Study of residents’ willingness to construct community gardens in the post-epidemic era

Abstract

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, people who had experienced social isolation during the epidemic became more concerned about the function of public open spaces in their communities. In developing China, community gardens have not been included in the urban planning system. This study explores whether community residents support the construction of community gardens on public land for collective gardening activities and the reasons for the formation of their willingness. The subjects of this study are residents of three urbanized residential communities in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Questionnaires were distributed in the communities via the internet to assess residents’ willingness to build community gardens. Three hundred eighty-two completed and valid questionnaires were collected. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the categorical variables. The results showed that 82.5% of respondents expressed support for the construction of community gardens, while 17.5% held the opposite view. Respondents who were female, elderly, and had minors in the household had a higher percentage of supportive statements. Living in different communities, education levels, and monthly income had no significant impact on the results. Community evaluation and horticultural experience had a significant impact on the results. Finally, we discuss the main reasons for willingness. In addition, we found that not all supporters were willing to spend money or time on community gardens. The results of this study are significant for community management decision-making and spatial planning.