打印

作者

Adrian J. Marshall;Margaret J. Grose;Nicholas S.G. Williams

来源

URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING,Vol.44,Issue1,Article 126423

语言

英文

关键字

Nature strip;Urban greening;Urban forest;Public open space;Urban planning;Garden

作者单位

Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Australia;School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia;Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Australia;School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia

摘要

Road easements are ubiquitous in urban landscapes but the green space they provide has been largely ignored, even though it represents a significant proportion of total urban green space. In this study, the extent and spatial distribution of green space within road easements are compared with private residential gardens and other public green space in Melbourne, Australia. Ground-surface permeability to water data and aerial photography were used to identify and quantify the extent of green space within 47 randomly selected neighbourhoods. Road easement green space constituted 7.0% of land cover and a surprisingly high 36.7% of public green space. The percentage of the road easement that was green space was positively correlated with date of neighbourhood development, residential parcel size, footpath absence and social disadvantage. The percentage of residential parcels that was private garden was positively correlated with residential parcel size, but negatively correlated with road density, and positively correlated with date of neighbourhood development as date increased to the 1950s and then negatively correlated for the following decades. Streets with a greater percentage of road easement green space were associated with residential parcels that had a greater percentage of garden. The potential for road easement green space to provide for the biodiversity, ecosystem function and human amenity now being demanded from urban green spaces is much greater than previously thought. Planners, urban foresters, landscape architects, engineers and ecologists need to work together to reconsider the ecological and greening roles of existing road easements and consider this in future road designs. Our data suggests that the roles that residents, municipal governments and road authorities can play will vary across developments, with each presenting specific opportunities to improve the benefits flowing from road easement green space.