Residents' awareness of the role of informal green spaces in a post-industrial city, with a focus on regulating services and urban adaptation potential

Renata Włodarczyk-Marciniak; Daria Sikorska; Kinga Krauze

doi:10.1016/j.scs.2020.102236

Residents' awareness of the role of informal green spaces in a post-industrial city, with a focus on regulating services and urban adaptation potential

Sustain Cities Soc. 2020 Aug:59:102236. doi: 10.1016/j.scs.2020.102236. Epub 2020 May 8.

Authors

Renata Włodarczyk-Marciniak¹, Daria Sikorska^{1

2}, Kinga Krauze¹

Affiliations

¹ European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Tylna Str., 90-364, Łódź, Poland.
² Institute of Environmental Engineering, Department of Remote Sensing and Environmental Assessment, Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, ul. Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland.

Abstract

Urban green spaces (UGS) and the ecosystem services they provide are essential for the health and wellbeing of city dwellers. UGS are increasingly seen as a potential solution for sustainable urban planning and development. Informal green spaces (IGS), even though they may make up a large share of UGS, are often overlooked in this regard. This study examines residents' awareness of the ecosystem services provided by IGS and their need for redevelopment. The data were collected through structured interviews in the immediate vicinity of selected IGS in the Polish city of Łódź. Łódź is typical of post-industrial European cities struggling with environmental (heatwaves, cloudbursts), social (aging, depopulation) and spatial (a neglected and dense city center) issues. Our results show that residents saw IGS as places able to provide a range of services, mostly of the regulating type, and even minor design interventions can improve the attractiveness of IGS. Taking this into account, we conclude that IGS are important vegetated areas in the city, which can be complementary to formal greenery.

Keywords: Informal green spaces; Perception; Redevelopment; Spatial change; Urban ecosystem services.