Does diversity matter? The experience of urban nature’s diversity: Case study and cultural concept

Abstract

In everyday life, urban green spaces are the places for nature experience and recreation for urban residents. A diverse urban nature is generally seen to be able to promote both biodiversity conservation as well as the enhancement of the quality of urban life. But how important is nature’s diversity really for residents? There are various studies about the services of urban green, but still gaps in the knowledge of the user’s experience and valuation of nature’s diversity. This paper discusses, first, the results of interviews on the perception and valuation of species and structural diversity of an urban green space. Most respondents assessed the diversity as (very) high and consider biodiversity in general as (very) valuable, yet few specific structures and species were named. Second, we explain this mismatch referring to the cultural ideal of landscape diversity in the German-speaking region, which we believe to influence the experience of nature. People use ‘diversity’ to express their feeling of well-being during their stay at a given site rather than an objective assessment of number of species or elements. In this way, we place the topic of individual perception, experience and valuation of urban nature’s diversity in a philosophical and historical-cultural context.