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Enhancing Sustainability Through 'Nature's Services'July 3, 2003In 2000, the University of Southern California (USC) Sustainable Cities Program secured a two-year grant from The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation (the Haynes Foundation) to investigate ways in which "nature's services" -- natural systems that mitigate urban pollution and enhance the quality of life -- can offer cost-effective, environmentally sustainable substitutes for conventional urban infrastructure.In providing services required by urban dwellers, today's cities, by and large, have opted for engineering rather than ecologically based systems. For example, in order to deal with increased stormwater runoff, cities typically build more storm drains rather than increase permeable surfaces to enhance groundwater recharge, which would reduce the amount of polluted stormwater discharged into the ocean. The nature's services concept, which explores ecological alternatives to engineering systems, is an emerging new paradigm for planning and retrofitting cities as well as an energy-conserving design approach to construction. The reliance upon engineering systems over ecological ones in the dense inner core of Los Angeles is one factor that has contributed to the city's dearth of open space and access to green spaces. Moreover, sustainable land use practices -- such as the creation and preservation of open space and habitats -- most often have been directed at the urban fringe, rather than toward the central city. Older, densely populated neighborhoods have not been targeted for efforts to reintroduce nature into the urban fabric until recently. Using a two-square-mile area around Vermont and Western avenues in the city of Los Angeles as a case study site, the USC team measured the existing vegetation and nature's services supporting approximately 50,000 residents through an innovative application of CITYgreen, a geographical information systems (GIS) program. The research team also assessed the attitudes of the largely immigrant community about "greening" policies and practices that successfully engage and support their densely populated, ethnically and linguistically diverse neighborhood. The study site corresponds to the Vermont Corridor Station Neighborhood Plan (SNAP) area, created by the city of Los Angeles to improve the local community. One of the denser neighborhoods in the city, the SNAP area is roughly three times denser than the city average, at about 3 residents per acre. More than 90 percent of the housing stock is multi-family occupied by renters. Approximately 25 percent of adults have not finished high school and about 60 percent of the population is foreign born. The SNAP area has enclaves of Thais, Koreans, Filipinos, Armenians, Russians, and Central Americans. The area has no neighborhood parks, community pools, or recreation centers. The 48-acre Los Angeles City college campus serves as the largest open space in the area. The USC team has worked with the City of Los Angeles Planning Department, the office of City Council District 13, the California League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, and other community organizations in conducting this study. Full Report - Enhancing Sustainability Through \'Nature\'s Services\' (PDF, 720 Kb) | |
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