Resident Perceptions of Natural Resources between Cities and across Scales in the Pacific Northwest

Authors

Anita T. Morzillo, University of Connecticut
Betty J. Kreakie, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory
Noelwah R. Netusil, Reed CollegeFollow
J. Alan Yeakley, Portland State UniversityFollow

Sponsor

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Grants #0948983, #0948826, and #0949042, Oregon State University General Research Fund, Portland State University, and Reed College. Use of human subjects was approved by Oregon State University (IRB #5022), Portland State University (#111816), Washington State University (#12019), Reed College (#Netusil 2012), and University of Connecticut (#H14-194).

Published In

Ecology and Society

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Subjects

Urban ecology (Sociology), Landscape ecology, Natural resources -- Oregon -- Portland Metropolitan Area, Land use -- Oregon -- Portland Metropolitan Area -- Public opinion, Human-environment interactions

Abstract

As the global population becomes increasingly urban, research is needed to explore how local culture, land use, and policy will influence urban natural resource management. We used a broad-scale comparative approach and survey of residents within the Portland (Oregon)-Vancouver (Washington) metropolitan areas, USA, two states with similar geographical and ecological characteristics, but different approaches to land-use planning, to explore resident perceptions about natural resources at three scales of analysis: property level (“at or near my house”), neighborhood (“within a 20-minute walk from my house”), and metro level (“across the metro area”). At the metro-level scale, nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed that the two cities were quite similar. However, affinity for particular landscape characteristics existed within each city with the greatest difference generally at the property-level scale. Portland respondents expressed affinity for large mature trees, tree-lined streets, public transportation, and proximity to stores and services. Vancouver respondents expressed affinity for plentiful accessible parking. We suggest three explanations that likely are not mutually exclusive. First, respondents are segmented based on preferences for particular amenities, such as convenience versus commuter needs. Second, historical land-use and tax policy legacies may influence individual decisions. Third, more environmentally attuned worldviews may influence an individual’s desire to produce environmentally friendly outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of acknowledging variations in residents’ affinities for landscape characteristics across different scales and locations because these differences may influence future land-use policies about urban natural resources.

Rights

Copyright © 2016 by the author(s). Published here under license by The Resilience Alliance.

Locate the Document

http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08478-210314

DOI

10.5751/ES-08478-210314

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/18749

Citation Details

Morzillo, A., Kreakie, B., Netusil, N., Yeakley, J., Ozawa, C., & Duncan, S. (2016). Resident perceptions of natural resources between cities and across scales in the Pacific Northwest. Ecology and Society, 21(3):14.