Perception and behavior of residents towards community gardens and satisfaction of local life: empirical analysis on the case of Shanghai, China

In Shanghai, community gardens (CGs), as one of the means of urban renovation, not only beautify the environment, but also play an important role in promoting neighborhood relationships and building a harmonious society. The purpose of this study was to explore the perception and behavior of residents in Shanghai, China towards CGs and their satisfaction in the local life. A web-based questionnaire survey of Shanghai residents (including users and non-users of community gardens) was conducted and the results analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Based on the analytical results, we made the following conclusions. First, the socio-economic attributes that are particularly effective for participation in CGs include residential areas, farmland and social capital (participation in social organizations and relationships with the community). Second, a higher level of SC results in a higher level of engagement in and evaluation of CGs, a similar finding to previous studies. Thirdly, positive relationships between engagement in CGs and evaluation of CGs (WTP) were apparent. Fourthly, the evaluation of CGs (WTP) and the relationships with communities both show positive effects on satisfaction with the local life. However, CGs are still at an early stage of popularization in Shanghai and their users are limited to a small segment of the population at present. Furthermore, there is a gap between CG evaluation (potential use) and actual use in Shanghai. As the design and management methods of CGs are improved and a deeper involvement of urban residents in CGs occurs, their social capital and life satisfactions should be enhanced and a ‘better city, better life’ be realized from the perspective of sustainable urban development.