Factors Shaping Biodiversity in Urban Voids: A Systematic Literature Review

Jian Cui, Ehsan Sharifi, Carlos Bartesaghi Koc, Linna Yi and Scott Hawken ()
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Jian Cui: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Ehsan Sharifi: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Carlos Bartesaghi Koc: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Linna Yi: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Scott Hawken: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-23

Abstract: Urban voids, such as vacant lots, brownfields, fallow land, wasteland, and the spaces between buildings, have the potential to serve as habitats for a diverse range of plants. However, their value for plant conservation remains understudied because of their informal and neglected nature. The aim of this systematic review is to consider the potential for urban voids to contribute to urban plant biodiversity. A total of 55 studies from 14 countries were analysed for geographical trends, factors influencing plant biodiversity, research methods, and relevant environmental parameters. The results of this study show that the factors influencing the plant diversity of urban voids can be divided into three main categories: biophysical, temporal, and landscape factors. Biophysical factors, such as size, age, soil, and vegetation structure, as well as temporal factors, including site management and human interventions, are the most important at the site-level scale. In contrast, landscape factors, such as the location and distance from other green spaces, are more dominant at the larger urban scale. The review has identified a significant limitation in the available literature, with relatively few studies examining the influence of urban voids’ shape, ownership, and microclimate on biodiversity. With respect to research methods, the results suggest a recent increase in the use of GIS-based and remote sensing techniques to investigate the plant diversity of urban voids. The findings discussed in this paper indicate the need for further research to comprehensively understand the factors that promote urban vegetation diversity in urban voids.

Keywords: vacant land; urban green space; landscape architecture; urban ecology; novel ecologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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