Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being
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Department of Geoinformatics—Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Schillerstrasse 30, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
2
Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics, University of Szeged, Egyetem utca 2-6, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(7), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070766
Received: 11 May 2017
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Revised: 29 June 2017
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Accepted: 5 July 2017
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Published: 12 July 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscapes and Human Health)
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.
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Keywords:
urban green spaces; perceived green space characteristics; perceived well-being benefits; quality of life; crowd-sourced geo-tagged data; questionnaire survey
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kothencz, G.; Kolcsár, R.; Cabrera-Barona, P.; Szilassi, P. Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070766
AMA Style
Kothencz G, Kolcsár R, Cabrera-Barona P, Szilassi P. Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14(7):766. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070766
Chicago/Turabian StyleKothencz, Gyula, Ronald Kolcsár, Pablo Cabrera-Barona, and Péter Szilassi. 2017. "Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, no. 7: 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070766
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