The lawn as a social and cultural phenomenon in Sweden

Ignatieva, Maria; Eriksson, Fredrik; Eriksson, Tuula; Berg, Per; Hedblom, Marcus

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.12.006

Cited by 74 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…For example, in a study investigating three typologies of housing in Sweden (residential gardens and two types of multifamily housing areas) the average cover of lawns were 27.8% (5.3% higher than in this study; Ignatieva et al 2017).…”

Section: Different Methodologies and Tree Covercontrasting

confidence: 69%

Estimating urban lawn cover in space and time: Case studies in three Swedish cities

et al. 2017

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Lawns are considered monocultures and lesser contributors to sustainability than diverse nature but are still a dominating green area feature and an important cultural phenomenon in cities. Lawns have esthetical values, provide playground, are potential habitat for species, contribute to carbon sequestration and water infiltration, but also increase pesticides, fertilization, are monocultures and costly to manage at the same time. To evaluate the potential impact of lawns, whether positive or negative, it is of interest to estimate the total lawn cover in cities and its change over time. This is not a straightforward process, e.g., because many lawns are small and covered by trees. In this study we review the existing literature of lawn cover in cities and the different methodologies used for cover estimation. We found both pros and cons with NDVI and LiDAR data as well as manually interpreted aerial photos. The total cover of lawns in three case study cities was estimated to 22.5%. By extrapolating these percentages to all Swedish cities lawn cover was estimated to 2589 km 2 (0.6% of the terrestrial surface). The approximated total municipal management cost of lawns in all Swedish cities was 910,000,000 USD/ year. During 50 years lawn area almost doubled in relative cover and 56% of them were continuously managed. Since lawns constitute large parts of the urban greenery and are costly to manage it is highly relevant to consider their social, ecological and cultural value compared to alternatives, e.g., meadows with less intensive management.

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Section: Different Methodologies and Tree Covercontrasting

confidence: 69%

Estimating urban lawn cover in space and time: Case studies in three Swedish cities

et al. 2017

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“…Grass was most strongly associated with the provision of social space and outdoor recreation. Appreciation of lawns has been highlighted in previous work, showing that more people will tend to visit open spaces with accessible lawns [78], and that lawns were particularly valued as important places for different outdoor activities (playing, resting, picnicking, walking, socializing) [79].…”

Section: Different Vegetation Types Are Perceived To Be Associated Wimentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Vegetation Types are Not Perceived Equally in Providing Ecosystem Services and Disservices

Drillet¹,

Fung²,

Leong³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Urban vegetation is important in providing ecosystem services to people. Different urban vegetation types provide contrasting suites of ecosystem services and disservices. Understanding public perceptions of the ecosystem services and disservices can therefore play an important role in shaping the planning and management of urban areas. We conducted an online survey (n = 1000) to understand how residents in the tropical city of Singapore perceived urban vegetation and the associated ecosystem services and disservices. The questionnaire was designed to explore whether different urban vegetation types (grass, shrubs, trees, trees over shrubs, and secondary forest) were perceived as equal in providing benefits. Respondents considered ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation to be more important than disservices. Among ecosystem services, regulating services were most highly rated, with more than 80% of the respondents appreciating urban vegetation for providing shade and improving air quality. Respondents recognized that different vegetation types provided different ecosystem services. For example, secondary forest was most commonly associated with education and wildlife, while trees were strongly associated with cooling and air quality. We conclude that in developing plans and designs for urban vegetation and ecosystem services, it is important to understand the perceptions, priorities, and concerns of residents.

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“…From an urban sociological standpoint, there are various ways that lawns are utilised. One of the main values of conventional lawns is the space they provide for social activities such as picnicking, resting, sunbathing, walking dogs, games and sports [102]. Another important function, which was connected to the 19th century gardenesque style, was the use of lawns as aesthetic backgrounds for architecture and art elements [22].…”

Section: Cultural Services Of Lawns: Recreationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Ignatieva

Haase

Dushkova

et al. 2020

Land

Self Cite

121

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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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The lawn as a social and cultural phenomenon in Sweden

Cited by 74 publications

References 16 publications

Estimating urban lawn cover in space and time: Case studies in three Swedish cities

Estimating urban lawn cover in space and time: Case studies in three Swedish cities

Urban Vegetation Types are Not Perceived Equally in Providing Ecosystem Services and Disservices

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

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