Attention to order, diversity, and seclusion and retreat in NBS for urban greenspaces may make such spaces more appealing to young adultsNature-based solutions (NBS) address climate change while simultaneously supporting human health and development. This research was designed to address a social justice issue relating to the absence of young people’s involvement in the application of NBS in urban public spaces and the design of such spaces failing to meet their needs. The research is based on the understanding that achieving justice for young adults in relation to NBS “requires understanding their preferences, clarifying relationships between NBS characteristics and use, and translating research into evidence-based design.”
The research process involved four distinct steps. Step One involved summarizing the literature on young-adult preferences for, experiences in, and benefits from urban nature. Step Two involved conducting case studies in two formal parks in Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, to determine how findings from the literature related to the real-world provision of NBS in Australia. The third step involved using the findings from the literature review and the case studies to develop an appraisal framework for determining the extent to which urban greenspaces are likely to attract young adults and support their social and psychological well-being. During the final step, the framework was applied to a range of urban greenspace configurations to support its use and implementation. Three types of urban greenspaces were considered: “formal greenspaces (such as parks), informal greenspaces (such as vacant lots or laneways that feature vegetation), and extant greenspaces that may reflect a time prior to urbanisation (including remnant forests).”
Findings from the review of the literature and the information gathered through the case studies identified three attributes of NBS necessary for meeting the social and psychological needs of young adults (age 15-24): order, diversity, and seclusion and retreat. These three desired attributes provide the structure of the appraisal framework. A space with “order” maintains naturalness and environmental function “without feeling messy, uncared for, or unsafe.” “Diversity” in a space “refers to both plant biodiversity and a diversity of features to carry out a range of activities.” The feature of “seclusion and retreat” provides freedom from social control by parents or other adults in the community. The preliminary application of the appraisal framework indicates that this tool may be useful in addressing distributive justice issues for young adults in relation to NBS in urban environments.
This tool might be helpful to city planners and policymakers in designing “tolerant greenspaces” that support the developmentally appropriate behavior of young adults (age 15-24), while balancing the needs of other users.
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