Residential Greenery: State of the Art and Health-Related Ecosystem Services and Disservices in the City of Berlin

Abstract

Inclusively accessible green areas are essential for livable cities. The residential greenery on a door’s step of urban dwellers has rarely been the subject of research. Here we provide insights into the state of the art of residential greenery in Berlin, Germany. We focus on socially disadvantaged neighborhoods exposed to high loads of environmental stressors and belonging to four relevant building types of Central European cities. 32 plots in eight sample areas were randomly chosen and surveyed during 2017 and 2018. We surveyed the presence of structural elements, the presence and abundance of woody species and the health-related ecosystem (dis-)services (i.e., species’ air filtration and allergenic potential). We analysed the similarity among tree species to assess plant use patterns. The air cleaning and allergenic potential of woody species were assigned based on literature. In order to discuss strategies to improve residential greenery, we performed an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of these green spaces. We revealed a high dissimilarity of woody species assemblages across sites and within different building types, indicating no common plant use fashion. Recorded species provide moderate to high air filtering capacity. One to two third of all trees have a high allergenic potential that has to be addressed in future plant use decisions. Bike racks, benches, lights and playgrounds are common elements, whereas bioswales, facade-bound greening, atrium, fountains or ponds are rare. Their implementation can enhance the health and wellbeing of local residents. Building-attached greenery can improve densely built up areas of the Wilhelminian period, whereas space-intensive measures can be implemented in the spacious greenery of row–buildings settlements of the 1920s–1970s and of large housing estates of the 1970s–1980s. We revealed a high motivation for (co-)design and care by residents and discussed strategies on transformation towards multi-functional, healthy and biodiversity-friendly residential greeneries.

What do people value in urban green? Linking characteristics of urban green spaces to users’ perceptions of nature benefits, disturbances, and disservices

“…In addition to benefits, UGS can include aspects that can be perceived negatively ranging from man-made (waste, vandalism) to (partly) natural (allergenic plants, mosquitos, or intruding animals), which we refer to here as "disturbances/disservices" (Lyytimäki et al 2008, Plieninger et al 2013. In existing studies, disturbances of UGS are often limited to the analysis of healthrelated ecosystem disservices like allergenic potential (D'Amato 2000, Ćwik et al 2018, Battisti et al 2019) and air quality issues (Gómez-Baggethun and Barton 2013), or safety issues caused by dense vegetation structures and poor lighting in UGS (Koskela andPain 2000, Hami andEmami 2015). In addition to healthrelated and safety issues, some activities in UGS can be disturbing for other users and the creation and management of UGS providing multiple ES can thus be very challenging for planners James 2010, Liu et al 2018).…”

Phytochemical Screening of Volatile Organic Compounds in Three Common Coniferous Tree Species in Terms of Forest Ecosystem Services

“…A significant amount of research regarding ecosystem services (ES) has contributed to the acknowledgment of the importance of natural environments in terms of the human health and well-being in global society [49]. Previous research on the health-related ES has focused attempts on defining the benefits that humans gain from natural environments [21,50,51]. In recent years, a number of papers were published investigating the relation of BVOCs and positive impact of forests on human health [42,[52][53][54].…”

Assessment and Mapping Green Areas Ecosystem Services and Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Turin Neighborhoods (Italy)

“…New tree species, after assessing allergenic potentials and stress tolerances [86], could be planted in residential greenery, which has a high renaturation potential, creating new urban realms for urban biodiversity and resilient neighborhoods [87]. Moreover, since many trees of the avenues of Turin are becoming mature, it is possible in the future to replace them, using species suitable for urban conditions, useful to reduce air pollution, allergenicity, and adaptability to the conditions dictated by climate change.…”