Climate change impacts and urban green space adaptation efforts: Evidence from U.S. municipal parks and recreation departments

• Published in: Urban climate 2021-09, Vol.39, p.100962, Article 100962
• Main Authors: Cheng, Yuan (Daniel), Farmer, James R., Dickinson, Stephanie L., Robeson, Scott M., Fischer, Burnell C., Reynolds, Heather L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Climate change impacts; Municipal parks and recreation departments; Urban green spaces
• ISSN: 2212-0955; 2212-0955
• DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2021.100962

Municipal parks and recreation departments (PRDs) have a crucial responsibility for stewarding urban and peri-urban ecology given they manage the majority of urban green spaces. However, the extent of climate adaptation planning and management activities by such agencies at the national level is unknown. This study aimed to fill this gap by conducting a national survey of the directors of PRDs (n = 413) to understand the progress and drivers of climate change adaptation efforts for urban green spaces. Overall, we found that while measured impacts of climate change were positively correlated with PRDs' climate-change adaptation plans and actions, most PRDs perceived few impacts of climate change on urban green spaces. We also found that levels of adaptation varied across ecoregions, with direct experiences with climate change impacts being a primary contributor to action. These findings indicate that U.S. municipal PRDs are unprepared for the changing climate and are unlikely to initiate urban green space adaptation planning and action until substantial climate change impacts are experienced firsthand. •Municipal parks departments tend to adapt to immediate problems related to climate change.•Experiences with climate-change-related problems motivate municipal parks departments to take adaptation steps.•Perceived impacts of extreme drought tend to motivate more actions among municipal parks departments.•Sharing data and adaptation plans within similar eco-regions may stimulate quicker implementation of adaptation efforts.