Where Does Community Grow?: The Social Context Created by Nature in Urban Public Housing
Abstract
This study examines how the availability of nature influences the use of outdoor public spaces in two Chicago public housing developments. Ninety-six observations were collected of the presence and location of trees and the presence and location of youth and adults in semiprivate spaces at one high-rise and one low-rise public housing development. Results consistentiy indicated that natural landscaping encourages greater use of outdoor areas by residents. Spaces with trees attracted larger groups of people, as well as more mixed groups of youth and adults, than did spaces devoid of nature. In addition, more dense groupings of trees and trees that are located close to public housing buildings attracted larger groups of people. These findings suggest that natural elements such as trees promote increased opportunities for social interactions, monitorng of outdoor areas, and supervision of children in impovershed urban neighborhoods.
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1. Because the observations were collected at a particular time of year and only dunng daylight hours, results cannot necessarily be generalized to other times. However, the data do present a representative sample of people using the targeted outdoor areas and of the use or nonuse of all observed spaces.
2. Youth were defined as those people appearing to be 18 years old or younger.
3. Although the data do not include the residential identity of each person observed in the outdoor spaces, reports by the residenfial interviewers and residential managers of the housing developments indicate that few "outside people" spend time in these neighborhoods. Thus, throughout this article, the people observed in the developments are referred to as "residents."
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Article first published: July 1997
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