Attractive, climate-adapted and sustainable? Public perception of non-native planting in the designed urban landscape

《Attractive, climate-adapted and sustainable? Public perception of non-native planting in the designed urban landscape》

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来源: LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING,Vol.164,P.49-63

语言: 英文

关键字: Climate change; Urban planting design; Cultural relevance; Non-native; Species; Aesthetic; Public perception; BIODIVERSITY; PREFERENCES; ATTITUDES; GARDENS; VALUES; RICHNESS; WOODLAND; CONTEXT; SYSTEMS; SPACES

作者单位: [Hoyle, Helen; Hitchmough, James; Jorgensen, Anna] Univ Sheffield, Dept Landscape, Sheffield, S Yorkshire, England. Hoyle, H (reprint author), Univ West England, Ctr Sustainable Planning & Environm, Frenchay Campus, Bristol BS16 IQY, Avon, England. E-Mail: helenehoyle1@gmail.com; j.d.hitchmough@sheffield.ac.uk; A.jorgensen@sheffield.ac.uk

摘要: Throughout Europe climate change has rendered many plant species used in contemporary urban planting design less fit for use in public greenspaces. A growing evidence base exists for the ecological value of introducing non-native species, yet urban policy and practice guidance continues to portray non-native species negatively, focusing on their assumed invasiveness. In this context there is a lack of research focusing on the cultural relevance of non-native species in the urban landscape. To address this gap we surveyed 1411 members of the UK public who walked through designed and semi-natural planting of three levels of visual nativeness: "strongly native"; "intermediate" and "strongly non-native", whilst completing a site-based questionnaire. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were then carried out with 34 questionnaire participants. A majority (57.6%) of our respondents would be happy to see more non-native planting in UK public spaces, rising to 75.3% if it were better adapted to a changing climate than existing vegetation. Respondents recognised the three broad levels of nativeness, yet this was not a factor driving perceptions of the attractiveness of the planting. In addition to climate change, we identified four key factors driving acceptance and rejection of non-native planting: aesthetics; locational context; historic factors and inevitability; and perceptions of invasiveness and incompatability with native wildlife. Our research indicates that in the context of a changing climate, focus should be placed on the potentially positive role of non-invasive, climate-adapted, aesthetically pleasing species within urban planting schemes as these could be well-received by the public. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.