Answer these 6 questions from the essay attachment please. Objective: Analyze a sample paper according to the Stance Essay grading rubric. What “stance” is the writer advocating in the essay? In other words, what is the argument? In the draft essay, how

Running Head: THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 1

Assignment #3: “Stance Essay”

Joe Green

ENG 115- English Composition

Professor Frank Jones

December 11, 2015

THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 2

The Ideal Approach to Urban Greenspaces

The benefits of greenspace in urban areas are numerous. Greenspaces have been

shown to provide direct and indirect psychological benefits to the people that experience

them regularly. The current global trend is a migration to urban environments and so in

many communities, urban greenspaces provide the citizens’ only opportunity to interface

with nature. While greenspaces provide a venue for recreation and socializing, they also

decrease emotional distress for the people who visit them (White, Alcock, Wheeler, &

Depledge, 2013). They are beneficial to the environment in many ways, including

filtering air and water and increasing the biodiversity of an area (De Sousa, 2013).

Greenspaces also provide services that improve the quality of life in a city. They provide

a cooling effect by shading heat-absorbing surfaces like asphalt with vegetation (Jesdale,

Morello-Frosch, & Cushing, 2013). The city of Birmingham has some parks and wooded

areas, but the downtown area is lacking. The question, therefore, is whether the best way

for Birmingham to address this lack is to construct one large central park or by building

multiple smaller parks. Constructing small parks in various neighborhoods will be the

most effective way to bring more urban greenspace to downtown Birmingham, because

these parks will be in close proximity to many people, their construction can be very

flexible, and they can capitalize on the use of “brownfields.”

One reason constructing multiple small parks would be an effective approach to

Birmingham’s lack of greenspace is that these parks will be close in proximity to many

people. Even though there are already some greenspaces in Birmingham, none are located

close to downtown, and so the people there, especially those without means of

transportation, aren’t be able to take advantage of them. Those in poorer areas are

THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 3

especially limited, as it has been shown that there is much more greenspace in wealthier

areas than in low-income neighborhoods (Mitchell & Popham, 2008). By building

multiple small parks, it can be ensured that parks will be placed in locations that are

accessible to all residents, no matter their income level. It is important to incorporate

greenspaces into urban areas that are accessible to the residents of those areas. A small

park should be within walking distance of just about anywhere. This would not be

feasible with one large central park, but it could be accomplished with multiple smaller

ones. Although it’s possible that a larger central park could become a downtown

destination, that fact would not necessarily mean that the park would be accessible to

many residents. Instead, it would likely be more convenient to tourists.

Another reason constructing multiple small parks would be an effective approach

to Birmingham’s lack of greenspace is that the construction of these parks can be very

flexible. The locations can be based on what plots are available and opportune. It has

been shown that many inequalities exist in the distribution of greenspaces in communities

nationwide. In some cities there is as much as double the amount of greenspace in

wealthier neighborhoods compared to low-income neighborhoods. A study performed in

2013 showed that inequality also exists in the amount of greenspace among different

ethnicities (Jesdale, Morello-Frosch, & Cushing, 2013). Neighborhoods primarily

populated by minorities displayed a lower percentage of vegetative cover. This approach

will be effective at addressing this inequality. Because of the flexibility afforded by their

size, small parks can be constructed in locations throughout Birmingham that reflect this

intention and alleviate this inequality. A large central park, on the other hand, would not

be able to capitalize on this flexibility. The possible locations for a central park would be

THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 4

much more restricted, and it would not be as easy to offset the ethnic inequality evident

in the current greenspace locations.

The flexibility afforded by multiple smaller parks leads us to a third reason that

constructing such parks will address the problem of a lack of greenspace: these parks can

capitalize on the use of “brownfields.” Greenspaces are a method of re-purposing land

and are a minimal imposition on land that is already in commercial or residential use. For

better or worse, as a result of an industrial hub since the late 1800s, Birmingham hosts

plenty of land and industrial areas that have been abandoned for many years. Many of

these sites are remains from various industrial and metropolitan booms throughout

Birmingham’s history. These sites are called “brownfields” and are ideal for sustainable

development (De Sousa, 2003). This approach will capitalize on the use of brownfields,

making it an ideal way to bring greenspace access to the people of downtown

Birmingham. The construction of a large centralized park would likely require the

acquisition of land that is already in use, so it would potentially hinder the economy or

productivity of the part of town where it is built. Not so with smaller parks, which would

not only achieve their primary purpose of providing more greenspace to Birmingham, but

would also beautify abandoned and undeveloped areas of the city. This also has the added

benefit of increasing biodiversity of such areas. In a time where wilderness areas are

dwindling worldwide and urban areas seem to be expanding indefinitely, increasing

biodiversity is a vital service for the world. Managing greenspaces for increased

biodiversity also provide psychological benefits. A study performed in 2007 showed the

psychological benefits provided by greenspaces increase with increased biodiversity in

greenspaces (Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, & Pullin, 2010).

THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 5

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best approach to

constructing greenspace in Birmingham. One must consider how many people will be

able to feasibly access the site, how difficult it will be to offset the ethnic inequality of

the current park locations, and whether the parks will take advantage of brownfields or

cut into the current economy of an area. While the construction of one large, centralized

park might benefit the neighborhood of that one park, the flexibility of constructing

multiple smaller parks makes it much easier to bring greenspaces into the reach of more

people, including ethnic minorities that are currently being shortchanged of greenspace.

These parks would not only benefit more people, they would also improve the city’s

infrastructure itself as they renovate and utilize brownfields. That is why I believe this

approach will be the best way to bring more greenspace to Birmingham and thus make

the city a greener city with a higher quality of life.

THE IDEAL APPROACH TO URBAN GREENSPACES 6

References

Bowler, D., Buyung-Ali, L., Knight, T., & Pullin, A. (2010). A systematic review for the

added benefits of health of exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health,

10(456). doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-456

De Sousa, C. A. (2003). Turning brownfields into green space in the city of Toronto.

Landscape and Urban Planning, 62(4), 181-198. doi:10.1016/S0169-

2046(02)00149-4

Jesdale, B. M., Morello-Frosch, R., & Cushing, L. (2013). The racial/ethnic distribution

of heat-risk related land cover in relation to residential segregation.

Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(7). doi:10.1289/ehp.1205919

Mitchell, R. & Popham F. (2008). Effect of exposure to natural environment on health

inequalities: An observational population study. The Lancet 372(9650), 1655-

1660. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61689-X

White, M., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B., & Depledge, M. (2013). Would you be happier living

in a greener urban area? A fixed-effects analysis of panel data. Psychological

Science, 24(6). doi:10.1177/0956797612464659