informal greenspace as green infrastructure? potential, challenges and future directions
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Informal greenspace as green infrastructure?Potential, challenges and future directions
Christoph Rupprecht (@focx)Jason Byrne (@citybyrne)
Environmental Futures Research InstituteGriffith University
AAG Annual Meeting 2016
Formal green space vs. green infrastructure
Green space• Parks, gardens,
conservation areas• ‘Nice to have’ (Benedict
& McMahon 2006)• Focus on recreation• Planned & designed
Green infrastructure• Conflicting definitions on what
counts as green infrastructure• ‘Must have’ (Benedict &
McMahon 2006)• ‘human-modified’ ‘intentional
landscapes’ (Matthews et al. 2015/Byrne et al. 2015)
Functions & problems of parks and green infrastructure
Potential functions, e.g.• Air quality regulation• Temperature regulation• CO2 absorption• Water management• Noise filtration• Conservation, habitat• Recreation, human health• Aesthetic improvement• Food/fuel production• Economic development
(e.g. real estate value)(Luque & Duff)
New York High Line, David Berkowitz, Flickr
Potential problems, e.g.• Implementation & maintenance
costs (Naumann et al. 2010)
• Expectations of economic returns • Eco-gentrification (Wolch et al. 2014)
• Failure to meet diverse needs of local residents (Campo 2013)
What about spontaneous, informal green spaces?
Street verges Gap spaces
Railway verges
Brownfields
River/canal banks
Vacant lots
Overgrown structures Powerlines
‘Informal’ green infrastructure?
Informal greenspace: A shift in perception
Nuisance Nice to have Must have?
Ecology
Planning
Decay Temporary use
Abandonment ‘Just green enough’ tool
Crime Recreation
Dead space Novel ecosystems
Urban ecology ‘de facto natives’
Invasives Diverse habitats
Beyond parks: Research on informal green spaces
Recreation studies (>65) (e.g., Jorgensen & Keenan 2012; Campo 2013; Barron & Mariani 2013; Franck & Stevens 2007; Foster 2014; Rupprecht et al. 2015a/b)
Lack of official recognition leads to freedom from purpose
Can be used flexibly as needed✗ Aesthetic value contested (wild
vs. orderly & bucolic)✗ Vulnerable to development
Biodiversity studies (>170) (e.g., Bonthoux et al. 2014; Brandes 1983, 1992; Cilliers & Bredenkamp 1998, 1999a/b; Kowarik 2011; Rupprecht & Byrne 2014; R. et al. 2015c)
Important role for conservation ‘De facto native vegetation’ ~14% of urban green space✗ Maintenance common and
negative impact on diversity✗ Can harbor invasive species
Informal greenspace as green infrastructure: Functions
Function Evidence level Studies (examples)Recreation (human health) Systematic review Rupprecht & Byrne 2014
Conservation, habitat Systematic reviews Bonthoux et al. 2014, Rupprecht et al. 2015
Food/fuel production Case studies Diaz-Betancourt et al. 1999, McLain et al. 2014
‘Just green enough’ devel. Case studies Foster 2014, Rupprecht & Byrne 2015
Air quality regulation Case studies Weber et al. 2014, McPhearson et al. 2013
Temperature regulation Case studies McPhearson et al. 2013
CO2 absorption Case studies McPhearson et al. 2013
Water management Case studies McPhearson et al. 2013
Aesthetic improvement Mixed evidence Rink and Emmerich 2005, Qviström 2012, Rupprecht et al. 2015
Noise filtration Not studied?
Economic development Indirect negat. effect?
IGS as green infrastructure in shrinking cities
• Expansion of vacant land, but:• Lack of resources to convert it
easily into formal green infra• ‘Depopulation dividend’ (Matanle):
chance for sustainability, reconfigure urban space
• Shift to needs-based community management?
• Coming to terms with loss of control over urban nature?
• Intentional ‘rewilding’ vs. non-intervention approach (Hard 2001)
• Potential to satisfy growing demand for urban agriculture & gardening, shrink cities’ food shed
Lot42%
Gap19%Street
verge16%
Brown-field10%
Wa-ter-side10%
Sapporo IGS
IGS as green infrastructure in growing cities
• High land cost for green infra• Strong development pressure• Sinking per capita private &
public green space provision• Temporary benefits from
spontaneous vegetation in transitional sites
• Source of ‘unclaimed territory’ (Cloke & Jones 2005), that ‘disciplines neither people in their actions nor nature in its development’ (Nohl 1990)?
• Opportunity to maximize benefits via policies (e.g., interim use, street verge gardening)
Lot8%
Street verge80%
Brown-field5%
Railway5%
Brisbane IGS
Informal greenspace as green infrastructure: Problems
• Liminal
space
• Access
• Liability
• Pollution
• Planability
• Cultural norms
IGS as green infrastructure: Roadmap for future research
“Basic” research• IGS quantity• IGS types• Spatiality• Temporality• Current usage• Past usage• Ecology• Biodiversity• Lifecycle / generation• Towards theory of IGS?• Implications for theory
(e.g. more-than-human)?• …
“Applied” research• Ecosystem (dis-)services• Potential future usage• Management approaches• Anti-gentrification potential• Legal dimensions• Planning & policy…
IGS as green infra: Interdisciplinary research endeavor!
•IGS
• Ecology
• Conservation
• Political ecology
• Environmental justice
• Geography
• Planning
• Landscape architectur
e
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