Graduation Semester and Year

Spring 2025

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture

Department

Landscape Architecture

First Advisor

Taner R. Ozdil, PhD, ASLA

Second Advisor

Diane Jones Allen, D. Eng., PLA, FASLA, FCELA

Third Advisor

Letora Anderson, PLA, AICP

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is a pressing global issue, with far-reaching ecological, social, and cultural consequences (United Nations Environment Programme, 2011). The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recognizes the biodiversity crisis as equal in urgency to the climate crisis and emphasizes the importance of incorporating biodiversity conservation into design practices (Green, 2024). However, regional experiences of the relationship between biodiversity in designed urban landscapes and user experience remain unexplored. The purpose of this research is to gain a general understanding of the level of biodiversity present in downtown Dallas, Texas, public parks and to assess park users’ perceptions and interactions with the biodiversity encountered in the selected parks.

Specifically, the study focuses on Dallas parks that were developed through The Renaissance Plan for Dallas Parks & Recreation (Carter & Burgess Inc. et al., 2002). All six of the Dallas Renaissance Plan downtown public parks were assessed for visible indicators of biodiversity according to methods used by the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s (LAF) Landscape Performance Series (LAF, 2025). The top three parks with the most visible indicators were then selected to study park users’ experiences of plant and animal biodiversity encountered in the parks. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through an initial biodiversity assessment of all six parks during the fall of 2024, then on-site surveys and passive observations of the three selected parks during two periods, winter and spring of 2025 (Beebe, 2005). The research explored the following questions: 1) Which downtown Dallas parks display the most visible indicators of biodiversity based on landscape performance methods (LAF, 2025)? 2) How do users of the selected parks perceive the park’s plant and animal biodiversity? 3) How do users of the selected parks interact with the park’s plant and animal biodiversity? The three data sets were analyzed and synthesized to find that Harwood Park, Carpenter Park, and West End Square displayed the most visible indicators of biodiversity, and that overall, park users have positive experiences of biodiversity within the parks. Despite favorable perceptions of plants and animals in downtown Dallas public parks, park visitors generally did not interact with the biodiversity. Findings highlight the increase in native plant palettes in downtown Dallas Parks and the benefits of green spaces in urban areas, which align ecological goals with human well-being. It also provides insight into urban spaces, balancing ecological health with user satisfaction, and can offer a method for landscape architects looking to assess biodiversity through the lens of landscape design and its perceived impact on park users in their respective region.

Keywords

Biodiversity, User experience, Public parks, Downtown Dallas

Disciplines

Environmental Design | Landscape Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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