Urban Ecological Infrastructure (UEI) in the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert region (2010-2017)
Publication date: 2021-02-26
Author(s):
- Jeffrey Brown, Arizona State University
- Kelli Larson, Arizona State University
- Susannah Lerman, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station
- Dan Childers, Arizona State University
- Riley Andrade, Arizona State University
- Heather Bateman, Arizona State University
- Sharon Hall, Arizona State University
- Paige Warren, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- Abigail York, Arizona State University
Abstract:
Urban ecological infrastructure (UEI) encompasses all infrastructure in a city that supports ecological structure and function, and by extension, provides ecosystem services to urban residents and is a broad, all-encompassing concept for "nature in cities". This idea includes commonly recognized forms of infrastructure, such as parks, residential yards, community gardens, lakes and rivers, and street trees. But UEI also includes less recognized forms, such as vacant lots, agricultural fields, canals, and water retention basins. Despite being widely recognized as important to urban landscapes, the wide variety, and various forms of urban ecological infrastructure are rarely documented in a single source. To address this, we consolidated various aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland UEI throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area so researchers can incorporate this UEI into project designs and models. Since people’s perceptions of UEI differ not only by the three broad classifications but also by the individual characteristics of UEI, each feature is classified not only as aquatic, terrestrial, or wetlands but also given on of fifteen unique classifications. Incorporation of UEI into both planning and research design can promote practices that increase both biodiversity and human well-being while also possibly limiting negative landscape perceptions.
Keywords:
urban,
land use,
landsat,
land surface properties,
land cover urban design,
parks and rivers,
residential landscapes and neighborhoods,
land use and land cover change,
human-environment interactions ecosystem disservices,
ecosystem services,
urban ecological infrastructure,
urban planning,
urban nature cap lter,
cap,
caplter,
central arizona phoenix long term ecological research,
arizona,
az,
arid land
Temporal Coverage:
2020-06-26 to 2017-08-01
Geographic Coverage:
Geographic Description: CAP LTER study area
Bounding Coordinates:
Longitude:-112.1 to -111.877
Latitude:33.608 to 33.328
Contact:
Information Manager, Central Arizona–Phoenix LTER,
Arizona State University,Global Institute of Sustainability,Tempe
caplter.data@asu.edu
Methods used in producing this dataset:
Show
This data is a compilation of pre-existing data as well as data created using expert opinion. Land-use land-cover data from Zhang and Li (2017) was used to classify the amount of agricultural land (classified as inactive cropland and active cropland) as well as standing water. Water in canals and along the Salt River were identified separately. Local governments, including the cities of Phoenix and Tempe, have restored or redesigned segments of the river channel. We therefore classified these UEI features separately (i.e., Tempe Town Lake, Rio Salado Audubon, and Tres Rios Wetlands) relative to the remaining river channel, which is ephemeral due to upstream dams and the distribution of water throughout the region. Boarders of these features were identified using imagery from Google Earth (imagery from 5/2017) and then confirmed via expert opinion (Childers, Andrade, Bateman). Additionally, data from Smith et al. (2017) was included to capture vacant lands which were classified as bare soil, grass/trees, or scrub. Finally, community parks and desert parks were included using a shapefile from the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Community parks with water were specifically separated into their own category and identified by overlaying known locations of standing water from Zhang and Li (2017) with community parks from MAG shapefile.
References:
Zhang, Yuhia, and Li, Xiaoxiao (2017). Land cover classification of the CAP LTER study area at five-year intervals from 1985 to 2010 using Landsat imagery.
Smith, J. P., Li, X., and Turner, B. L. (2017). Lots for greening: Identification of metropolitan vacant land and its potential use for cooling and agriculture in Phoenix, AZ, USA. Applied Geography 85, 139–151. doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2017.06.005.
This method step describes provenance-based metadata as specified in the LTER EML Best Practices.
This provenance metadata does not contain entity specific information.
This method step describes provenance-based metadata as specified in the LTER EML Best Practices.
This provenance metadata does not contain entity specific information.
Data Files (2) :
File:
686_UEI_Features_CAPLTER_2010_2017_Min_Bounding_Hull_6ed282900fbd9a4ba2b121f5ee0d8688.zip
Description: convex hull that encapsulates all the polygons included in this dataset (i.e., reflects the extent of coverage)
File:
686_UEI_Features_CAPLTER_2010_2017_JAB_fd3581a42cb0767ebcdb5438f1822e49.zip
Description: compilation of pre-existing data as well as data created using expert opinion featuring (1) land-use and land-cover data used to classify the amount of agricultural land (classified as inactive cropland and active cropland) as well as standing water, (2) water in canals and along the Salt River, (3) vacant lands which were classified as bare soil, grass/trees, or scrub, and (4) community parks and desert parks
| Column |
Description |
Type |
Units |
| shape_ID |
unique value of each polygon
|
string |
|
| UEI_type |
broad classification of UEI into three categories: aquatic, terrestrial, and wetlands
|
string |
Enumeration:
-
Aquatic: containing perennial water
-
Sem-Aquatic: both terrestrial and aquatic due to ephemeral water features
-
Semi-Aquatic: both terrestrial and aquatic due to ephemeral water features
-
Terrestrial: lacking water
|
| UEI_featur |
finer-scale classification of UEI features including 15 unique categories
|
string |
Enumeration:
-
Active Cropland: active cropland (classified as vegetated croplands)
-
Canal: Canals have a hard, artificial banks that contain flowing water. The area adjacent to canals sometimes includes walking and biking paths as well as other amenities
-
Community Park: These are green spaces that are designed primarily for human use. They typically contain mesic landscaping and amenities such as benches, paths, playgrounds, and open recreation areas. These areas are also open to the public and designed for public use and are sometimes the location of local and community events. These areas are maintained by municipalities and are much smaller than the desert preserves. Community parks in this study have an average size of 0.832 ha and a maximum size of 795.191 ha.
-
Community Park with Water: These have the same features as community parks but also contain one or more permanent water features. We distinguish these parks from community parks because the presence of water may be attractive to both people and wildlife.
-
Desert Park: These are large, municipally maintained natural areas. They consist of large contiguous desert and natural vegetation with hiking and biking trails. Human access to these preserves is restricted to designated areas, with the remaining land dedicated to preserving wildlife. Within this study, desert preserves have an average size of 1,852.943 ha with a maximum size of 11,114.006 ha.
-
Inactive Cropland: inactive cropland (classified as bare soil croplands)
-
Indian Bend Wash: A series of parks, lakes, paths and golf courses traversing the Indian Bend Wash through Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
-
Rio Salado Audubon Area: The Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon center is managed by the National Audubon Society with a mission of protecting birds and their associated habitat. It serves as the headquarters of the Audubon Society in Arizona and contains a large visitor center. The Area consists of ∼2,400 ha of restored riparian habitat within and directly adjacent to the Salt River channel. It is home to over 200 species of birds. In addition to wildlife habitat, the Rio Salado Audubon Area also has variety of hiking trails and the center hosts events for the public.
-
Salt River Channel: The Salt River is approximately 320 km long and is the largest tributary of the Gila River. The Tres Rios Wetlands, Rio Salado Audubon Area, and Tempe Town Lake all are within the Salt River channel, which also includes some permanent and semi-permanent bodies of water. This area contains several “accidental” wetlands (per Suchy et al., 2019) as well as natural vegetation and human built structures for water management. This urban stretch of the Salt River has not seen perennial flow since 1938, but during large storms flow in the channel may exceed 4,000 m3 /s (United States Geological Survery, 2010).
-
Tempe Town Lake: An artificial lake created by damming a portion of the Salt River Channel and pumping water to keep it filled year-round. The lake is flanked by pathways and recreational infrastructure including a grassy park, playground, amphitheater, and boat dock. It is located to the north of downtown Tempe and is managed by the City. The boundaries were delineated around the permanently filled water body. This feature is differentiated from other bodies of water due to its unique management scheme as well as the amount of development and amenities associated with this artificial lake.
-
Tres Rios: Tres Rios includes both a large constructed treatment wetland and a riparian restoration project. The former treats effluent from the 91st Avenue wastewater treatment plant, the goal of the latter is to serve as a public amenity; both are habitat for over 150 species of birds and other animals.
-
Vacant Land - Bare Soil: Classified as vacant by Maricopa county (maricopa.gov) and include parcels of land that may be developed but currently unoccupied and typically underutilized (Smith et al., 2017). These unmaintained areas have minimal vegetation and consist primarily of bare soil or gravel. This particular class of vacant parcel is characterized primarily by bare soil.
-
Vacant Land - Grass/Trees: Classified as vacant by Maricopa county (maricopa.gov) and include parcels of land that may be developed but currently unoccupied and typically underutilized (Smith et al., 2017). These unmaintained areas have minimal vegetation and consist primarily of bare soil or gravel. This particular class of vacant parcel is characterized primarily by grass and trees.
-
Vacant Land - Scrub: Classified as vacant by Maricopa county (maricopa.gov) and include parcels of land that may be developed but currently unoccupied and typically underutilized (Smith et al., 2017). These unmaintained areas have minimal vegetation and consist primarily of bare soil or gravel. This particular class of vacant parcel is characterized primarily by scrub.
-
Water: Lakes and other small bodies of water that are perennial.
|
| Source_yea |
the year the polygon was defined
|
string |
|
| Source_pub |
the publication or location where the data were orginally published
|
string |
|
| Source_loc |
link or reference to the Source_pub
|
string |
|
