An alternative urban green carpet

Ignatieva, Maria; Hedblom, Marcus

doi:10.1126/science.aau6974

Cited by 73 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…Brunton et al, 2010 [36]; Burgin, 2016 [37]; Campagne et al, 2018 [47]; Cumming, 2018 [6]; Döhren and Haase, 2015 [48]; Dunn, 2010 [49]; Ignatieva and Hedblom, 2018 [1]; Lyytimäki, 2013 [50]; McKinney, 2006 [12]; Milesi et al, 2005 [24]; Müller and Sukopp, 2016 [51]; Priest et al, 2000 [52]; Runola et al, 2013 [53]; Shackleton et al, 2016 [54]; Schapel et al, 2018 [55]; Sharma et al, 1996 [56];…”

Section: Environmental Aspects Of Lawnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies from Europe and USA have revealed that people's love of lawns is connected to the integral role lawns play in the everyday landscape [1,22,[60][61][62][63]71,72]. Short cut lawnscapes are associated with improved quality of life and personal safety.…”

Section: Cultural Services Of Lawns: Recreationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the last decade, the most noticeable and widely discussed ecosystem disservice of lawns is aesthetic uniformity resulting in the ecological homogenisation of urban areas, with lawn plant communities becoming similar in composition and structure across numerous biogeographical zones [1]. The demand for these monotonous green surfaces can only be met by using monocultures of one or two species.…”

Section: Habitat (Biotope) Provisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lawns in Cities: From a Globalised Urban Green Space Phenomenon to Sustainable Nature-Based Solutions

Ignatieva

Haase

Dushkova

et al. 2020

Land

Self Cite

124

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This opinion paper discusses urban lawns, the most common part of open green spaces and urban green infrastructures. It highlights both the ecosystem services and also disservices provided by urban lawns based on the authors’ experience of working within interdisciplinary research projects on lawns in different cities of Europe (Germany, Sweden and Russia), New Zealand (Christchurch), USA (Syracuse, NY) and Australia (Perth). It complements this experience with a detailed literature review based on the most recent studies of different biophysical, social, planning and design aspects of lawns. We also used an international workshop as an important part of the research methodology. We argue that although lawns of Europe and the United States of America are now relatively well studied, other parts of the world still underestimate the importance of researching lawns as a complex ecological and social phenomenon. One of the core objectives of this paper is to share a paradigm of nature-based solutions in the context of lawns, which can be an important step towards finding resilient sustainable alternatives for urban green spaces in the time of growing urbanisation, increased urban land use competition, various user demands and related societal challenges of the urban environment. We hypothesise that these solutions may be found in urban ecosystems and various local native plant communities that are rich in species and able to withstand harsh conditions such as heavy trampling and droughts. To support the theoretical hypothesis of the relevance of nature-based solutions for lawns we also suggest and discuss the concept of two natures—different approaches to the vision of urban nature, including the understanding and appreciation of lawns. This will help to increase the awareness of existing local ecological approaches as well as an importance of introducing innovative landscape architecture practices. This article suggests that there is a potential for future transdisciplinary international research that might aid our understanding of lawns in different climatic and socio-cultural conditions as well as develop locally adapted (to environmental conditions, social needs and management policies) and accepted nature-based solutions.

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Section: Environmental Aspects Of Lawnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cultural Services Of Lawns: Recreationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Habitat (Biotope) Provisionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lawns in Cities: From a Globalised Urban Green Space Phenomenon to Sustainable Nature-Based Solutions

Ignatieva

Haase

Dushkova

et al. 2020

Land

Self Cite

124

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“…Adding shrubs like Frangula alnus and Rhamnus cathartica would benefit Gonepteryx rhamni and Celastrina argiolus (Eliasson et al 2005). Another potential action is to diversify the species composition of grasses used in parks and urban green spaces, and to leave patches or sections where grass is allowed to grow tall (Ignatieva and Hedblom 2018). This would benefit skipper and satyrid larvae of e.g.…”

Section: Opportunities To Adapt Management To Benefit Urban Butterfliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensive management reduces butterfly diversity over time in urban green spaces

et al. 2018

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Loss and fragmentation of semi-natural grasslands have had negative consequences for grassland biodiversity, such as butterflies. Urban parks and other urban green spaces have so far largely been overlooked as suitable butterfly habitats, although they could potentially sustain diverse butterfly populations over time. We analysed the temporal change in butterfly species assemblages in urban green spaces in the city of Malmö, Southern Sweden. We studied changes in species richness and abundance of butterflies between 2006 and 2015 in 20 public urban green spaces, characterized by different management regimes. We sampled butterflies in traditional parks with intense grass cutting regimes, in semi-natural grasslands mowed only a few times per year, and in unmanaged or irregularly managed ruderal sites. We found a slight increase in the total number of butterfly species in the study area, but a general decline in local species numbers in urban green spaces. Traditional urban parks had the greatest loss of species over time, and altogether the lowest number of species. In contrast, semi-natural parks and ruderal sites had higher numbers of butterfly species and also lost fewer species over time. Our study shows that intensive management strategies in urban green spaces have a negative impact on butterfly assemblages over time. We suggest that less intensive management strategies can be used to create high-quality areas for flower-visiting insects in urban green spaces, possibly in combination with planting larval host plant species, depending on the park type and design.

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“…A key feature of urbanization is the expansion of suburban and exurban developments consisting of larger parcel sizes where residential turfgrass lawns are a major land cover type (Robbins and Birkenholtz, 2003;Pouyat et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2017;Ignatieva and Hedblom, 2018). In the United States, where more than 80% of the population lives in urban areas (US Census Bureau, 2011), turfgrass landscapes, including residential, commercial, and institutional lawns, parks, athletic fields, and golf courses, make up roughly 2% of the total terrestrial land area-an area larger than the state of Georgia (Milesi et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Grassland Management Implications for Soil C and N Dynamics: A Microbial Perspective

Thompson

Kao‐Kniffin

2019

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Urban grasslands are turfgrass dominated landscapes of varying functions and uses that are ubiquitous in areas associated with human population growth and urbanization. While these landscapes are perceived to serve a primarily aesthetic function, they provide a multitude of beneficial ecosystem functions that impervious surfaces do not provide. Urban grassland soils have been shown to accumulate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) for decades, matching native grasslands and eastern hardwood forest soils in terms of C and N densities. The establishment and maintenance of urban grasslands alters many microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes in soils, including soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. Despite strong evidence of alterations to soil C and N cycling, the impacts of maintaining urban grasslands on soil microbiomes and their functions remain understudied compared to other ecosystems. Typical management practices can directly and indirectly affect edaphic factors in urban grasslands, which in turn, could impact soil processes mediated by microorganisms. We reviewed the existing literature on urban grassland management, focusing on how mowing, fertilization, irrigation, grass species composition, and soil cultivation could impact the composition and function of soil microorganisms. Although sparse, the literature indicates that the techniques used to maintain urban grassland habitats broadly select for copiotrophic microorganisms adapted to higher resource availability. Additionally, the studies indicate that greater soil fertility and plant productivity found in urban grasslands facilitate the accumulation of soil C and N, as well as SOM as compared to other land-use types. However, effects on soil biology and biogeochemistry depend on specific management practices, which are quite variable. Future research on soil C and N dynamics in urban grasslands should focus on the dominant component of this ecosystem-residential lawns-however, much of the existing scientific literature featuring turfgrass systems focus heavily on golf courses, athletic fields, and major tourist parks.

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An alternative urban green carpet

Abstract: How can we move to sustainable lawns in a time of climate change? A lawn is dominated by decorative parterre in the formal (French style) garden of the Royal Domain of Drottningholm, Sweden.

Cited by 73 publications

References 12 publications

Lawns in Cities: From a Globalised Urban Green Space Phenomenon to Sustainable Nature-Based Solutions

Lawns in Cities: From a Globalised Urban Green Space Phenomenon to Sustainable Nature-Based Solutions

Intensive management reduces butterfly diversity over time in urban green spaces

Urban Grassland Management Implications for Soil C and N Dynamics: A Microbial Perspective

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