Perceptions of cultural ecosystem services provision by small public urban green spaces: perspectives from different cultural backgrounds

With the rise of the ecosystem services concept, urban nature has gained significant value. Numerous studies have been conducted to delineate both the dependent and independent variables to consider when evaluating the regulating, provisioning, and supporting ecosystem services. Concerning the provisioning of cultural ecosystem services, urban green spaces operate in accordance with the ways people engage with them. These interactions are shaped by the design of green spaces and the cultural backgrounds of the population. In this study, we aimed to identify the various interactions between urban residents and specific small public urban green spaces, to evaluate people's perceptions of the services they offer, and to determine which urban green spaces are deemed suitable by residents for enhancing ecosystem service provision. Employing a comparative approach, we assessed the same green spaces, i.e., pocket parks and street alignments, in the cities of Hamedan (Iran) and Bucharest (Romania), both of which have inhabitants with distinct cultural backgrounds. We administered similar surveys in the two cities and compiled a dataset of the responses. Employing cluster analysis and statistical analysis, we unveiled similarities and disparities in terms of interactions with green spaces in the two cities. Our findings demonstrate that although interactions with the chosen small public urban green spaces are comparable in Hamedan and Bucharest, the desires for future expansion of green spaces differ between the cities. These findings hold importance for practitioners and decision-makers, affirming that universal solutions for managing urban green spaces are non-existent, and that strategies should instead be tailored to the beneficiaries of such spaces.