Urban forests are characterized by relationships between people and trees, where urban trees provide benefits to people and people make decisions impacting trees. People’s perceptions of urban forests are related to the cognitive processes that underpin benefits received from trees, while also influencing support for or against trees and their management. A growing literature has…

Green gentrification implicates urban greening as a driver of neighbourhood ‘upgrading’ and subsequent displacement. However, it is unclear whether the concept resonates with, or supports the work of, those responsible for much of the greening occurring in cities – urban green planners/practitioners. We interviewed 33 planners/practitioners in Canada to refine our understanding of the relationships…

As cities attempt to ameliorate urban green inequities, a potential challenge has emerged in the form of green gentrification. Although practitioners are central to urban greening and associated gentrification, there has yet to be an exploration of practitioner perspectives on the phenomenon. We fill this gap with an online survey of 51 urban greening practitioners…

Green gentrification occurs when urban greening/sustainability interventions become implicated in neighbourhood upgrading and displacement of existing residents. However, current emphasis on urban sustainability in planning/policy agendas, coupled with political-economic factors producing uneven development, lead us to ask whether all gentrifying areas experience greening. Our descriptive analysis identified gentrifying areas in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto (Canada),…

Urban vegetation is an important component of healthy, livable cities and has been linked to several benefits, including improved human health outcomes, natural system regulation, and habitat provision. Understanding and documenting changes to urban vegetation is essential for planning for sustainable cities. This study focuses on identifying where and when urban vegetation changed in Metro…

This research analyzed six value-weight-elicitation techniques that are commonly used in participatory planning. It compared the techniques via measures of accuracy (within-subjects user-derived assessments and quantitative weight comparisons) and accessibility (time to complete, difficulty, and “boringness”). Visual sliders performed best across assessments. Pairwise comparison, visual sliders, and swing weighting were the most accurate, while visual…

As we experience increased impacts of climate change and urbanization, the many benefits to health and well-being provided by green and blue spaces are becoming more important, and research has shown these health benefits to be particularly strong for lower-income populations. Given these benefits, we have seen increased societal concern about the inequitable distribution of…

This article assesses the distribution of urban vegetation in 31 Canadian cities to determine whether certain social-economic/demographic factors are associated with increased proximity to greenness. Using spatial lag models, Canadian census data, and urban ‘greenness fractions’ derived from Landsat imagery, we find diversity between cities in the factors associated with increased urban vegetation. This makes…

As researchers have continued to expand the bounds of green gentrification scholarship, understanding of what green gentrification is and how to identify the phenomenon on the ground has grown obscured. In an attempt to bring clarity to this conversation, our research presents an urban green gentrification framework, based on findings from a scoping review and…

There is substantial evidence detailing the ecological and social benefits provided through urban greening. However, research in the field of urban green equity has revealed that these benefits are not enjoyed equitably by all residents; existing disparities in the distribution, accessibility, and experience of urban greening disproportionately affect historically marginalized communities and residents. Furthermore, green…

This systematic literature review identifies and critiques methodological trends in green gentrification research (focusing on studies of vegetative greening) and provides suggestions for advancing this field. Findings reveal (1) research has largely focused on U.S. case studies; (2) early work employed qualitative methods but quantitative analyses have become more common; (3) little attention has been…

If you ask any practitioner in my field of urban forestry why we need trees in urban areas, they’re sure to enumerate a litany of benefits ranging from environmental to economic to human health and well-being. Science has made much progress in quantifying these benefits to human society through advances in ecosystem service research; today…

The sustainable provision of urban forest benefits can be threatened by the occurrence of sudden, major disturbance events, such as forest fires, insect outbreaks, and extreme weather events, which are considered to be “pulse” disturbance events from a socio-ecological systems perspective. Sound urban forestry programs are needed to prepare for these disturbances and reduce their…

Forest ecosystem resilience is of considerable interest worldwide, particularly given the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and recent instances of zoonotic diseases linked to deforestation and forest loss. Novel, digital-based technologies are also increasingly ubiquitous. We provide a more comprehensive understanding of how these new technologies are being used for forest management in different sectors and…

While being major greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, cities also suffer some of the most severe climate change impacts. Urban forests have gained increasing recognition as nature-based solutions to climate change via the various benefits they provide, such as carbon sequestration and temperature regulation. Many cities have developed climate change and/or urban forest policies to enhance…

Urban forests are increasingly acknowledged as sources of multiple benefits and central to climate resilience and human well-being. Given these diverse and significant benefits, it is important to govern urban forests so as to ensure that all residents have equitable access and enjoyment. Understanding urban forest preferences, and including them in planning and management, is…

This research examines the distributional equity of urban vegetation in 10 US urbanized areas using very high resolution land cover data and census data. Urban vegetation is characterized three ways in the analysis (mixed vegetation, woody vegetation, and public parks), to reflect the variable ecosystem services provided by different types of urban vegetation. Data are…

Urban green equity, broadly defined as equitable access to and governance of urban forests, mediates urban residents’ ability to derive ecosystem services from urban forests. This article explores conceptions of, barriers to, and strategies for urban green equity as understood by urban forestry and related green practitioners in three multicultural cities in the US. Practitioners…

Addressing global urban challenges through the implementation of SDG 11 depends on how cities prioritise resources and strategies over the next decade. This prioritisation is context-specific, relating to socioeconomic development trajectories and spatio-temporal urbanisation patterns. Implementing SDG 11 will affect forests and forest livelihoods near and far from urban centres. The strategic inclusion of urban…