Analysis of Public Garden Awareness in Citizen Gardener Training Course

Abstract

Focusing on the significant changes in interpretation of public garden, the aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive image, effect and communality by analyzing the perceptional difference in urban garden between garden education participants, potential participants, and general citizen group. Principal images were “familiar, affective” (relationship with nature), “progressive, sociable” (attitude toward garden activities), “expansive, autonomous” (spatial evaluation), using 24 adjectives representing urban garden image. Through factor analysis by principal components based on the factor loadings of education participants group, factor 1 could be named “Public Role and Communality of urban garden” (Potential Dimension), factor 2 explains “Differentiation as a Public Landscape” (Evaluative Dimension), and factor 3 as “Aesthetic Experience” (Active Dimension). In particular, participants were more aware of the social and environmental effects of urban garden, and the average value of communality index was higher than that of potential participants (3.4 & 3.31) and general citizens (2.69). The urban garden can play a social, environmental, economical role being recognized as lifelong education or community activities beyond just acquiring knowledge. The significance of citizen gardener education could be reaffirmed and needed to systemize for continuity.