Visitor Satisfaction with a Public Green Infrastructure and Urban Nature Space in Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

The widely applied Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) provides relatively simple and straightforward techniques to assess how well the attributes of a good or service perform in meeting the expectations of consumers, clients, users, and visitors. Surprisingly, IPA has rarely been applied to inform the management of urban public green infrastructure (PGI) or urban nature (UN) spaces. This case study explores the visitor satisfaction levels of people using a PGI space that incorporates UN, close to the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. With diminishing opportunities to acquire new PGI spaces within ever more densely populated urban centers, understanding, efficiently managing, and continuously improving existing spaces is crucial to accessing the benefits and services that PGI and UN provide for humankind. An intercept survey conducted within the Lake Claremont PGI space utilized a self-report questionnaire to gather qualitative and quantitative data (n = 393). This case study demonstrates how the IPA tool can assist urban planners and land managers to collect information about the attributes of quality PGI and UN spaces to monitor levels of service, to increase overall efficiency of site management, to inform future management decisions, and to optimize the allocation of scarce resources. The satisfaction of PGI users was analyzed using the IPA tool to determine where performance and/or resourcing of PGI attributes were not congruent with the expectations of PGI users (generally in the form of over-servicing or under-servicing). The IPA demonstrated that a majority of PGI users perceived the study site to be high performing and were satisfied with many of the assessed attributes. The survey identified the potential for some improvement of the amenity and/or infrastructure installations at the site, as well as directing attention towards a more effective utilization of scarce resources. Optimizing the management of PGI spaces will enhance opportunities for individuals to obtain the physiological, psychological, and emotional benefits that arise from experiencing quality urban PGI spaces. This case study promotes the important contribution that high-quality PGI spaces, which include remnant and restored UN spaces, make to the development of resilient and sustainable urban centers.

Data for an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) of a Public Green Infrastructure and Urban Nature Space in Perth, Western Australia

“…The Biophilic Hypothesis proposed by Wilson [4] states that humans have an innate, inbuilt affinity to natural systems and living things; however, the increase in the urban footprint and population density is causing human populations to become increasingly disconnected from nature [3,5,6]. These phenomena are driving research into the ways that public green infrastructure (PGI) and urban nature (UN) can enhance the quality of life of urban residents (e.g., [3,5,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]). With diminishing opportunities to acquire and/or create new PGI spaces within ever-more-densely populated urban centers, understanding, efficiently managing, and continuously improving existing PGI spaces is crucial to access the benefits and services that PGI and UN provide for humankind [10,12].…”

“…While underutilized in the management of PGI spaces [11,13], IPA techniques provide a relatively simple and straightforward method for quantitatively assessing the performance of PGI and UN spaces. The analysis and insights arising from this dataset are reported in the Research Article by Parker and Simpson [12] published in the Landscape Urbanism and Green Infrastructure special issue of the MDPI journal Land.…”

“…As reported above, the research associated with the dataset shared in this Data Descriptor has produced a systematic quantitative literature review article [11], the associated Data Descriptor [13], and contributed to the publication of an IPA-focused research article [12].…”

“…The visitor satisfaction data reported in this Data Descriptor were collected at the Lake Claremont PGI and UN space in Perth, Western Australia (31.9738 • S, 115.7771 • E). Additional information regarding the location, land-use history, current condition, and utilization of the mixed-use Lake Claremont PGI and UN spaces are provided in Parker [10], Parker and Simpson [12], and Simpson and Newsome [3]. Location and surrounding land-use maps are provided in Simpson and Newsome [3] and Parker and Simpson [12], respectively.…”

Special Issue: Landscape Urbanism and Green Infrastructure

“…Parker and Simpson [13] undertook a study of visitor satisfaction with a public green infrastructure and urban nature space in Perth, Australia, using the importance-performance analysis technique. The survey informed the green managers about the needs for improvement of the amenity and infrastructure, and also optimized nature space management, directing attention towards a more effective utilization of scarce resources.…”