How can urban parks be a solution?
Modern urban parks serve a unique ecological purpose in that they attempt to restore a lost habitat. Yet this was not always the case. From the 1850s to the early 1900s, urban parks were entirely for human pleasure [25]. Constructed on the outskirts of cities, they embodied the ideal pastoral landscape, extensively landscaped to simulate the countryside. Then from 1930 to 1965, emerging parks became "recreational facilities" used for human recreation and with little if any natural environment [25]. Stadiums, for example, were considered parks. Now, in the twenty-first century, urban parks are increasingly seen as centers of human learning, educating us about sustainable living and appreciation for the natural world. Modern urban parks serve many ecological functions as well.
Restoring A Home
Urban parks serve a unique ecological purpose in that they attempt to restore a lost habitat. No matter how chemically free or energy efficient a city is, parks will always be necessary to be a home for populations of species not found under the eves of houses or in gardens. With broad swaths of more natural habitat, parks are able to bring biodiversity back into an urban setting. In the Seattle area, once common native species like sword fern and madrona trees are rarely found. But in parks, especially large ones, they can survive and even thrive. By restoring a part of a complex ecosystem, parks provide species with a place to live. They also allow for greater biodiversity through the lack of human selection. A fern in a park, for example, might not be considered a weed, but it might if it were growing in a downtown sidewalk.
Linking Habitats
One of the ways in which urban parks provide stability and facilitate biodiversity in an ecosystem is by linking habitats together with "corridors" of natural habitat. By providing areas species can easily to move through, corridors help species migrate and/or disperse, both of which are crucial for long-term species survival [27]. Rather than move through a busy city block, with high risk of obliteration or getting lost down a storm drain, parks can span many acres and easily facilitate species movement. This linkage allows greater numbers of a given specie to interact and breed, increasing genetic diversity and therefore producing healthier individuals by avoiding inbreeding.
Cleaning the Environment
Urban environments are notorious for their air pollution, and yet parks can help immensely. Trees and other plants trap pollutants released into the air [28]. By doing so, they allow for healthier lungs, meaning less stress and increased health for various animal species. A cleaner atmosphere also has enormous impacts on the environment, leading to reductions in greenhouse gases which in turn mitigate climate change and prevent even more stressors from affecting the environment.
Restoring A Home
Urban parks serve a unique ecological purpose in that they attempt to restore a lost habitat. No matter how chemically free or energy efficient a city is, parks will always be necessary to be a home for populations of species not found under the eves of houses or in gardens. With broad swaths of more natural habitat, parks are able to bring biodiversity back into an urban setting. In the Seattle area, once common native species like sword fern and madrona trees are rarely found. But in parks, especially large ones, they can survive and even thrive. By restoring a part of a complex ecosystem, parks provide species with a place to live. They also allow for greater biodiversity through the lack of human selection. A fern in a park, for example, might not be considered a weed, but it might if it were growing in a downtown sidewalk.
Linking Habitats
One of the ways in which urban parks provide stability and facilitate biodiversity in an ecosystem is by linking habitats together with "corridors" of natural habitat. By providing areas species can easily to move through, corridors help species migrate and/or disperse, both of which are crucial for long-term species survival [27]. Rather than move through a busy city block, with high risk of obliteration or getting lost down a storm drain, parks can span many acres and easily facilitate species movement. This linkage allows greater numbers of a given specie to interact and breed, increasing genetic diversity and therefore producing healthier individuals by avoiding inbreeding.
Cleaning the Environment
Urban environments are notorious for their air pollution, and yet parks can help immensely. Trees and other plants trap pollutants released into the air [28]. By doing so, they allow for healthier lungs, meaning less stress and increased health for various animal species. A cleaner atmosphere also has enormous impacts on the environment, leading to reductions in greenhouse gases which in turn mitigate climate change and prevent even more stressors from affecting the environment.
Primary Sources
27. "Corridor Science." Conservation Corridor. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <http://www.conservationcorridor.org/corridor-science/>.
Secondary Sources
25. Cranz, Galen. "Urban Parks of the Past and Future." Project for Public Spaces. PPS, 1997. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pps.org/reference/futureparks/>.
26. "Parks." Northeast Seattle. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.northeastseattle.org/parks/>.
28. Sherer, Paul. "The Benefits of Parks." Citizens for East Shore Parks. The Trust for Public Land, 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.eastshorepark.org/>.
27. "Corridor Science." Conservation Corridor. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <http://www.conservationcorridor.org/corridor-science/>.
Secondary Sources
25. Cranz, Galen. "Urban Parks of the Past and Future." Project for Public Spaces. PPS, 1997. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pps.org/reference/futureparks/>.
26. "Parks." Northeast Seattle. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.northeastseattle.org/parks/>.
28. Sherer, Paul. "The Benefits of Parks." Citizens for East Shore Parks. The Trust for Public Land, 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.eastshorepark.org/>.