Inequitable Effects of COVID-19 on Time Spent in Urban Nature Associated with Sense of Belonging: A Case Study of Seattle with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Residents

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted basically everyone in urban areas. Some of these impacts in the United States have negatively affected People of Color more than their White counterparts. Using Seattle, Washington as a case study, I investigated whether inequitable effects would appear in residents’ interactions with urban nature (such as urban green space), and, if so, why. Using a 48-question instrument developed for this study, 300 residents were surveyed, equally divided across 4 racial/ethnic groups: Asian, Black, Latino, and White. Results showed that during the span of about six months after the onset of the pandemic, Black and Latino residents experienced a significant loss of time in urban nature, while Asian and White residents did not. This decrease in the Black and Latino groups was partly explained by their feeling like they did not belong in their surrounding urban nature, as assessed by a newly developed measurement for Sense of Belonging. This measurement consisted of six themes: Ease of Access, Safety, Feeling Out of Place, Unwelcomeness, Institutional Acceptance, and Different Ways of Interacting with Nature Acceptance. These six themes provide guidance for how governmental agencies can promote more equitable access to urban nature during the pandemic and beyond.