Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone in urban areas. Some of these impacts in the United States have negatively affected People of Color more than their White counterparts. Using Seattle, Washington as a case study, we investigated whether inequitable effects appear in residents’ interactions...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1277 |
| _version_ | 1797409352717434880 |
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| author | Audryana Nay Peter H. Kahn Joshua J. Lawler Gregory N. Bratman |
| author_facet | Audryana Nay Peter H. Kahn Joshua J. Lawler Gregory N. Bratman |
| author_sort | Audryana Nay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone in urban areas. Some of these impacts in the United States have negatively affected People of Color more than their White counterparts. Using Seattle, Washington as a case study, we investigated whether inequitable effects appear in residents’ interactions with urban nature (such as urban green space). Using a 48-question instrument, 300 residents were surveyed, equally divided across four racial/ethnic groups: Asian, Black and African American, Latino/a/x, and White. Results showed that during the span of about 6 months after the onset of the pandemic, Black and Latino residents experienced a significant loss of time in urban nature, while Asian and White residents did not. The implications of these findings, including inequities in the potential buffering effects of urban nature against COVID-19 and the future of urban nature conservation, are discussed. Multiple variables were tested for association with the changes to time spent in urban nature, including themes of exclusion from urban nature spaces found throughout the existing literature. Findings show that decreases in time spent in urban nature among Black and Latino residents may be associated with their feeling as though they did not belong in urban nature. We provide recommendations based on these findings for how government agencies can promote more equitable access to urban nature during the pandemic and beyond. The results of this study have implications that extend beyond the US and are relevant to the international scholarly literature of inequities and urban nature interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:13:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b0ba6230481b4f2cae174470699c8278 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:13:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0ba6230481b4f2cae174470699c82782023-12-03T13:57:38ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2022-08-01118127710.3390/land11081277Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White ResidentsAudryana Nay0Peter H. Kahn1Joshua J. Lawler2Gregory N. Bratman3School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USASchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USASchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USASchool of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USAThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone in urban areas. Some of these impacts in the United States have negatively affected People of Color more than their White counterparts. Using Seattle, Washington as a case study, we investigated whether inequitable effects appear in residents’ interactions with urban nature (such as urban green space). Using a 48-question instrument, 300 residents were surveyed, equally divided across four racial/ethnic groups: Asian, Black and African American, Latino/a/x, and White. Results showed that during the span of about 6 months after the onset of the pandemic, Black and Latino residents experienced a significant loss of time in urban nature, while Asian and White residents did not. The implications of these findings, including inequities in the potential buffering effects of urban nature against COVID-19 and the future of urban nature conservation, are discussed. Multiple variables were tested for association with the changes to time spent in urban nature, including themes of exclusion from urban nature spaces found throughout the existing literature. Findings show that decreases in time spent in urban nature among Black and Latino residents may be associated with their feeling as though they did not belong in urban nature. We provide recommendations based on these findings for how government agencies can promote more equitable access to urban nature during the pandemic and beyond. The results of this study have implications that extend beyond the US and are relevant to the international scholarly literature of inequities and urban nature interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1277urban naturegreen spaceequitysense of belongingCOVID-19BIPOC |
| spellingShingle | Audryana Nay Peter H. Kahn Joshua J. Lawler Gregory N. Bratman Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents Land urban nature green space equity sense of belonging COVID-19 BIPOC |
| title | Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents |
| title_full | Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents |
| title_fullStr | Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents |
| title_short | Inequitable Changes to Time Spent in Urban Nature during COVID-19: A Case Study of Seattle, WA with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents |
| title_sort | inequitable changes to time spent in urban nature during covid 19 a case study of seattle wa with asian black latino and white residents |
| topic | urban nature green space equity sense of belonging COVID-19 BIPOC |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1277 |
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