Aggression and green spaces

 

In a previous post I have discussed the perception of safety, and I think it is important issue to discuss in greater depth.

Safety and feeling safe is important in a livable vibrant city.  This feeling of being safe is perhaps a greater concern for females.   I think I am far more vigilant and carefully considered in where I go than my male friends. How I move about spaces, what time I go running through a park or even what park I go to, are all considered to a greater degree as a female.

Different cities and also suburbs within the city have different level of aggression or perception of safety.  When I move to a new town or city, I am constantly assessing the vibe and feel of the place, picking up any hints of aggression and assessing which areas/parks I feel comfortable in darkness or broad daylight.  As you become familiar with place, you gain greater sense of safety but on the other hand, some areas or suburbs may remain to be considered ‘unsafe’.

Quality green spaces can offer little restoration experience if there is sense of unease or concerns for safety.  In these fearful situations, moving or being in quality green spaces does not offer restoration, but demands attention.  Peoples attention is spent assessing situations and possible responses and then the ramification for these possible responses. 

Low socio economic areas in the middle of the city often have a high level of aggression.  Research shows high temperature, noise and crowding leads to an increase in the level of aggression. Combined with the demands of living with little money, no financial security requires high levels of mental functioning and problem solving.  There is risk for greater mental fatigue and fatigue related aggression in poverty inner city areas. This and other factors combined with the lack of accessible green spaces make it more difficult to recover from fatigue.    

Cities and good urban design can mitigate this risk of aggression by providing accessible quality green spaces dispersed proportionally throughout the city.  Studies show that people looking out onto green space/ nearby nature have a lower level of aggression than those who look out onto asphalt or other buildings.   The reduction in aggression is not the only benefit of nearby nature, people have a greater ability to manage stressful life events, there is an increase in neighbour socialisation and restoration benefits can occur limiting fatigue.  

A focus on providing nearby nature particularly in low socio economic areas may have huge benefits and could possibly reduce the level of aggression and improve other related actions like domestic violence. By greening these low socio economic areas they may become more desirable places to be and the perceived fear and the actual level of aggression will be reduced.

Unstructured Play

Forts, tree huts, witches dens and mud are all things that can make an exciting play space.  Schools and day centres have a valuable role to provide quality green spaces  that offer opportunities for imaginative creative play. Playgrounds with jungle gym, swings and sea saws that dictates ‘how to play’ are not suffice.  Quality green spaces means areas of bush, large trees, sticks, stones and mud.  These elements are often overlooked as vital play objects but they offer enriched diverse and dynamic play, where play is only bounded by the  children’s own imagination.   

There is an abundance of research showing the importance of unstructured play.  Children function better when they play in green environments that captures their imagination. From unstructured play they can gain improved motor-coordination and risk taking skills. 
It is also shown that play in quality green spaces decreases symptoms of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).  

There are several schools that are noticeably leading the way whereby school grounds are developed to become quality green spaces.  Meadowbank School situated in Auckland is successful and recognised enviro-education school that has an extensive green space.  Students are encouraged to go and play and explore their wild area and it is also used as a resource for classroom learning. 

While school grounds can be designed to offer natural elements suitable for play, it is essential for the school philosophy and rules to be aligned to promote enriched play.  This means allowing and encouraging children to climb trees in schools and get children to recognise their own boundaries through play.  

WildZones Toolkit shows you how to establish wild playable spaces.

gardens as biodiversity spots

Our backyards are a good starting point to create biodiversity.  Or if you live in an apartment there are possibilities such as the roof top or window boxes.  

We can all add complexity and create more attractive, livable spaces by looking at our backyards.  

A multidisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Otago are working on an exciting project,  assessing the effectiveness of gardens to increase biodiversity. This team comprises of an unusual and exciting combination of the natural and social sciences, involving scientists from the geography, psychology and ecology fields. 

The scientists aim to find out what’s in the participants garden, identifying plant and animals species right down to the smallest of insects.  They are surveying participant’s knowledge of wildlife, their ability to identify animals and native plants. 

The study aims to find out what their garden means to them and what elements they value the most, by getting participants to take photos of their most attractive and valued elements. The participants knowledge of plant and animal species are assessed and used to examine if there is a connection between the knowledge of native plants and the percentage of native plants in their gardens. 
This involves providing information about local native plants to participants and measure any change in values. The study considers the influence of other factors on the knowledge and values of the participants, taking socio-economic factors into account.

The results of this project will lead to greater understanding of gardens role in creating biodiversity, but also an insight into the relative health of Dunedin ecological habitat.  

You can measure ecological health of your backyard by noting the presence of native birds, particularly any insectivore species such as fantails, our piwakawaka in your back garden. These species indicate your garden and surrounding area is relatively healthy.   

 

Wild the City Logo

A big thanks to Jessie McKay and Sophie Curtis, Department of Design Studies, University of Otago for designing the Wild the City logo. 

Shrinking cities

Shrinking cities are a phenomenon of our time. According to Blanco & Alberti et al. (2009), since the 1950s, over 450 cities with a population of over 100,000 have lost 1/10 of their population.  As people have sought a more quieter suburban life or more spacious surrounds, the inner cities and in  some cases, entire cities have been depleted of people. But this shrinkage is not all bad, it can be an opportunity to seize, to plan and create positive and vibrant spaces in our urban areas.

If shrinkage is left unplanned, areas of neglect known as ‘terrain vagues’ can develop.  These are mixed areas of industry and nature that look unkempt and uncared for. People become anxious of these ‘uncared for‘ spaces leading to decreasing property values and a lack of confidence in the future of the neighbourhood.

On the other hand widespread vacancy can lead to vast improvements. In Ohio, the population decreased by over half from a population of 170,000 to 82,000 in 2000. Ohio has taken a positive approach with vacant areas in their city being planned and transformed into green spaces.  They plan to create a more greener, more compact and sustainable city with a tree planting program,  urban agriculture, storm water management and reforestation in the city.

While creative shrinkage is an opportunity, it isn’t a phenomenon in New Zealand and is unlikely to occur in the near future.  In New Zealand, the urban population is on the rise.  Our main cities;  Auckland, Manukau, Christchurch and North Shore cities populations are all increasing.  But with the population increase, instead of urban intensification, the cities are spreading outwards, creating major urban sprawl and taking up valuable productive land and ecological habitat.  This rise in urban population strongly contrasts with the rural districts such as Ruapehu and Wairoa and South Taranaki are experiencing a declining population.

 

References:

Blanco H (2009) Shaken, shrinking, hot, impoverished and informal: Emerging research agendas in planning. Progress in Planning. 72, 195-250,

get out there

A walk is not enough, kids want an adventure

To engage in the outdoors is quite simple to do- GET OUT THERE.  Regardless of the weather, turn off the telly, grab that cup of tea and go outside.  Weather isn’t an excuse- if its cold, pull on the woolley hat and wear loads of layers of warm clothing.

We can’t use computers and our fast paced life as an excuse.  We need to make time to be outside, breathe in the crisp, fresh air, sit down and take it all in. Sit and be still.  What do you hear up close and far away? What do you smell? What do you see? Where does that path lead?

We are lucky if we can remember a place in our childhood in which we could explore.  These memories of making huts, climbing trees, finding and collecting berries and mushrooms. These memories are our own personal treasure chest.

Why was it so different back then? Parents wanted the kids out of their hair, “Go on, go outside”, and you were quite simply shut outside.  It didnt take long to figure out that fun was only bounded by your imagination, sticks became wands, or an entrance to a castle, or suddenly Luke Sky Walkers light sabre reenacting Star Wars.

In today’s society we seem to be paralyzed by a paranoia of fear, the perceived ‘stranger danger’.  Parents are afraid to let kids out of their sight. Children’s home range, free roaming away from their parents eye has decreased significantly in the last 3 generations. In our grandparents generation, their home range as a child was about 2km, by the time of our parents generation it had decreased to 1km, and the next generation it is apparently an abismal 300 metres.  

So, can we afford to be complacent and say the outdoors can not compete with the kids playstations? No, thats not good enough.  It is yours, our responsibility to get kids outside.  This is achieved by deliberately developing habits to get kids outside in all weather playing in the dust, mud, rain and snow. Whatever… get them hardened to the grubs, bugs and develop a healthy robust immune system. 

There is responsibility of the older generations to show the youth and children their secret spots.   Share your treasure chest of experiences and let your kids roam and explore their local neighbourhood. Pass on your knowledge and games to the next generation.

parks we love

I just discovered a park only 200 metres away from my office. Considering that I’ve been here for over a year now, this is a bit embarrassing to admit. One factor that makes it less ‘red faced’  is that this space is masked with vegetation and sits at a higher level than the main street so it is less obviously noticed. It’s almost like its supposed to be a secret spot, hidden from you till you have earned acceptance from the local community along with the right to be ‘in the know’. 

I feel like I have just struck gold, but at the same time feel a bit cheated that no one told me about this spot.  It is a pocket park, an intimate space tacked on to the side of a church, which is referred to as the Knox Church park.  People are sprawled out on the grass, talking and laughing.  Others are sitting on the park benches in the sun munching down some kai.  

One thing I think is a ‘must do’ when in this space is to take your shoes off and take your time to pick your patch of grass to occupy.  Choose the space, whether it is dosed in sunshine or dappled light or full shade, then lie on your back and look up. Looking up from here you really get to appreciate the beautiful rata and beech trees claiming the sky, their large branches with red and orange leaves reaching upwards.

One of the things that makes this place so special is the vegetation that demarcates the space.  This bubble of green is a sanctuary. A mosaic of plants shuts it out from the main street, shielding it from the fast paced movement of urban life.  Two large grandfather trees define the space and look over it. 

Native verses Exotic debate

The idea of Wild the City is to create complexity in the city, multipurpose spaces that embrace wildness. Usually when I tell people about the idea their eyes light up with excitement, but at the same time there is an air of skepticism on how this could possibly be implemented.  One of the first issues raised from the bubbling skepticism is the use of exotic verses native species in our landscapes.

Exotic species can be considered as pests.  Many of the introduced animals, trees and plants have become unwanted, noxious and invasive pest species.  New Zealand’s history strongly illustrates the dire effects that scores of the introduced animals have had on native species population.  This has lead to species displacement, and has also aided the extinction of many of our unique ground dwelling birds. Plants were introduced to NZ primarily for aesthetic purposes, but many have become invasive and in some cases smother native plants.

On one hand exotics are bad, bad and bad. But on the other, they provide food, shelter and vast economic benefits, allowing us to live comfortably.  All exotic species should not be considered as a negative.  Let’s face it, all the plants in New Zealand that produce vegetables and fruit are all introduced species. Exotics are not only good for food but they have other positives benefits.  They can provide a good food source and habitat for our native birds and insects. Many exotic plant species are visited more frequently by native birds than native plants are.

Any large tree or plant can provide benefits such as the cooling of hard paved urban areas, filtering air pollutants and reducing noise.  If the exotic species are not harmful and have other benefits, then they are part of creating a successful dynamic city. Thus they need not be considered an entirely negative phenomenon.

A sustainable city is one that strives to maintain ecological processes and integrity, celebrating local native species.  But the sustainable city also has a place for exotic species that add complexity. Any large tree in an urban area, ought to be cherished. Large trees are often hundreds of years old and have survived decades and centuries of pressures from urban development.    A green space, whether created with native or exotic species, is a benefit.

Local native plants ought to be given preference, as they make one place different from another. They are an integral part of our identity as New Zealanders, providing a distinct sense of identity at a regional and local scale, making one place different from another and thus going against the grain of globalization and homogenization.   Effort should be made to utilize local native plants in our urban settings. 

Instead of thinking about it as native verses exotic, we should focus on what components add to the ecological, social and cultural elements that are placemaking and have multiple uses/benefits to both humans and other animals.  

 

Smellscapes and Soundscapes

Tuning into the world- The city as a smell and soundscape

What would a city be like, if it became a place focused on engaging our senses?  It would become a ‘sensescape’, embracing the importance of smells and sounds in our cities. In most instances a city focuses only on the landscape which is entrenched in strong visual aesthetics. A change in focus in thinking about sensory experiences and other scapes  would move us away from a visually dominated to a multi-sensory city. In a society that focuses on the importance of sight, the visual bling bling, our other senses are terribly neglected and seem to be gathering dust.  

All of our senses – touch, hearing, taste and smell in addition to sight – are a crucial foundation of our knowledge.  Being in the outdoors, walking, or weeding the garden, are experiences of nature that use our senses to recreate and renew our values and meanings of place. By being outside you can hear the birds, feel the different intensity of the sun over times and seasons, taste the air and smell the seaweed.  These senses create a unique experience and foster a healthy environment.

A sensory experience can transport you back to a certain place and time. Smells can bring up vivid memories of the past.  The smell of body odor and suddenly I am 10 years old  again, sitting on the school bus alongside other sweating kids, heading home after a day at school spent tirelessly running around.  Just walking along a school hallway, the musty smell of kids’ lunchboxes lingering in the air, and I can see the lino and my favorite red school bag on its hook, lined up with others. 

Odours and smellscapes can become identifiable features of a city and can even be promoted as a feature of a place. For example, in Dunedin the strong smell of cheap instant coffee lingers on the streets, wafts from the factory of the local instant coffee producer. The West Coast of New Zealand smells of rain and lushly green, growing vegetation. 

 

Sound in our city is another sense that is often overlooked.  The soundscape in the city has become dominated with manmade building and transport sounds; the heavy machinery sounds of construction, boy racers ripping up the streets, the screech of trucks braking to a stop and then roaring back into motion. Living in the city, our ears are usually overloaded with loud, mostly unpleasant sounds, which become a noisy background to our everyday lives.  To escape the cacophony we try to block out the noise by jamming in our earplugs and listening to our favorite beats. 

Even without the earphones, though, quieter sounds are drowned out and unable to compete.  We don’t hear the wind, crisp autumn leaves crunching underfoot, the cicadas, the fall of rain hitting pounding the roof and the silence of snow softly falling.  Some of these sounds have been lost as  habitat has been removed to make way for new urban development.  Only people who have lived in the area for a long time can tell us about the sounds we have lost, which are often a measure for ecological and environmental health. Bird song and insect noises generally mean the local environment is relatively healthy.  

Sound and smellscapes are important features in our cities because sound represents life and odors are an important part of our memories. They are elements we enjoy but often do not consider in our urban parks and city centres. A tranquil space in the inner city can offer a sanctuary from the fast-paced car and building clatter and traffic fumes. Hearing people laughing and talking and smelling coffee and moist vegetation are pleasant city experiences.  

The 28thof April is Noise Awareness Day.

ACCESS to nature

Positive places, places that make us feel good, that we are drawn to, are places we want to be and live. Sometimes an individual lone tree can create a pleasant space, or possibly our own backyard garden  or a nearby reserve.  Without any trees or local green space nearby, people are unable to experience nature on a daily basis. Access to quality green spaces that captures our attention and soothes the soul strengthens our connection with the natural environment. 

How close do you live to trees or native lowlands that let you get a good dose of nature?

Ideal access is achieved by integrating nature into our cities.  The relationship between the ideal distance from a household to the nearest green space and that space’s size has been explored. In the perfect city, there should be clusters of trees throughout the community spaced 200m apart. Small reserves, approximately 1-hectare in size, would be located within a 5 minute walk of any household. The optimal distance to a larger park (4-10ha) would be a maximum of 5km, roughly a 30 minute walk.  This situation would not only create accessible green spaces for humans but also functional ecological habitat.  There would be significant benefits for wildlife in terms of creating patches, islands and cores of habitat within the city.

You may argue that these spaces already exist. 

Accessibility to natural areas differs depending on where you live, both in which city you live in and its focus on green spaces and in the particular suburb of that city.  There is a huge disparity between suburbs, which is often related to socioeconomic factors.  Often, poor areas of the city have less access to quality green spaces.  Majora Carter brought this to attention in the USA, with a successful community project called ‘Greening the Ghetto’, transforming uncared for areas into quality green spaces.
Claire Freeman developed a habitat map of Dunedin City.  The study yielded some surprising results, clearly highlighting a disparity in location of greenspaces.  The map shows St Kilda, located in South Dunedin, being particulary void of vegetation.  While Dunedin is perceived to have an abundance of vegetation, very little of it is native.  This habitat mapping  effectively shows potential corridor links and areas with a deficit in  natural vegetation.

What if we cut up some of the roads and pavements and planted these areas with kowhais? Maybe then tuis and kereru would come visit St Kilda.

NOTE: Thanks to Claire Freeman for allowing me to use this habitat map for the purpose of the Wild the City blog.  Any reproduction of material from this post is not permitted unless permission is granted.

References

Meurk, C. and G. Hall (2006). “Options for enhancing forest biodiversity across New Zealand’s managed landscapes based on ecosystem modelling and spatial design.” New Zealand Journal of Ecology30(1): 131-146.

Freeman, C. Buck, O (2003).  ”Development of an ecological mapping methodology for urban areas in New Zealand.” Landscape and Urban Planning63: 161-173