Informal natural greenspaces as places for urban leisure: Perspectives, uses and values from Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Human connection to nature in cities is attracting more attention as the physical, mental and environmental benefits of urban greenspace are revealed. While formal greenspace has received the bulk of attention, the use and benefits of informal urban greenspace (IGS) are either rarely presented or relate to ‘vacant’ land. Here, we study the uses and perspectives of Natural Informal Recreation Areas (NIRA), a type of IGS that have an inherent natural component. Results from 470 survey respondents in Trois-Rivières, Canada reveal a wide range of leisure activities conducted in these greenspaces, including physical recreation, observation of flora/fauna, games, meditation, education, and socialisation. NIRA are valued for their naturalness, tranquillity, proximity, and beauty, but users readily identified dozens of reasons that attracted them to these greenspaces. Importantly, NIRA support multiple uses without intensive management. The high frequency of use and level of value placed on NIRA identifies their importance as places for citizens to connect with nature in the urban matrix. Our approach of combining qualitative and quantitative data revealed opinions and trends that either approach may not have achieved. In particular, the strong interrelationship of greenspace proximity, frequency of use and perceived value strengthens the importance of NIRA in a planning context. One of the main contributions of this study is that NIRA are identified as a subset of IGS that offers unique benefits in the urban landscape. We advocate that in this context, NIRA be granted more importance in urban planning, policy and decision-making.