scholarly journals Urban Green Spaces: Public Health and Sustainability in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Gabriel Camară
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces

scholarly journals Enhanced threat of tick‐borne infections within cities? Assessing public health risks due to ticks in urban green spaces in Helsinki, Finland

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 823-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jani Jukka Sormunen ◽  
Niko Kulha ◽  
Tero Klemola ◽  
Satu Mäkelä ◽  
Ella‐Maria Vesilahti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Public Health Risks

scholarly journals Lawns in Cities: From a Globalised Urban Green Space Phenomenon to Sustainable Nature-Based Solutions

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ignatieva ◽  
Dagmar Haase ◽  
Diana Dushkova ◽  
Annegret Haase
Keyword(s):  
International Workshop ◽  
Urban Ecosystems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Lawns

This opinion paper discusses urban lawns, the most common part of open green spaces and urban green infrastructures. It highlights both the ecosystem services and also disservices provided by urban lawns based on the authors’ experience of working within interdisciplinary research projects on lawns in different cities of Europe (Germany, Sweden and Russia), New Zealand (Christchurch), USA (Syracuse, NY) and Australia (Perth). It complements this experience with a detailed literature review based on the most recent studies of different biophysical, social, planning and design aspects of lawns. We also used an international workshop as an important part of the research methodology. We argue that although lawns of Europe and the United States of America are now relatively well studied, other parts of the world still underestimate the importance of researching lawns as a complex ecological and social phenomenon. One of the core objectives of this paper is to share a paradigm of nature-based solutions in the context of lawns, which can be an important step towards finding resilient sustainable alternatives for urban green spaces in the time of growing urbanisation, increased urban land use competition, various user demands and related societal challenges of the urban environment. We hypothesise that these solutions may be found in urban ecosystems and various local native plant communities that are rich in species and able to withstand harsh conditions such as heavy trampling and droughts. To support the theoretical hypothesis of the relevance of nature-based solutions for lawns we also suggest and discuss the concept of two natures—different approaches to the vision of urban nature, including the understanding and appreciation of lawns. This will help to increase the awareness of existing local ecological approaches as well as an importance of introducing innovative landscape architecture practices. This article suggests that there is a potential for future transdisciplinary international research that might aid our understanding of lawns in different climatic and socio-cultural conditions as well as develop locally adapted (to environmental conditions, social needs and management policies) and accepted nature-based solutions.

scholarly journals Vertical Stratification in Urban Green Space Aerobiomes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake M. Robinson ◽  
Christian Cando-Dumancela ◽  
Craig Liddicoat ◽  
Philip Weinstein ◽  
Ross Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Vertical Stratification ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Compositional Diversity

AbstractExposure to a diverse environmental microbiome is thought to play an important role in ‘educating’ the immune system and facilitating competitive exclusion of pathogens to maintain human health. Vegetation and soil are known to be key sources of airborne microbiota––the aerobiome. Only a limited number of studies have attempted to characterise the dynamics of the aerobiome, and no studies to date have investigated these dynamics from a vertical perspective simulating human exposure. Studies of pollution and allergenic pollen show vertical stratification at various scales, and present an expectation that such vertical stratification may also be present in the aerobiome. Such stratification could have important implications for public health and for the design, engineering and management of urban green spaces. For example, do children receive the same exposure to airborne microbiota as taller adults, and what are the downstream implications for health? In this study, we combine an innovative columnar sampling method at soil level, 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 m together with high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to assess whether significant vertical stratification of the aerobiome occurred in a parkland habitat in Adelaide, South Australia. Our results provide evidence of vertical stratification in both alpha and beta (compositional) diversity of airborne bacterial communities, with diversity increasing roughly with height. We also found significant vertical stratification in known pathogenic and beneficial bacterial taxa, suggesting potentially different exposure attributes between adults and children. These results could have important implications for public health and urban planning, potentially informing ways to optimise the design and management of health-promoting urban green spaces.

Ecological Deviance: The Botanical Politics of Public-Sex Environments in Parks

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110453
Author(s):  
Zachary Nowak ◽  
Kari Roynesdal
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Public Sex

The literature on public sex environments spans a number of disciplines, including public health, queer geography, and urban planning. Ethnographic, spatial, and epidemiological approaches have predominated but heretofore few researchers have dedicated much attention to the actual plants that provide cover for sex as well as other non-conformist activity in urban green spaces. We draw on recent work in environmental history and political ecology which include non-human organisms as crucial and possibly agentic members of dynamic assemblages. We examine the flora of three urban green spaces—and their landscape—and argue that botanical control of public sex environments has long been and still is largely an attempt to control supposedly deviant sexualities.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Analysis of UK Wetland Visitor Centres as a Health Resource

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8629
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Reeves ◽  
Conor H. D. John ◽  
Kevin A. Wood ◽  
Phoebe R. Maund
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Health Resource ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces

The health benefits associated with spending time in natural environments have been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and restrictions to safeguard public health have exacerbated the pre-existing mental health crisis and rise of non-communicable diseases. Thus, the importance of nature as a health resource has been elevated, hastening calls for a better understanding of how health benefits might differ across user groups and nature provisions. In this regard, urban green spaces have become the greatest research focus; however, blue spaces, especially inland freshwater (e.g., wetlands), remain less studied. First-hand user experiences are also under-represented. This exploratory study examines the motivations and benefits of active wetland centre users in the UK, both during and after visits. Responses to three open-ended questions were collated online from 385 participants, and a qualitative content analysis was conducted based on an existing taxonomy from users of urban green spaces. The results showed strong motivations to visit due to the biodiversity at the site (mainly the birdlife), while less tangible nature (e.g., fresh air) and amenities were also important. In contrast to other studies on natural environments, physical activity was a less influential motivation. Salient derived effects included positive and intensely positive emotions, relaxation and mental restoration. After visits to wetland centres, feelings of vitality and satisfaction were the most prominent effects that emerged. For decision-makers looking to leverage inland blue spaces for public health benefit, our results highlight the broad range and relative prominence of the reasons for use and the associated perceived health benefits derived by users of UK wetland centres. They highlight how biodiversity, abiotic nature and good amenities are important qualities to consider when planning, managing and encouraging people to use natural environments for health benefit, qualities that may also provide important environmental co-benefits.

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