How do urban park features affect cultural ecosystem services: Quantified evidence for design practices

Abstract

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) in urban parks are associated with nature contact willingness and health outcomes of urban residents. However, practical knowledge on how to manage urban park features to enhance CES is still lacking, especially on more detailed scales. This study developed a practice-oriented workflow for exploring design-related indicators that affect CES by considering four aspects of urban park features, including distance to elements, density of elements, land cover proportion, and landscape diversity. Then the workflow was implemented in a case study by taking six urban parks in Beijing as study areas. Three CES types were identified with outdoor social media images, including recreation value, aesthetic value, and social interaction value. Statistical analyses indicated that a combination of the four aspects of urban park features within a specific service radius was the most significant factor in explaining CES. The importance of design-related indicators for enhancing different CES types was also identified. Density of facilities, proportion of tree canopy-shaded ground, and richness of land cover types were proved important for all the three CES types and therefore could be concerned in urban park design practices. Based on these findings, this study further proposed landscape site design strategies and three adaptive design cases for enhancing different CES types, which could provide evidence-based and practical solutions for managers and landscape architects.