Skip to main content
Log in

Residential landscapes as social-ecological systems: a synthesis of multi-scalar interactions between people and their home environment

Urban Ecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Residential landscapes are a common setting of human-environment interactions. These ubiquitous ecosystems provide social and ecological services, and yard maintenance leads to intended and unintended ecological outcomes. The ecological characteristics of residential landscapes and the human drivers of landscape management have been the focus of disciplinary studies, often at a single scale of analysis. However, an interdisciplinary examination of residential landscapes is needed to understand the feedbacks and tradeoffs of these complex adaptive social-ecological systems as a whole. Our aim is to synthesize the diversity of perspectives, scales of analysis, and findings from the literature in order to 1) contribute to an interdisciplinary understanding of residential landscapes and 2) identify research needs while providing a robust conceptual approach for future studies. We synthesize 256 studies from the literature and develop an interdisciplinary, multi-scalar framework on residential landscape dynamics. Complex human drivers (attitudinal, structural, and institutional factors) at multiple scales influence management practices and the feedbacks with biophysical characteristics of residential landscapes. However, gaps exist in our interdisciplinary understanding of residential landscapes within four key but understudied areas: 1) the link between social drivers and ecological outcomes of management decisions, 2) the ecosystem services provided by these landscapes to residents, 3) the interactions of social drivers and ecological characteristics across scales, and 4) generalizations of patterns and processes across cities. Our systems perspective will help to guide future interdisciplinary collaborations to integrate theories and research methods across geographic locations and spatial scales.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abraham A, Sommerhalder K, Abel T (2010) Landscape and well-being: a scoping study on the health-promoting impact of outdoor environments. Int J Public Health 55(1):59–69

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Acar C, Acar H, Eroglu E (2007) Evaluation of ornamental plant resources to urban biodiversity and cultural changing: a case study of residential landscapes in Trabzon City (Turkey). Build Environ 42(1):218–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen I (1985) From intentions to actions: a theory of planned behavior. In: Kuhl J, Beckmann J (eds) Action control, from cognition to behavior. Springer series in social psychology. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 11–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi F, Sileshi G, Ajayi O, Akinnifesi A, de Moura E, Linhares J, Rodrigues I (2010) Biodiversity of the urban homegardens of São Luís City, northeastern Brazil. Urban Ecosyst 13(1):129–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albuquerque UP, Andrade LHC, Caballero J (2005) Structure and floristics of homegardens in northeastern Brazil. J Arid Environ 62(3):491–506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alp S, Ozturk S, Turkoglu N, Koyuncu M (2010) Basic elements of the traditional garden identity in the city of Van. Afr J Agric Res 5(11):1277–1283

    Google Scholar 

  • Alumai A, Salminen S, Richmond D, Cardina J, Grewal P (2009) Comparative evaluation of aesthetic, biological, and economic effectiveness of different lawn management programs. Urban Ecosyst 12(2):127–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alumai A, Grunkemeyer M, Kovach J, Shetlar D, Cardina J, Rimelspach J, Clayton S, Grewal P (2010) Implementing integrated pest management in professional lawn care: a case study. Urban Ecosyst 13(1):37–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson E, Barthel S, Ahrne K (2007) Measuring social-ecological dynamics behind the generation of ecosystem services. Ecol Appl 17(5):1267–1278

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Askew LE, McGuirk PM (2004) Watering the suburbs: distinction, conformity and the suburban garden. Aust Geographer 35(1):17–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aurora A, Simpson T, Small M, Bender K (2009) Toward increasing avian diversity: urban wildscapes programs. Urban Ecosyst 12(3):347–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker PJ, Harris S (2007) Urban mammals: what does the future hold? an analysis of the factors affecting patterns of use of residential gardens in Great Britain. Mamm Rev 37(4):297–315

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker LA, Hartzheim PM, Hobbie SE, King JY, Nelson KC (2007) Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus through households. Urban Ecosyst 10(2):97–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balling RC, Gober P (2007) Climate variability and residential water use in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 46(7):1130–1137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Band LE, Cadenasso ML, Grimmond CS, Grove JM, Pickett STA (2005) Heterogeneity in urban ecosystems: patterns and process. In: Lovett GM, Turner MG, Jones CG, Weathers KC (eds) Ecosystem function in heterogeneous landscapes. Springer, New York, pp 257–278

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Baris ME, Sahin S, Yazgan ME (2009) The contribution of trees and green spaces to the urban climate: the case of Ankara. Afr J Agric Res 4(9):791–800

    Google Scholar 

  • Beard JB, Green RL (1994) The role of turfgrass in environemntal protection and their benefits to humans. J Environ Qual 23(3)

  • Bennett EM, Carpenter SR, Clayton MK (2005) Soil phosphorus variability: scale-dependence in an urbanizing agricultural landscape. Landsc Ecol 20(4):389–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhatti M, Church A (2001) Cultivating natures: homes and gardens in late modernity. Sociol 35(02):365–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Bijoor NS, Czimczik CI, Pataki DE, Billings SA (2008) Effects of temperature and fertilization on nitrogen cycling and community composition of an urban lawn. Glob Change Biol 14(9):2119–2131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchoud H, Farrugia F, Mouchel JM (2004) Pesticide uses and transfers in urbanised catchments. Chemosph 55(6):905–913

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonan GB (2000) The microclimates of a suburban Colorado (USA) landscape and implications for planning and design. Landsc Urban Plan 49(3–4):97–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boone CG, Cadenasso ML, Grove JM, Schwarz K, Buckley GL (2010) Landscape, vegetation characteristics, and group identity in an urban and suburban watershed: why the 60s matter. Urban Ecosyst 13:255–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bormann FH, Balmori D, Geballe GT (2001) Redesigning the American lawn: a search for environmental harmony, 2nd edn. Yale University Press, New Haven

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman T, Thompson J (2009) Barriers to implementation of low-impact and conservation subdivision design: developer perceptions and resident demand. Landsc Urban Plan 92(2):96–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braman SK, Oetting RD, Florkowski W (1997) Assessment of pesticide use by commercial landscape maintenance and lawn care firms in Georgia. J Entomol Sci 32(4):403–411

    Google Scholar 

  • Braman SK, Latimer JG, Oetting RD, McQueen RD, Eckberg TB, Prinster M (2000) Management strategy, shade, and landscape composition effects on urban landscape plant quality and arthropod abundance. J Econ Entomol 93(5):1464–1472

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burghardt KT, Tallamy DW, Shriver WG (2009) Impact of native plants on bird and butterfly biodiversity in suburban landscapes. Conserv Biol 23(1):219–224

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buyantuyev A, Wu JG (2010) Urban heat islands and landscape heterogeneity: linking spatiotemporal variations in surface temperatures to land-cover and socioeconomic patterns. Landsc Ecol 25:17–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne LB (2006) Effects of urban habitat types and landscape patterns on ecological variables at the aboveground–belowground interface. PhD Dissertation, Pennsylvania State University

  • Byrne LB (2007) Habitat structure: a fundamental concept and framework for urban soil ecology. Urban Ecosyst 10(3):255–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne LB, Bruns MA (2004) The effects of lawn management on soil microarthropods. J Agr Urban Entomol 21(3):150–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne LB, Grewal P (2008) Introduction to ecological landscaping: A holistic description and framework to guide the study and management of urban landscape parcels. CATE 1(2)

  • Byrne LB, Bruns MA, Kim KC (2008) Ecosystem properties of urban land covers at the aboveground-belowground interface. Ecosyst 11(7):1065–1077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catterall CP, Cousin JA, Piper S, Johnson G (2010) Long-term dynamics of bird diversity in forest and suburb: decay, turnover or homogenization? Divers Distrib 16(4):559–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chace JF, Walsh JJ (2006) Urban effects on native avifauna: a review. Landsc Urban Plan 74(1):46–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain DE, Cannon AR, Toms MP (2004) Associations of garden birds with gradients in garden habitat and local habitat. Ecography 27(5):589–600

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng Z, Richmond D, Salminen S, Grewal P (2008) Ecology of urban lawns under three common management programs. Urban Ecosyst 11(2):177–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheshire LA, Rosenblatt T, Lawrence G, Walters P (2009) The governmentality of master planning: housing consumption, aesthetics and community on a new estate. Hous Stud 24(5):653–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clayton S (2007) Domesticated nature: motivations for gardening and perceptions of environmental impact. J Environ Psychol 27(3):215–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coiacetto E (2007) The role of the development industry in shaping urban social space: a conceptual model. Geog Res 45(4):340–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins JP, Kinzig A, Grimm NB, Fagan WF, Hope D, Wu JG, Borer ET (2000) A new urban ecology. Am Sci 88(5):416–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conway T (2009) Local environmental impacts of alternative forms of residential development. Environ Plan B-Plan Des 36(5):927–943

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook WM, Faeth SH (2006) Irrigation and land use drive ground arthropod community patterns in an urban desert. Environ Entomol 35(6):1532–1540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corral-Verdugo V, Frias-Armenta M, Perez-Urias F, Orduna-Cabrera V, Espinoza-Gallego N (2002) Residential water consumption, motivation for conserving water and the continuing tragedy of the commons. Environ Manag 30(4):527–535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corral-Verdugo V, Frias-Amenta M, Gonzalez-Lomeli D (2003) On the relationship between anti-social and anti-environmental behaviors: an empirical study. Popul Environ 24(3):273–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coutts AM, Beringer J, Tapper NJ (2007) Impact of increasing urban density on local climate: spatial and temporal variations in the surface energy balance in Melbourne, Australia. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 46(4):477–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford SES, Ostrom E (1995) A grammar of institutions. Am Political Sci Rev 89(3):582–600

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crow T, Brown T, De Young R (2006) The Riverside and Berwyn experience: contrasts in landscape structure, perceptions of the urban landscape, and their effects on people. Landsc Urban Plan 75(3–4):282–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis KR, Cowee MW (2010) Are homeowners willing to pay for “origin-certified” plants in water-conserving residential landscaping? J Agric Resour Econ 35(1):118–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Daniels GD, Kirkpatrick JB (2006a) Comparing the characteristics of front and back domestic gardens in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Landsc Urban Plan 78(4):344–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels GD, Kirkpatrick JB (2006b) Does variation in garden characteristics influence the conservation of birds in suburbia? Biol Conserv 133(3):326–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies R, Hall SJ (2010) Direct and indirect effects of urbanization on soil and plant nutrients in desert ecosystems of the Phoenix metropolitan area, Arizona (USA). Urban Ecosyst 13(3):295–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies ZG, Fuller RA, Loram A, Irvine KN, Sims V, Gaston KJ (2009) A national scale inventory of resource provision for biodiversity within domestic gardens. Biol Conserv 142(4):761–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietz T, Fitzgerald A, Shwom R (2005) Environmental values. Annu Rev Environ Resour 30:335–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doody BJ, Sullivan JJ, Meurk CD, Stewart GH, Perkins HC (2010) Urban realities: the contribution of residential gardens to the conservation of urban forest remnants. Biodivers Conserv 19(5):1385–1400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dorney JR, Guntenspergen GR, Keough JR, Stearns F (1984) Composition and structure of an urban woody plant community. Urban Ecol 8(1–2):69–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dow K (2000) Social dimensions of gradients in urban ecosystems. Urban Ecosyst 4(4):255–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowling R, Atkinson R, McGuirk P (2010) Privatism, privatisation and social distinction in master-planned residential estates. Urban Policy Res 28(4):391–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap RE, Jones RE (2002) Environmental concern: conceptual and measurement issues. In: Dunlap RE, Michelson W (eds) Handbook of environmental sociology. Greenwood, Westport, pp 482–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyckman CS (2008) The covenant conundrum in urban water conservation. Urban Lawyer 40(1):17–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Edgar DR, Kershaw GP (1994) The density and diversity of the bird populations in three residential communities in Edmonton, Alberta. Can Field-Nat 108(2):156–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Effland WR, Pouyat RV (1997) The genesis, classification, and mapping of soils in urban areas. Urban Ecosyst 1(4):217–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eichemberg MT, Amorozo MCD, de Moura LC (2009) Species composition and plant use in old urban homegardens in Rio Claro, southeast of Brazil. Acta Bot Bras 23(4):1057–1075

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eigenbrode SD, O'Rourke M, Wulfhorst JD, Althoff DM, Goldberg CS, Merrill K, Morse W, Nielsen-Pincus M, Stephens J, Winowiecki L, Bosque-Perez NA (2007) Employing philosophical dialogue in collaborative science. Biosci 57(1):55–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Endter-Wada J, Kurtzman J, Keenan SP, Kjelgren RK, Neale CMU (2008) Situational waste in landscape watering: residential and business water use in an urban Utah community. J Am Water Resour Assoc 44(4):902–920

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson JE, Cisar JL, Volin JC, Snyder GH (2001) Comparing nitrogen runoff and leaching between newly established St. Augustine grass turf and an alternative residential landscape. Crop Sci 41(6):1889–1895

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans KL, Newson SE, Gaston KJ (2009) Habitat influences on urban avian assemblages. Ibis 151(1):19–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faeth SH, Warren PS, Shochat E, Marussich WA (2005) Trophic dynamics in urban communities. Biosci 55(5):399–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feagan RB, Ripmeester M (1999) Contesting natural(ized) lawns: a geography of private green space in the Niagara region. Urban Geogr 20(7):617–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fetridge ED, Ascher JS, Langellotto GA (2008) The bee fauna of residential gardens in a suburb of New York City (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Ann Entomol Soc Am 101(6):1067–1077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster D, Swanson F, Aber J, Burke I, Brokaw N, Tilman D, Knapp A (2003) The importance of land-use legacies to ecology and conservation. Biosci 53(1):77–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French K, Major R, Hely K (2005) Use of native and exotic garden plants by suburban nectarivorous birds. Biol Conserv 121(4):545–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller RA, Irvine KN, Devine-Wright P, Warren PH, Gaston KJ (2007) Psychological benefits of greenspace increase with biodiversity. Biol Lett 3(4):390–394

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller RA, Warren PH, Armsworth PR, Barbosa O, Gaston KJ (2008) Garden bird feeding predicts the structure of urban avian assemblages. Divers Distrib 14(1):131–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaston KJ, Warren PH, Thompson K, Smith RM (2005) Urban domestic gardens (IV): the extent of the resource and its associated features. Biodivers Conserv 14(14):3327–3349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavier-Pizarro GI, Radeloff VC, Stewart SI, Huebner CD, Keuler NS (2010) Housing is positively associated with invasive exotic plant species richness in New England, USA. Ecol Appl 20(7):1913–1925

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Georgi JN, Dimitriou D (2010) The contribution of urban green spaces to the improvement of environment in cities: case study of Chania, Greece. Build Environ 45(6):1401–1414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Germaine SS, Rosenstock SS, Schweinsburg RE, Richardson WS (1998) Relationships among breeding birds, habitat, and residential development in greater Tucson, Arizona. Ecol Appl 8(3):680–691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Germaine SS, Schweinsburg RE, Germaine HL (2001) Effects of residential density on Sonoran desert nocturnal rodents. Urban Ecosyst 5(3):179–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gober P, Trapido-Lurie B (2006) Metropolitan Phoenix: place making and community building in the desert. Metropolitan portraits. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  • Gobster PH, Nassauer JI, Daniel TC, Fry G (2007) The shared landscape: what does aesthetics have to do with ecology? Landsc Ecol 22(7):959–972

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goddard MA, Dougill AJ, Benton TG (2010) Scaling up from gardens: biodiversity conservation in urban environments. Trends Ecol Evol 25(2):90–98

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goffman E (1959) The presentation of self in everyday life. Doubleday Anchor Books. Doubleday, Garden City

    Google Scholar 

  • Golubiewski NE (2006) Urbanization increases grassland carbon pools: effects of landscaping in Colorado’s front range. Ecol Appl 16(2):555–571

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Green DM, Oleksyszyn M (2002) Enzyme activities and carbon dioxide flux in a Sonoran desert urban ecosystem. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:2002–2008

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm NB, Grove JM, Pickett STA, Redman CL (2000) Integrated approaches to long-term studies of urban ecological systems. Biosci 50(7):571–584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm NB, Faeth SH, Golubiewski NE, Redman CL, Wu JG, Bai XM, Briggs JM (2008) Global change and the ecology of cities. Sci 319(5864):756–760

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman PM, Pouyat RV (2009) Methane uptake in urban forests and lawns. Environ Sci Technol 43(14):5229–5235

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman PM, Law NL, Belt KT, Band LE, Fisher GT (2004) Nitrogen fluxes and retention in urban watershed ecosystems. Ecosyst 7(4):393–403

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman PM, Williams CO, Pouyat RV, Band LE, Yesilonis ID (2009) Nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide flux in urban forests and grasslands. J Environ Qual 38(5):1848–1860

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grove JM, Cadenasso ML, Burch WR, Pickett STA, Schwarz K, O'Neil-Dunne J, Wilson M, Troy A, Boone C (2006a) Data and methods comparing social structure and vegetation structure of urban neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. Soc Nat Resour 19(2):117–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grove JM, Troy AR, O'Neil-Dunne JPM, Burch WR, Cadenasso ML, Pickett STA (2006b) Characterization of households and its implications for the vegetation of urban ecosystems. Ecosyst 9(4):578–597

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guhathakurta S, Gober P (2007) The impact of the Phoenix urban heat island on residential water use. J Am Plan Assoc 73(3):317–329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall T (2010) Goodbye to the backyard?: the minimisation of private open space in the Australian outer-suburban estate. Urban Policy Res 28(4):411–433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall SJ, Huber D, Grimm NB (2008) Soil N2O and NO emissions from an arid, urban ecosystem. J Geophys Res-Biogeosci 113(G1)

  • Hall SJ, Ahmed B, Ortiz P, Davies R, Sponseller RA, Grimm NB (2009) Urbanization alters soil microbial functioning in the Sonoran desert. Ecosyst 12(4):654–671

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harlan SL, Brazel AJ, Prashad L, Stefanov WL, Larsen L (2006) Neighborhood microclimates and vulnerability to heat stress. Soc Sci Med 63(11):2847–2863

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harlan SL, Yabiku ST, Larsen L, Brazel AJ (2009) Household water consumption in an arid city: affluence, affordance, and attitudes. Soc Nat Resour 22(8):691–709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He JJ, Jia B (2007) Sustainable residential landscapes: a case study in Guangzhou, China. Lands Res 32(2):241–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson SPB, Perkins NH, Nelischer M (1998) Residential lawn alternatives: a study of their distribution, form and structure. Landsc Urban Plan 42(2–4):135–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill TD, Polsky C (2007) Suburbanization and drought: a mixed methods vulnerability assessment in rainy Massachusetts. Environ Hazards 7(4):291–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch R, Baxter J (2009) The look of the lawn: pesticide policy preference and health-risk perception in context. Environ Plan C-Gov Policy 27(3):468–490

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland JH (1995) Hidden order: how adaptation builds complexity. Helix Books. Addison-Wesley, Reading

    Google Scholar 

  • Hope D, Gries C, Zhu WX, Fagan WF, Redman CL, Grimm NB, Nelson AL, Martin C, Kinzig AP (2003) Socioeconomics drive urban plant diversity. PNAS 100(15):8788–8792

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hope D, Zhu W, Gries C, Oleson J, Kaye J, Grimm NB, Baker L (2005) Spatial variation in soil inorganic nitrogen across an arid urban ecosystem. Urban Ecosyst 8(3):251–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hope D, Gries C, Casagrande D, Redman CL, Grimm NB, Martin C (2006) Drivers of spatial variation in plant diversity across the Central Arizona-Phoenix ecosystem. Soc Nat Resour 19(2):101–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hourigan CL, Catterall CP, Jones D, Rhodes M (2010) The diversity of insectivorous bat assemblages among habitats within a subtropical urban landscape. Austral Ecol 35(8):849–857

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huai H, Hamilton A (2009) Characteristics and functions of traditional homegardens: a review. Front Biol Chin 4(2):151–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang YJ, Akbari H, Taha H, Rosenfeld AH (1987) The potential of vegetation in reducing summer cooling loads in residential buildings. J Clim Appl Meteorol 26(9):1103–1116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurd BH (2006) Water conservation and residential landscapes: household preferences, household choices. J Agric Resour Econ 31(2):173–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurd BH, St Hilaire R, White JM (2006) Residential landscapes, homeowner attitudes, and water-wise choices in New Mexico. HortTech 16(2):241–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Iverson LR, Cook EA (2000) Urban forest cover of the Chicago region and its relation to household density and income. Urban Ecosyst 4:104–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson KT (1985) Crabgrass frontier: the suburbanization of the United States. Oxford University Press, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • James P, Tzoulas K, Adams MD et al (2009) Towards an integrated understanding of green space in the European built environment. Urban Urban Green 8(2):65–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenerette GD, Wu JG, Grimm NB, Hope D (2006) Points, patches, and regions: scaling soil biogeochemical patterns in an urbanized arid ecosystem. Glob Change Biol 12(8):1532–1544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenerette GD, Harlan SL, Brazel A, Jones N, Larsen L, Stefanov WL (2007) Regional relationships between surface temperature, vegetation, and human settlement in a rapidly urbanizing ecosystem. Landsc Ecol 22(3):353–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins VS (1994) The lawn: a history of an American obsession. Smithsonian Institution, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenny H (1941) Factors of soil formation: a system of quantitative pedology. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen A, Hitchmough J, Dunnett N (2007) Woodland as a setting for housing appreciation and fear and the contribution to residential satisfaction and place identity in Warrington New Town, UK. Landsc Urban Plan 79:228–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kabir ME, Webb EL (2009) Household and homegarden characteristics in southwestern Bangladesh. Agrofor Syst 75(2):129–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser FG, Wolfing S, Fuhrer U (1999) Environmental attitude and ecological behaviour. J Environ Psychol 19(1):1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karr CJ, Solomon GM, Brock-Utne AC (2007) Health effects of common home, lawn, and garden pesticides. Pediatr Clin N Am 54(1):63–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaye JP, Burke IC, Mosier AR, Guerschman JP (2004) Methane and nitrous oxide fluxes from urban soils to the atmosphere. Ecol Appl 14(4):975–981

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaye JP, McCulley RL, Burke IC (2005) Carbon fluxes, nitrogen cycling, and soil microbial communities in adjacent urban, native and agricultural ecosystems. Glob Change Biol 11(4):575–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaye JP, Majumdar A, Gries C, Buyantuyev A, Grimm NB, Hope D, Jenerette GD, Zhu WX, Baker L (2008) Hierarchical Bayesian scaling of soil properties across urban, agricultural, and desert ecosystems. Ecol Appl 18(1):132–145

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kiely T, Donaldson D, Grube A (2004) Pesticide industry sales and usage: 2000 and 2001 market estimates. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Pesticide Programs, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinzig AP, Warren P, Martin C, Hope D, Katti M (2005) The effects of human socioeconomic status and cultural characteristics on urban patterns of biodiversity. Ecol Soc 10(1):23

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkpatrick J, Daniels G, Zagorski T (2007) Explaining variation in front gardens between suburbs of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Landsc Urban Plan 79(3–4):314–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkpatrick J, Daniels G, Davison A (2009) An antipodean test of spatial contagion in front garden character. Landsc Urban Plan 93(2):103–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kjelgren R, Rupp L, Kilgren D (2000) Water conservation in urban landscapes. Hortsci 35(6):1037–1040

    Google Scholar 

  • Klingeman WE, Pettis GV, Braman SK (2009) Lawn care and landscape maintenance: professional acceptance of insect- and disease-resistant ornamental plants. Hortsci 44(6):1608–1615

    Google Scholar 

  • Koerner B, Klopatek J (2002) Anthropogenic and natural CO2 emission sources in an arid urban environment. Environ Pollut 116:S45–S51

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kweon BS, Ellis CD, Leiva PI, Rogers GO (2010) Landscape components, land use, and neighborhood satisfaction. Environ Plan B-Plan Des 37(3):500–517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen L, Harlan SL (2006) Desert dreamscapes: residential landscape preference and behavior. Landsc Urban Plan 78(1–2):85–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson KL, Casagrande D, Harlan SL, Yabiku ST (2009a) Residents’ yard choices and rationales in a desert city: social priorities, ecological impacts, and decision tradeoffs. Environ Manag 44(5):921–937

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson KL, Gustafson A, Hirt P (2009b) Insatiable thirst and a finite supply: an assessment of municipal water-conservation policy in greater Phoenix, Arizona, 1980–2007. J Policy Hist 21(02):107–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson KL, Cook EM, Strawhacker CS, Hall SJ (2010) The influence of diverse values, ecological structure and geographic context on residents’ multifaceted landscaping decisions. Hum Ecol 38(6):747–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Law NL, Band LE, Grove JM (2004) Nitrogen input from residential lawn care practices in suburban watersheds in Baltimore County, MD. J Environ Plan Manag 47(5):737–755

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann A, Stahr K (2007) Nature and significance of anthropogenic urban soils. J Soils Sediments 7(4):247–260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis DB, Kaye JP, Gries C, Kinzig AP, Redman CL (2006) Agrarian legacy in soil nutrient pools of urbanizing arid lands. Glob Change Biol 12:703–709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu HB, Hull RJ, Duff DT (1997) Comparing cultivars of three cool-season turfgrasses for soil water NO 3 concentration and leaching potential. Crop Sci 37(2):526–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livesley SJ, Dougherty BJ, Smith AJ, Navaud D, Wylie LJ, Arndt SK (2010) Soil-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in urban garden systems: impact of irrigation, fertiliser and mulch. Urban Ecosyst 13(3):273–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livingston M, Shaw WW, Harris LK (2003) A model for assessing wildlife habitats in urban landscapes of eastern Pima County, Arizona (USA). Landsc Urban Plan 64:131–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loram A, Tratalos J, Warren PH, Gaston KJ (2007) Urban domestic gardens (X): the extent & structure of the resource in five major cities. Landsc Ecol 22(4):601–615

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loram A, Thompson K, Warren PH, Gaston KJ (2008a) Urban domestic gardens (XII): the richness and composition of the flora in five UK cities. J Veg Sci 19(3):321–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loram A, Warren PH, Gaston KJ (2008b) Urban domestic gardens (XIV): the characteristics of gardens in five cities. Environ Manag 42(3):361–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loss SR, Ruiz MO, Brawn JD (2009) Relationships between avian diversity, neighborhood age, income, and environmental characteristics of an urban landscape. Biol Conserv 142(11):2578–2585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luck GW, Smallbone LT, O'Brien R (2009) Socio-economics and vegetation change in urban ecosystems: patterns in space and time. Ecosyst 12(4):604–620

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur RH, Wilson EO (1967) The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Marco A, Dutoit T, Deschamps-Cottin M, Mauffrey JF, Vennetier M, Bertaudiere-Montes V (2008) Gardens in urbanizing rural areas reveal an unexpected floral diversity related to housing density. Comptes Rendus Biologies 331(6):452–465

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martin CA (2001) Landscape water use in Phoenix, Arizona. Desert Plants 17:26–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin CA (2008) Landscape sustainability in a Sonoran desert city. CATE 1(2)

  • Martin CA, Peterson KA, Stabler LB (2003) Residential landscaping in Phoenix, Arizona, USA: practices and preferences relative to covenants, codes and restrictions. J Arboric 29(1):9–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin CA, Warren PS, Kinzig AP (2004) Neighborhood socioeconomic status is a useful predictor of perennial landscape vegetation in residential neighborhoods and embedded small parks of Phoenix, AZ. Landsc Urban Plan 69(4):355–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin CA, Busse K, Yabiku S (2007) North Desert Village: the effect of landscape manipulation on microclimate and its relation to human landscape preference. Hortsci 42(4):853–854

    Google Scholar 

  • Marzluff JM, Ewing K (2001) Restoration of fragmented landscapes for the conservation of birds: a general framework and specific recommendations for urbanizing landscapes. Restor Ecol 9(3):280–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathieu R, Freeman C, Aryal J (2007) Mapping private gardens in urban areas using object-oriented techniques and very high-resolution satellite imagery. Landsc Urban Plan 81(3):179–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matson PA, Naylor R, Ortiz-Monasterio I (1998) Integration of environmental, agronomic, and economic aspects of fertilizer management. Sci 280(5360):112–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuoka RH, Kaplan R (2008) People needs in the urban landscape: analysis of landscape and urban planning contributions. Landsc Urban Plan 84(1):7–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer PW, DeOreo WB et al (1999) Residential end uses of water. American Water Works Association Research Foundation, Denver

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuirk PM, Dowling R (2007) Understanding master-planned estates in Australian cities: a framework for research. Urban Policy Res 25(1):21–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre NE, Hostetler ME (2001) Effects of urban land use on pollinator (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) communities in a desert metropolis. Basic Appl Ecol 2(3):209–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenzie E (1994) Privatopia: homeowner associations and the rise of residential private government. Yale University Press, New Haven

    Google Scholar 

  • McKinney ML (2006) Urbanization as a major cause of biotic homogenization. Biol Conserv 127(3):247–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MEA (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. Island, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Mennis J (2006) Socioeconomic-vegetation relationships in urban, residential land: the case of Denver, Colorado. Photogramm Eng Remote Sens 72(8):911–921

    Google Scholar 

  • Milesi C, Running SW, Elvidge CD, Dietz JB, Tuttle BT, Nemani RR (2005) Mapping and modeling the biogeochemical cycling of turf grasses in the United States. Environ Manag 36(3):426–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller TR, Baird TD, Littlefield CM, Kofinas G, Chapin FS, Redman CL (2008) Epistemological pluralism: reorganizing interdisciplinary research. Ecology and Societ 13(2):46

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittelbach GG, Steiner CF, Scheiner SM, Gross KL, Reynolds HL, Waide RB, Willig MR, Dodson SI, Gough L (2001) What is the observed relationship between species richness and productivity? Ecol 82(9):2381–2396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohamed R (2009) Why do residential developers prefer large exurban lots? infrastructure costs and exurban development. Environ Plan B-Plan Des 36(1):12–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mustafa D, Smucker TA, Ginn F, Johns R, Connely S (2010) Xeriscape people and the cultural politics of turfgrass transformation. Environ Plan D-Soc Space 28(4):600–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nassauer JI, Wang ZF, Dayrell E (2009) What will the neighbors think? cultural norms and ecological design. Landsc Urban Plan 92(3–4):282–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NGA (2004) Environmental lawn and garden survey. National Gardening Association, South Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  • NGA (2007) Residential lawn and landscape services and the value of landscaping. National Gardening Association, South Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielson L, Smith CL (2005) Influences on residential yard care and water quality: Tualatin watershed, Oregon. J Am Water Resour Assoc 41(1):93–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak DJ, Rowntree RA, McPherson EG, Sisinni SM, Kerkmann ER, Stevens JC (1996) Measuring and analyzing urban tree cover. Landsc Urban Plan 36(1):49–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oki L, Greco S, Gan J, Yates M, Haver D (2007) Characterizing the runoff from single-family residential landscapes. Hortsci 42(4):911–911

    Google Scholar 

  • Osmond DL, Hardy DH (2004) Characterization of turf practices in five North Carolina communities. J Environ Qual 33(2):565–575

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Osmond DL, Platt J (2000) Characterization of suburban nitrogen fertilizer and water use on residential turf in Cary, North Carolina. HortTechnol 10(2):320–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry T, Nawaz R (2008) An investigation into the extent and impacts of hard surfacing of domestic gardens in an area of Leeds, United Kingdom. Landsc Urban Plan 86(1):1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters EB, McFadden JP (2010) Influence of seasonality and vegetation type on suburban microclimates. Urban Ecosyst 13:443–460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petrovic AM (1990) The fate of nitrogenous fertilizers applied to turfgrass. J Environ Qual 19(1):1–14

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett STA, Cadenasso ML (2009) Altered resources, disturbance, and heterogeneity: a framework for comparing urban and non-urban soils. Urban Ecosyst 12(1):23–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett STA, Burch WR, Dalton SE, Foresman TW, Grove JM, Rowntree R (1997) A conceptual framework for the study of human ecosystems in urban areas. Urban Ecosyst 1(4):185–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett STA, Cadenasso ML, Grove JM, Nilon CH, Pouyat RV, Zipperer WC, Costanza R (2001) Urban ecological systems: linking terrestrial ecological, physical and socioeconomic components of metropolitan areas. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 32:127–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickett STA, Cadenasso ML, Grove JM, Groffman PM, Band LE, Boone CG, Burch WR, Grimmond CSB, Hom J, Jenkins JC, Law NL, Nilon CH, Pouyat RV, Szlavecz K, Warren PS, Wilson MA (2008) Beyond urban legends: an emerging framework of urban ecology, as illustrated by the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. Biosci 58(2):139–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polebitski AS, Palmer RN (2010) Seasonal residential water demand forecasting for census tracts. J Water Resour Plan Manag-Asce 136(1):27–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pouyat RV, Groffman PM, Yesilonis ID, Hernandez L (2002) Soil carbon pools and fluxes in urban ecosystems. Environ Pollut: S107–S118

  • Pouyat RV, Yesilonis ID, Russell-Anelli J, Neerchal NK (2007) Soil chemical and physical properties that differentiate urban land-use and cover types. Soil Sci Soc Am J 71(3):1010–1019

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pouyat RV, Yesilonis ID, Golubiewski NE (2009) A comparison of soil organic carbon stocks between residential turfgrass and native soil. Urban Ecosyst 12(1):45–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prytherch DL (2002) Selling the eco-entrepreneurial city: natural wonders and urban stratagems in Tucson, Arizona. Urban Geogr 23(8):771–793

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qian YL, Bandaranayake W, Parton WJ, Mecham B, Harivandi MA, Mosier AR (2003) Long-term effects of clipping and nitrogen management in turfgrass on soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics: the CENTURY model simulation. J Environ Qual 32:1694–1700

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raciti SM, Groffman PM, Fahey TJ (2008) Nitrogen retention in urban lawns and forests. Ecol Appl 18(7):1615–1626

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raupp MJ, Shrewsbury PM, Herms DA (2010) Ecology of herbivorous arthropods in urban landscapes. Ann Rev Entomol 55:19–38

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Redman CL (1999) Human impact on ancient environments. University of Arizona Press, Tucson

    Google Scholar 

  • Redman CL, Grove JM, Kuby LH (2004) Integrating social science into the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network: social dimensions of ecological change and ecological dimensions of social change. Ecosyst 7:161–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards NA, Mallette JR, Simpson RJ, Macie EA (1984) Residential greenspace and vegetation in a mature city—Syracuse, New York. Urban Ecol 8(1–2):99–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P (2007) Lawn people: how grasses, weeds, and chemicals make us who we are. Temple University Press, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P, Birkenholtz T (2003) Turfgrass revolution: measuring the expansion of the American lawn. Land Use Policy 20(2):181–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P, Sharp JT (2003a) Producing and consuming chemicals: the moral economy of the American lawn. Econ Geogr 79(4):425–451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P, Sharp JT (2003b) The lawn-chemical economy and its discontents. Antipode 35(5):955–979

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P, Polderman A, Birkenholtz T (2001) Lawns and toxins: an ecology of the city. Cities 18(6):369–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romig K (2010) Community and social capital in upper-income neighborhoods: an investigation in metropolitan Phoenix. Urban Geogr 31(8):1065–1079

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryznar RM, Wagner TW (2001) Using remotely sensed imagery to detect urban change—viewing Detroit from space. J Am Plan Assoc 67(3):327–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvador R, Bautista-Capetillo C, Playan E (2011) Irrigiation performance in private urban landscapes: a study case in Zaragoza (Spain). Landsc Urban Plan 100:302–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandberg LA, Foster J (2005) Challenging law and order: environmental discourse and lawn care reform in Canada. Environ Politics 14(4):478–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scharenbroch BC, Lloyd JE, Johnson-Maynard JL (2005) Distinguishing urban soils with physical, chemical, and biological properties. Pedobiologia 49:283–296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz S (1994) Are there universal aspects in the structure and contents of human values? J Soc Issues 50(4):19–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer P, Wilson S, Brindle F, Baffoe-Bonnie, B (2009) Understanding permeable and impermeable surfaces: technical report on surfacing options and cost benefit analysis. Department of Communities and Local Government, UK. www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/permeablesufacesreport. Accessed 30 Jan 2011

  • Shashua-Bar L, Pearlmutter D, Erell E (2009) The cooling efficiency of urban landscape strategies in a hot dry climate. Landsc Urban Plan 92(3–4):179–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shochat E, Stefanov WL, Whitehouse MEA, Faeth SH (2004) Urbanization and spider diversity: influences of human modification of habitat structure and productivity. Ecol Appl 14(1):268–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shochat E, Warren PS, Faeth SH, McIntyre NE, Hope D (2006) From patterns to emerging processes in mechanistic urban ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 21(4):186–191

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shochat E, Lerman SB, Anderies JM, Warren PS, Faeth SH, Nilon CH (2010) Invasion, competition, and biodiversity loss in urban ecosystems. Biosci 60(3):199–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson JR, McPherson EG (1998) Simulation of tree shade impacts on residential energy use for space conditioning in Sacramento. Atmos Environ 32(1):69–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smetak KM, Johnsn-Maynard JL, Lloyd JE (2007) Earthworm population density and diversity in different-aged urban systems. Appl Soil Ecol 37(1–2):161–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith RM, Gaston KJ, Warren PH, Thompson K (2005) Urban domestic gardens (V): relationships between landcover composition, housing and landscape. Landsc Ecol 20(2):235–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith J, Chapman A, Eggleton P (2006a) Baseline biodiversity surveys of the soil macrofauna of London’s green spaces. Urban Ecosyst 9(4):337–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith RM, Gaston KJ, Warren PH, Thompson K (2006b) Urban domestic gardens (VIII): environmental correlates of invertebrate abundance. Biodivers Conserv 15(8):2515–2545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith RM, Thompson K, Hodgson JG, Warren PH, Gaston KJ (2006c) Urban domestic gardens (IX): composition and richness of the vascular plant flora, and implications for native biodiversity. Biol Conserv 129(3):312–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith RM, Warren PH, Thompson K, Gaston KJ (2006d) Urban domestic gardens (VI): environmental correlates of invertebrate species richness. Biodivers Conserv 15(8):2415–2438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song K, Qin J, Gao K, Hu YH (2009) Homogenization of plant diversity in Shanghai residential areas. Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao 20(7):1603–1607

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sovocool KA, Morgan M, Bennett D (2006) An in-depth investigation of xeriscape as a water conservation measure. J Am Water Works Assoc 98(2):82–93

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sperling C, Lortie C (2010) The importance of urban backgardens on plant and invertebrate recruitment: a field microcosm experiment. Urban Ecosyst 13(2):223–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spinti JE, St Hilaire R, VanLeeuwen D (2004) Balancing landscape preferences and water conservation in a desert community. HortTechnol 14(1):72–77

    Google Scholar 

  • St Hilaire R, Arnold MA, Wilkerson DC, Devitt DA, Hurd BH, Lesikar BJ, Lohr VI, Martin CA, McDonald GV, Morris RL, Pittenger DR, Shaw DA, Zoldoske DF (2008) Efficient water use in residential urban landscapes. Hortsci 43(7):2081–2092

    Google Scholar 

  • St Hilaire R, VanLeenwen DM, Torres P (2010) Landscape preferences and water conservation choices of residents in a high desert environment. HortTech 20(2):308–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Stabler LB (2008) Management regimes affect woody plant productivity and water use efficiency in an urban desert ecosystem. Urban Ecosyst 11:197–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stabler LB, Martin CA, Brazel AJ (2005) Microclimates in a desert city were related to land use and vegetation index. Urban Urban Green 3(3–4):137–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steer CD, Grey CNB, Team AS (2006) Socio-demographic characteristics of UK families using pesticides and weed-killers. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 16(3):251–263

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg T (2006) American green: the obsessive quest for the perfect lawn, 1st edn. W.W. Norton, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Stern PC (2000) Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. J Soc Issues 56(3):407–424

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart GH, Meurk CD, Ignatieva ME, Buckley HL, Magueur A, Case BS, Hudson M, Parker M (2009) Urban biotopes of Aotearoa New Zealand (URBANZ) II: floristics, biodiversity and conservation values of urban residential and public woodlands, Christchurch. Urban Urban Green 8(3):149–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone JB (2004) Paving over paradise: how land use regulations promote residential imperviousness. Landsc Urban Plan 69(1):101–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Struger J, Fletcher T (2007) Occurrence of lawn care and agricultural pesticides in the Don River and Humber River watersheds (1998–2002). J Gt Lakes Res 33(4):887–905

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Su WZ, Gu CL, Yang GS (2010) Assessing the impact of land use/land cover on urban heat island pattern in Nanjing City, China. J Urban Plan Dev-ASCE 136(4):365–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Syme GJ, Shao QX, Po M, Campbell E (2004) Predicting and understanding home garden water use. Landsc Urban Plan 68(1):121–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Templeton SR, Yoo SJ, Zilberman D (1999) An economic analysis of yard care and synthetic chemical use: the case of San Francisco. Environ Resour Econ 14(3):385–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Templeton SR, Zilberman D, Yoo SJ, Dabalen AL (2008) Household use of agricultural chemicals for soil-pest management and own labor for yard work. Environ Resour Econ 40(1):91–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson K, Austin KC, Smith RM, Warren PH, Angold PG, Gaston KJ (2003) Urban domestic gardens (I): putting small-scale plant diversity in context. J Veg Sci 14(1):71–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson K, Hodgson JG, Smith RM, Warren PH, Gaston KJ (2004) Urban domestic gardens (III): composition and diversity of lawn floras. J Veg Sci 15(3):373–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D, Cassman KG, Matson PA, Naylor R, Polasky S (2002) Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices. Nature 418(6898):671–677

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend-Small A, Czimczik CI (2010) Carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions in urban turf. Geophys Res Lett 37:L02707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tratalos J, Fuller RA, Evans KL, Davies RG, Newson SE, Greenwood JJD, Gaston KJ (2007a) Bird densities are associated with household densities. Glob Change Biol 13(8):1685–1695

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tratalos J, Fuller RA, Warren PH, Davies RG, Gaston KJ (2007b) Urban form, biodiversity potential and ecosystem services. Landsc Urban Plan 83(4):308–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troy P, Holloway D (2004) The use of residential water consumption as an urban planning tool: a pilot study in Adelaide. J Environ Plan Manag 47(1):97–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troy AR, Grove JM, O'Neil-Dunne JPM, Pickett STA, Cadenasso ML (2007) Predicting opportunities for greening and patterns of vegetation on private urban lands. Environ Manag 40(3):394–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trudgill S, Jeffery A, Parker J (2010) Climate change and the resilience of the domestic lawn. Appl Geogr 30(1):177–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tzoulas K, Korpela K, Venn S, Yli-Pelkonen V, Kazmierczak A, Niemela J, James P (2007) Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using green infrastructure: a literature review. Landsc Urban Plan 81(3):167–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN (2010) World urbanization prospects: the 2009 revision. United Nations, NY

  • Uslu A, Gokce S (2010) Social interaction in urban transformation areas and the characteristics of urban outdoor spaces: a case study from Turkey. Afr J Agric Res 5(20):2801–2810

    Google Scholar 

  • Waide RB, Willig MR, Steiner CF, Mittelbach G, Gough L, Dodson SI, Juday GP, Parmenter R (1999) The relationship between productivity and species richness. Ann Rev Ecol Evol Syst 30:257–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentz EA, Gober P (2007) Determinants of small-area water consumption for the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Water Resour Manage 21(11):1849–1863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker D, Vaske JJ, Manfredo MJ (2006) Specificity and the cognitive hierarchy: value orientations and the acceptability of urban wildlife management actions. Soc Nat Resour 19(6):515–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu J, Jones KB, Li H, Loucks OL (2006) Scaling and uncertainty analysis in ecology: methods and applications. Springer, The Netherlands

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yabiku ST, Casagrande DG, Farley-Metzger E (2008) Preferences for landscape choice in a Southwestern desert city. Environ Behav 40(3):382–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yahner RH (2001) Butterfly communities in residential landscapes of central Pennsylvania. Northeast Nat 8(1):113–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng B, Zhang YQ, Chen JQ (2011) Preference to home landscape: wildness or neatness? Landsc Urban Plan 99(1):1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou WQ, Troy A, Grove M (2008) Modeling residential lawn fertilization practices: integrating high resolution remote sensing with socioeconomic data. Environ Manag 41(5):742–752

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou WQ, Troy A, Grove JM, Jenkins JC (2009) Can money buy green? demographic and socioeconomic predictors of lawn-care expenditures and lawn greenness in urban residential areas. Soc Nat Resour 22(8):744–760

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zmyslony J, Gagnon D (1998) Residential management of urban front yard landscape: a random process? Landsc Urban Plan 40(4):295–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zmyslony J, Gagnon D (2000) Path analysis of spatial predictors of front yard landscape in an anthropogenic environment. Landsc Ecol 15(4):357–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DEB-0423704, Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) and Grant No. 0504248, Integrative Graduate Education Research and Training (IGERT) in Urban Ecology. We thank B. Funke, C.A Strawhacker, and V.K. Turner for insightful discussions on the conceptual diagram presented in this paper, which was conceived during the 2008 IGERT/ASU School of Sustainability workshop. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that improved this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth M. Cook.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cook, E.M., Hall, S.J. & Larson, K.L. Residential landscapes as social-ecological systems: a synthesis of multi-scalar interactions between people and their home environment. Urban Ecosyst 15, 19–52 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-011-0197-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-011-0197-0

Keywords

Navigation