Abstract

It is important for landscape planners and managers to understand how urban residents value and interact with green open spaces. However, the effect of spatial scale on values and perceptions of green open spaces has, to date, received little attention. This study explored the influence of spatial scale using Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) methods in the Lower Hunter region of Australia. By asking respondents to assign markers denoting various values and preferences to green spaces displayed on maps of their suburb and municipality, the influence of scale was assessed experimentally. A greater abundance and diversity of value markers were consistently assigned at the suburb scale, yet this pattern was more pronounced for some values (e.g. physical activity) than others (e.g. nature, cultural significance). The strength of this relationship was related to socio-demographic variables such as education and income. These results have implications for understanding human-environment relationships and the use of PPGIS techniques to inform environmental planning.

Keywords

green open space; landscape values; human-nature relationships; public participation GIS; spatial scale

Published in

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
2018, Volume: 61, number: 12, pages: 2133-2150 Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

SLU Authors

• Raymond, Christopher

  • Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities


UKÄ Subject classification

Landscape Architecture


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2017.1388219

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/99744