Szegedi parkok életminőség-befolyásoló hatásainak elemzése látogatói vélemények alapján
Analysis of Life Quality Improving Effects of Szeged’s Parks, Based on Visitors’ Opinions

Summary/Abstract: City parks significantly contribute to the quality of urban life through various ecosystem services. The estimationof community demand for urban ecosystem services is central to informed decision making and sustainablemanagement of urban areas. This study analysed the contribution of five urban parks in Szeged, Hungary, tovisitors’ perceived quality of life in order to formulate a tool for community involvement in decision supportpractices. A questionnaire survey was conducted with visitors at the five public areas, and then descriptivestatistical analysis of the surveyed records was applied to achieve the twofold aim of the study. First, the authorinvestigated if the high demand for green foliage of public squares, expressed by several participants beyondthe questionnaire survey, can be identified through the analyses of survey records. Second, the study sought toanalyse the reported quality of life contributions of each park individually. The results revealed a high preferencefor a green, healthy and recreational environment. This affirmed the survey participants’ noted demand forgreen foliage of the respective parks. The visitors’ impression of the state of the parks proved to be also significant,whereas the accessibility of the areas by private or public transport was less important. The methodologypresented here can provide a tool to estimate the community demand for urban ecosystem services to incorporatecitizens’ needs in decision development processes.

• Details
• Contents