Retail land use, neighborhood satisfaction and the urban forest: an investigation into the moderating and mediating effects of trees and shrubs

This paper examines the relationship between retail land use and neighborhood satisfaction along with the moderating and mediating effects of trees and shrubs. Neighborhood satisfaction has been related to a number of environmental factors including land uses. However, no other research has reported the potential moderating and mediating effects of trees on these relationships. This study included residents living in single-family housing located in typical suburban-type subdivisions with adjacent commercial strip development. Mail-in survey responses were geo-referenced to land parcel centroids, and compared to the amount of retail land use, and tree and shrub cover existing within 1500 feet. Tree and shrub cover was measured using multi-spectral satellite imagery classified with a normalized differences vegetation index (NDVI). Existing land use and parcel data were acquired from the local city planning agency. Results indicate that the amount of tree and shrub cover within a 1500 ft radius of single-family households significantly moderates and mediates the negative relationship between the amount of nearby retail land use and neighborhood satisfaction. These results have important implications for urban planners and landscape architects. Specifically, the findings suggest that communities should increase provisions for protecting and establishing trees and shrubs in neighborhoods near retail land uses.