Assessment of the Environmental Quality through Users' Perception in Guelma city, Algeria

Abstract

Since the early 1960s, an interdisciplinary field of environmental perception has been developed, withal earlier urban researches have focused on how people perceive their urban environment. Our study aims to assess the environmental quality through user’s perception, so to explore the way people perceive the outdoor spaces in Guelma we have conducted a survey questionnaire in three outdoor spaces, Martyr’s square, El Horia public garden, and Bou El mokh square. The assessment is based on a set of scientifically valid assessment criteria and indicators linked to the principles of sustainable development. The results of this study indicate that the outdoor spaces must play several roles in cities dynamics and functioning, depending on the local context and on the neighbourhood. The intensity of use and the frequency of outdoor spaces differs from one place to another, so it is necessary to avoid generic assumptions and to encourage local perceptual assessments.