Green Spaces: A Tool for Social Equity

Preamble

Green urban spaces have been long associated with a higher economic status and this correlation can be evidenced by the majority of the metropolitan cities around the world. The correlation between urban tree cover and income is well-documented in cities around the world. This remains the historic by-product of inequality with rich neighbourhoods often benefitting from the benefits of urban forests. This blog presents the existing inequalities in urban forest planning and what can be done to make cities greener and more inclusive for all citizens. 

Research Questions

1. What is the significance of urban forest planning? 

2. How are urban forest planning and growing inequality among citizens linked? 

3. What can be done to make cities greener and more inclusive for all citizens?

Introduction

After a staggering wait of months, lockdown restrictions have been eventually lifted in many countries, and people are considering the welcome break from confinement to enjoy some fresh air. But the amount of green space accessible to each citizen will significantly depend on their socioeconomic status. Human society and the global economy are linked to forests as forest ecosystems play a vital role in stabilising the climate and protecting the world’s biodiversity. Similarly, urban forests are not a new phenomenon and have remained an integral part of cities. Research has found that proximity to green spaces is linked to better health and psychological well-being (Feder, 2019). Subsequently, studies have found that tree canopy varies depending on the relative wealth of different communities. Higher-income areas enjoy a 30 percent canopy cover while lower-income immigrant communities have a scant 7.5 percent tree canopy cover, respectively (Urban Forestry Council, 2014). Urban forests provide various benefits to people, but their presence can contribute to unequal outcomes in health, wealth, and overall well-being. The strategic regreening of cities should proactively address inequality issues raised due to the uneven distribution of green spaces in urban forest planning and plan green spaces to make environments more equitable and improve residents’ lives. 

Urban Forest Planning and Social Equity

The issues of inequity are increasingly coming to the centre of policy debates regarding various social problems. Wide income gaps, unequal access to health, and education resources, and tensions between racial and social groups are at the forefront of future policymaking. Social equity aims to achieve fair outcomes for all while recognising that individuals and social groups face unique challenges and require different types of support based on their specific needs (CSSP, 2019). Expansion and protection of green spaces without efforts to achieve social equity can worsen social inequalities based on spaces and reinforce marginalised communities’ lack of access to benefits that green spaces provide. Installation and maintenance of green infrastructures like parks, riverbanks, forest patches, and street trees come at a high cost. Green infrastructure is often tied to the wealth of surrounding communities and can lead to the displacement of poorer residents. Differences in communities’ political representations and the city’s economic interest to attract wealthy residents and tourists may impact decision-making related to public green spaces. Studies have shown that installation or restoration of parks in city areas raised real estate values and ultimately attracted wealthy residents, invariably driving out poorer residents from the area (Gould, 2012). 

Land use decisions for urban parks and green infrastructure may also displace poor residents who lack tenure rights, usage rights, and representations. Moreover, urban parks and green infrastructure may create barriers to equal access when they are not designed to meet the goals of disadvantaged groups such as women, people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and other marginalised groups. Also, the type and density of vegetation affect how safe park users feel depending on gender, age, race, and socioeconomic status. Low-income neighbourhoods also face the risk of green gentrification. In this process, new amenities fuel socioeconomic alienation by transforming the neighbourhood without keeping in mind the current residents’ needs and preferences. When green spaces are unequally distributed, so too are the benefits they provide. Low-income residents are more likely to live in hotter neighbourhoods and be exposed to higher levels of air pollution, often resulting from fewer green amenities. Recent studies show a correlation between increased air pollution and higher fatality rates from COVID-19 (Wu, 2020). Properly designed green spaces can help reduce pollution and improve quality of life. This demonstrates the need for equitable distribution of green spaces to avoid reinforcing inequalities in health outcomes. 

Building Greener, More Inclusive Cities

Urban green spaces are valuable tools for marginalized communities on a wide range of issues such as health, economics, improved safety, and disaster resilience. Green spaces can also make low-income neighbourhoods less vulnerable to climate change by lowering temperatures, improving air quality, and mitigate flooding. Green spaces also have additional benefits like providing areas for leisure and community life, creating safer, more liveable streets, and reducing building energy costs associated with cooling. City-administration can take certain steps to make sure that the health, economic, and environmental benefits of green spaces become drivers of increased social equity. Strong leadership is needed to prioritize long-term social benefits over short-term economic incentives. This can include steps like hiring local businesses for the construction and maintenance of green infrastructure. The ten billion-tree tsunami project, launched in 2018 by the Prime Minister, empowered all localities and municipalities to encourage  local tree plantation(The Nation, 2018).

Proactive and meaningful community engagement is also essential to ensuring the restoration and conservation of already built green spaces. Iterative rounds of community engagement, brainstorming sessions with key stakeholders, large public sessions, and online consultations are key to achieving support from the community and understanding their concerns and needs. Community engagement is not to be confused with depending on the resident’s private property to plant new trees. This approach is most effective in affluent neighbourhoods, where people can spare an expensive commodity such as land for that purpose. Partnering with local and trusted organisations can be a critical strategy to build trust and ensure communication. Lastly, equitable urban green planning requires innovative funding to put green spaces in underserved neighbourhoods while protecting the community from gentrification. Financial instruments which allow municipalities to share risk with investors will reduce liability and financial cost for projects. 

Conclusion

Adoption of a social equity lens in urban forestry decision-making can help cities make green spaces an important tool to fight inequalities. It can also reduce the risk of conflicts and strengthen the community to invest in local green spaces and regenerate social networks. Implementing better urban forest management practices will make neighbourhoods more environmentally friendly and help towards its citizens’ health and well-being, ultimately making these practices help the local community be greener, healthier, and more equitable. 

Key Takeaways

1. Human society and the global economy are linked to forests as forest ecosystems play a vital role in stabilising the climate and protecting the world’s biodiversity. Similarly, urban forests are not a new phenomenon and have remained an integral part of cities. 

2. Research has found that proximity to green spaces is linked to better health and psychological well-being (Feder, 2019).  

3. Higher-income areas enjoy a 30 percent canopy cover while lower-income immigrant communities have a scant 7.5 percent tree canopy cover, respectively (Urban Forestry Council, 2014). 

4. Social equity aims to achieve fair outcomes for all while recognising that individual and social groups face unique challenges and require different types of support based on their specific needs (CSSP, 2019).

5. Studies have shown that installation or restoration of parks in city areas raised real estate values and ultimately attracted wealthy residents, invariably driving out poorer residents from the area (Gould, 2012). 

6. When green spaces are unequally distributed, so too are the benefits they provide.

7. Recent studies show a correlation between increased air pollution and higher fatality rates from COVID-19 (Wu, 2020). 

8. Strong leadership is needed, which prioritises underserved communities in urban green spaces to protect their long-term social benefits even if it means the expense of short-term economic interests. 

9. Proactive and meaningful community engagement is also essential to ensuring restoration and conservation of already built green spaces. 

Bibliography

CSSP. (2019). Key equity terms and concepts: a glossary of shared understanding. 

Feder, S. (2019). Five important facts about urban forests . Retrieved from MedForest: https://medforest.net/2019/08/14/five-important-facts-about-urban-forests/

Gould, K. (2012). The environmental injustice of green gentrification: the case of Brooklyn’s prospect park. 

The Nation. (2018). 10 billion tree tsunami drive launched . Retrieved from The Nation: https://nation.com.pk/03-Sep-2018/10-billion-tree-tsunami-drive-launched

Urban Forestry Council. (2014). San Francisco Urban Forestry Plan. 

Wu, X. N. (2020). Fine particulate matter and COVID-19 mortality in the United States. Retrieved from Harvard University: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/covid-pm