Perception and use of various urban green spaces in Padova (Northern Italy)

Urban green spaces are a focal area for the daily life of citizens. Therefore, deep knowledge of citizens’ perceptions and uses of green infrastructures is crucial in urban planning and design. Green spaces can have several different features ranging from intensively managed urban parks to abandoned areas with spontaneous vegetation. Indeed, the type of green space and its specific features result in different types of ecosystem services and urban dwellers can have various and contrasting perceptions of these spaces and their ecosystem services. Therefore, different tools and approaches should be applied to gain a broad picture of citizens’ needs for urban green space types. Here we introduce a project, carried out by a multi-disciplinary team represented by urban foresters, recreation planers, statisticians, and economists, engaging with citizens of Padova (Northern Italy) using urban green spaces and their facilities. Our aim was to show the large variety of recreational activities carried out by visitors and their usages of designed and non-designed urban green spaces. A specific aim of the project was to analyze the influence of different features of managed green spaces on users’ preferences for stress relief and safety. In 2017, face-to-face interviews with about 300 citizens were performed, collecting information on socio-demographic characteristics as well as on access to and use of green spaces. Furthermore, choice sets based on systematically modified images of different green spaces scenarios were used to test users’ preferences in terms of stress relief and safety perception. The integrated analysis provides an overview of the users of different urban green spaces, their recreation behavior and green space preferences.