Running Head: THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 1. Assignment #3: Stance Essay. Joe Green. ENG 115- English Composition. Professor Frank Jones

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1 Running Head: THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 1 Assignment #3: Stance Essay Joe Green ENG 115- English Composition Professor Frank Jones December 11, 2015

2 THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 2 The Ideal Approach to Urban Greenspaces The benefits of greenspace in urban areas are numerous. Greenspaces have been shown to provide direct and indirect psychological benefits to the people that experience them regularly. The current global trend is a migration to urban environments and so in many communities, urban greenspaces provide the citizens only opportunity to interface with nature. While greenspaces provide a venue for recreation and socializing, they also decrease emotional distress for the people who visit them (White, Alcock, Wheeler, & Depledge, 2013). They are beneficial to the environment in many ways, including filtering air and water and increasing the biodiversity of an area (De Sousa, 2013). Greenspaces also provide services that improve the quality of life in a city. They provide a cooling effect by shading heat-absorbing surfaces like asphalt with vegetation (Jesdale, Morello-Frosch, & Cushing, 2013). The city of Birmingham has some parks and wooded areas, but the downtown area is lacking. The question, therefore, is whether the best way for Birmingham to address this lack is to construct one large central park or by building multiple smaller parks. Constructing small parks in various neighborhoods will be the most effective way to bring more urban greenspace to downtown Birmingham, because these parks will be in close proximity to many people, their construction can be very flexible, and they can capitalize on the use of brownfields. One reason constructing multiple small parks would be an effective approach to Birmingham s lack of greenspace is that these parks will be close in proximity to many people. Even though there are already some greenspaces in Birmingham, none are located close to downtown, and so the people there, especially those without means of transportation, aren t be able to take advantage of them. Those in poorer areas are

3 THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 3 especially limited, as it has been shown that there is much more greenspace in wealthier areas than in low-income neighborhoods (Mitchell & Popham, 2008). By building multiple small parks, it can be ensured that parks will be placed in locations that are accessible to all residents, no matter their income level. It is important to incorporate greenspaces into urban areas that are accessible to the residents of those areas. A small park should be within walking distance of just about anywhere. This would not be feasible with one large central park, but it could be accomplished with multiple smaller ones. Although it s possible that a larger central park could become a downtown destination, that fact would not necessarily mean that the park would be accessible to many residents. Instead, it would likely be more convenient to tourists. Another reason constructing multiple small parks would be an effective approach to Birmingham s lack of greenspace is that the construction of these parks can be very flexible. The locations can be based on what plots are available and opportune. It has been shown that many inequalities exist in the distribution of greenspaces in communities nationwide. In some cities there is as much as double the amount of greenspace in wealthier neighborhoods compared to low-income neighborhoods. A study performed in 2013 showed that inequality also exists in the amount of greenspace among different ethnicities (Jesdale, Morello-Frosch, & Cushing, 2013). Neighborhoods primarily populated by minorities displayed a lower percentage of vegetative cover. This approach will be effective at addressing this inequality. Because of the flexibility afforded by their size, small parks can be constructed in locations throughout Birmingham that reflect this intention and alleviate this inequality. A large central park, on the other hand, would not be able to capitalize on this flexibility. The possible locations for a central park would be

4 THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 4 much more restricted, and it would not be as easy to offset the ethnic inequality evident in the current greenspace locations. The flexibility afforded by multiple smaller parks leads us to a third reason that constructing such parks will address the problem of a lack of greenspace: these parks can capitalize on the use of brownfields. Greenspaces are a method of re-purposing land and are a minimal imposition on land that is already in commercial or residential use. For better or worse, as a result of an industrial hub since the late 1800s, Birmingham hosts plenty of land and industrial areas that have been abandoned for many years. Many of these sites are remains from various industrial and metropolitan booms throughout Birmingham s history. These sites are called brownfields and are ideal for sustainable development (De Sousa, 2003). This approach will capitalize on the use of brownfields, making it an ideal way to bring greenspace access to the people of downtown Birmingham. The construction of a large centralized park would likely require the acquisition of land that is already in use, so it would potentially hinder the economy or productivity of the part of town where it is built. Not so with smaller parks, which would not only achieve their primary purpose of providing more greenspace to Birmingham, but would also beautify abandoned and undeveloped areas of the city. This also has the added benefit of increasing biodiversity of such areas. In a time where wilderness areas are dwindling worldwide and urban areas seem to be expanding indefinitely, increasing biodiversity is a vital service for the world. Managing greenspaces for increased biodiversity also provide psychological benefits. A study performed in 2007 showed the psychological benefits provided by greenspaces increase with increased biodiversity in greenspaces (Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, & Pullin, 2010).

5 THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 5 There are many factors to consider when choosing the best approach to constructing greenspace in Birmingham. One must consider how many people will be able to feasibly access the site, how difficult it will be to offset the ethnic inequality of the current park locations, and whether the parks will take advantage of brownfields or cut into the current economy of an area. While the construction of one large, centralized park might benefit the neighborhood of that one park, the flexibility of constructing multiple smaller parks makes it much easier to bring greenspaces into the reach of more people, including ethnic minorities that are currently being shortchanged of greenspace. These parks would not only benefit more people, they would also improve the city s infrastructure itself as they renovate and utilize brownfields. That is why I believe this approach will be the best way to bring more greenspace to Birmingham and thus make the city a greener city with a higher quality of life.

6 THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 6 References Bowler, D., Buyung-Ali, L., Knight, T., & Pullin, A. (2010). A systematic review for the added benefits of health of exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health, 10(456). doi: / De Sousa, C. A. (2003). Turning brownfields into green space in the city of Toronto. Landscape and Urban Planning, 62(4), doi: /s (02) Jesdale, B. M., Morello-Frosch, R., & Cushing, L. (2013). The racial/ethnic distribution of heat-risk related land cover in relation to residential segregation. Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(7). doi: /ehp Mitchell, R. & Popham F. (2008). Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: An observational population study. The Lancet 372(9650), doi: /s (08)61689-x White, M., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B., & Depledge, M. (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? A fixed-effects analysis of panel data. Psychological Science, 24(6). doi: /