Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds

Browning, M.H.E.M.; Locke, D.H.; Konijnendijk, C.; Labib, S.M.; Rigolon, A.; Yeager, R.; Bardhan, M.; Berland, A.; Dadvand, P.; Helbich, M.; Li, F.; Li, H.; James, P.; Klompmaker, J.; Reuben, A.; Roman, L.A.; Tsai, W.-L.; Patwary, M.; O'Neil-Dunne, J.; Ossola, A.; Wang, R.; Yang, B.; Yi, L.; Zhang, J.; Nieuwenhuijsen, M.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167739

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 137 publications

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“…As a number of studies contend that a lack of space makes achievement of 30% canopy infeasible in urban areas 21,24,29 , we consider this a call for departures from the status quo of streetscape design, which often assume existing allocations of space to be permanent and unchangeable. We encourage a move beyond this notion; where su cient space is not vacant, reallocation of street space may be needed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have demonstrated that non-tree green infrastructure including green roofs 36 and green facades 37 can offer psychological bene ts. An approach to measurement of views that treats green elements more equably may be appropriate than a tree count; a number of studies have quanti ed visible urban greenery (not just trees) using computer vision (Labib et al, 2020, Browning et al 2024).…”

Section: Prospects For Better Benchmarks For Urban Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The work of Browning et al (2024) was drawn on to establish our approach to each of the three tests that form the '3-30-300' rule; the experts involved in that study assessed the suitability of a range of options for the calculation of each criterion. The methods employed in this paper generally follow this expert guidance, though deviations were necessary in a few instances.…”

Section: Development Of Generic Analytical Work Owmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intentionally accessible, engaging design of the 3-30-300 rule seems to have worked. While it was rst conceived in 2021 and only published in peer-reviewed literature in 2022 21,22 , the metric has been promoted by the IUCN 23 and has seen quite rapid diffusion, with at least six cities in Europe, the US and Canada adopting the measure, with more examples arising in international organisations, regional governments and NGOs 24 . Academic studies applying the 3-30-300 rule are still rare.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Nieuwenhuijsen et al (2022) show that full achievement of the metric's tests was associated with fewer psychologist and psychiatrist visits in a sample of Barcelona residents, while Battisti et al (2024) used the rule to support spatial prioritisation of nature-based solutions for heatwave risk management in Turin. Browning et al (2024) offer detailed advice to guide calculation of the metric. To date, it is not clear how cities worldwide currently perform with respect to the rule, and which of the different components of the rule are closer to ful llment.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The ‘3-30-300 rule’ for urban nature exposes acute canopy deficits in 8 global cities

Croeser,

Sharma,

Weisser

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The ’3-30-300 rule’ is a recently proposed metric which sets minimum standards for access to nature in cities for human wellbeing. It specifies homes, schools and workplaces should have a view of 3 trees, be located in a neighbourhood with over 30% tree canopy cover and be within 300m walk of a park. This metric is an important progression for assessing urban nature because it is easy to understand, highly local, and sets a pass/fail benchmark for green infrastructure. Using a global dataset of over 2.5 million buildings in eight cities, we show that most buildings fail the ’3-30-300’ rule due to inadequate tree canopy. The ‘3’ standard was met more often, while ‘300’ was patchy. Further analysis indicates that existing trees are too small for adequate canopy cover. Cities must invest in improving planting conditions to support tree growth and enhance governance to reduce premature removals and excessive pruning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prospects For Better Benchmarks For Urban Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Development Of Generic Analytical Work Owmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The ‘3-30-300 rule’ for urban nature exposes acute canopy deficits in 8 global cities

Croeser,

Sharma,

Weisser

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Green or grain? Impact of green space expansion on grain production in Chinese cities and its implications for national urban greening schemes

Dong,

Kuang,

Ren

et al. 2024

Landsc Ecol

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Context Expansion of urban green space (UGS) enhances greenery and its benefits in cities. However, the impacts of such expansions on regional landscape sustainability and their spatiotemporal traits across the national scale remain unclear. Objectives This study uncovers a trade-off between agricultural ecosystem services and urban human well-being—the loss of grain production due to UGS expansion consuming cropland—in China from 2000 to 2020. It proposes a safety boundary for UGS expansion to minimize the costs of grain production while addressing the escalating demand for UGS exposure. Methods UGS expansion and cropland loss are quantified using land cover products, with statistical data contributing to the established relationship between grain loss and UGS coverage. UGS expansion scenarios for 2040 are simulated through bottom-up modeling. Results Quadrupled UGS area growth contributed approximately one-third to urban expansion during 2000–2020 in China. Despite improvements in per capita UGS area implying enhanced UGS exposure during rapid urbanization, UGS expansion resulted in a national grain production loss of 4.2 ± 1.4 million t from 2000 to 2020, accelerating post-2010. This loss is equivalent to the annual food intake of 9.3 million Chinese people. We propose a 30.87% UGS coverage target in China by 2040 to preserve UGS access while minimizing grain loss under future urbanization. Conclusions Acknowledging the critical role of UGS expansion in the issue of cropland loss to urbanization is imperative. Our results offer insights into ensuring human well-being and ecosystem services through landscape and urban planning.

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Smartphone GPS-Based Exposure to Greenspace and Walkability and Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Early Postpartum—Evidence from the MADRES Cohort

Yi,

Habre,

Mason

et al. 2024

J Urban Health

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A growing number of studies have associated walkability and greenspace exposure with greater physical activity (PA) in women during pregnancy. However, most studies have focused on examining women’s residential environments and neglected exposure in locations outside the home neighborhood. Using 350 person-days (N = 55 participants) of smartphone global positioning system (GPS) location and accelerometer data collected during the first and third trimesters and 4–6 months postpartum from 55 Hispanic pregnant women from the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) study, we examined the day-level effect of women’s exposure to walkability and greenspace on their PA outcomes during pregnancy and in the early postpartum period. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] minutes per day was assessed using accelerometers. Walkability and greenspace were measured using geographic information systems (GIS) within women’s daily activity spaces (i.e., places visited and routes taken) recorded using a smartphone GPS and weighted by time spent. We used a generalized linear mixed-effects model to estimate the effects of daily GPS-derived environmental exposures on day-level MVPA minutes. Results showed that women engaged in 23% more MVPA minutes on days when they had some versus no exposure to parks and open spaces in activity spaces (b = 1.23; 95%CI: 1.02–1.48). In addition, protective effects of daily greenspace and walkability exposure on MVPA were stronger in the first and third trimesters, among first-time mothers, and among women who had high pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and lived in least-safe neighborhoods. Our results suggest that daily greenspace and walkability exposure are important for women’s PA and associated health outcomes during pregnancy and early postpartum.

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Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds

Cited by 14 publications

References 137 publications

The ‘3-30-300 rule’ for urban nature exposes acute canopy deficits in 8 global cities

The ‘3-30-300 rule’ for urban nature exposes acute canopy deficits in 8 global cities

Green or grain? Impact of green space expansion on grain production in Chinese cities and its implications for national urban greening schemes

Smartphone GPS-Based Exposure to Greenspace and Walkability and Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Early Postpartum—Evidence from the MADRES Cohort

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