Spatial Indices for Convivial Greenstreets

Streetside gardening is an informal, resident-initiated activity undertaken in dense urban areas worldwide. Yardless urban areas with a high incidence of informal streetside gardening are called Convivial Greenstreets (CG). Site investigations in European and several U.S. cities over the last decade suggest that social, ecological, and local climate benefits may be found where CG are most intense. The aim of this research is to fill a gap in the research literature by better understanding the spatial distribution of CG and the potential benefits associated with them. Using inner-core neighborhoods in Delft, The Netherlands, and Philadelphia, USA, as test cases, we devised a Convivial Greenstreet Intensity (CGI) index to provide a consistent method for mapping and comparing levels of streetside gardening activity across neighborhoods and cities. We show that CG spatial patterning and quantification of informal gardening intensity using in situ documentation and integrated GIS and Google Earth analyses are feasible and should prove useful as a basis for further research. With the development of a reliable method for measuring and mapping informal streetside gardening activity with a focus on visually accessible biomass, we hope that opportunities for investigating links between convivial greenstreets and urban microclimatic and physical and mental health will be facilitated.