Capturing residents’ perceptions of green spaces in densifying urban landscapes - The potentials of mental mapping

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2024.128266
• Publication Date: 2024-02-24T03:32:14Z
• Authors: Jacqueline Otto; Sara Borgström; Dagmar Haase; Erik Andersson
• Keywords: Mental mapping; Green infrastructure; Plural

Understanding residents' perceptions of green-blue infrastructure (GBI) is critical to ensure continued access its associated benefits in growing and densifying urban landscapes. Physical availability accessibility green spaces alone do not directly translate actual appreciation use. Residents' sense place can determine if from GBI are realized how landscape changes may be perceived. In this study, set sub-urban Stockholm, Sweden, we applied a mixed-methods approach combining mental mapping with follow-up interviews investigate such methodology improve our understanding perception the recreational use GBI. For exercise, participants drew, freehand, map appreciated neighborhood places for purposes. Our results clearly show that provides relevant information on individual collective GBI, linkages between gray elements, hot-spots importance local inhabitants. The unguided welding knowledge spatial expressions makes method well suited contribute better plural senses regards rapidly urbanizing landscapes an enhanced capacity recognise locally planning practical management.