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

Abstract

<jats:p>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.</jats:p>

Human Dimensions of Urban Blue and Green Infrastructure during a Pandemic. Case Study of Moscow (Russia) and Perth (Australia)

“…The greater importance of contact with nature for physical and mental well-being reported by Perth respondents, compared to Muscovites could be explained by Perth's climate conditions being more amenable for outdoor activities year-round and associated easier access to private and public green and blue areas [8,28].…”

“…In this paper, urban blue and green infrastructure (BGI) refers to an interconnected network of natural and designed landscape components, including water bodies and green and open spaces at the city scale. BGI includes publicly accessible and private green space, natural green space (remnants of native vegetation which experience different intensities of human intervention and where some or all endemic ecosystem processes are affected) as well as specifically designed and managed green space (e.g., parks, gardens, lawns, street plantings, green roofs) and blue space (retention and detention ponds, re-naturalized and de-culverted rivers, swales and "bioswales", or rain gardens) [5][6][7][8]. The theme of positive benefits of urban BGI and associated urban green and blue spaces for human physical (e.g., through the opportunity for physical activity, recreation) and mental (e.g., ability to relax, stress reduction, spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, aesthetic experiences) health of urban dwellers prior to the pandemic is also thoroughly studied [7,[9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…For example, around the world, public urban green and blue spaces tend to share similar spatial and visual characteristics (organization of the spaces) because of global trends in designing public open spaces. This pattern has led to the homogeneity of green and blue areas [8] that may or may not afford the same types of benefits in different cities.…”

Connectivity assessment and prioritization of urban grasslands as a helpful tool for effective management of urban ecosystem services

“…It also shapes microclimates by mitigating urban heat islands [9,10]; improving soil, water, and air quality [11,12]; and reducing stormwater runoff [13]. Grasslands, primarily represented by urban lawns, constitute an important component of urban green space [14].…”

The turfgrass in landscape and landscaping

“…Urban lawns constitute, according to Ignatieva et al (2020), in the most common part of open spaces and green infrastructure in a city, and provide services to the ecosystem (and also the disservices), in addition to different approaches in the biophysical, social, planning and design aspects, including understanding and valuation of that vegetation.…”