LAWN MANAGEMENT FROM THE MESOSCALE: HOW COMMUNITIES SHAPE RESIDENTIAL LAWN CARE IN BALTIMORE CITY

Traditional lawn care for suburban American households merits examination from both ecological and social perspectives. Such practices have potentially detrimental consequences on human and natural systems that will continue to grow with urbanization. Consequently, further characterization of the complex, multiscale processes in which lawn management decisions are rooted could enhance methods for encouraging the adoption of alternatives to industrialized lawn care. This study conceptualizes mesoscale, or neighborhood-level, influences on watering, fertilizing, and mowing practices in Baltimore city, through a modified grounded theory analysis of key informant interviews in Mount Washington, Westfield, and Park Circle. This study finds that mesoscale processes play a significant role in the residential lawn care of these neighborhoods. The applicable processes vary by the community’s social cohesion and tenets. As socioeconomic status and social cohesion increases within the study area, the influence of informal authority in residential lawn care increases. Results demonstrate potential policy implications.