Greening Cities in an Urbanizing Age: The Human Health Bases in the Nineteenth and Early Twenty-first Centuries

Defined here as the introduction or conservation of outdoor vegetation in cities, urban greening has bloomed during periods of intensive urbanization. This was true in the nineteenth century and it seems to be the case again today, as a range of greening practices is co-arising during a third, and perhaps final, period of global urbanization. Human health has been a recurring theme underlying the enduring aspiration to integrate nature with city. Using change over time as a conceptual frame, this paper offers a comparative assessment of municipal greening in the nineteenth and early twenty-first centuries, focusing on the potential implications upon, and the relationship between, such activity, urban design, and public health. In so doing, the narrative bridges theory, science, and practice, and dovetails with discourse on urban ecosystem services. Part one assesses prominent drivers and types of greening in nineteenth-century industrial cities, a pioneering period in this evolving narrative. Part two reviews contemporary literature on the human health benefits of urban green spaces, and draws comparisons to the Industrial Era. Part three explores potential links between contemporary greening practice and scholarship on related health benefits, wherein proximal greening emerges as a distinct form, and possible norm, for twenty-first-century urban design

Pedestrianizing Streets as a Strategy for Urban Greenways

As adequate space to implement new greenways in dense urban centers is difficult to come by, it is vital that planners begin to increasingly tap into the vehicular landscape as a means of creating new space for the public benefit. Pedestrianization of streets helps to reclaim the significant amount of underutilized road space in cities and adjust it to better fit the human scale. In doing so, these pedestrianization efforts unlock copious amounts of space which can become home to new greenways.(Lee 2015). Not only do pedestrian zones offer an opportunity for greenway implementation, the aims of these areas are serendipitous and thus result in co-benefits when planned together. In planning pedestrian zones, greenways have been utilized towards improving the livability of the area through the provision of shade, noise reduction, air filtration, and their associated mental health benefits.(Maritz 2019). Further, the space freed up by removing automobile traffic from a street is often too wide to be comfortable for pedestrians, therefore greenways are being used to create narrower pedestrian areas with a green edge or median.(Dostal 2021).For greenways, pedestrian zones can help improve accessibility and thus the use of these areas while also creating calmer car-free environments for people and local wildlife alike. Additionally, such integrated developments have similarly been envisioned alongside urban waterways which are often dominated by vehicular traffic, experience higher volumes of foot traffic, and hold great potential for greenways as a means to manage flooding while keeping the land usable for recreational purposes.(Horte 2020). Through a systematic review and analysis of separate pedestrian zone and greenway literature, the commonalities and co-benefits of planning these interventions in an integrated manner are derived to form a clear breakdown of best practices. In doing so, the recommendations formed argue why pedestrianizing streets should be pursued as a genuine strategy and opportunity to create new greenways in higher density urban areas

Urban Greenways: A Systematic Review and Typology

Greenways are multifunctional linear landscapes that provide a range of socio-ecological benefits. As a domain of landscape planning research, greenways gained traction in the late 20th century and today, there is substantial interest in greenway planning and design. This is especially true in urban areas, as noted at the sixth Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning. Yet, cities encompass biophysical flows, sociopolitical relationships, and formal structures that are distinct from non-urban areas and urban greenways may reflect an evolving type of landscape planning and design that is related to but distinct from greenways writ large. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous review of scholarship on greenways in an urban context. We address the aforementioned gaps by reporting on a systematic assessment of peer-reviewed literature. The review encompasses 52 refereed articles using the term “urban greenway” or “urban greenways” in the title, abstract, or keywords drawn from three prominent academic databases. Our analysis covers seven research categories, and this undergirds a typology and definition of urban greenways. In so doing, we seek to illuminate typical traits of urban greenways to inform future landscape planning scholarship and practice

Building Connections to the Minute Man National Historic Park: Greenway Planning and Cultural Landscape Design

The Minute Man National Historic Park (NHP) in Massachusetts commemorates the Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775) that began the American Revolution. The National Park created in 1959 seeks to interpret the battle and restore the agricultural landscapes of the revolutionary period. The Park is situated within the larger Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area (FWNHA) that was designated in 2009 to preserve the extensive historic cultural resources of the region, including such gems as Thoreau’s Walden Pond. Unfortunately, the Minute Man NHP is divided into four units and bisected by a busy state highway that makes wayfinding challenging for visitors. Moreover, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the Minute Man NHP “as one of America’s most endangered Places” (NTHP, 2003) due to the impacts of surrounding traffic, noise, and incompatible developments. There are several existing and proposed projects including the Battle Road Trail, Minute Man Bike Trail and Scenic Byway that have the potential to link the Park’s resources, but key connections are missing to create a coherent network. To address these challenges, this project, a partnership between the US National Park Service, FWNHA, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst uses greenways as an organizing element to improve pedestrian and bike connections from the Park to the many nearby historic, cultural, and recreation resources, while providing visitors an alternative to touring the park by car. An undergraduate landscape architecture studio under the direction of the authors developed a greenway plan for the surrounding area with regional connections, as well as designed key sites and corridors along this greenway network that act as gateways and nodes for cultural and historical interpretation. This project exemplifies the challenges of historic and cultural planning within a developed suburban setting where local and regional recreation demands put pressure on historic landscapes. In addition, the fact that several key sites are outside the jurisdiction of the National Park in municipal, non-profit, or private ownership exemplifies the need for collaborative planning efforts. Finally, the project shows the management issues that continue after designation of historic corridors

Using Systematic Observations to Understand Conditions that Promote Interracial Experiences in Neighbourhood Parks

We analysed observations from 31 neighbourhood parks, with each park mapped into smaller target areas for study, across five US cities generated using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in the Community (SOPARC). In areas where at least two people were observed, less than one-third (31.6%) were populated with at least one white and one non-white person. Park areas that were supervised, had one or more people engaged in vigorous activity, had at least one male and one female present, and had one or more teens present were significantly more likely to involve interracial groups (p \u3c 0.01 for each association). Observations in parks located in interracial neighbourhoods were also more likely to involve interracial groups (p \u3c 0.05). Neighbourhood poverty rate had a significant and negative relationship with the presence of interracial groups, particularly in neighbourhoods that are predominantly non-white. Additional research is needed to confirm the impact of these interactions. Urban planning and public health practitioners should consider the health benefits of interracial contact in the design and programming of neighbourhood parks

Adapting to Expanding and Contracting Cities, Book of Abstracts, 6th Fabos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning, March 28-30, 2019, Amherst, MA.

The Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning is held every three years to bring together experts who are influencing landscape planning, policy making and greenway planning from the local to international level. It is intended to highlight recent trends and expand the literature about landscape and greenway planning. The aim is to explore how landscape architects and planners from different countries have approached greenway planning and to understand how greenways have been tailored to each county’s unique geographical, cultural, and political circumstances. The theme for the 2019 conference, Urban Greenway Planning: Adapting to Expanding and Contracting Cities, explores the social and ecological potential of linear green spaces in urban areas that are experiencing decline or those that are booming. We look to understand the variety of ways in which urban greenways are conceived, designed, built, used, and maintained in cities across the globe in response to economic and demographic trends

The Role of Street Trees for Pedestrian Safety

92312This research report studies the link between street trees and the gap between pedestrians\u2019 perceptions of safety and their actual safety while walking along street corridors. Prior to this report, there was little research highlighting the relationship between street trees and pedestrian safety. The research team undertook two projects to understand the role of street trees and pedestrian safety: (1) An analysis of 181 pedestrian intercept surveys across streets with varying street tree cover; and (2) A GIS mapping analysis that measured urban design variables and street tree characteristics alongside recorded pedestrian-vehicle crashes. Overall, street trees did positively impact pedestrian safety, but the impact was small and further research is needed. These findings support the work of previous research and contain relevant information for street redesign standards and planning, especially Complete Streets guidance and technical assistance. Street trees can serve as an option for applying Complete Streets principles into smaller-scale projects to improve pedestrian mobility and community livability, especially in environmental justice areas. There may also be ways to leverage street tree advocacy and streetscape redevelopment projects through existing funding programs, and promote inter-agency collaboration and public-private partnerships

USDA Forest Service Living Memorials Project: Final Report

The USDA Forest Service, in the process of creating the Living Memorials Project, identified a unique educational opportunity for landscape architecture students and their academic institutions. Bringing together citizens and design students in collaborative efforts has proven beneficial to all involved. Citizens of a community feel the satisfaction of seeing their input realized in student designs, while the students gain priceless practical experience by participating in the progressive steps of a real project