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Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Browning, MHEM; Locke, DH; Konijnendijk, C; Labib, SM; Rigolon, A; Yeager, R; Bardhan, M; Berland, A; Dadvand, P; Helbich, M; Li, F; Li, H ...
Published in: The Science of the total environment
January 2024

The 3-30-300 rule offers benchmarks for cities to promote equitable nature access. It dictates that individuals should see three trees from their dwelling, have 30 % tree canopy in their neighborhood, and live within 300 m of a high-quality green space. Implementing this demands thorough measurement, monitoring, and evaluation methods, yet little guidance is currently available to pursue these actions. To overcome this gap, we employed an expert-based consensus approach to review the available ways to measure 3-30-300 as well as each measure's strengths and weaknesses. We described seven relevant data and processes: vegetation indices, street level analyses, tree inventories, questionnaires, window view analyses, land cover maps, and green space maps. Based on the reviewed strengths and weaknesses of each measure, we presented a suitability matrix to link recommended measures with each component of the rule. These recommendations included surveys and window-view analyses for the '3 component', high-resolution land cover maps for the '30 component', and green space maps with network analyses for the '300 component'. These methods, responsive to local situations and resources, not only implement the 3-30-300 rule but foster broader dialogue on local desires and requirements. Consequently, these techniques can guide strategic investments in urban greening for health, equity, biodiversity, and climate adaptation.

Published In

The Science of the total environment

DOI

EISSN

1879-1026

ISSN

0048-9697

Publication Date

January 2024

Volume

907

Start / End Page

167739

Related Subject Headings

  • Trees
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Humans
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Cities
  • Biodiversity
 

Citation

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Browning, M. H. E. M., Locke, D. H., Konijnendijk, C., Labib, S. M., Rigolon, A., Yeager, R., … Nieuwenhuijsen, M. (2024). Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds. The Science of the Total Environment, 907, 167739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167739
Browning, M. H. E. M., D. H. Locke, C. Konijnendijk, S. M. Labib, A. Rigolon, R. Yeager, M. Bardhan, et al. “Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds.The Science of the Total Environment 907 (January 2024): 167739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167739.
Browning MHEM, Locke DH, Konijnendijk C, Labib SM, Rigolon A, Yeager R, et al. Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds. The Science of the total environment. 2024 Jan;907:167739.
Browning, M. H. E. M., et al. “Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds.The Science of the Total Environment, vol. 907, Jan. 2024, p. 167739. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167739.
Browning MHEM, Locke DH, Konijnendijk C, Labib SM, Rigolon A, Yeager R, Bardhan M, Berland A, Dadvand P, Helbich M, Li F, Li H, James P, Klompmaker J, Reuben A, Roman LA, Tsai W-L, Patwary M, O’Neil-Dunne J, Ossola A, Wang R, Yang B, Yi L, Zhang J, Nieuwenhuijsen M. Measuring the 3-30-300 rule to help cities meet nature access thresholds. The Science of the total environment. 2024 Jan;907:167739.
Journal cover image

Published In

The Science of the total environment

DOI

EISSN

1879-1026

ISSN

0048-9697

Publication Date

January 2024

Volume

907

Start / End Page

167739

Related Subject Headings

  • Trees
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Humans
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Cities
  • Biodiversity