Simulated Urban Lawns
Simulated Urban Lawns - Related Videos
13:48
Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
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Cited by 6 •
2014
This paper describes the design, construction, and function of a 1,000 m2 facility containing 24 individual 33.6 m2 field plots equipped for measuring total runoff volumes with time and collection of runoff subsamples at selected intervals for quantification of chemical constituents in the runoff water from simulated home lawns.
10:58
Using GIS to Investigate Urban Forestry
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Margaret Workman and Kimberly Frye - Depaul University Urban forests broadly include urban parks, street trees, landscaped boulevards, public gardens, river and coastal promenades, greenways, river corridors, wetlands, nature preserves, natural areas, shelterbelts of trees, and working trees at industrial brownfield sites. The history of urban trees begins with trees as landscape embellishment. Today, urban trees are seen as essential components of city infrastructure...
10:17
Cities As Interfaces of Zoonotic Hazard Emergence: Development of the New York City Tick and Wildlife Urban Surveillance System
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2026
There is a critical need to monitor how ticks and their wildlife hosts respond to urbanization. This protocol outlines the steps for developing a standardized Tick and Wildlife Urban Surveillance System that will enable adaptive management in response to emerging tick-borne hazards in urban environments.
08:49
Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
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Cited by 4 •
2017
This article summarizes the design attributes and the effectiveness of treatment systems that treat urban stormwater and agriculture irrigation runoff to remove pesticides and other contaminants associated with aquatic toxicity.
07:39
A Smartphone-Based Imaging Method for C. elegans Lawn Avoidance Assay
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Cited by 1 •
2023
This article describes a simple, low-cost method of recording the lawn avoidance behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans, using readily available items such as a smartphone and a light emitting diode (LED) light box. We also provide a Python script to process the video file into a format more amenable for counting.
FAQs
Researchers can reproduce selected lawn features while changing one factor, such as plant composition, soil properties, mowing, irrigation, or an urban stressor. Keeping other conditions consistent makes comparisons more meaningful and helps connect observed changes to the factor being tested. This controlled approach is especially useful when several urban influences would otherwise occur together and obscure their individual effects.
Key variables include the mix of plants, soil properties, mowing frequency, irrigation, and the intensity of surrounding urban stressors. Altering these features allows researchers to examine how management and site conditions affect biodiversity, water use, soil processes, and carbon cycling. Comparing combinations also reveals whether a lawn characteristic produces different outcomes when paired with another condition.
A simulation can reproduce selected urban stressors and compare lawn responses under consistent conditions. Researchers may then examine how those stressors interact with management choices or plant composition, rather than treating heat or disturbance as isolated background conditions. The resulting comparisons help identify lawn designs or practices that maintain ecological functions under challenging urban conditions.
Observations of existing lawns show how urban spaces function in place, but many variables change simultaneously across real sites. Simulated Urban Lawns provide a more controlled setting in which selected features can be held constant or deliberately altered. Using both approaches can strengthen interpretation: simulations clarify possible causes, while observations provide context about how lawns operate in actual cities.
A study begins by selecting the lawn features and urban conditions to reproduce, such as plant composition, soil properties, mowing, irrigation, or a stressor. Researchers then establish comparable simulated conditions, vary the factor of interest, and compare resulting ecological measures. The workflow is designed to connect management or design choices with changes in biodiversity, water use, soil processes, or carbon cycling.
Depending on the study design, researchers can compare biodiversity, water use, soil processes, carbon cycling, and ecological responses to heat or disturbance. These outcomes provide different perspectives on lawn performance: some describe resource demands, others indicate biological or soil functioning, and others reveal resilience under urban stress. Together, they support evidence-based comparisons among lawn conditions.
They are useful when planners need to compare alternative lawn designs or management strategies before applying them across urban landscapes. Controlled comparisons can show how changes in plant composition, irrigation, mowing, or other features may affect ecological functions and resource use. This evidence supports efforts to develop more resource-efficient and climate-responsive city landscapes.
Urban lawns connect vegetation management with broader environmental processes, including biodiversity, water use, soil functioning, carbon cycling, and responses to heat or disturbance. Simulated studies provide a way to examine those connections under consistent conditions while testing alternative designs. Their relevance extends beyond turf maintenance because the findings can inform how managed green spaces function within cities.