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Assessing four methods for establishing native plants on urban vacant land.

ABSTRACT: Urban greening increases vegetation and can restore ecological functions to urban systems. It has ties to restoration ecology, which aims to return degraded land to diverse, functional ecosystems. Both practices can be applied to maximizing ecosystem services and habitat in vacant lots, which are abundant in post-industrial cities, including Chicago, Illinois (USA), where our study took place. We tested four methods for increasing native plant diversity in vacant lots, ranging from low input to resource-intensive: seed bombing, broadcast seeding, planting plugs, and gardening. After three growing seasons, we assessed the growth of eight target native species and all non-target species. We expected that intensive treatments would have more target species stems and flowers and fewer non-target species, but we found that less-intensive options often produce equal or better results. From this, we recommend broadcast seeding as a viable, low-cost method for improving habitat and biodiversity in vacant lots.

SUBMITTER: Anderson EC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7882654 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Assessing four methods for establishing native plants on urban vacant land.

Anderson Elsa C EC Minor Emily S ES

Ambio 20200918 3

Urban greening increases vegetation and can restore ecological functions to urban systems. It has ties to restoration ecology, which aims to return degraded land to diverse, functional ecosystems. Both practices can be applied to maximizing ecosystem services and habitat in vacant lots, which are abundant in post-industrial cities, including Chicago, Illinois (USA), where our study took place. We tested four methods for increasing native plant diversity in vacant lots, ranging from low input to ...[more]

PMID: 32948986

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Project description:ImportanceNeighborhood physical conditions have been associated with mental illness and may partially explain persistent socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of poor mental health.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether interventions to green vacant urban land can improve self-reported mental health.Design, setting, and participantsThis citywide cluster randomized trial examined 442 community-dwelling sampled adults living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within 110 vacant lot clusters randomly assigned to 3 study groups. Participants were followed up for 18 months preintervention and postintervention. This trial was conducted from October 1, 2011, to November 30, 2014. Data were analyzed from July 1, 2015, to April 16, 2017.InterventionsThe greening intervention involved removing trash, grading the land, planting new grass and a small number of trees, installing a low wooden perimeter fence, and performing regular monthly maintenance. The trash cleanup intervention involved removal of trash, limited grass mowing where possible, and regular monthly maintenance. The control group received no intervention.Main outcomes and measuresSelf-reported mental health measured by the Kessler-6 Psychological Distress Scale and the components of this scale.ResultsA total of 110 clusters containing 541 vacant lots were enrolled in the trial and randomly allocated to the following 1 of 3 study groups: the greening intervention (37 clusters [33.6%]), the trash cleanup intervention (36 clusters [32.7%]), or no intervention (37 clusters [33.6%]). Of the 442 participants, the mean (SD) age was 44.6 (15.1) years, 264 (59.7%) were female, and 194 (43.9%) had a family income less than $25 000. A total of 342 participants (77.4%) had follow-up data and were included in the analysis. Of these, 117 (34.2%) received the greening intervention, 107 (31.3%) the trash cleanup intervention, and 118 (34.5%) no intervention. Intention-to-treat analysis of the greening intervention compared with no intervention demonstrated a significant decrease in participants who were feeling depressed (-41.5%; 95% CI, -63.6% to -5.9%; P = .03) and worthless (-50.9%; 95% CI, -74.7% to -4.7%; P = .04), as well as a nonsignificant reduction in overall self-reported poor mental health (-62.8%; 95% CI, -86.2% to 0.4%; P = .051). For participants living in neighborhoods below the poverty line, the greening intervention demonstrated a significant decrease in feeling depressed (-68.7%; 95% CI, -86.5% to -27.5%; P = .007). Intention-to-treat analysis of those living near the trash cleanup intervention compared with no intervention showed no significant changes in self-reported poor mental health.Conclusions and relevanceAmong community-dwelling adults, self-reported feelings of depression and worthlessness were significantly decreased, and self-reported poor mental health was nonsignificantly reduced for those living near greened vacant land. The treatment of blighted physical environments, particularly in resource-limited urban settings, can be an important treatment for mental health problems alongside other patient-level treatments.Trial registrationisrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN92582209.

Project description:Vacant urban land, although not officially designated as a green space, often exhibits a semi-wild natural state due to being left open to colonization by nature. Attention to the effects of vacant urban land on human health has increased due to both rising urban vacancy rates and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, relationships between many vacant land characteristics (such as vegetation coverage, size, duration, and location) and NCDs have not been comprehensively examined, especially comparing shrinking (depopulating) and growing (populating) cities. This study evaluates St. Louis, MO (shrinking), and Los Angeles, CA (growing) to explore these relationships using ordinary least squares (OLS) interaction analysis with a moderator approach. Results show that associations between vacancy rate, duration, location, and NCDs differ significantly between city types. Vegetation coverage and size are associated with specific NCDs, but there are no differences between city types. Unlike the largely dilapidated vacant lands in the shrinking city, which tend to harm public health, vacant lots in the growing city were more functional green spaces that can, in some cases, even mitigate NCDs. Interestingly, In St. Louis, the shorter the average duration of the vacant land, the greater the risk of NCDs in a shrinking city. This is because vacant land can be contagious to nearby lots if not treated, leading to more newly emerged vacant lands and reducing the average duration of vacant land. In such cases, census tracts with the lower duration of vacant lands in St. Louis tend to be areas facing persistent environmental degradation and high public health threats. Regarding location, vacant lands near industrial areas were linked to negative health outcomes in the Los Angeles (growing), while those near single-family and commercial areas posed higher risks of NCDs in the St Louis (shrinking). The findings aid decision-making for land supply regulation and regeneration as well as urban green space management to promote human health and well-being.

Dataset Information

Assessing four methods for establishing native plants on urban vacant land.

Publications

Assessing four methods for establishing native plants on urban vacant land.

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