Landscape perception and recreation needs in urban green space in Fuyang,Hangzhou, China

This study analyzes the landscape characteristics and the residents’ recreational activities in the urban green spaces in Fuyang, Hangzhou, China. It explores the correlation of the desire to be in close proximity to urban green space to engage in recreational activities (the need for recreation) related to residents’ demographic and socio-economic factors: gender, education, monthly income and dwelling location. Residents’ preferences for landscape elements and attributes of urban green space are examined using principal components analysis. In addition, regression analysis identifies that coherence and vegetation are the most relevant factors correlated with perceived overall recreational appropriateness of the three most frequently visited urban parks. The purpose of the study is to attempt to quantify people's recreation needs in urban green space; identify the landscape components in urban green space which can encourage more outdoor visits and/or greater recreational activities; and provide proposals and strategies on planning, management and conservation for recreation-oriented urban green space which will enhance people's enjoyment and wellbeing by improving landscape esthetic quality, recreational and ecological function.     

Heritage conservation and environmental threats at the 192-year-old botanical garden in Pondicherry,India

Urban botanical gardens conserve historical flora, improve the local environment and promote human well-being. Unfortunately they are often undervalued due to lack of public awareness or resources. Analysis of species diversity and turnover at long-lived gardens can improve the understanding of long-term plant resilience and help adapt management actions to align with rapidly changing urban contexts. Given the various threats faced by urban botanical gardens, we examined tree species diversity, historical changes and survival of plants at the Botanical Garden in Pondicherry (BGP), southern India, which was established 192 years ago by the colonial French government.A complete census of trees was carried out to compare current species diversity with two historical lists compiled 151 years ago and 57 years ago, respectively. These lists were also used to identify heritage trees. Effects of environmental threats, including the very severe cyclonic storm Thane (December 2011) and various damages to young stems, were analysed with Google Earth images and field inventories.There were 284 identified tree species, including 25 endangered/vulnerable/threatened species and 53 tropical dry evergreen forest species. Turnover had occurred, and approximately half of the historical species had been replaced with new species. Tropical Cyclone Thane caused severe damage to large trees and anthropogenic activities damaged saplings. Yet, at least 65 large resilient individuals had survived all the threats, and signifiy the adaptability and heritage value of the BGP.Our study revealed multiple values of this heritage green space in a rapidly developing South Asian city and suggests strategies for modernisation that are aligned with international conservation guidelines. We recommend better monitoring and utilisation of cyclone-damage data to guide future plant introductions at this coastal site.     

Trees stocks in domestic gardens and willingness to participate in tree planting initiatives in low-cost housing areas of the Eastern Cape,South Africa

Increasing human populations and rapid urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa have prompted the development and maintenance of urban green infrastructure, including urban trees for sustainability, human wellbeing, liveability and climate resilience. However, there are still insufficient amounts and large inequities in the distribution of trees between and within towns and cities of the Global North and South. In South Africa, urban green space planning and planting are encoded in several policies at national level. However, these policies are rarely translated into specific guides, standards or actions, and consequently disparities in urban trees and green space distribution persist. This study assessed the prevalence of urban trees in domestic gardens in low-cost housing areas (LCHAs) of eight small to medium-sized towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and examined residents’ perceptions in this regard. This was done via surveys with 800 households in old and recently developed LCHAs. The results revealed that most households (52 %) had at least one tree in their yard, with more households in the older neighbourhoods (60 %) reporting having trees than in the newer ones (44 %). Most of the trees (66 %) had been deliberately planted as opposed to natural regeneration. Experience of formal urban tree planting programs was low, but 75 % of residents expressed willingness to participate in the future, preferably in tree planting and maintenance. Urban green spaces and trees cannot be an afterthought in the development of sustainable human settlements, and municipal plans should reflect tangible commitments in this regard. Meeting goals for greener LCHAs requires the involvement of local residents, and for municipal authorities to be receptive to the wishes of residents and willingness to green their residential areas.     

Changes in visits to green spaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Focusing on the proportion of repeat visitors and the distances between green spaces and visitors’ places of residences

Through a quantitative approach, this study aimed to clarify the changes in the number of visitors and visits to green spaces according to green space type before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the changes in the proportion of repeat visitors and the distance between green spaces and visitors’ places of residence. We used KDDI Location Analyzer, which performs novel analysis using mobile phone GPS and census data. The study area included 10 target sites (urban parks and nature trails in the backcountry) located in the Sapporo metropolitan area in Japan. The survey period included snow-free seasons from 2019 to 2021, and 2019 was considered the period “before the pandemic.” The results revealed that the number of visits during the pandemic increased compared with those before the pandemic, except for those of urban parks near the city center. In 2020, the proportion of repeat visitors increased for all 10 target sites. In addition, since the outbreak of the pandemic, distances between all urban parks and visitors’ residences decreased. The same trend was observed for nature trails in the backcountry close to the city center. These findings indicate a generally decreasing trend in the number of visits to green spaces as many people have been refraining from visiting the site since the outbreak of the pandemic. Contrastingly, the number of visits by repeat visitors who reside close to the target sites has increased in some cases, which compensated for the general decreases.     

Emotional perceptions of people exposed to green and blue spaces in forest parks of cities at rapid urbanization regions of East China

Urbanization modifies the landscape with green and blue spaces (GBS), which further leads to a functional change along an urban-rural gradient. Emotional improvement is a critical service of GBS, which may be perceived and exposed through facial expressions by visitors. How people react, however, may vary at different locations of a city at varied phases of urbanization. In this study, happy and sad emotions were rated as scores from 7965 Sina-Weibo users who visited 77 GBS across 49 cities of East China in 2020. GBS were located in different regions of a city, either near downtown or in more rural-like regions. Compared to cities near the Hu Huanyong line, those along the eastern coast were built with parks that had smaller green spaces at lower elevations in locations near downtown. They also had larger blue spaces in parks at suburban areas of the same cities. People expressed more happiness in GBS in regions closer to remote rural regions, or in cities further from the eastern coast. Larger green spaces were associated with by the presentation more smiles in parks near downtown, while experiences in large blue spaces evoked positive emotions at suburban areas. Overall, GBS in population-dense regions of more developed cities can be perceived as an activation of exposing higher depression by visitors. More smiles can be exposed in GBS with a large green space near downtown, or with a large blue space at suburban regions of a city in East China.     

Plant and microbial biodiversity in urban forests and public gardens: Insights for cities’ sustainable development

As the world’s population gets increasingly more urban, the preservation of urban green spaces becomes an important issue in the political agenda worldwide. These spaces may mitigate the negative environmental impacts of urbanisation and improve quality of life. Aiming to increase knowledge in urban biodiversity we compared the diversity of vascular plants and soil microbial communities (fungi and bacteria) in two contrasting typologies of urban green spaces (public gardens and remnant forests) in the city of Coimbra (Portugal). We found 252 taxa of vascular plants of which 58% were native and 42% exotic. Although overall diversity indices were similar in both typologies of green spaces, species richness and percentage cover of native taxa were significantly higher in forests than in gardens. Overall, plant communities in the two typologies of green spaces were distinct. We found high variability among gardens, which is consistent with vegetation in gardens being determined by man rather than by competitive or successional processes. Interestingly, the disparity between gardens and forests was also visible for both bacterial and fungal communities indicating an association between above and below-ground communities. We showed that, due to their origin, remnant forests harbour plant taxa with high conservation and ecological values. It also showed that gardens have higher percentage of exotic species, which led us to conclude that native plant species should be given more emphasis in these spaces. City planners should promote urban development by incorporating an ecological perspective into their management plans to enhance human health and global environmental quality.     

A “magic teleportation machine”: Ethnically diverse green space users derive similar cultural ecosystem benefits from urban nature

Green spaces are vital to the wellbeing of urban communities, largely due to the many Cultural Ecosystem Benefits (CEB) that nature contributes to outdoor recreation experiences (e.g., relaxation, inspiration, spiritual enrichment). To ensure equity in the distribution of CEB, however, we require a better understanding of how they relate to ethnicity. Through 100 in-situ semi-structured interviews with green space users in the Lee Valley Regional Park, London, UK, this research explored variation in outdoor recreational CEB based on i) ethnicity and ii) green space activity and attribute preferences. We compared green space preferences and CEB of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and white users of two distinct types of urban green space: parks and more biodiverse Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Both white and BAME visitors to parks prioritized games/sports and built features whereas visitors to SSSIs more often undertook wildlife viewing and prioritized natural features. However, we found that white and BAME users of both types of urban green space derived similar CEB. Peace and relaxation were primary among these benefits, a result of both nature interaction and its contrast to the urban environment. These results demonstrate that nature does not have to be the focal point of outdoor recreation to contribute to wellbeing; rather, even as a backdrop to sports and cultural activities, nature provides similar benefits to green space users. To promote use of green space and foster intercultural understanding, we recommend integrating these shared benefits obtained from nature within marketing and engagement strategies. Future research is needed to explore CEB variation within and among distinct ethnic communities to fully capture the diversity of lived experiences.     

The influence of bird information,attitudes, and demographics on public preferences toward urban green spaces: The case of Montpellier,France

Urban sprawl is a major driving force of land use change. To develop strategies for sustainable urban development, planners need suitable indicators, one of which is the quality and quantity of green spaces in a city. To implement conservation strategies for urban areas, an assessment of how people perceive green spaces is required. The aim of this paper is to analyze: (1) willingness to contribute financially to two types of urban green spaces, (2) how people's attitudinal and socio-economic characteristics affect this willingness, and (3) to what extent this willingness is affected by the information that green spaces are important for avifauna conservation. We found that 72% of the respondents in Montpellier, France preferred natural (versus ornamental) green spaces and wanted them to be increased in the city. To achieve this, 52% of the respondents were willing to pay a percentage of their monthly household income. Giving information about birds to residents increased their preferences (especially for those having a “favourable” attitude for urban fauna) for “natural” green spaces and increased willingness to pay for green spaces among people using green spaces at least monthly. For people less concerned about nature, there was no such effect of providing bird information on preferences for green spaces.     

Willingness of residents to pay and motives for conservation of urban green spaces in the compact city of Hong Kong

People attach multiple values to urban green spaces which play varied roles in cities. Properly designed monetary valuation surveys can ascertain their non-market value and underlying motives. This study investigates Hong Kong residents’ recreational use of urban green spaces and assesses the monetary value of these areas. A total of 495 urban residents from different neighbourhoods and socio-economic groups were interviewed. About 70% of the respondents visited urban green spaces at least weekly. Major companions during patronage were family members and then children. Exercises and clean air topped the list of visit purposes. The recreational pattern is associated with the cramped private living condition that pushes people to public open areas which are construed as extension of home space. The valuation question solicited overwhelming support, with over 80% of the respondents willing to pay to recover a possible loss of urban green spaces area by 20%. It yielded a monthly average payment of HK$77.43 (approx. 9.90 USD) per household for five years. Non-instrumental aspects played some role in the respondents’ bidding decision. The findings could assist green space planning and nature conservation, and hinted the need to consider the pluralistic community views and expectations in relevant public policies.     

The potential of school green areas to improve urban green connectivity and multifunctionality

Urban green infrastructure supports resilience in cities and promotes sustainable resource management. Small green areas, including school green areas (SGAs), are an important component of urban green infrastructure, playing a key role in supplying cities with educational services. This article describes how SGAs can amplify an urban green area's connectivity and multifunctionality. The analysis was performed in Bucharest as a case study. A survey based on questionnaires was used to obtain data regarding green spaces within public schools. A total of 411 administrators from 461 public schools participated in the survey for a response rate of 89.1%. Information from the questionnaires was augmented with spatial data of SGAs and public green spaces, i.e., parks and city gardens. Using parametric and nonparametric statistical analysis, we first identified the variables that determine an SGA's presence and size. Potential connectivity assessment results showed that most of the schools that lack or have small-sized SGAs have the possibility to cover their green space deficit by developing activities within nearby public green spaces. A structural connectivity assessment of SGAs toward other public urban green areas revealed that SGAs are an important element of the urban environment by serving as stepping stones to species flow. The multifunctionality of the SGAs was emphasized through the educational services they provide, being involved in pupils’ daily activities. The increased connectivity and multifunctionality of urban green infrastructure through small, specialized green areas, such as SGAs, is an indicator of the fact that such areas can be used to ameliorate the deficit of green space in major urban areas.     

Green space branding in Denmark in an era of neoliberal governance

City place branding, an entrepreneurial urban development scheme, aims to differentiate cities from their national and international competitors based on strengths and competitive advantage. One such strength is quality urban green space which has been shown to make cities more attractive and liveable places, drawing people and investments to urban centres. Applying a place branding approach, this paper presents the results of a survey of Danish municipalities and their place branding in terms of crafting green city, or environmentally sustainable, profiles. Based on survey responses from both municipal green space and communication staff, an overview is presented of the status of ‘green’ municipal place branding, with emphasis on branding through green spaces such as parks. Findings show that green concepts such as environmentally sustainable policies as well as biophysical assets such as green spaces are not in focus in municipal place branding campaigns. Moreover, survey results demonstrate that creative professionals and local citizens are the main focus of those municipalities that are branding. There is great potential to emphasize green spaces in municipal placing branding campaigns building on partnerships with the private sector and citizen volunteers.     

Exploring the use and perceptions of inner-city small urban parks: A case study of Budapest,Hungary

Globally, accelerating urbanization has led to a severe shortage of urban green spaces. This scarcity is particularly acute in inner cities with high population densities and ratios of built-up areas. To explore park visitors’ usage and perceptions, we present the results of a survey of 681 individuals from different socioeconomic groups conducted in four small urban parks in Budapest, Hungary’s capital. The survey results found that people living near the block parks were their primary users, but many people from distant areas also visited the parks due to their good accessibility. In addition, findings show that the green components of the parks were generally more satisfactory to users than other amenities, indicating higher quality expectations for cultural ecosystem services in small urban green spaces. However, perceptions of park safety varied across socioeconomic groups, suggesting that views of safety did not necessarily reflect actual park security. Finally, while most respondents stated they would not want to contribute to park maintenance, young people, particularly neighborhood newcomers, showed greater willingness to volunteer for such work.     

Relationships between nature connectedness,biodiversity of private gardens,and mental well-being during the Covid-19 lockdown

Private gardens have an enormous impact on urban biodiversity, making individual householder behavior critical to the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in urban areas. Nature connectedness is considered to be a prerequisite for proenvironmental behavior, but how it manifests in private gardens is largely unexplored. Nature connectedness has also been found to be associated with several well-being dimensions. The present study investigates the associations between nature connectedness, biodiversity of private gardens, and mental well-being during the Covid-19 lockdown, a stressful period in many people’s lives. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to analyze data from an online survey of private gardeners in two cities, one in Germany and one in New Zealand, in May 2020, approximately two months after the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown. Garden characteristics explained a significant amount of variance in depression symptoms during the Covid- 19 lockdown. In light of rising pressures on urban green spaces, the findings point to the importance of private garden qualities for mental health and well-being. Nature connectedness emerged as a significant predictor of feature richness, a measure of the heterogeneity of habitats that support wildlife, and plant growth form richness in people’s gardens in both city samples. Nature connectedness was also a significant predictor of the extent to which people experienced positive emotions during the Covid-19 lockdown but not negative emotions and depression symptoms. Our results suggest that nature connectedness can provide benefits for both the environment and people through its positive association with private garden biodiversity and positive emotions.     

Connection to nature and time spent in gardens predicts social cohesion

A person’s health and wellbeing are contingent on the amount of social support that they receive. Similarly, experiencing nature has been shown to improve people’s health and wellbeing. However, we do not know how relationships between social cohesion, nature experiences and nature connection could interrelate and vary across different types of urban green spaces, and in non-Westernised cultures. We conducted a study on 1249 residents in Singapore, a tropical city-state, and measured three dimensions of social cohesion (i.e. general social cohesion; trust and sense of community; and social interactions), various types of nature experiences (i.e. amount of green space around one’s residence; frequency and duration of urban green space visits; frequency and duration of visits to gardens), and three dimensions of one’s connection to nature: self-identity with nature, desire to experience nature, and environmental concern (using the nature relatedness scale). We found that people who strongly identify with nature, who enjoy being in nature, and who had more frequent gardens visits were more likely to have a stronger sense of social cohesion across two dimensions. However, those with stronger environmental concern reported an overall weaker sense of social cohesion, possibly due to the perception that society’s contributions to conserve environmental problems was insufficient. Further, people who gardened more frequently were also more likely to visit green spaces, self-identify with nature and exhibit a stronger desire to experience nature. We propose that strategies targeted at encouraging people to engage in nature-related, collaborative activities at the local community level, such as spending time in local gardens, will increase urban residents’ daily nature experiences and its associated benefits such as improving social cohesion.     

Tourism sustainability in the Bogor Botanical Gardens,Indonesia

The Bogor Botanical Gardens (BBG) represents one of the most prominent gardens in the largest urbanised area of SE Asia. However, the BBG is poorly visible in academic literature, and research on its role as an urban forest is particularly lacking. This study assesses sustainability of tourism management in the BBG. Stakeholders such as staff members, travel agents, tour guides, etc. were interviewed. The analysis of the responses showed that the respondents rated non-destructive use of resources and improving visitors’ satisfaction as the first and second highest values, respectively. Conversely, the regulatory role of the garden’s law enforcement, management monitoring and participation of stakeholders received the least ratings. Our survey shows that the BBG is implementing certain elements of sustainable tourism, yet there was a lack of discipline and participation in the face of problems generated by rapid urbanisation and growing number of visitors. These findings can be relevant to other botanical gardens in fast-growing conurbations of SE Asia and the developing world. These results also suggest that a deeper study is necessary to better understand and manage the problems related to the increasing number of visitors.     

Integrating community gardens into public parks: An innovative approach for providing ecosystem services in urban areas

When planned coherently, urban green spaces have the potential to provide cities with a range of unique ecosystem services that support ecosystem and human health. This paper draws on existing green space planning literature to argue that the integration of community gardens into standardised and previously under-utilised public park landscapes represents an innovative approach to providing ecosystem services. Particular focus is given to the challenges facing green space planning in Perth, Western Australia. At an individual level, community gardens provide a venue for an alternative and more accessible form of physical activity – gardening – and a restorative park environment that is a more attractive destination for neighbourhood walking. At the community level, gardens can facilitate bridging interactions between different social groups, whilst providing opportunities for local residents to participate actively in green space planning processes. Perhaps most importantly, community gardens can provide unique opportunities for environmental education that lead to enhanced local ecological outcomes. The paper concludes with a brief overview of the main challenges likely to be faced with this integration, and some strategies that may allow them to be overcome. It is hoped this paper will provide a background for future case studies, and a catalyst for increasing integration between formal green space planning and community garden development.     

“森林城市”模式与城市绿地园林景观及功能的弱化

“森林城市”的提法导致城市园林绿化建设模式产生一定的偏差,“森林城市”忽视了城市内绿地与城市外绿地功能的诸多差异,甚至导致城市园林绿地丧失其应该体现的园林艺术特征和休闲、游憩、娱乐、健身等综合功能。除生态效益之外,只有强调城市绿地的园林艺术特征和多功能性才能防止城市绿化中过密、过滥的“森林式”的种植模式。正确定位城市中心和城市外围两种不同地域绿地的功能和结构,并以生态的楔形绿地为桥梁是实现城内外绿地相互联系、功能互补的一个有效途径。     

Enhancing urban nature and place-making in social housing through community gardening

There is a growing body of literature examining the multifaceted benefits of community gardens for environmental and social wellbeing. While there are studies examining the increase of grassroots urban gardening initiatives in low income and vulnerable communities, there remains a need for research that explores the lived experiences of individuals in social housing communities with urban nature and community gardens. Individuals living in urban social housing may experience inequalities in access to green infrastructure both within their housing estates as well as the surrounding community. For the past two decades, the Community Greening program at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Australia, has implemented outreach initiatives to support the development and maintenance of community gardens in social housing communities in New South Wales. This article presents the findings from a study conducted with participants at six new community gardens built in social housing communities, focusing specifically on focus group interviews with residents and staff questionnaires to examine the perceived impact of the Community Greening program. The participants’ narratives highlight program outcomes across the key themes of community gardens as sites for knowledge generation and connection to nature, sense of community, and improving residents' sense of pride and public perceptions of public housing. The findings suggest that community gardens enhance green infrastructure in social housing estates and their broader urban locales by improving access to green space and promoting place-making in social housing contexts. We conclude with a discussion of the recommendations and lessons learned that may help to inform future policies and practices when setting priorities that promote social and environmental sustainability in social housing.     

Urban wild food foraging locations: Understanding selection criteria to inform green space planning and management

Urban wild food foraging is increasingly attracting attention as an activity in urban green spaces that encourages urban residents’ interaction with their natural environment. However, little is known about the criteria influencing urban foragers’ selection of foraging locations that could inform urban green space management and planning to encourage urban foraging. To elicit these criteria, we conducted 21 semi-structured expert interviews with urban foraging stakeholders in Vienna, Austria, and analysed the data using qualitative content analysis. The respondents suggested 11 criteria that influence the selection of foraging locations. These are related to spatial factors, management of public urban green spaces and the green space activities of other visitors. However, the respondents reported that urban foragers do not uniformly follow these different criteria, but subjectively assess and apply them depending on the specific locations and the plant materials and mushroom species being targeted. For some foragers, even intensively managed public urban green spaces can offer certain advantages. Thus, urban residents forage in public urban green spaces that have diverse properties and management strategies. We suggest that urban foraging is best supported by biodiversity- and wilderness-friendly green space management that supports access to foraging locations, clear foraging regulations and codes of conduct, and comprehensive information about contamination for urban residents. Implementation of these suggestions would not only benefit urban foraging, but also enhance urban biodiversity and guarantee the multifunctional benefits of public urban green spaces for urban residents and urban nature.     

The effects of naturalness,gender, and age on how urban green space is perceived and used

Neighbourhood green space serves an important function for the urban population, and provides valuable ecosystem services for human well-being. In this article, we investigate the effects of naturalness, gender, and age on the activities, aesthetics, and self-reported well-being associated with urban green space. Our findings are based on a postal survey of residents living in close proximity to six different green spaces in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. It is shown that higher perceived naturalness generated more activities and higher aesthetic values and self-reported well-being for residents living close to urban green spaces. The results also indicated that, regardless of the type of naturalness, women were more active in urban green spaces than were men. Women also saw greater aesthetic value in green spaces than men did, and had higher self-reported well-being associated with the urban green spaces. Finally, older residents were shown to participate in a greater number of nature-related activities than younger residents. Older residents also saw greater aesthetic values and had higher self-reported well-being associated with urban green spaces than younger people did. Seemingly, this poses a considerable planning challenge if areas of perceived naturalness are to be retained in cities, since the present trend is for reduced green spaces in cities and a ‘parkification’ of surviving natural areas. Further, because of the importance of perceived natural areas to the elderly, and in particularly women, distances to urban green areas should not be too great.