Reducing the extinction of experience: Association between urban form and recreational use of public greenspace

Pipe Dreams: Urban Wastewater Treatment for Biodiversity Protection

“…Land sharing regions such as Portland that offer residents many small public parks gave residents a greater sense of well-being and improved mental health, according to the 2014 study of Rio de Janeiro and Portland. Use of public greenspaces and satisfaction with those greenspaces was found to be higher in land sharing regions [26]. Emphasis on land sparing could decrease human-nature interactions, negatively affect public health outcomes and reduce public interest in biodiversity by limiting access.…”

“…The same study found in densely urbanized areas, land sparing resulted in greater population sizes for the majority of species studied. The model of land sparing was also found to do a better job of mitigating the urban heat island effect [26]. The researchers found development occurring at moderate levels such as that in suburbs causes natural lands to lose their ability to provide ecosystem services at a far greater rate than denser developments [27].…”

“…The researchers found development occurring at moderate levels such as that in suburbs causes natural lands to lose their ability to provide ecosystem services at a far greater rate than denser developments [27]. It is recommended by the researchers that City planners and policy makers adopt land sparing strategies in areas that will be densely urbanized in the future, by leaving large blocks of greenspace undeveloped [26].…”

“…Emphasis on land sparing could decrease human-nature interactions, negatively affect public health outcomes and reduce public interest in biodiversity by limiting access. In the midst of rapid urbanization, development and infrastructure retrofitting designs that preserve biodiversity and minimize negative impacts on local species are an urgent matter [26]. Biodiversity enhancing strategies need to be carefully planned within urban areas to achieve measurable conservation benefits.…”

Capturing the value of green space in urban parks in a sustainable urban planning and design context: pros and cons of hedonic pricing

“…The current focus in urban planning is mainly on building "smart," i.e., dense, thus saving "nature" outside of the city (see, e.g., James et al 2013), potentially at the expense of urban green spaces (UGS). Although green spaces have been shown to provide a range of ecosystem services that contribute to better cities (Lovell and Taylor 2013) the potential effects of sacrificing UGS in favor of green areas outside of the city is not well investigated (although see, e.g., Soga et al 2015). Tangible services like air and water purification, food production, and local climate mitigation have by far received the most attention and research (e.g., MA 2005, TEEB 2010).…”