Value of Greenspace
Check out the sources below for more context for the definition of Greenspace and its impact:
The First Video is a TED-Ed video with the following summary:
By 2050, it’s estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful cities. Humanity has been uncovering these arboreal benefits since the creation of our first cities thousands of years ago. So what makes trees so important to a city’s survival? Stefan Al explains.
The second video was created by Texas Parks and Wildlife and has the following summary:
Every bit of nature counts. Our small, urban green spaces provide a network of connected habitat for wildlife in the city. What we call “nearby nature," including golf courses, small parks, cemeteries, vacant lots, roadsides, streams, and neighborhood greenbelts, all create a matrix of wildlife habitat that support hundreds of species of birds, mammals, and insects. Together, they create functioning ecosystems right in our own backyards that improve our quality of life, increase property values, and create healthy communities for wildlife and people.
Want a little more context? Check out the sources below:
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Duram, L. A. (2018). Parks and Urban Green Space. In Environmental Geography: People and the Environment (pp. 176-180). ABC-CLIO.Here is one definition of urban green spaces
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Jakubec, S. (2021). The Healthy Parks, Healthy People Movement: Origins, Principles, Global Action, and Local Outcomes. In B. J. McNicol (Ed.), Sustainable Planet: Issues and Solutions for Our Environment's Future (Vol. 2, pp. 535-539). ABC-CLIO.Want to know about benefits of parks to humans? Check out this short encyclopedia article.
Explore Your Access to Greenspace
Check out the sources below as you assess your access to greenspaces and their quality:
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MyTree ToolMyTree allows you to explore the individual benefits provided by the trees near you. Find more information about the tool here: https://mytree.itreetools.org/#/about
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OurTrees ToolOurTrees allows you to quickly explore the benefits provided by the tree canopy cover across your community. Find out more here: https://ourtrees.itreetools.org/#/about
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APA City Parks Forum Briefing PapersLook for the box titled "Briefing Papers" to discover the many functions of city parks.
Environmental and Social Justice
What is Environmental Justice? Start by watching the video below, which has been put together by Grist, and is a 3 minute explainer on the concept of environmental justice.
Finding Maps/Graphs/Data Related to Environmental Justice
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Chicago Region Tree Canopy SummariesThe Chicago Region Tree Intiative has summaries of community tree canopies, age of trees, invasive species cover, and other tree facts for Chicago as well as communities in Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Will, Kendall, and Kane counties.
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Google MapsUse the link above to assess greenspaces in your community: Are they more accessible to certain groups of people (such as those with cars)? Where are they? How large are the greenspaces?
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CMAP Regional DataCheck out the community data snapshots, the environmental data, or the land use data links on this site.
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Imapct DuPage Community DashboardCheck out a variety of health and quality of life data indicators for local communities
Sources for Global Similarities and Differences and Connect to Civic Action
Here are other helpful sources cited in this lab:
Cite
Want some more concrete help with citations? Try the following:
- Google Scholar can create citations for articles. Click the quotation marks below the article information after doing a search.
- COD Library's guide to APA citations
- Purdue OWL's guide to APA citations and paper format
Want to use software to create citations for you? Check out Zotero.
