Autoria: Marthe Laura Derkzen
An exploratory study of visiting behaviour, perceptions
and preferences in the urban green spaces of São Paulo, Brazil
http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/student-theses/2012-0508-200403/Experiencing%20the%20Urban%20Green%20Space%20-%20An%20exploratoty%20study%20of%20visiting%20behaviour,%20perceptions%20and%20preferences%20in%20the%20urban%20green%20spaces%20of%20Sao%20Paulo,%20Brazil.pdf
Experiencing the Urban Green Space
An exploratory study of visiting behaviour, perceptions and preferences in the urban green
spaces of São Paulo, Brazil
In fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s thesis in:
Sustainable Development - International Development
Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Innovation and Environmental Sciences
Utrecht University
Marthe Laura Derkzen
Under supervision of Dr. Gery Nijenhuis
International Development Studies, Utrecht University
April 2012
Executive
summary
In an ever more
urbanising world the role of urban green space is crucial to maintain and
enhance the quality of life in cities. Green spaces provide cities with a
flexible instrument to adapt to climate change, they encourage social
interaction, community identity and promote an active lifestyle, green
spaces generate local employment and increase property values and urban vegetation
shapes a city by providing it with a natural and historical structure. Apart
from these functions, urban green space is a venue for events and a place
where people recreate, escape from everyday stress and routine, meet
other people, and where children play in a natural environment. This
recreational function of urban green space is explored by profiling the
green spaces and their users in the metropolis of São Paulo, Brazil.
Through time,
recreational patterns evolved from hunting games in palace gardens to shopping
malls and theme parks. The use of urban green space for recreational purposes
was initiated when the rural society turned into an urban-industrial
society that lost the connection with nature and so the first public
parks and gardens emerged in the nineteenth century. Today, outdoor
recreation is influenced by a general trend of health and well-being and this
is reflected in the increase of eco-tourism destinations and the presence
of joggers in city parks. The ways in which urban green space is utilised
is related to socioeconomic factors and to the physicality of the green
space in question. Women for example, are found to engage more in walking,
meeting
friends,
playing with children and enjoying the landscape whereas men prefer to exercise
or play team sports. Men are also found to visit parks more and likewise
young people dominate urban green spaces in São Paulo. Persons with
higher incomes have the possibility to travel further in search for a
green space to their liking and this makes that the green space public can be
very
park specific.
The most common transport means are the car and a large share of the park
visitors comes on foot, in particular in smaller parks that welcome
predominantly visitors that live in the same area. The longer people
travel, the longer they stay and the more infrequently they come to the
green space. In the studied parks in São Paulo most people visit the park
once or multiple times a week and their main reasons are to be in contact
with nature and to relax. Sports are also a popular reason and it is
mostly running, cycling and playing soccer which is done by male visitors
of urban green spaces.
An interesting
aspect of urban green space utilisation and perception in São Paulo is
the influence of the socioeconomic context. Green spaces in more deprived
urban areas are being perceived as less well-maintained, less safe,
offering fewer leisure facilities and play and sport equipment is of a
lower quality. Education and income levels are related with the activities
of park users, the means of transport they use, house, garden and car
ownership, the time of the day that people visit the park, and with the
way in which people perceive the offer of urban green spaces on the city
level. The latter is also influenced by people’s nature experience seeing
that people who grew up in a big city are more eager to encounter nature in the
green spaces than people from villages do. Altogether, the visitors, use
and perception of urban green spaces in São Paulo varies substantially,
for a large part due to socioeconomic characteristics and to physical
green space elements.
Recommendations
that can be given to green space designers, planners and managers are related
to the number of green spaces, their distribution, the range and quality of
available leisure equipment and activities and to safety and maintenance
issues. Green space policy needs to be better informed about the people
who use urban green areas, about the neighbourhoods in which they are
located or will be created, about the recreational demands of current and
future users and about the functionality of existing green spaces as it
often happens that parks and other managed green areas are being
perceived as inadequate in certain aspects and green space managers need
to be informed about that through park councils but also by establishing contacts
with the actual users of urban green space. Only then the use of urban green
space will increase and the quality of life for urban residents can be
sustained and enhanced.
Preface
When I look back
at the times when I as a child was feeding the ducks and watching the deer in a
city park in my hometown, these memories contain a certain feeling of happiness
that only arises when I am in a green, open and natural environment. It
can be described as a feeling of freedom, of unlimited space and time
that makes you want to run around smiling and makes all other feelings
disappear. During travels and five years of living in other countries it seemed
to me that this feeling is universal, but I also noticed that the
possibilities for experiencing such a feeling are not equally divided
over places, that urbanisation has decimated the availability of green
space, and that not everybody is in a position to reach green areas. This
realisation is the main reason why I chose to write my Master’s thesis
about urban green spaces and their users.
Underlying
report is written as to fulfil the final requirements for the Prestige Master’s programme
Sustainable Development – International Development at Utrecht
University. It contains an exposition of theories regarding urban green
space and the results of a field research that has been performed in São
Paulo, Brazil. Urban green space is a research field gaining
importance at a
time in which sustainable development, green cities, renewable energy, ecosystem
services, biodiversity, corporate social responsibility and many more
‘sustainable’ thoughts and topics are juxtaposed with a continuing
increase of the world’s population living in cities. In addition,
global climate change makes that national and local governments need to rethink
current spatial planning and design of the urban areas where a majority of the
people live, where jobs are generated, identities are shaped and where
the heart of their economy beats.
Urban green
spaces are essential elements of the urban structure that are
indispensable for a city bearing in mind the function of urban green
space in biodiversity conservation, social
cohesion,
image building and aesthetic attractiveness, environmental education and
in protecting cities from the impact of climate change. With a focus on
the social dimension of urban green space and a field study carried out
in a South American metropolis this report aims to deliver a substantial
contribution to the interdisciplinary field of urban green space research.
Note of
appreciation
My gratitude
goes out to all the persons in São Paulo who have been willing to support this
study by sharing their thoughts, opinions and experiences with me: green
space users, residents, park managers, policy makers and academics. I
wish to thank Gery Nijenhuis from Utrecht University who agreed to be my
supervisor and guided me through this research project. Gery counselled me
during the thesis process with frequent meetings and quick responses to my
questions, she provided constructive comments and helped in particular
with regard to the working method and planning during the writing
process. In Brazil I received guidance from Wagner Costa Ribeiro from the
University of São Paulo whose support in the start up phase of the
research
project has
been especially helpful. Professors from the University of São Paulo whom I am
very grateful for their contribution to the topical content of this
work are Vladimir Bartalini and Demóstenes Ferreira da Silva Filho. In
the field I received great support from Frederico Jun Okabayashi who
works at the Municipal Secretariat of Green and Environment (SVMA) and
who thought me most of my knowledge of the green areas of São Paulo. Fred
showed me various urban parks, natural areas and took me to interesting
meetings – together with Fred I also wish to thank Julia, Guilherme and
Newton. Carlos Roberto Fortner and the entire SVMA have enabled me to
visit and research the parks of São Paulo. Furthermore, I would like to thank
all park administrators that supported my research and informed me about
the ins and outs of their parks: Roberto Rosa in Villa-Lobos, Felipe
Frascarelli Pascalicchio and Fábio Pellaes in Carmo, Heraldo Guiaro
and Helena Quintana Minchin in Ibirapuera and Rodrigo Bisanson Cavalin
in Pinheirinho d’Água. Finally, I am very grateful to Fernanda, Odete and
Otavio who welcomed me in São Paulo, made me feel at home and make that I
look back at my stay in Brazil as a very pleasant and happy period.
Obrigada.
Marthe Laura
Derkzen
Utrecht, the
Netherlands
April 2012
Table of
contents
Executive
summary 5
Preface 6
Note of
appreciation 7
Table of
contents 8
List of
tables and figures 10
Section One
1.
Introduction 15
1.1 Problem definition, aims and objectives 15
1.2 Relevance for science and society 16
1.3 Urban green spaces: a brief introduction 17
1.4 The
Brazilian setting 18
1.5 Report
structure 19
2.
Literature review and theoretical framework 21
2.1 Urban
green space in a historical context 22
2.2
Functions and services of urban green space 24
2.3 Leisure
and recreation theory 29
2.4
Utilisation of urban green space 32
2.5
Landscape perception 34
2.6
Conceptual model 36
3.
Methodological framework 39
3.1
Research questions and research design structure 39
3.2
Research methods 40
3.3
Selection of the research location and case studies 43
3.4 Methods
of analysis 45
3.5
Limitations 47
Section Two
4. Profile
of the research area 51
4.1 São Paulo – A dynamic metropolis 51
4.2 Urban
green space in São Paulo: policy and development 54
4.3 Case
studies 59
5. Research
findings 73
5.1 Visitor
profiles 74
5.2
Visiting behaviour of urban green space users 79
5.3 Park
users and their perceptions of urban green space 87
5.4 User
preferences for urban green space 94
6.
Synthesis 99
6.1
Explaining factors 999
6.2 Ways to
increase user benefits 101
7.
Conclusions 105
8.
Discussion 109
Bibliography
111
Annexes
I.
Questionnaire format
II.
Interviews and focus groups
III. Maps
IV. Tables
with socioeconomic indicators on different administrative levels
V. Frequency tables
VI. Statistical tests
1 Introduction
Underlying thesis is the outcome of a research
project performed as part of the final stage of the Research Master in
Sustainable Development - International Development at Utrecht University.
The study has been performed under supervision
of Dr. Gery Nijenhuis from International Development Studies, Utrecht
University and received support from the University of São Paulo and São
Paulo’s municipal government. The research project concerns the topic of urban
green spaces and city parks in particular. Visiting behaviour, perception and
preferences of urban green space users have been explored in the Brazilian
metropolis of São Paulo and current report contains the study results.
Hopefully the findings will contribute to a better understanding of the user
viewpoint related to urban green spaces, and also to the body of knowledge at
Utrecht University, São Paulo University, the São Paulo city government and possible
other organisations.
1.1 Problem definition, aims and objectives
Urban green spaces are vital city assets. They
contribute to the quality of life and are essential to attract residents,
visitors and businesses. Since the perceived quality of urban green areas is highly
dependent on the valuation of its users, it is important to be informed about
their visiting behaviour, perceptions and preferences. When known to what
degree the current green spaces correlate with
users’ preferences green area planning and management can take up this information
in order to increase user benefits. Nonetheless, there is a lack of urban green
space research that combines the ecological setting with the academic fields of
sociology and geography. This research project responds to the need for more
in-depth investigation after the interrelations
and factors affecting peoples’ differentiated visiting behaviour,
perceptions and preferences regarding urban green spaces.
The theoretical aim of this study is to explore
the visiting behaviour, perception and preferences of users of urban green
spaces and identify factors that
influence these. The applied aim is to inform policy (planning, design and
management practices) concerning the user functionality of urban green spaces.
The objectives of the research project are as follows:
·
Explore
who makes use of urban green spaces and construct a user profile;
·
Characterise
the visiting behaviour of urban green space users;
·
Explore
peoples’ perception of urban green spaces and nature in general;
·
Better
understand people’s preferences for urban green spaces;
·
Analyse
factors that influence peoples’ use, perception and preferences regarding urban
·
green
spaces;
·
Make
recommendations for planning, design and management of urban green spaces,
·
based
on the study results.
In order to fulfil the above objectives, the
following research question guides the study: What factors influence the
visiting behaviour, perceptions and preferences of urban green spaceusers and to what extent can the planning, design
and management of these areas increase user benefits?
1.2 Relevance for science and society
The relevance of this research project is both
scientific and societal. Scientifically, current study concerns three dimensions of urban green space
research that are underrepresented, namely the social aspect, the context of
the Global South and that of fast-developing cities. The societal relevance embodies a better understanding of
urban green space user behaviour, perception and preferences which can inform management and
design, leading to enhanced user functionality, social interaction, community identity and a
general improvement of a city’s quality of life.
Scientific relevance
Studies concerning urban green space can be
seen as an element within urban ecology, an interdisciplinary research field that studies
the improvement of people’s living environment. Going beyond the monetary focus
and analytical methods of environmental and ecological economics, urban ecology
stands out with research that is problem-oriented and that has proved to be highly valuable in local and regional
planning (Baycan-Levent, Vreeker & Nijkamp, 2009).
The
scientific relevance of this research project is threefold. First of all, the
research project aims to uncover the
behaviour, perception and preferences of urban green space users. It goes beyond the ecological and economic
functionalities of urban green spaces and tries to reveal its function and meaning for different social
groups. Priego, Breuste and Rojas (2008) suggest expanding cross-social research in the field
of urban green spaces and Lo and Jim (2010, 2012) indicate that there is a need for better
understanding of public perception towards urban green spaces. Secondly, the research project is set
in Brazil. Priego, Breuste and Rojas (2008) point out that there is a lack of knowledge regarding
urban green spaces and their utilisation in the Global South. Just 17.7 per cent of the urban
landscape studies originate from the Global South, and only three per cent come from South America.
Thirdly, the project uses case study sites in the city of Sao Paulo. Qureshi, Breuste and
Lindley (2010) state that there is a demand for research into green spaces in fast-developing
megacities since such studies have not been performed in the past few years. Taken together, different
urban green specialists indicate the niches in urban green space research and thereby make a clear
case for a study as intended by this research project. The project aims to gather data and
generate knowledge within three areas that are currently lacking attention: the social
dimension, the Global South and fast-developing cities.
Societal relevance
The societal relevance of this research project
is high, since the project has a specific focus on the social aspects of urban green spaces. With
an urban environment that is constantly changing (Qureshi, Breuste and Lindley, 2010, p. 284),
research into the social dimension of this environment is crucial for retaining a city’s
quality of life. Seeing the many benefits that urban green spaces can have for city dwellers, it is
important to investigate the user functionality and perceived quality of urban green. Better
knowledge of people’s behaviour, experiences and preferences can aide urban planners and
decision makers in designing and managing the city and help them live up to
sustainability ambitions such as the Agenda 21 or Millennium Development Goals. This is confirmed by
Baycan-Levent, Vreeker and Nijkamp (2009, p. 193) as well as by Tyrväinen, Mäkinen and Schipperijn
(2007, p. 6). The research project can also lead to a better understanding of how to improve the
quality of life for all residents, regardless of their socioeconomic and cultural background, and
discover potential ways to increase social interaction and community identity. When the
outcomes of the proposed project are taken into account in urban planning policies, residents
will benefit in various ways. Park design can be adjusted to better fit users’ needs (Lo &
Jim, 2010, p. 430) and new initiatives such as ecotourism can generate jobs, capacity for
neighbourhood improvement and be used for environmental education (Cohen & Da Silva,
2010).
1.3 Urban green space: a brief introduction
Urban green space denotes all the green space
existing in a city, from a tree lined avenue to an urban forest. The research project focuses on
those green spaces that are of a substantial size, are accessible to the public and of which the
function is primarily recreational. Green spaces that meet these criteria are above all city parks.
Urban green
space is gaining increased
attention from urban planners and within academic debates. The importance of
the availability and quality of urban green spaces is acknowledged and taken up by city managers as green space
is found to contribute positively to residential satisfaction and place identity. The benefits
that urban green spaces bring to a city make a long list of social, ecological, economic and
aesthetic functions. Green spaces offer a location for leisure activities and sports and promote
community identity, they generate ecosystem services such as a reduction of air pollution and water
retention, and green environments boost up property values, structure neighbourhoods and
give a city its unique character.
Urban green space in research
An evaluative study by Bentsen
et al. (2010) of contributions to
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, a
leading scientific journal principally focusing on urban green space research, reviewed eight years of green space studies in order to improve the journal’s
future content. From the review it
appeared that with regard to the type of green space, research papers covered urban parks much less compared to
overall green structure, woodland and trees. The reviewers state to be surprised that as little
as 3.8% of all articles predominantly focus on urban parks. Moreover, Bentsen
et al. found that a dominant share of contributions origins from Europe and North America, and that little is
known about the social dimension of urban green space. Academic research has mainly covered
the physicality and management of green spaces, leaving studies with a behavioural and social
focus underrepresented. The few studies that consider the social side mostly investigate
the recreational use of green spaces without asking people about their motivations, perceptions
and preferences. Or it happens the other
way around, as is the case with a study
of Tyrväinen et al. (2007) who acknowledge
that the understanding of residents’ social values and
meanings regarding urban green space is limited, though refrain from linking these social
values to actual behaviour.
Current research project attempts to relate differentiated patterns in
visiting behaviour to socioeconomic
indicators as well as to public
perceptions and preferences regarding
urban green space and hopes to come
across factors that influence those. Priego et al. (2008) are one of the few who touched upon the topic and found
that people do not use urban green in a similar way, but that green space use depends on
socioeconomic status. Although hardly researched, the differentiated visiting behaviour and
perception of urban green areas is very interesting, especially when combined with a study about
the underlying factors. This report contains such an interdisciplinary study, and what is more,
the study is not performed in Europe or North America but in the metropolitan
city of São Paulo, Brazil.
1.4 The Brazilian setting
This study is set in Brazil, the largest and
only Portuguese-speaking country in South-America and the fifth largest country
of the world by geographical area as well as population. The reasons why Brazil
is chosen as a research location is explained here. First, Brazil is one of the
emerging economies; a country in transition that is exceptionally dynamic.
Together with the other BRIC countries (Russia, India and China), Brazil is
expected to become one of the most dominant economies by 2050 (Goldman Sachs,
2009). The country’s large labour pool and its mounting export rates make that
Brazil is the world’s eighth largest economy already. Still, Brazil ranks 73rd
out of 169 on the Human Development Index (UNDP 2010), indicating that national
economic growth does not automatically coincide with human development on the
local level.
Brazil knows quite some inequalities both
between rural and urban areas and within cities, making it an interesting scene
for the research project proposed. Socioeconomic and cultural differences are
expected to play a major role in the ways in which city dwellers use and
perceive urban green spaces and in what they prefer in these areas. Another
interesting feature for this research is Brazil’s rising middle class (Goldman
Sachs, 2010, p.1), which could lead to people having increased time and
resources to engage in recreational
activities, thereby accelerating the demand for urban green spaces. In that
case, knowledge of the preferred
features and functionality of urban green spaces is very useful.
A
second reason is Brazil's green reputation. On the one hand, the country is
infamous for the large-scale deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and its
share in global greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, Brazil is the
world's second bio ethanol producer (Hofstrand, 2009) and the cities Curitiba
and Porto Alegre are often brought up as examples of sustainable
cities. A more environmentally conscious
mindset seems to be developing and cities start to acknowledge the importance
of urban sustainability. The Agenda 21 has been adopted by the state of São
Paulo (Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente, 2002) and the metropolis itself
is an example of a city with growing attention for the environment seeing that
it recently developed twenty one green initiatives and aims to increase its
number of parks from thirty two in 2006 to one hundred in 2012 (De Mello-Théry,
2011; Raub, 2009; Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente, 2011). Such
developments indicate a growing interest for environmental sustainability and
‘urban greening’, offering an interesting context in which to perform this research
project. Especially the example of São Paulo offers appealing possibilities for
studying the functionality, perception and preferences regarding urban green
spaces.
Figure 1.1 Map of Brazil with São Paulo located
in the southeast
Source: Intermarine, 2006
1.5 Report structure
Eight chapters structure this thesis, of which
the current Introduction is the first. This chapterserves to inform about the
research motivation, aims and objectives and to give a first glance on the
topic of study, urban green spaces, and the Brazilian context. Chapter two
provides the theoretical foundation of
the research project and includes a
discussion of leisure, recreation and urban green spaces in science, resulting
in a conceptual model. Following is a third chapterthat reveals the research
questions and explains all facets of the chosen methodology: research design,
sampling, data collection, analysis, location and case study selection. A
profile of the research area, which extends from the city of São Paulo to the
selected case studies, is given in chapter four in order to illustrate the area
in question. The fourth chapter also gives a sketch of the development of and
policy related to urban green spaces in São Paulo. The report gets to the research
findings in the fifth chapter, where a thorough analysis is provided of data
obtained in the field. This chapter is based upon the research questions and
constructed around different research variables, comparing the studied cases with
each other, searching for relationships and explaining factors, and relating
the findings to theory. Chapter six frames the research findings in a synthesis
and points out factors that influence park use and perception, plus a number of policy and management
recommendations. Finally, this leads to drawing the conclusions and an answer
to the main research question in chapter
seven. Chapter eight serves to
discuss the research project in relation to the literature and proposes further
research possibilities.
