Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Heterogeneity In Residential Yard Care: Evidence From Boston, Miami, And Phoenix, Edmund M. Harris, Colin Polsky, Kelli L. Larson, Rebecca Garvoille, Deborah Martin, Jaleila Brumand, Laura Ogden

Geography

The management of residential landscapes occurs within a complex socio-ecological system linking household decision-making with ecological properties, multi-scalar human drivers, and the legacy effects of past management. Conventional wisdom suggests that resource-intensive turf grass yards are the most common landscaping outcome, resulting in a presumed homogeneous set of residential landscaping practices throughout North America. We examine this homogenization thesis through an interview-based, cross-site study of residential landscape management in Boston, Phoenix, and Miami. Counter to the homogeneity thesis, we find that yard management practices often exhibit heterogeneity, for example, in groundcover choice or use of chemical inputs. The degree of …