Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future
Metadatos
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MDPI
Materia
Index of urban green zone allergenicity Cost of greening Impact on health Ecosystem disservices Allergenic trees Value of potential allergenicity (VPA)
Date
2019-04-15Referencia bibliográfica
Cariñanos González, P. [et al.]. Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 1357; doi:10.3390/ijerph16081357.
Patrocinador
This research was funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Government of Spain, project FENOMED CGL2014-54731-R, and the Slovenian Research Agency through the Program and Research group P4-0107 “Forest ecology, biology and technology”.Résumé
The impact of allergens emitted by urban green spaces on health is one of the main
disservices of ecosystems. The objective of this work is to establish the potential allergenic value of
some tree species in urban environments, so that the allergenicity of green spaces can be estimated
through application of the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (IUGZA). Multiple types of green
spaces in Mediterranean cities were selected for the estimation of IUGZ. The results show that some of
the ornamental species native to the Mediterranean are among the main causative agents of allergy in
the population; in particular, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Fagaceae, and Platanus hispanica. Variables of
the strongest impact on IUGZA were the bioclimatic characteristics of the territory and design aspects,
such as the density of trees and the number of species. We concluded that the methodology to assess
the allergenicity associated with urban trees and urban areas presented in this work opens new
perspectives in the design and planning of urban green spaces, pointing out the need to consider the
potential allergenicity of a species when selecting plant material to be used in cities. Only then can
urban green areas be inclusive spaces, in terms of public health.