Urban Biodiversity and Open Space in the Los Angeles Region some preliminary observations and questions

Stephanie Pincetl Director Center for Sustainable Communities, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability June 25, 2012 spincetl@ioes.ucla.edu

What are the big urban ecosystem questions in Mediterranean cities??

Nature in cities is anthropogenic, a result of human decisions and choice what kind of ecosystem functions and processes result? What are the plants, and where do they come from? How much water do they use (or are given) Where does the water come from and what are the patterns of consumption across these landscapes What services can, do, and might, urban ecosystems provide to mitigate climate change impacts, or that can help cities and their residents, adapt to climate?

Several Research Projects in Process

Urban

Long Term Research Metabolism

Urban Ecohydrology focus Energy flows into the region, waste flows out

Urban

Urban

Biogeography why this vegetation here? What does open space look like in a dense urban fabric?

Urban Ecohydrology
National Science Foundation What are the patterns of water use in Los Angeles by neighborhood and sociodemographics? How much of the water use is indoor compared to outdoor, for landscaping? Do the patterns vary seasonally and yearly as a result of climate differences? What is the general trend in water use in Los Angeles? How do water conservation restrictions affect the greenness of the city?

The water conveyance Systems of CA. Los Angeles receives Water from the SF Bay Delta, the Colorado River, and the Owens Valley.

AllWaterConveyanceSystems Yellow:federal Red:stateofCA Green:LADWPorotherCity

All water supplies Will be affected by climate change

Preliminary Findings

Wealthier areas of single Family residences use More water. Drought restrictions Reduce overall water use, but Density of greenness Remains the same. Price has no effect on High water users.

Single-family water use/EVI/precipitation correlation

Pacific Palisades - Wealthier neighborhood - Larger home lots - Coastal area

Leimert Park - Average income level for City - Dense urban neighborhood - Inland

Water Use

Water Use

Precipitation Precipitation

EVI EVI

Urban Metabolism: what are the resource flows into and out of the region? Where do they come from?
Public Interest Energy Research Program, Ca. Energy Commission

We are using the water mapping from the ecohydrology project and extending it to commercial, institutional and industrial users. We are mapping electricity use across the city. So far, results of electricity use parallel that of water use. We are mapping waste flows. And we are conducting life cycle analysis cradle to grave accounting of the infrastructure. With this work we hope to show how and by how much, cities source their inputs from far flung places, having important impacts on those ecosystems.

Urban Biogeography
National Science Foundation
What

is the diversity of tree species in the Los Angeles region? Has it varied over time? What are its characteristics What does this mean for ecosystem science and urban ecosystem analysis?

Questions
What

tree species? What are their attributes (flowering, deciduous. . . ) Have tree species offered changed over time? How much water do they use?

Summary of the data from 1900-2010

600 500 400 Number 300 200 100 0 201 201 89 43 3 29 562 470

445 343

Trees in this Mediterranean region

High number of species, far more than in indigenous ecosystem Species diversity has increased over time Hypothesize a relationship between irrigation and diversity With so many introductions into a land area that has been substantially transformed (soils, topography, drainage, built environment) what does ecosystem science have to tell us?

The question of open space

This region is the densest metropolitan area in the US Very little open space Where can we fit more? Who pays? What does it look like and do? Notions of baseball/soccer fields or habitat or ecosystem services like infiltration? Does it need to fit traditional ideas to count? Do linear street parks count? The most open space we have are the streets.

I suggest we are in the anthropocene cities are the epicenter of this new age
Cities pose unique and new analytical and scientific research challenges relative to many issues, including climate adaptation and mitigation.

What role does nature play in urban changes that maybe needed for climate?

In cities we are dealing with a nature that is a hodge podge, plunked in place by people In this city, that nature needs a lot of water In this city, that water helps support ecosystem services like urban cooling by trees In this city, water is going to be more scarce In this city those trees (outside of parks) are maintained by residents Richer residents have more trees than less affluent residents And, like in all cities, what we see is the result of our decisions, conscious and unconscious.