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Urban Gardens and Soil Compaction: a Land Use Alternative for Runoff Decrease

Authors:
Carina Pensa Corrêa at Federal University of São Carlos
Carina Pensa Corrêa
Kelly Cristina Tonello at Federal University of São Carlos
Kelly Cristina Tonello
Ernest O Nnadi at Manchester Metropolitan University
Ernest O Nnadi
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Abstract and Figures

After several landscape transformations caused by human activities, finding a suitable environment becomes increasingly challenging in urbanized regions. The predominance of non-permeable areas results in a low level of water infiltration. Notwithstanding, even green areas can have high runoff rates, since soil compaction has a decisive influence on the water movement. In places that have a natural predisposition to overflow, these problems are more significant. This study aimed to investigate causes of flooding, highlight the benefits of urban gardening and to propose urban gardening as an alternative to soil improvement in the Corujas Watershed, São Paulo, Brazil. The evaluation was based on: (a) the physical characteristics of the watershed, provided by morphometric analysis and land-use analysis; and (b) the soil compaction rates of an urban garden compared to a riparian forest and a grass area. The morphometric results indicated that the watershed has a significant flood tendency, and the land use map demonstrated that 29.55 % of the soil has some permeability. Nevertheless, this permeability currently varies according to soil management and cover. The grass area presented the highest compaction rates, the riparian forest a medium rate, and Corujas Garden the lowest rate. The garden also has green infrastructures and good management practices, which have led to the appearance and perpetuation of diffuse springs. These results showed that the urban garden activities could improve the physical characteristics of the soil and optimize water infiltration. Subsequent studies will investigate whether this characteristic also applies to other gardens located in different urban watersheds.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Urban Gardens and Soil Compaction: a Land Use
Alternative for Runoff Decrease
Carina Júlia Pensa Corrêa
1
&Kelly Cristina Tonello
1
&Ernest Nnadi
1,2
Received: 26 November 2020 /Accepted: 29 April 2021/
#The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Abstract
After several landscape transformations caused by human activities, finding a suitable envi-
ronment becomes increasingly challenging in urbanized regions. The predominance of non-
permeable areas results in a low level of water infiltration. Notwithstanding, even green areas
can have high runoff rates, since soil compaction has a decisive influence on the water
movement. In places that have a natural predisposition to overflow, these problems are more
significant. This study aimed to investigate causes of flooding, highlight the benefits of urban
gardening and to propose urban gardening as an alternative to soil improvement in the Corujas
Watershed, São Paulo, Brazil. The evaluation was based on: (a) the physical characteristics of
the watershed, provided by morphometric analysis and land-use analysis; and (b) the soil
compaction rates of an urban garden compared to a riparian forest and a grass area. The
morphometric results indicated that the watershed has a significant flood tendency, and the
land use map demonstrated that 29.55 % of the soil has some permeability. Nevertheless, this
permeability currently varies according to soil management and cover. The grass area
presented the highest compaction rates, the riparian forest a medium rate, and Corujas Garden
the lowest rate. The garden also has green infrastructures and good management practices,
which have led to the appearance and perpetuation of diffuse springs. These results showed
that the urban garden activities could improve the physical characteristics of the soil and
optimize water infiltration. Subsequent studies will investigate whether this characteristic also
applies to other gardens located in different urban watersheds.
Keywords Green area .Soil compaction .Stormwater regulation .Community gardens .
Watershed management
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-021-00521-3
Highlights
•The influence of the morphometric features in the urban drainage was evidenced.
•A relationship between land use and soil compaction was found.
•Urban garden showed lower soil compaction rates compared to other permeable areas.
•Urban riparian forest presented unexpected rates of soil compaction.
*Carina Júlia Pensa Corrêa
carinapensa@gmail.com
Extended author information available on the last page of the article
Published online: 8 May 2021
Environmental Processes (2021) 8:1213–1230
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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