Biodiversity and environmental stressors along urban walking routes |
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Affiliation: | 1. University of Derby, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Derby DE22 1GB, United Kingdom;2. University of Sheffield, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom;3. University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom;4. British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, United Kingdom;5. University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom;6. University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, United Kingdom;7. University of Exeter, Environment and Sustainability Institute, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom;8. Cranfield University, Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute, Cranfield MK43 0AL, United Kingdom |
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Abstract: | There is increasing focus on designing liveable cities that promote walking. However, urban walking routes can expose people to adverse environmental conditions that reduce health, well-being and biodiversity. Our primary objective is to assess how urban form is associated with environmental quality, including biodiversity, for people moving through urban spaces. We assess a range of environmental conditions that influence human health and biodiversity (temperature, noise and particulate pollution) and biodiversity of three taxa (trees, butterflies and birds) along 700 m public walking routes embedded in 500 m x 500 m grid cells across three UK towns. Cells are selected using random stratification across an urbanisation intensity gradient. Walking routes in more built-up areas were noisier and hotter; noise levels further increased in areas with more industrial land-use and large roads. There was no evidence of vegetation mitigating noise or temperature, but there was some evidence that increased vegetation cover mitigated small particulate pollution. Walking routes in more built-up environments had lower butterfly, bird and native tree species richness, and reduced butterfly abundance. Large roads were associated with reduced bird species richness and increased noise was associated with reduced bird abundance. Most specific measures of vegetation in the surrounding matrix (median patch size, structural complexity at 1.5 m resolution) were not detectably associated with biodiversity along walking routes, indicating minimal beneficial spill-over. Increased garden cover in the surrounding matrix was associated with less abundant and less species-rich butterfly communities. Our results highlight considerable heterogeneity in the environmental quality of urban walking routes and pedestrians’ potential to experience biodiversity along these routes, driven by reduced quality in areas with more built cover. A greater focus is needed on mitigating adverse effects of specific features of the built environment (roads, industrial areas, noise) surrounding walking routes to enhance the co-benefits of more biodiversity and healthier conditions for pedestrians. |
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Keywords: | Green infrastructure Sustainable cities Walkability Pedestrian experience Luxury effect Habitat fragmentation |
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