Urban Landscape Sustainability: Water Conservation and Habitat Provisioning in Residential Areas

Описание: On October 22, 2025, the School of Sustainability hosted Kelli Larson to present her research in a lecture titled, "Urban Landscape Sustainability: Motivations and Constraints to Water Conservation and Habitat Provisioning in Residential Neighborhoods."

Abstract: The ubiquity of residential land in metropolitan regions place them at the center of urban landscape sustainability, which has been defined as the capacity of landscapes to maximize ecosystem services and minimize disservices, thereby enhancing human wellbeing. With the prevalence of lawns in residential and urban areas, scholars and conservationists have raised concerns about their ecosystem disservices, which include high water demands and diminished biodiversity. To address these concerns, climate-adapted “xeric” yards, wildlife gardens, and other landscape alternatives have increased in recent decades. In this talk, I will present research on the complex dynamics shaping residential land management decisions and outcomes including water and biological conservation. In particular, I will present empirical evidence crucial to the social sustainability of residential landscapes, which requires designing and managing yards in ways that are publicly appreciated and maintained over time. This presentation contains two parts: 1) my early research on the factors affecting the adoption of xeric, water-conserving yards in metro Phoenix, AZ, with the results defying common assumptions about residents’ decisions and environmental change; and 2) my more recent research on the social and environmental factors that enable and constrain habitat provisioning in residential areas of the US, coupled with ecological evidence for biodiversity outcomes. I will also share ongoing projects that build on earlier work in these two areas. To conclude, I offer evidence-based suggestions and reflections on interdisciplinary approaches to the social sustainability of urban landscapes.