What affect the satisfaction, preferences, and visitation of pocket parks? Evidence from Shanghai

The phenomenon of rapid urbanization and densification in megacities has emphasized the significance of access and exposure to urban green spaces. Pocket parks, due to their small size, low cost, and accessibility, have the potential to meet the daily needs of nearby residents for urban green spaces. They play crucial roles in enhancing the satisfaction and health benefits of city residents through physical activities, social engagement, and stress relief. In this study, we conducted a survey to evaluate pocket park satisfaction and to identify the importance level of different park attributes from users' perspective. The results showed that (1) The satisfaction levels of visitors in terms of environment, facilities, management, and overall satisfaction were significantly associated with their social groups, while the satisfaction levels related to environment and landscape were significantly different among visitors of different age and visiting frequency groups, respectively; (2) visuality characters had higher importance level than perceptibility characters, with “well-maintained facilities”, “landscape richness” and “safety facilities”, “hard landscape”, and “plant conservation” having the highest importance scores; (3) proximity to parks, visitors’ age and overall satisfaction had significant impact on pocket park visiting frequency. These findings provide implications for decision makers to on how to build high-quality and well-designed pocket parks that have a positive impact on the well-being of citizens.

Management implications

The work in this study is related to the mangement of pocket parks. It explored factors that affected visitors’ satisfaction and preferences towards different attributes and features of pocket parks. It also identified the predictors for visiting frequencies of pocket parks. The findings will provide implications for decision makers to on how to build high-quality and well-designed pocket parks that can attract more citizens. The high importance of “well-maintained facilities” and “plant conservation” showed this study will also help park administrators to prioritize their work in the management and maintenance of pocket parks.