Urban Domestic Gardens (XIV): The Characteristics of Gardens in Five Cities

Abstract

Domestic gardens make substantial contributions to the provision of green space in urban areas. However, the ecological functions provided by such gardens depend critically on their configuration and composition. Here, we present the first detailed analysis of variation in the composition of urban gardens, in relation to housing characteristics and the nature of the surrounding landscape, across different cities in the United Kingdom. In all five cities studied (Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leicester, and Oxford), garden size had an overwhelming influence on garden composition. Larger gardens supported more of the land-use types recorded, in greater extents, and were more likely to contain particular features, including tall trees and mature shrubs, areas of unmown grass and uncultivated land, vegetable patches, ponds, and composting sites. The proportional contribution of non-vegetated land-uses decreased as garden area increased. House age was less significant in determining the land-use within gardens, although older houses, which were more likely to be found further from the urban edge of the city, contained fewer hedges and greater areas of vegetation canopy >2 m in height. Current UK government planning recommendations will ultimately reduce the area of individual gardens and are thus predicted to result in fewer tall trees and, in particular, less vegetation canopy >2 m. This might be detrimental from ecological, aesthetic, social, and economic stand points.

El Césped del Vecino es más Verde: Flora de Patios a Través de un Gradiente Social

“…Patios con más árboles están positivamente correlacionados a especies de invertebrados (LORAM, et al, 2008), muchos de las cuales son especies polinizadoras. Entonces, ¿hay un área mínimo para garantizar la presencia de una mayor densidad arbórea en esos espacios?…”

“…Hay un amplio reconocimiento de la importancia de los patios privados a la conservación de la biodiversidad (incluyéndose a preservación de especies amenazadas vegetales y animales), pero prácticamente no ha habido intentos de describir la composición y distribución de la diversidad biológica presente en los patios (GASTON, et al, 2005;THOMPSON, et al, 2005;SMITH, et al, 2006a;LORAM, et al, 2007;ANGEOLETTO, 2008;LORAM, et al, 2008;MARCO, et al, 2008;DAVIES, et al, 2009;GODDARD, et al, 2010;SIVIERO, et al, 2011). Los estudios de la flora urbana en general se concentran en fragmentos de bosques (HOPE, et al, 2003) aunque las especies cultivadas sean las dominantes en los ecosistemas urbanos, y de ellas poco se sepa (MARCO, et al, 2008).…”

BIMBY’s first steps: a pilot study on the contribution of residential front-yards in Phoenix and Maastricht to biodiversity, ecosystem services and urban sustainability

“…Cornelis and Hermy 2004;Gaston et al 2005;Hope et al 2006;Baker and Harris 2007;Burghardt et al 2008;Loram et al 2008;Martin 2008;Kendal et al 2012), or on factors that influence human choices and preferences for certain types of yards (Nassauer 1995;Larsen and Harlan 2006;Larsen and Swanbrow 2006;Lyytimäki et al 2008;Larson et al 2009;St. Hilaire et al 2010;Zheng et al 2011;Heezik, et al 2012;Kurz and Baudains 2012;Uren, et al 2015).…”

“…Hilaire et al 2010;Zheng et al 2011;Heezik, et al 2012;Kurz and Baudains 2012;Uren, et al 2015). Although urban residential landscapes and domestic gardening preferences, values and drivers are increasingly studied in the context of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation (Miller and Hobbs 2002;Gaston, et al 2005;Larsen and Harlan 2006;Mathieu et al 2007;Loram et al 2008;Galluzzi et al 2010;Goddard et al 2010;Larson et al 2010;St. Hilaire et al 2010;Chowdhury et al 2011;Zheng et al 2011;Cook et al 2012;Heezik et al 2012;Kurz and Baudains 2012) there is still much to be learned on how cultural elements and human preferences represented in domestic gardens (e.g.…”

“…Through a combination of observational field-visits, photo-analyses and literature study (Noss 1990;Costanza et al 1997;Opschoor 1998;Bolund and Hunhammar 1999;Hermy and Cornelis 2000;Savard 2000;Nunes and van den Bergh 2001;Appleton 2002;Groot et al 2002;McKinney 2002;Nagendra 2002;Spellerberg and Ferdor 2003;Zerbe et al 2003;Cornelis and Hermy 2004;Gaston et al 2005;Keylock 2005;McNeely et al 2005;MEA 2005;Larsen and Harlan 2006;Baker and Harris 2007;CBD 2007;Hart 2007;Norton and Noonan 2007;Loram et al 2008;Lyytimäki et al 2008;Martin 2008;Sukopp 2008;Dearborn and Kark 2009;TEEB 2009;Caro 2010;Galluzzi et al 2010;Hancock 2010;Larson et al 2010;Müller et al 2010;St. Hilaire, et al 2010;Tzoulas and James 2010;Beatley 2011;Farinha-Marques et al 2011;Müller and Kamada 2011;Cook et al 2012;Jaganmohan et al 2012;Jim 2012;Jorgensen and Keenan 2012;Kendal et al 2012;…”