Exploring the use and perceptions of inner-city small urban parks:
A case study of Budapest, Hungary
György Csomós, Jenő Zsolt Farkas, Balázs Szabó, Zoltán Bertus, Zoltán Kovács
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening – Volume 86, August 2023
Highlights
• Inner-city small urban parks attract many people living at a greater distance from the parks.
• Visitors tend to consider small urban parks an important scene for social interactions.
• People’s perception of parks’ safety is in relation with their socioeconomic circumstances.
• Young people can probably more easily be motivated to participate in park maintenance.
Abstract
Globally, accelerating urbanization has led to a severe shortage of urban green spaces. This scarcity is particularly acute in inner cities with high population densities and ratios of built-up areas. To explore park visitors’ usage and perceptions, we present the results of a survey of 681 individuals from different socioeconomic groups conducted in four small urban parks in Budapest, Hungary’s capital. The survey results found that people living near the block parks were their primary users, but many people from distant areas also visited the parks due to their good accessibility. In addition, findings show that the green components of the parks were generally more satisfactory to users than other amenities, indicating higher quality expectations for cultural ecosystem services in small urban green spaces. However, perceptions of park safety varied across socioeconomic groups, suggesting that views of safety did not necessarily reflect actual park security. Finally, while most respondents stated they would not want to contribute to park maintenance, young people, particularly neighborhood newcomers, showed greater willingness to volunteer for such work.
Keywords: Small urban park, Inner-city, Visitor satisfaction, Socioeconomic differences, Accessibility, Budapest
