Abstract
Ecological urbanism combines the principles of ecology and city design to pursue urban environmental quality for human wellbeing. It sits at the intersection of ecosystem services (ES) of urban green and blue spaces (UGBS). Ecological urbanism combines all material and metaphysical elements of nature for the wellbeing of city dwellers. This chapter presents results of the assessment of ES of specific UGBS in selected Yoruba cities using the socio-cultural ecological conceptual framework developed in Chap. 1. The conceptual framework links ecological urbanism, ecosystems, green infrastructure, ecosystem services, indigenous knowledge system, and Yoruba cities together. The assessment takes care of theoretical underpinnings linking green infrastructure and ecosystem services, philosophical considerations for studying ecosystem services, contextualization of the concepts, and ecosystem components of United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. The assessment results are presented as metanarratives of the ES of specific UGBS in selected Yoruba cities. Yoruba cities are precolonial urban spaces with unique ES of UGBS. The aim of this chapter is to underscore the intricate ecological connections of these spaces to the everyday life of the citizens and their understandings of urban natural processes through indigenous knowledge system and local wisdom. This is in view of the constantly emerging and evolving urban biogeophysical crisis. To achieve this, Osun Grove UNESCO World Heritage Site in Osogbo was selected as archetype that represents the divinatory cosmology and pre-colonial city planning in Yoruba land. Its ES reveal a belief-system in the river and medicinal plants that is rooted in a mind-body connection with the spirit world of the goddess and Yoruba pantheon in general. The Grove demonstrates the traditional spirituality and religiosity of Yoruba people. Typical of the Grove, other green spaces like Biological Garden and Park in Akure, Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos, Fajuyi Park Ado-Ekiti, and three University parks and gardens, are sites of provisioning, supporting, regulating, and cultural ES. The urban ecotourism values of some of the sites contribute to human wellbeing aside from being part of nature-based solution to the environmental and economic sustainabilities of the cities. As sites of social capital, memorials, metabolic and aesthetic appreciations of nature, they nurture symbiotic relationships between human and nonhuman natures that are reminiscent of Garden of Eden. The chapter concludes with a section on the Lagos lagoon and its associated University of Lagos Park as a unique urban ecosystem. It offers recommendations on the strategies for sustaining the ES of the ecological urban spaces. The next chapter of the book discusses the diverse ways Yoruba people relate with Green Environment to access their ES for human wellbeing and the mechanisms that frame these services.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adebanwi W (2008) Death, national memory and the social construction of heroism. J Afr Hist 49(3):419–444
Adebayo M (2019) UI short of 1, 834 staff, lecturers overstretched. Daily Post, May 25. Accessed 04 Oct 2021 from https://dailypost.ng/2019/05/25/ui-short-1834-staff-lecturers-overstretched-vc-cries/
Adedeji JA (2018) Assessment of open spaces landscape in federal universities in south-west, Nigeria. PhD Thesis, department of architecture, school of post graduate studies, Federal University of Technology, Akure
Adedeji JA (2020) Urban biocultural identity of Yorubas: intersection of philosophy and nature for wellbeing at Osun sacred Grove UNESCO site, Osogbo, Nigeria. In: Cocks M, Shackleton C (eds) Urban nature: enriching belonging, wellbeing and bioculture, 1st edn. Routledge, London, pp 51–66
Adedeji JA, Adeboyejo TA (2011) Environmental hazards, disasters and pollution: global, African and Nigerian patterns. LAMBERT Academic Publishing Gmb H & Co. KG, Saarbrücken. ISBN: 978-3-8454-7587-5
Adedeji JA, Fadamiro JA (2018) Urbanisation forces on the landscapes and the changing value-systems of Osun sacred Grove UNESCO site, Osogbo, Nigeria. Landsc Res 43(6):798–816
Adedeji JA, Fadamiro JA, Odeyale TO (2020) Design toolkits for campus open spaces from post-occupancy evaluations of federal universities in south-West Nigeria. Built Environ Proj Asset Manag 10(2):296–311
Adekunle AA, Adewumi JK, Bello NJ, Akinyemi JO (2012) Stormwater characteristics on 3rd mainland bridge Lagos, Nigeria. J Appl Technol Environ Sanit 2(3):135–144
Aerts R, Honnay O, Van Nieuwenhuyse A (2018) Biodiversity and human health: mechanisms and evidence of the positive health effects of diversity in nature and green spaces. Br Med Bull 127(1):5–22
Ahmad Sayuti N, Zamri Azizan M, Fazlan Ahmad Zamri A, Rizaimy Shaharudin M, Abdulwahhab Khalaf O (2019) The development of typologies, design patterns and scaled models bio-inspired by mangrove species. Int J Adv Sci Technol 28(13):451–464
Akoni O (2019) Middle aged man rescued from committing suicide on third mainland bridge. Vanguard, October 24, 2019. Online. Accessed on 28 Oct 2021 at https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/10/middle-aged-man-rescue-from-committing-suicide-on-third-mainland-bridge/
Aweto AO (2001) Trees in shifting and continuous cultivation farms in Ibadan area, southwestern Nigeria. Landsc Urban Plan 53(1–4):163–171
Badejo OT, Olaleye JB, Lademomi AS (2014) Tidal characteristics and sounding datum variation in Lagos state. Int J Innov Res Stud 3(1–23):2319–9725
Barbier EB (2017) Marine ecosystem services. Curr Biol 27(11):R507–R510
Barker A, Crawford A, Booth N, Churchill D (2019) Everyday encounters with difference in urban parks: forging ‘openness to otherness’ in segmenting cities. Int J Law Context 15(4):495–514
Burley BA (2018) Green infrastructure and violence: do new street trees mitigate violent crime? Health Place 54:43–49
Callaghan A, McCombe G, Harrold A, McMeel C, Mills G, Moore-Cherry N, Cullen W (2021) The impact of green spaces on mental health in urban settings: a scoping review. J Ment Health 30(2):179–193
Campos P (2010) The concept of “educational campus” and its application in Spanish Universities. CELE Exchange, 2010/8: OECD Publishing
Carmona M, Heath T, Oc T, Tiesdell S (2003) Public places-urban spaces: the dimensions of urban design. Architectural Press, Oxford
Chen Y, Xu Z, Byrne J, Xu T, Wang S, Wu J (2021) Can smaller parks limit green gentrification? Insights from Hangzhou, China. Urban For Urban Green 59:127009
Crompton JL (2005) The impact of parks on property values: empirical evidence from the past two decades in the United States. Manag Leis 10(4):203–218
Crompton JL, Nicholls S (2019) The impact of park views on property values. Leis Sci:1–13
d’Acci L (2019) Quality of urban area, distance from city Centre, and housing value. Case study on real estate values in Turin. Cities 91:71–92
Davoren E, Shackleton CM (2021) Urban ecosystem disservices in the global south. In: Urban ecology in the global south. Springer, Cham, pp 265–292
de Kleyn L, Mumaw L, Corney H (2020) From green spaces to vital places: connection and expression in urban greening. Aust Geogr 51(2):205–219
Dominey-Howes D (2018) Hazards and disasters in the Anthropocene: some critical reflections for the future. Geosci Lett 5(1):1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40562-018-0107-x
Dow JM (2022) Nature aesthetics. Philos Compass 17(5):e12829
Eastwood A, Juárez-Bourke A, Herrett S, Hague A (2021) Connecting young people with greenspaces: the case for participatory video. People Nat 2021(00):1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10236
Ekechukwu F (2018) Unilag waterfront: an untapped tourist desination. This day, October 13, 2018 online. Accessed 29 Oct 2021 at https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/10/13/unilag-waterfront-an-untapped-tourist-destination/
Eliasson I, Knez I, Fredholm S (2018) Heritage planning in practice and the role of cultural ecosystem services. Herit Soc 11(1):44–69
Enyoghasu L (2019) Mystery of Lagos dying spot. The sun, 9th February 2019. Sunnewsonline. Accessed on 28 Oct 2021 at https://www.sunnewsonline.com/mystery-of-lagos-dying-spot/
Fajemila OT, Sariaslan N, Langer MR (2020) Spatial distribution of benthic foraminifera in the Lagos lagoon (Nigeria): tracing the impact of environmental perturbations. PLoS One 15(12):e0243481. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243481
Fasihi H, Parizadi T (2020) Analysis of spatial equity and access to urban parks in Ilam, Iran. J Environ Manag 260:110122
Fisher JC, Irvine KN, Bicknell JE, Hayes WM, Fernandes D, Mistry J, Davies ZG (2021) Perceived biodiversity, sound, naturalness and safety enhance the restorative quality and wellbeing benefits of green and blue space in a neotropical city. Sci Total Environ 755:143095
Fletcher R (2015) Nature is a nice place to save but I wouldn’t want to live there: environmental education and the ecotourist gaze. Environ Educ Res 21(3):338–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.993930
Gilboa S, Jaffe ED, Vianelli D, Pastore A, Herstein R (2015) A summated rating scale for measuring city image. Cities 44:50–59
Gormley MJ (2021) The end of the Anthropocene: ecocriticism, the universal ecosystem, and the Astropocene. Rowman & Littlefield
Hamon RB (2018) Garden and “wilderness”: an ecocritical exploration of gen. 2: 4b–3: 24. Bible Crit Theory 14(1):63–86
Harrison EA (2019) Tree species of Lekki conservation center, Lagos state, Nigeria. Int J Biosci 15:308–314
Hill MB, Webb JE (1958) The ecology of Lagos lagoon II. The topography and physical features of Lagos harbour and Lagos lagoon. Philos Trans R Soc Lond Ser B Biol Sci 241(683):319–333
Hinchliffe S, Whatmore S (2006) Living cities: towards a politics of conviviality. Sci Cult 15(2):123–138
Hosaka T, Numata S, Sugimoto K (2018) Research note: relationship between childhood nature play and adulthood participation in nature-based recreation among urban residents in Tokyo area. Landsc Urban Plan 180:1–4
Howard E (2010) To-morrow: A peaceful path to real reform. Cambridge University Press
Hurly J, Walker GJ (2019) Nature in our lives: examining the human need for nature relatedness as a basic psychological need. J Leis Res 50(4):290–310
Jamali AA, Tabatabaee R, Randhir TO (2021) Ecotourism and socioeconomic strategies for Khansar River watershed of Iran. Environ Dev Sustain 23:17077–17093. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01334-y
Jensen AK, Olsen SB (2019) Childhood nature experiences and adulthood environmental preferences. Ecol Econ 156:48–56
Jim CY, Chen WY (2010) External effects of neighbourhood parks and landscape elements on high-rise residential value. Land Use Policy 27(2):662–670
Karst HE, Nepal SK (2022) Social-ecological wellbeing of communities engaged in ecotourism: perspectives from Sakteng wildlife sanctuary, Bhutan. J Sustain Tour 30(6):1177–1199
Kjerfve B (1994) Coastal lagoon processes. Elsevier Oceanography Series. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Knowlton JL, Halvorsen KE, Flaspohler DJ, Webster CR, Abrams J, Almeida SM, Arriaga-Weiss SL, Barnett B, Cardoso MR, Cerqueira PV et al (2021) Birds and bioenergy within the Americas: across-national, social–ecological study of ecosystem service tradeoffs. Land 10:258. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030258
Koole SL, Van den Berg AE (2005) Lost in the wilderness: terror management, action orientation, and nature evaluation. J Pers Soc Psychol 88(6):1014–1028
Kunchamboo V, Lee CKC, Brace-Govan J (2021) Cultivating nature identity and ecological worldviews: A pathway to alter the prevailing dominant social paradigm. J Macromark 41(3):484–505
Leal Filho W, Tripathi SK, Andrade Guerra JBSOD, Giné-Garriga R, Orlovic Lovren V, Willats J (2019) Using the sustainable development goals towards a better understanding of sustainability challenges. Int J Sustain Dev World Ecol 26(2):179–190
Machnik A (2021) Ecotourism as a Core of sustainability in tourism. In: Lubowiecki-Vikuk A, de Sousa BMB, Đerčan BM, Leal FW (eds) Handbook of sustainable development and leisure services, World sustainability series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59820-4_15
Maréchal L, MacLarnon A, Majolo B, Semple S (2016) Primates’ behavioural responses to tourists: evidence for a trade-off between potential risks and benefits. Sci Rep 6(1):1–11
Matsuba MK, Alisat S, Pratt MW (2017) Environmental activism in emerging adulthood. In: Paddila-Walker LM, Nelson LJ (eds) Flourishing in emerging adulthood: positive development during the third decade of life. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 175–201
McGlinn MT (2019) Childhood nature play and the adult ecopsychological self: a mixed methods study. Michigan School of Professional Psychology
McHarg IL (1997) Ecology and design. In: Thompson GF, Steiner CF (eds) Ecological design and planning. Wiley, New York, pp 321–332
Mettinger TND (2007) The Eden narrative: A literary and religio-historical study of genesis 2–3. Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, p 2007
Nesticò A, Sica F, Endreny T (2020, May) Real estate values and ecosystem services: correlation levels. In: International symposium: new metropolitan perspectives. Springer, Cham, pp 802–810
Nichols A (2011) Beyond romantic ecocriticism: toward urbanatural roosting. Springer
Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA (2021) Port of Lagos Quays. Retrieved from https://nigerianports.gov.ng/lagos-port/
NPC – National Population Commission (2006)
Nwachukwu CE, Olufunmilayo EO, Otor VO, Yakubu AO, Akingbade AE, Odefemi OF, Ikwunne BN et al (2021) Common mental health problems and associated factors among medical students of University of Ibadan, Nigeria. J Ment Health 2021:1–8
Nwokorie EC, Adeniyi EE (2021) Tourists’ Perception of Ecotourism Development in Lagos Nigeria: The Case of Lekki Conservation Centre. Turizam 25(1):11–30
Odita S (2017) Doctor commits suicide, jumps into Lagos lagoon. The Guardian, 20 March 2017. Online. Accessed on 28 Oct 2021 at https://guardian.ng/news/doctor-commits-suicide-jumps-into-lagos-lagoon/
Oludayo AA, Chidi OV, Kayode OF (2021) Triangulation approach for mapping groundwater suitability zones in coastal areas around Lagos, Nigeria. Using multi-criteria decision-making technique. NRIAG J Astron Geophys 10(1):423–442
Olukanni DO, Esu CO (2018) Estimating greenhousegas emissions from port vessel operations at the Lagos and tin can ports of Nigeria. Cogent Eng 5(1):1507267. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2018.1507267
Oni SI, Okanlawon KR (2012) An assessment of the usage of the Lagos mass transit trains. Int J Railw 5(1):29–37
Oppermann S (2011) The future of ecocriticism: present currents. In: Oppermann S, Ӧzdağ U, Ӧzkan N, Slovic S (eds) The future of ecocriticism: new horizons. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, pp 14–29
Oyedele KF, Momoh EI (2009) Evaluation of sea waterintrusion in freshwater aquifers in a lagoon coast: a case study of the University of Lagos Lagoon, Akoka, Nigeria. N Y Sci J 2:32–42
Palliwoda J, Kowarik I, von der Lippe M (2017) Human-biodiversity interactions in urban parks: the species level matters. Landsc Urban Plan 157:394–406
Parsons G (2007) The aesthetics of nature. Philos Compass 2(3):358–372
Pickett ST, Cadenasso ML, Grove JM (2004) Resilient cities: meaning, models, and metaphor for integrating the ecological, socio-economic, and planning realms. Landsc Urban Plan 69(4):369–384
Ramírez F, Santana J (2019) Philosophy of ecotourism. In: Environmental education and ecotourism, Springer, Cham, pp 27–31
Raven JA, Karley AJ (2006) Carbon sequestration: photosynthesis and subsequent processes. Curr Biol 16(5):R165–R167
Rival L (2021) Trees, from symbols of life and regeneration to political artefacts. In The social life of trees, Routledge, pp 1–36
Rodriguez MB, Simon M (2015) Conceptualizing conviviality in urban landscapes. Athens J Archit 1(4):311–326
Santos MN, Delabie JH, Queiroz JM (2019) Biodiversity conservation in urban parks: a study of ground-dwelling ants (hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Rio de Janeiro City. Urban Ecosyst 22(5):927–942
Saunders ME, Luck GW (2016) Limitations of the ecosystem services versus disservices dichotomy. Conserv Biol 30(6):1363–1365
Soga M, Gaston KJ (2022) Towards a unified understanding of human–nature interactions. Nat Sustain 5(5):374–383
Soga M, Gaston KJ (2020) The ecology of human–nature interactions. Proc R Soc B 287(1918):20191882
Solomon S, Greenberg J, Pyszczynski T (2004) The cultural animal: twenty years of terror management theory and research. In: Greenberg J, Koole SL, Pyszczynski T (eds) Handbook of experimental existential psychology. Guilford Press, New York, pp 13–34
Sonti NF, Campbell LK, Svendsen ES, Johnson ML, Auyeung DN (2020) Fear and fascination: use and perceptions of new York City’s forests, wetlands, and landscaped park areas. Urban For Urban Green 49:126601
Spirn AW (2002) The authority of nature: conflict, confusion, and renewal. In: Johnson BR, Hill K (eds) Ecology and design: frameworks for learning. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 29–49
Steiner F (2014) Landscape ecological urbanism’. Sustainable Urban Development Reader, 190
Thatoi H, Behera BC, Mishra RR, Dutta SK (2013) Biodiversity and biotechnological potential of microorganisms from mangrove ecosystems: a review. Ann Microbiol 63:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-012-0442-7
Tibesigwa B, Ntuli H, Lokina R (2020) Valuing recreational ecosystem services in developing cities: the case of urban parks in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Cities 106:102853
Till KE (2005) The new Berlin: memory, politics, place. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis
Uduma-Olugu N, Oduwaye L (2010) The regeneration of Lagos lagoon waterfronts for recreation and tourism. In M Schrenk, VV Popovich, P Zeile, (eds) Real Corp 2010: cities for everyone. Liveable, healthy, prosperous. Proceedings/Tagungsb and Vienna, 18-20 May 2010 (page 757–762) – http://www.corp.atEditors:
Usman E (2020) Lagoon of death where military personnel, doctor, others perished. Vanguard, February 22, 2020 online. Accessed 28 Oct 2021 at https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/lagoon-of-death-where-military-personnel-doctor-others-perished/
Van Dijk-Wesselius JE, Maas J, Hovinga D, Van Vugt MVDBA, Van den Berg AE (2018) The impact of greening schoolyards on the appreciation, and physical, cognitive and social-emotional Well-being of schoolchildren: A prospective intervention study. Landsc Urban Plan 180:15–26
Velasco AM, Perez-Ruzafa A, Martinez-Paz JM, Marcos C (2018) Ecosystems services and main environmental risks in a coastal lagoon (Mar Menor, Murcia, SE Spain): the public perception. J Nat Conserv 43:180–189
Voicu I, Been V (2008) The effect of community gardens on neighboring property values. Real Estate Econ 36(2):241–283
Wang HJ (2019) Green city branding: perceptions of multiple stakeholders. J Prod Brand Manag 28(3):376–390
Wang X, Liu J, Liang C, Zhao Z, Feng G, Zhang J (2021) Biodiversity dataset of vascular plants and birds in Chinese urban greenspace. Ecol Res 36:755–761
Warrier RR, Priya SM, Kalaiselvi R (2020) Gmelina arborea–an indigenous timber species of India with high medicinal value: A review on its pharmacology, pharmacognosy and phytochemistry. J Ethnopharmacol 113593
Webb JE (1958) The ecology of Lagos lagoon I. the lagoons of the Guinea coast. Philos Trans R Soc Lond Ser B Biol Sci 241(683):307–318
Weiland S, Hickmann T, Lederer M, Marquardt J, Schwindenhammer S (2021) The 2030 agenda for sustainable development: transformative change through the sustainable development goals? Politics Gov 9(1):90–95
Wong FY, Yang L, Yuen JW, Chang KK, Wong FK (2018) Assessing quality of life using WHOQOL-BREF: A cross-sectional study on the association between quality of life and neighborhood environmental satisfaction, and the mediating effect of health-related behaviors. BMC Public Health 18(1):1–14
World Population Review, WPR (2021) Accessed on 13 Aug 2021 from https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/akure-population
Wu C, Ye X, Du Q, Luo P (2017) Spatial effects of accessibility to parks on housing prices in Shenzhen, China. Habitat Int 63:45–54
Zhang S, Liu J, Song C, Chan CS, Pei T, Yu W, Zhang X (2021) Spatial-temporal distribution characteristics and evolution mechanism of urban parks in Beijing, China. Urban For Urban Green 127265:127265
Zhu J, Lu H, Zheng T, Rong Y, Wang C, Zhang W et al (2020) Vitality of urban parks and its influencing factors from the perspective of recreational service supply, demand, and spatial links. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(5):1615
Zylstra M, Esler K, Knight A, Le Grange L (2019) Integrating multiple perspectives on the human-nature relationship: A reply to Fletcher 2017. J Environ Educ 50(1):1–10
Zylstra MJ, Knight AT, Esler KJ, Le Grange LLL (2014) Connectedness as a core conservation concern: an interdisciplinary review of theory and a call for practice. Springer Sci Rev 2(1–2):119–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40362-014-0021-3
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Adedeji, J.A. (2023). Green-Blue Spaces in Yoruba Cities – Ecosystem Services Ethnography. In: Ecological Urbanism of Yoruba Cities in Nigeria . Cities and Nature. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34688-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34688-0_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-34687-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-34688-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)