Conducting urban ecology research on private property: Advice and lessons learned in the field

Private property makes up a large proportion of urban green space, which differs from public greenspace in ecologically important ways. While including private property in urban landscape research is necessary, ecologists are frequently unprepared to work on private property and often exclude private land from empirical studies. We provide lessons learned for ecologists and others considering research on private property to help prepare future scientists for the challenges of balancing study design and scientific merit with respect for the property owners that are allowing access. To compile these lessons learned, we interviewed urban ecologists and social scientists from 7 countries, along with public health researchers and police officers using the 'expert' interview technique, then synthesized their experiences and advice. The compiled advice addresses all stages of research, including research design, sample design, gaining access to study sites, collecting data on study sites, and sharing results via post-study communication. Overall, we find that researchers must adapt their methodological approaches to the limitations imposed by private property, communicate honestly and respectfully with property owners for the duration of the research, and be prepared to adapt to unusual and unexpected challenges during fieldwork unique to urban environments. The approach we present is centered around balancing scientific merit, safety, and respect for property owners. We want to encourage scientists to expand their research to private property to better study the heterogeneous urban landscape.