Abstract
Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors’ level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors’ crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents’ aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces.
Highlights
Societal benefits supplied by urban green spaces (UGS) to city dwellers are vital to maintain and increase urban citizens’ quality of life (QoL) [1,2]
The research demonstrated the potential of frequency of geo-tagged photographs and running trajectories in revealing human perceptions of urban green spaces (UGS)
Our findings suggest that visitors' perception of the UGS were effectively conveyed through the seven questionnaire items, while frequencies of geo-tagged photographs and running trajectories were only partly related to individual-level perceptions of the study areas
Summary
Societal benefits supplied by urban green spaces (UGS) to city dwellers are vital to maintain and increase urban citizens’ quality of life (QoL) [1,2]. UGS are essential in mitigating high summer temperatures of their grounds and nearby surroundings [3,4], and are vital in air pollution removal and noise abatement [5,6]. They are highly regarded for positive effects in promoting their visitors’ physical and mental health [7,8,9] and providing opportunities for social interactions and recreation [9,10,11].
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