A perceptual study of users’ expectations of urban green infrastructure in Kalamaria, municipality of Greece

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate residents’ perceptions, preferences and satisfaction concerning the urban green infrastructure of Kalamaria, Greece, to evaluate the importance of urban parks for residents’ well-being and to suggest management improvements. Design/methodology/approach – Following a random sampling method, 385 residents were interviewed. Green infrastructure number and size, design suitability, safety, variety and care of plants, noise pollution, facilities for people with disabilities and duration and frequency of visits to green areas were among the considered parameters. Factor and hierarchical log-linear analyses were conducted. Findings – The existing green spaces were insufficient in number, size and design, and their distribution was unsatisfactory. The facilities and equipment in the green spaces were evaluated as rather mediocre, and most respondents were unsatisfied with the overall planning and management of the green infrastructure in the municipality of Kalamaria. The results indicate that resident’s well-being relates to their satisfaction with urban green infrastructure. Frequent and longer visits of green spaces significantly improved the perceived well-being. The residents expressed an intention to pay 20-40 percent more than the average price for a house with a view of a green area. Originality/value – Public perception surveys enable green infrastructure managers to identify preferred management alternatives and to use this information in an urban planning framework. Local authorities can use the results of the present survey to manage the city’s green infrastructure, enhance the city’s resilience and anticipate climate change challenges and the future needs of residents.

Landscape Urbanism and Green Infrastructure

“…Living in highly urbanized environments often results in diminished opportunities to experience nature. Researchers, such as Soga et al [91], advocate for the need to increase the value placed on quality PGI spaces, particularly in highly urbanized areas, to reduce the disengagement of people with the surrounding natural world.…”

Creating Green Space Sustainability through Low-Budget and Upcycling Strategies

“…According to Berte et al [45], there are four major drivers to be considered in design: identity process, integration process, multiscale process, and innovation process. Even though there are direct and indirect methods for landscape evaluation [46], the most common and effective way to evaluate the success of a landscape project is with a survey of the views and perceptions of experts and users [47][48][49]. Expert survey method is usually employed in cases where several professionals possess knowledge or can make assessments that are not available in the public domain [50].…”

“…Expert survey method is usually employed in cases where several professionals possess knowledge or can make assessments that are not available in the public domain [50]. It is broadly used in social and political sciences and has been successfully applied in sustainability and design research [48]. In general, the method implies rather small sample sizes and similar preliminary expert surveys have been conducted with group of n = 20 responders [51].…”

Setting the grounds for the Green Infrastructure in the metropolitan areas of Athens and Thessaloniki: the role of green space

“…Currently, there is little literature on G.I. in this country and it mainly discusses a few cases and the implementation perspectives at the neighbourhood scale (Karanikola et al 2016;Makropoulou and Gospodini 2016;Salata and Yiannakou 2016). Both cases (Athens and Thessaloniki) were chosen as they are the only metropolitan areas in Greece, i.e.…”