Perception of people towards urban green spacein urban parksof Isfahan, Iran

Green space plays an important role in complex urban ecosystems. It provides significant ecosystem services with environmental, aesthetic, recreational and economic benefits. This paper investigates urban peoples’ perceptions towards urban parks as well as the perceived benefits related to the use and existence of urban parks in Isfahan, Iran. A survey was conducted among residents and visitors to an urban park. A questionnaire was designed to request opinions from 132 respondents randomly chosen from residents living in the study area. The results indicated pervasive recognition of ecosystem services. The benefits of the green spacees including: Shading, Wind protection, Increase relative humidity, Lower air temperature, Air pollutant absorption, Noise abatement, Glare and reflection control, Soil erosion prevention, Wastewater management, Flood abatement, Aesthetic enhancement, Screening undesirable view, Recreational activities, Property value increase and Traffic control were assessed. Statistical analyses, including Student's t-test, standard deviation and mean were performed using SPSS version 19. Improvement of urban microclimate and environmental quality were emphasized. We discuss the principles necessary to performance green space planning considering adaptation to local conditions, composite function utilization and integrated planning. Results shown that Shading, Wind protection, Increase relative humidity, Lower air temperature, Air pollutant absorption, Noise abatement, Glare and reflection control, Soil erosion prevention, Flood abatement, Aesthetic enhancement, Screening undesirable view, Recreational activities and Property value increasewere the most important benefits of green spaces, Wastewater management is medium and Traffic control is lowest important for the respondents.