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ContextUrban parks provide critical ecological, health, and social bene ts, constituting a substantial proportion of urban tree canopy (UTC) within a given city. As cities set ambitious UTC targets, it is critical to understand the social drivers of UTC changes in parks. ObjectivesWe sought to uncover the feedbacks between social processes, including historical events, and park UTC in a post-industrial city that experienced substantial population loss and urban park disinvestment. MethodsOur mixed-methods approach involved quantifying spatiotemporal UTC changes and connecting those changes to historical management practices for three parks in Philadelphia, PA (US). We delineated UTC using aerial imagery between 1959 and 2018, and synthesized information from archival records and semi-structured interviews about historical management practices. ResultsWe found substantial UTC gains between 1959 and 1980, due to both: (a) budget cuts, mowing cessation, and associated unintended forest emergence; and (b) purposeful tree planting and reforestation activities. While some UTC gains were purposeful, others were unintentional and re ect successional processes on unmaintained lands. Contrary to literature suggesting that nancial investment would lead to UTC gain, we saw declining UTC following an in ux of new funding post-2000 due to construction and ecological restoration. ConclusionsWe found differing pathways leading to convergent outcomes of UTC gains. Across the three parks, differing historical processes and management goals for park landscapes had important rami cations for UTC. Our work suggests that landscape management could bene t from an improved understanding of how historical processes impact land cover. Declarations

Context.After the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba was plunged into an economic crisis with devastating effects on the agricultural system. With few options, the government restructured its agricultural system from an industrial model to a model based on smallholders and agroecology. After several decades, the results of this transition have been far reaching.Objectives.This research aims to elucidate some of the social, economic and ecological dynamics of this process. In so doing, it produces a more holistic and multi-dimensional perspective of how these changes have transformed landscapes and livelihoods in rural Cuba.Methods.To accomplish this, this paper presents a case study of a smallholder community which has undergone a shift from industrial sugarcane to small-scale agroecology. This research makes use of mixed methods, including remote sensing analysis, semi-structured interviews and archival work to understand how these this shift has changed landscapes and livelihoods in the region.Results. The result of this work reveals that while agricultural extent has plummeted, the production of staple crops has increased dramatically. This increased production has been accompanied by a doubling of food markets. Additionally, on-farm incomes have risen steadily. At the same time, strong environmental protections have greatly improved forest cover in the region. Together, these results demonstrate the process of replacing an extractive agricultural economy with one based on smallholder livelihoods.Conclusions. In the context of strong social, economic and environmental protections, such a transition can produce a number of concurrent benefits, leading to more multifunctional landscapes capable supporting livelihoods alongside ecological recovery.