Quantitative assessment and mapping of perception of cultural ecosystem services and disservices of urban green infrastructure in the city of Zagreb

Abstract

Koncept usluga ekosustava obuhvaća sve blagodati koje različiti ekosustavi pružaju ljudima, a dijele se na usluge opskrbe, usluge podržavanja, usluge regulacije i kulturološke usluge ekosustava. U današnje vrijeme kada većina svjetske populacije živi u urbanim sredinama kulturološke usluge postaju sve važnije. One su definirane kao nematerijalne koristi koje ljudi dobivaju od ekosustava a uključuju estetiku, rekreaciju i ekoturizam, kulturne vrijednosti, sustav znanja, društvene odnose te privrženost mjestu. Iako važne, zbog svoje subjektivnosti kulturološke su usluge slabije istražene od ostalih usluga ekosustava, a njihova percepcija ovisi o karakteristikama ekosustava kao i karakteristikama korisnika tih prostora. Percipirane negativnosti definiraju se kao funkcioniranje ekosustava koje je štetno za ljudsku dobrobit. U gradovima, najvažniji izvor kulturoloških usluga ekosustava i negativnosti je urbana zelena infrastruktura. Heterogenost stanovništva, kao i heterogenost tipova urbane zelene infrastrukture njihovu procjenu i kvantifikaciju čine zahtjevnom dok podaci o proviziji i percepciji kategorija kulturoloških usluga i negativnostima u različitim tipovima zelene infrastrukture nedostaju. Informacija o načinu na koji korisnici percipiraju i koriste različite tipove urbane zelene infrastrukture može poslužiti prilikom unaprjeđenja planiranja i gospodarenja istom. Prostorno eksplicitne metode prikupljanja podataka o percepciji od samih korisnika prostora pokazale su se vrlo korisnima. U ovom istraživanju pomoću Internetskog PPGIS (engl. Public Participation Geographic Information System) upitnika na uzorku punoljetnih stanovnika grada Zagreba prikupili su se prostorni podaci o percepciji pet kategorija i povezanih atributa kulturoloških usluga (privrženost mjestu, rekreacija, estetika, edukacija, kulturni identitet) te percipiranih negativnosti u urbanoj zelenoj infrastrukturi grada Zagreba. 384 sudionika u istraživanju kartiralo je 5757 prostornih markera označavajući lokacije percepcije kulturoloških usluga i negativnosti urbane zelene infrastrukture. Kategorije privrženosti mjestu, rekreacije, estetike te kulturnog identiteta kartiralo je više sudionika dok su edukacija i negativnosti kartirane od strane manjeg broja sudionika u istraživanju. Šetnja je kao atribut rekreacije, prirodnost kao atribut estetike te percepcija neodržavanih zelenih površina kao atribut negativnosti kartirani su od najvećeg broja sudionika među atributima. Parkovi, šume, park šume, ostale zelene površine, Botanički/Zoološki vrt i zelenilo oko vodenih površina najčešće su kartirani tipovi urbane zelene infrastrukture u Zagrebu, a definirano ih je ukupno 20. Utvrđena je razlika u percepciji kulturoloških usluga i negativnosti u odnosu na tip urbane zelene infrastrukture. Vizualizacijom prostornih podataka određene su najvažnije lokacije percepcije kulturoloških usluga i negativnosti u Zagrebu. Nadalje, utvrđena je razlika u udaljenosti od doma ispitanika na kojoj se pojedina percepcija ili korištenje pojavljuje. Definiran je i opisan urbano-ruralni gradijent grada Zagreba. Sociodemografke karakteristike sudionika te njihove uobičajene navike prilikom korištenja zelenih površina nisu značajnije utjecale na izraženu percepciju kulturoloških usluga i negativnosti u urbanoj zelenoj infrastrukturi. Ovom se disertacijom prvi put primijenio PPGIS upitnik za prikupljanje prostornih podataka od stanovnika grada Zagreba o njihovoj percepciji kulturoloških usluga i negativnosti urbane zelene infrastrukture. Definirane razlike u percepciji i načinu korištenja pojedinih tipova urbane zelene infrastrukture u Zagrebu mogu se iskoristiti za unaprjeđenje dugoročnog planiranja i gospodarenja tim prostorima u suradnji s građanima, korisnicima prostora.Ecosystem services are all the benefits people obtain from different ecosystems and include provisioning services, supporting services, regulating services and cultural services. Today, when more than half of the world’s population is living in urban areas, cultural ecosystem services are increasingly important. They are defined as non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems and include aesthetics, recreation and ecotourism, cultural values, knowledge transfer, social relations, and place attachment. Although important, they are less explored in relation to other ecosystem services because of their subjective dimension. How they are perceived depends on the characteristics of the ecosystem as well as the characteristics of users of that place. Disservices are defined as functioning of an ecosystem that is negative for human well-being. Urban green infrastructure is the main provider of cultural ecosystem services and disservices in cities. Heterogeneity of urban population as well as heterogeneity of urban green infrastructure make the assessment and quantification of perception of cultural ecosystem services and disservices difficult. However, knowledge on how different types of urban green infrastructure and perceived and used is still missing. The data about the ways in which users perceive and use different urban green infrastructure types can help to enhance planning and management of those spaces. In that regard, spatially explicit methods of data collection from direct users proved very beneficial. Within this research, online PPGIS (Public Participation Geographic Information System) questionnaire was used to collect spatial data about the perception of five categories (place attachment, recreation, aesthetics, education, cultural identity) and associated attributes of cultural ecosystem services and disservices in urban green infrastructure on a sample of citizens of Zagreb. In total, 384 respondents mapped 5,757 spatial markers designating locations perceived as providers of cultural ecosystem services and disservices of urban green infrastructure. Categories of place attachment, recreation, aesthetics, and cultural identity have been mapped by more respondents than education and disservices within this research. Walking as the attribute of recreation, Naturalness as the attribute od aesthetics and Unmaintained as the attribute of disservices were mapped by the largest number of respondents among attributes for each category. Parks, forests, park forests, other green spaces, Botanical/Zoo garden and greenery around water features are the most often mapped types of urban green infrastructure among 20 defined types. Difference in perception in relation to urban green infrastructure types has been observed. The most important locations in the city of Zagreb have been defined using visualization tools. Also, difference between distances from respondent’s home to locations providing each perception or use have also been found. Urban-rural gradient has been defined and described for the city of Zagreb. Socio-demographic characteristics or visiting behaviour of respondents in the sample did not influence stated perception of cultural ecosystem services and disservices of urban green infrastructure. Within this thesis, the first use of PPGIS questionnaire for spatial data collection about their perception of cultural ecosystem services and disservices from citizens of Zagreb was presented. Defined differences in perception and use of urban green infrastructure types in the city of Zagreb can be used to enhance long-term planning and management of those places in cooperation with citizens, the users of those places