemented lockdowns restricting public travel. In the Australian state of Victoria, this included limiting permitted reasons for leaving home and restricting movements to within a 5 km radius of one's home. In 2020, we conducted a state-wide survey (N = 1024) of Victorians that coincided with a lockdown. We asked respondents where they had spent time in nature and how they perceived lockdowns affected the amount of time they spent in nature. We then considered demographic and spatial predictors of spending more or less time in nature. Women, younger people, and those living in areas with higher socio-economic status were likely to report spending more time in nature. Closer proximity of residents to parks and waterways and higher proportional area of native vegetation within a 1-km radius were also associated with more time in nature. Understanding how different groups were affected by restrictions on access to nature can help improve government management of crises like pandemics, including through urban planning for green space, supporting improved individual and societal resilience. We discuss the implications of our findings for improving access to nature during lockdowns as well as opportunities for a post-pandemic relationship with nature, particularly in urban settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lily M van Eeden
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lachlan Francis
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zoe E Squires
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fern Hames
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah A Bekessy
- ICON Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Liam Smith
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Melissa Hatty
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kolandai K, Milne B, McLay J, von Randow M, Lay-Yee R. Anthropause appreciation, biophilia, and ecophilosophical contemplations amidst a global pandemic. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 85:101943. [PMID: 36531128 PMCID: PMC9747233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In 2020, COVID-19 mitigation measures, including lockdowns and travel bans to curtail disease transmission, inadvertently led to an "Anthropause" - a unique global pause to anthropogenic activities. While there was a spike in ecological studies measuring Anthropause effects on environmental indicators, people's experiences of the Anthropause or its potential to inspire change were hardly considered. Hence, we aimed to measure people's appreciation of the environmental outcomes of the Anthropause, ecophilosophical contemplations about the pandemic, and experiences of lockdown-triggered biophilia (human's innate love for and draw towards nature) and test the hypothesis that these experiences would be consistently more prominent among the already environmentally inclined. To that end, we developed and tested three measures on a representative sample of 993 New Zealanders. Anthropause Appreciation received the highest overall mean ratings, followed by Lockdown-Biophilia and Eco-Contemplation. Pre-existing pro-environmental dispositions and behaviours did not consistently influence our three measures as expected. Demographic variables had little influence, while experiences of financial and mental health impacts due to COVID-19 had no influence. We interpreted the limited influence of explanatory variables as indicative of a degree of uniformity in people's experiences. High appreciation of Anthropause benefits suggests that the public may be supportive of policies and ways of living that can lead to similar outcomes post-pandemic - offering environmental policymakers and communicators a basis for action. Ecophilosophical contemplations and biophilic draw among the public suggest an awareness of the significance of the human-nature relationship - offering a symbolic global keystone for communicating and advocating conservation and the many values of pauses in life to connect with nature. Building women's environmental leadership capabilities and the ongoing greening of Christianity may be essential steps for global post-pandemic environmental behaviour transformations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Komathi Kolandai
- COMPASS Research Centre and Public Policy Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Barry Milne
- COMPASS Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jessica McLay
- Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Roy Lay-Yee
- COMPASS Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|