Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future

Paloma Cariñanos, Filipa Grilo, Pedro Pinho, Manuel Casares-Porcel, Cristina Branquinho, Nezha Acil, Maria Beatrice Andreucci, Andreia Anjos, Pietro Massimiliano Bianco, Silvia Brini, Pedro Calaza-Martínez, Enrico Calvo, Elisa Carrari, José Castro, Anna Chiesura, Otilia Correia, Artur Gonçalves, Paula Gonçalves, Teresa Mexia, Marzia Mirabile, Elena Paoletti, Margarida Santos-Reis, Paolo Semenzato and Ursa Vilhar
Additional contact information
Paloma Cariñanos: Department of Botany, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Filipa Grilo: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Pedro Pinho: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Manuel Casares-Porcel: Department of Botany, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Cristina Branquinho: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Nezha Acil: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Maria Beatrice Andreucci: Faculty of Architecture, Sapienza Universitá di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy
Andreia Anjos: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Pietro Massimiliano Bianco: Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), 00144 Rome, Italy
Silvia Brini: Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), 00144 Rome, Italy
Pedro Calaza-Martínez: Spanish Association for Public Parks and Gardens, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
Enrico Calvo: Regional Agency for the Service of Agricultural and Forest (ERSAF), 2014 Milano, Italy
Elisa Carrari: CNR Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
José Castro: Centro de Investigação da Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Anna Chiesura: Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), 00144 Rome, Italy
Otilia Correia: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Artur Gonçalves: Centro de Investigação da Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Paula Gonçalves: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Teresa Mexia: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Marzia Mirabile: Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), 00144 Rome, Italy
Elena Paoletti: CNR Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
Margarida Santos-Reis: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Paolo Semenzato: Department of Land and Agro-Forestry Systems, University of Padova, 35020 Legnano, Italy
Ursa Vilhar: Slovenian Forestry Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: 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 (I UGZA ). Multiple types of green spaces in Mediterranean cities were selected for the estimation of I UGZ . 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 I UGZA 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.

Keywords: index of urban green zone allergenicity; cost of greening; impact on health; ecosystem disservices; allergenic trees; value of potential allergenicity (VPA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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