Rethinking Urban Biodiversity Through Residential Typologies

Shared residential yards constitute a substantial yet often overlooked component of open space in dense cities. While their ecological significance has been demonstrated locally, less is known about how their morphological characteristics relate to estimated vegetated potential across metropolitan residential fabrics and how this potential is affected by urban renewal. This study addresses this gap through a typological analysis of shared residential yards in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel. Building on prior field-based research in Givatayim, the analysis was extended to five additional cities. Using GIS, residential environments were classified by building type and lot size category, and analyzed in relation to prevalence, Potentially Vegetated Area (PVA), chronological development, spatial clustering, and maintenance regimes. PVA is used here as a proxy for vegetated potential and as an indicator of spatial conditions associated with plant diversity and species richness. The findings show that the typological framework captures most shared residential areas. Several typologies account for a substantial share of estimated PVA, indicating higher vegetated potential and spatial conditions associated with biodiversity-supporting functions. Yet many buildings with relatively high estimated vegetated potential are older than 45 years and thus more likely to be exposed to redevelopment pressure. Estimated vegetated potential varies in relation to typological distribution, spatial clustering, management dynamics, and chronological exposure to renewal. Thus, we argue that shared residential yards should be recognized as a distributed ecological resource whose transformation cannot be addressed effectively through parcel-based planning alone.