Exploring Ecosystem Services and Vulnerabilities along Urban Waterways
1. Meg du Bray Monica Palta
Graduate Student Post-doctoral Fellow
Rhian Stotts Amber Wutich
Graduate Student Associate Professor
2. Research Questions
To what extent do urban waterways provide hidden or
unexpected services (provisioning, regulating, cultural)
for a vulnerable population?
To what extent does the urban ecosystem also put
vulnerable people at risk?
3. Ecosystem Services and Disservices
Environments provide goods and services to people
Provisioning services
Regulating services
Cultural services
“Natural” ecosystems vs. human-modified ecosystems
Ecosystem disservices
Unwanted or undesirable impacts
13. Supporting Services
• Water provisioning Regulating Services
• Heat mitigation
Provisioning Services
• Water consumption
• Hygiene
Cultural Services
• Aesthetic appeal
• Lounging/rest area
Regulating Disservices
• Not enough heat
mitigation
Provisioning Disservices
• Exposure to
pathogens
Cultural Disservices
• ?[trespassing laws]
Results: Services and Disservices
14. Results: Interviews
Respondent
ID
Sex Age Shade?
Heat
Mitigation?
Bathing? Drinking? Teeth Brushing? Clothes Washing? Cultural Services
1 M 57 Y Y N N N
Sound of water
relaxing; visual
beauty
2 M 46 Y Y Y N
beauty of the
place
3 F 45 Y
Y (would,
hasn't yet)
4 M 66 Y
Y (bitter
water)
Y
Likes to stay near
water
5 M 60 N
N (aware of
contaminatio
n)
6 M 50s/60s Reading
7 M app. 50
Y (before
algae bloom)
N
Provisioning ServicesRegulating services Cultural services
16. Conclusions and Suggestions
Urban waterways are providing dis/services for
vulnerable populations
These dis/services may be increasing their
vulnerability
Policy recommendations
Shelter services
Signs near urban waterways
Adjust city and county policies – align with UN
Research recommendations
Additional interviews
provisioning services, such as a material resource (e.g., food and water), (2) regulating services, a process of value (e.g., purification of water or air), or (3) cultural services, such as a positive reaction within human society (e.g., recreation and aesthetic appreciation) ;
Ecosystem services primarily focuses on monetary benefits (eg, payment for ecosystem services) – what about direct benefits for populations?
Biophysical vulnerability has been the type of vulnerability most traditionally studied: generally, the exposure to hazards or disasters that puts people at risk.
Social vulnerability has been less studied, and explores the structural issues that lead to vulnerability among marginalized populations. Looking at ecosystem dis/services is a way of bridging biophysical and social vulnerability by looking at the ways that socially vulnerable populations (people living at the fringes of society, due to a variety of issues) are affected by and use the biophysical environment.
Distribution of ecosystem services across populations – often unequal, traditionally may lead to increased social vulnerability
Socially vulnerable populations may, however, use ecosystem services in unusual or unexpected ways (which may lead to their experience of disservices)
June to September, avg high is 37.8 C or higher, which is the temp at which national weather service issues a heat warning
Monsoon season June through September; PHX receives at least half of its annual precipitation during this time.
Urban heat islands: concentrations of particularly hot temperatures in heavily developed and densely populated areas
4.3 million people in Phoenix; as of 2013, estimated 27,000 homeless
Shelters have approximately 17,000 beds; 43% of population estimated to be living on the streets
Heat Relief Network providing public hydration and cooling sites, but cannot deliver to all of Phoenix’s homeless (need 1-2 L/day at minimum – cannot provide this)
Tree canopies, green spaces, and waterways may reduce heat by 5-11 C: these may be providing spaces for the homeless to access water and cooler spaces
Conducted interviews at 3 of the 5 sites; one is currently unoccupied due to dam reconstruction; trash data observed at 4 of the 5 sites (one unobserved due to permanent occupation; occupants seem to be removing their own trash).
Salt River Project map, which suggests that the Salt River truly runs through Phoenix (both has water, and is contiguous) – NOT TRUE.
28 km of the mostly dry Salt River bed runs through Phoenix; selected five sites at “outfalls”, where river water, storm water, and occasionally, wastewater come into the dry Salt River bed; these outfalls are often most active after storms (leading to wetlands)
De-identified site map showing the areas in which temperature measurements were taking. Areas close to the wetlands were much cooler than those farther away from the wetlands, indicating the regulating services they provide.
Trash items photographed at an outfall; image shows deodorant (left) and a shaving razor (right). The trash items indicate the wetlands are providing provisioning services.
Trash items photographed in the storm drain of an outfall; items include a shaving razor (left, in the storm drain), and a tube of toothpaste (right). The trash items indicate the wetlands are providing provisioning services.
Chronically homeless populations benefit from ecosystem services
Provisioning: bathing; teeth-brushing; washing clothes; water consumption
Regulating: shade/cooler environment
Cultural: calming/peaceful area; enjoyment of nature; privacy; reading/napping
Exposed to harms from high E. coli counts
Pre-monsoon flows
Post-monsoon flows
Interviews, in addition to the trash survey, indicate that wetlands are providing provisioning services (areas for bathing and other hygienic needs), as well as cultural services (relaxation, appreciation of nature), and regulating services (heat mitigation, shade)
EPA standards: 0 E. coli per 100 ml of fresh water acceptable for drinking; 126 E. coli per 100 ml acceptable for swimming
Exceeds EPA standards 21-88% of the time during pre-monsoon flows
Exceeds EPA standards 60-100% of the time during post-monsoon flows
Shelter services have recently started to close in Phoenix – important to keep these open, and ideally, to expand those for anyone who’s interested
This population may largely be purposefully avoiding the shelter system – as a result, this may not be helpful for them
Signs near urban waterways could indicate the seasonality of harms, and indicate the safeness of drinking the water vs. using it for cooling/bathing/washing
The UN has determined that access to water is a fundamental human right; the criminalization of homelessness violates this, and cities should be encouraged to reorient their thinking in this direction
