By Anonymous
Interaction(s)
The interaction I will be examining is land use on campus and how it affects biodiversity, specifically looking at the small lawn next to Finley lot. This space is a flat, clear, mowed grass lawn that does not appear to serve any real function. This area used to be an asphalt parking lot, so the transition to a greenspace is a step up, but as it stands right now, there are several alternatives that would make the space more beneficial for both humans as well as the environment.
Resource characteristics
The environmental resources of this lawn consist of the monoculture turf grass and approximately three trees, as well as the unseen soil microbiome and any potential insects. Other resource factors include the water and potential fertilizer or pesticides used to maintain the lawn, and the carbon emissions released by lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and other manicuring tools. Studies have shown that intensely managed lawns, such as the one next to Finley lot, are not effective in supporting biodiversity, and can even be a barrier in urban landscapes (Aronson et al., 2017). The species of grass used for manicured, turf lawns in America such as this one are almost exclusively nonnative grasses that contribute very little to the biodiversity of the area. This lawn does have some environmental benefits, as almost any greenspace would, including heat and noise reduction, and those benefits are not to be overlooked, but maintained turf grass lawns have the lowest levels of these benefits of almost any kind of greenspace (Francoeur et al., 2021).
Governance/user characteristics
The governance involved would be that of George Mason University, specifically Mason Facilities’ Office of Planning, Design, and Construction (George Mason University, n.d.). The users involved would theoretically be the GMU community and anyone who comes onto campus and passes by this lawn. Mason Facilities is in charge of the planning and landscaping of GMU’s campus, and is also responsible for the maintenance of the grounds. The main goal (in terms of land use) of the university as a whole, as well as facilities, is to have a well-maintained, aesthetically pleasing campus to attract more people to attend GMU in order to generate more revenue and power for the school. America’s social norms have dictated that for an urban greenspace to be aesthetically pleasing, it must be uniform and manicured; a space allowed to grow becomes ‘wild’ and is often considered ugly and a sign of laziness (Joyce, 1998). Therefore, the default for land-use on many college campuses is to create manicured lawns to fill space on campus and increase the visual appeal, and so when being converted from a parking lot, Mason Facilities went with the norm and turned this space into the lawn that we see today.
Social/cultural/economic/political settings or related ecosystems
As mentioned above, societal and cultural norms in America have long preferred monoculture turf grass lawns as the go-to for greenspace, regardless of the local native landscape or any alternatives that may be better for the environment and less work to maintain. This is especially true for college campuses, as open lawns are often used as a gathering place for students to attend events or sit and study with friends. This lawn, however, does not appear to serve that purpose as a gathering space. In fact, as a GMU senior, I have never once seen anyone occupying this lawn for any reason. This is likely due to the fact that there are many other, more central lawn spaces that are more well-known to students, and this lawn space is somewhat out of the way. Additionally, this lawn is not in a location where it feels comfortable or inviting. The lawn goes right up to Patriot Circle, the main road running around the campus, and is located directly next to a parking lot. This means that the lawn is subject to constant traffic noise, which is not ideal for events or simply relaxing, and also makes it so that the lawn feels like an exposed, unsafe area due to the proximity of so many cars.
What can we do?
In order to best utilize this space, and potentially other similar spaces on campus, instead of focusing largely on aesthetics, Mason should focus on how to simultaneously maximize environmental as well as human benefits. There are many ways that this lawn space could be adjusted to better support biodiversity. Some options include planting trees to reforest the area, converting it into a large, walk-through pollinator garden, or cultivating it into a certified wildlife habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Another alternative could be a significant reduction in the maintenance conducted on the lawn. Studies have shown that reducing how frequently a spaced is mowed can allow it to convert from an urban lawn to an urban meadow, and see a significant increase in native biodiversity (Chollet et al., 2018). Converting this lawn to an alternative that promotes biodiversity will also benefit Gerorge Mason, as public perceptions are shifting to favor spaces that support native wildlife, and there is a positive correlation between community mental health and biodiversity (Kiers et al., 2022).
If relevant
I was unable to find any information about this lawn or if the university has any plans for this space.
References
Aronson, M. F., Lepczyk, C. A., Evans, K. L., Goddard, M. A., Lerman, S. B., MacIvor, J. S., Nilon, C. H., & Vargo, T. (2017). Biodiversity in the city: Key Challenges for Urban Green Space Management. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15(4), 189–196. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1480
Chollet, S., Brabant, C., Tessier, S., & Jung, V. (2018). From urban lawns to urban meadows: Reduction of mowing frequency increases plant taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. Landscape and Urban Planning, 180, 121–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.009
Francoeur, X. W., Dagenais, D., Paquette, A., Dupras, J., & Messier, C. (2021). Complexifying the urban lawn improves heat mitigation and arthropod biodiversity. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 60, 127007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127007
George Mason University. (n.d.). Planning, Design, and Construction – Facilities. Facilities.gmu.edu. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://facilities.gmu.edu/about/campus-planning/
Joyce, S. (1998). Why the grass isn’t always greener. Environmental Health Perspectives, 106(8). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.98106a378
Kiers, A. H., Krimmel, B., Larsen-Bircher, C., Hayes, K., Zemenick, A., & Michaels, J. (2022). Different Jargon, Same Goals: Collaborations between Landscape Architects and Ecologists to Maximize Biodiversity in Urban Lawn Conversions. Land, 11(10), 1665. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101665