TY - JOUR
T1 - Biocultural diversity (BCD) in European cities – Interactions between motivations, experiences and environment in public parks
AU - Vierikko, Kati
AU - Gonçalves, Paula
AU - Haase, Dagmar
AU - Elands, Birgit
AU - Ioja, Cristian
AU - Jaatsi, Mia
AU - Pieniniemi, Mari
AU - Lindgren, Jasmina
AU - Grilo, Filipa
AU - Santos-Reis, Margarida
AU - Niemelä, Jari
AU - Yli-Pelkonen, Vesa
PY - 2020/2
Y1 - 2020/2
N2 - Urban green spaces (UGS) provide multiple benefits, and public parks in particular have a key role in supporting ecological and social sustainability in cities, contributing to human-nature interactions. We studied the interrelationships between uses, experiences and the environment by adopting a novel concept of urban biocultural diversity (BCD). The concept identifies three interlinked spheres of urban BCD: materialised, lived and stewardship. We conducted place-based research in 33 parks located in four European capitals: Helsinki, Berlin, Bucharest and Lisbon. A total of 1474 visitors were interviewed concerning their motivations to use the park and their experiences during the visit. Using an open-ended survey, we revealed more than 50 motivations for park use and over 100 features people enjoyed during their visits. On the other hand, visitors mentioned far fewer things that disturbed them (60). We revealed that despite the fact motivations to use parks were strongly human-oriented, visitors widely enjoyed the environmental characteristics of parks, and especially nature. We found that parks located in neighbourhoods with low socio-economic status and outside the central area of the city were structurally less diverse than parks located in the city core. The structurally diverse parks enhanced motivations to use them, and increased overall enjoyments of the environment. We revealed clear differences in motivations and enjoyments between cities, implying that the day-to-day practices of people using and experiencing nature varies between cities.
AB - Urban green spaces (UGS) provide multiple benefits, and public parks in particular have a key role in supporting ecological and social sustainability in cities, contributing to human-nature interactions. We studied the interrelationships between uses, experiences and the environment by adopting a novel concept of urban biocultural diversity (BCD). The concept identifies three interlinked spheres of urban BCD: materialised, lived and stewardship. We conducted place-based research in 33 parks located in four European capitals: Helsinki, Berlin, Bucharest and Lisbon. A total of 1474 visitors were interviewed concerning their motivations to use the park and their experiences during the visit. Using an open-ended survey, we revealed more than 50 motivations for park use and over 100 features people enjoyed during their visits. On the other hand, visitors mentioned far fewer things that disturbed them (60). We revealed that despite the fact motivations to use parks were strongly human-oriented, visitors widely enjoyed the environmental characteristics of parks, and especially nature. We found that parks located in neighbourhoods with low socio-economic status and outside the central area of the city were structurally less diverse than parks located in the city core. The structurally diverse parks enhanced motivations to use them, and increased overall enjoyments of the environment. We revealed clear differences in motivations and enjoyments between cities, implying that the day-to-day practices of people using and experiencing nature varies between cities.
KW - Biocultural diversity
KW - Place-based research
KW - Public parks
KW - Relationship
KW - Urban
U2 - 10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126501
DO - 10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126501
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85075358939
SN - 1618-8667
VL - 48
JO - Urban Forestry and Urban Greening
JF - Urban Forestry and Urban Greening
M1 - 126501
ER -