Perceptions of Detroit vacant lot greening designs related to depressive symptoms and household flooding

Abstract

This study contributes to empirical evidence about how design and maintenance of vacant lot greening in the form of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) may benefit vulnerable populations - specifically people living with depressive symptoms or who experience household flooding. Legacy cities like Detroit, Michigan, have high rates of property vacancy with associated community concerns about personal safety and vacant lot maintenance. Past studies have linked both neighborhood vacant land and flooding experience with negative mental health effects. In contrast, greenspace experiences have been linked with mental health benefits. Greenspaces include microscale landscape elements that can operate as cues to care (CTC) or cues to safety (CTS). We examined whether self-reported experiences of depressive symptoms and household flooding would affect perceptions of vacant lot greening characterized by varied CTC and CTS.Using in-home structured interviews, we surveyed 316 Detroit households to measure residents’ perceptions of care and safety of GSI design treatments. Participants viewed 28 ×43cm colored prints representing 14 alternative treatments on two replicate sites and a control vacant lot. Those reporting depressive symptoms perceived significantly less care and safety across all treatments than others. Those reporting flooding experience did not have significantly different perceptions than others. Further, a model testing a three-way interaction between flooding experience, depressive symptoms, and CTC showed no significant association with perceived care and safety.Most importantly, our findings suggest that people experiencing depressive symptoms do not perceive greenspace experiences in the same way as others. Future research should examine how different microscale landscape elements of greenspace might benefit people with specific mental health conditions differently.