Urban Wild Research Articles

Wilding cities for biodiversity and people: a transdisciplinary framework.

Accelerating urbanisation and associated lifestyle changes result in loss of biodiversity and diminished wellbeing of people through fewer direct interactions and experiences with nature. In this review, we propose the notion of urban wilding (the promotion of autonomous ecological processes that are independent of historical land-use conditions, with minimal direct human maintenance and planting interventions) and investigate its propensity to improve biodiversity and people-nature connections in cities. Through a large interdisciplinary synthesis, we explore the ecological mechanisms through which urban wilding can promote biodiversity in cities, investigate the attitudes and relations of city dwellers towards urban wild spaces, and discuss the integration of urban wilding into the fabric of cities and its governance. We show that favouring assembly spontaneity by reducing planting interventions, and functional spontaneity by limiting maintenance practices, can promote plant diversity and provide ecological resources for numerous organisms at habitat and city scales. These processes could reverse biotic homogenisation, but further studies are needed to understand the effects of wilding on invasive species and their consequences. From a socio-ecological perspective, the attitudes of city dwellers towards spontaneous vegetation are modulated by successional stages, with grassland and woodland stages preferred, but dense shrubby vegetation stages disliked. Wild spaces can diversify physical interactions with nature, and enrich multi-sensory, affective and cognitive experiences of nature in cities. However, some aspects of wild spaces can cause anxiety, feeling unsafe, and the perception of abandonment. These negative attitudes could be mitigated by subtle design and maintenance interventions. While nature has long been thought of as ornamental and instrumental in cities, urban wilding could help to develop relational and intrinsic values of nature in the fabric of cities. Wildness and its singular aesthetics should be combined with cultural norms, resident uses and urban functions to plan and design urban spatial configurations promoting human-non-human cohabitation. For urban wilding to be socially just and adapted to the needs of residents, its implementation should be backed by inclusive governance opening up discussion forums to residents and urban workers. Scientists can support these changes by collaborating with urban actors to design and experiment with new wild spaces promoting biodiversity and wellbeing of people in cities.

Impact on property values of distance to parks and open spaces: An update of U.S. studies in the new millennium

The review of 33 studies generally confirmed findings from a 2001 review: House values rose as proximity to a park increased; properties immediately adjacent to a park sometimes had a lower premium than dwellings a block or two away from it; larger parks had higher premiums, and their influence extended over a longer distance; and substantially greater premiums accrued from passive than from active parks. The results suggested a premium of 8%–10% on properties adjacent to a passive park is a reasonable point of departure, which is lower than suggested by previous guidelines. Four additional insights emerged: Percentage premiums were higher for (a) multifamily or small lots than for single-family homes or large lots and (b) for permanently protected lands than for developable lands; recognition was frequently lacking (c) the heterogeneity of open space and (d) differentials among submarkets. Six managerial conclusions and five guidelines for future research are offered.

Preliminary Identification of Urban Park Infrastructure Resilience in Semarang Central Java

Park is one of the spot green infrastructure. There are two major characteristic of park, first Active parks and second passive park. Those of two open spaces have been significant on the fulfillment of urban environment. To maintenance the urban park, it is very importance to identify the characteristic of active and passive park. The identification also needs to fostering stakeholder effort to increase quality of urban park infrastructure. This study aims to explore and assess the characteristic of urban park infrastructure in Semarang City, Central Java. Data collection methods conduct by review formal document, field observation and interview with key government officer. The study founded that urban active parks infrastructure resilience could be defined by; Park Location, Garden Shape, Vegetation, Support Element, Park Function, and Expected Benefit from Park Existence. Moreover, the vegetation aspect and the supporting elements are the most importance urban park infrastructure in Semarang.

From Ex-landfill to Public Park: Impact on Local Community's Quality of Life and Living Environment

Regarded as a new development urban planning approach in developing countries, brownfield regeneration, particularly the redevelopment of ex-landfills as public parks in Malaysia, leads to the question of this research: could such development benefit the local communities’ quality of life and living environment? We selected as study respondents 163 heads of household within a one-kilometer radius of two pilot ex-landfills as public park areas, namely, Worldwide Landfill Park and Kuantan Passive Park. Results show significant differences in respondents’ perception, which indicates the positive impact of such redevelopment.

More Than a Pretty Space: Stormwater Treatment Wetlands with Multiple Benefits at Freedom Park, Naples FL

Freedom Park is a 20 ha (50 ac) stormwater runoff quality improvement project in the Gordon River watershed in Naples FL. Constructed ponds and wetlands and restored wetland habitats are integrated into a passive park setting of trails, boardwalks, educational facilities, and natural landscaping. Operated by the Collier County Growth Management Division and the Parks and Recreation Department, the system uses wetlands to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in water pumped from ditches draining the watershed. Water pumped from the Gordon River supplements the system during dry, low flow seasons and helps reduce river phosphorus and nitrogen loads. Restored natural forested wetlands enhance site biodiversity and enrich the visitor experience. A versatile educational facility supports multiple civic functions that complement and reinforce the steady increase in visitor use since the park opened. Freedom Park demonstrates with excellence how a regional stormwater facility can be designed as a beautiful yet functional community asset.

Preferences, benefits, and park visits: A latent class segmentation analysis

This study describes and predicts segments of urban park visitors to support park planning and policy making. A latent class analysis is used to identify segments of park users who differ regarding their preferences for park characteristics, benefits sought in park visits, and sociodemographics. Data for the present study were obtained using a mail-back survey on park choice behavior from 1,107 residents in the Eindhoven region in The Netherlands in 2002. The latent class analysis resulted in four segments of residents based on clearly different park preferences and benefits sought in the parks. The segments are characterized as "local nature lovers," "passive park users," "visitors of pleasant neighborhood parks," and "active large park users." Sociodemographics did not discriminate between the various segments of park visitors. These findings emphasize the importance of taking into account different leisure preferences and benefits sought by individuals when evaluating the impact of urban green space facilities.

The impact of parks on property values: empirical evidence from the past two decades in the United States

The notion that parks have a positive impact on proximate property values was recognized in the debates surrounding the pioneering of large urban parks in England in the first half of the nineteenth century, and subsequently in the spread of this movement to the US in the latter half of that century. The empirical basis for these early assertions was rudimentary and naïve. This paper reviews contemporary research using the more advanced analytical procedures now available to social scientists that has examined this issue. The findings confirm the initial rationale and suggest that a positive impact of 20% on property values abutting or fronting a passive park is a reasonable starting point guideline for estimating such a park's impact.

The Impact of Parks on Property Values: A Review of the Empirical Evidence

The real estate market consistently demonstrates that many people are willing to pay a larger amount for a property located close to a park than for a house that does not offer this amenity. The higher value of these residences means that their owners pay higher property taxes. In many instances, if the incremental amount of taxes paid by each property which is attributable to the presence of a nearby park is aggregated, it is sufficient to pay the annual debt charges required to retire the bonds used to acquire and develop the park. This process of capitalization of park land into the value of nearby properties is termed the “proximate principle.”Results of approximately 30 studies which have empirically investigated the extent and legitimacy of the proximate principle are reported, starting with Frederick Law Olmsted's study of the impact of New York's Central Park. Only five studies were not supportive of the proximate principle and analysis of them suggested these atypical results may be attributable to methodological deficiencies.As a point of departure, the studies' results suggest that a positive impact of 20% on property values abutting or fronting a passive park area is a reasonable starting point. If it is a heavily used park catering to large numbers of active recreation users, then the proximate value increment may be minimal on abutting properties, but may reach 10% on properties two or three blocks away.