Exploring the secret gardens of the city: An assessment of human-nature interactions on informal green space using citizen science data

As urbanization progresses globally, there is a growing concern regarding the diminishing connection between humans and nature. Informal green spaces (IGS) have been identified as a potential solution to this, offering unscripted opportunities for urban residents to engage with nature in a way that is not possible in formally planned parks and gardens. Despite an increasing focus on IGS, we are still developing our understanding of the extent to which people use these spaces to interact with nature. Our work addresses this research gap by employing a spatial analysis method to map IGS within Greater Melbourne, Australia. We used citizen science data to analyse the location and density of human-nature interactions on IGS compared to formal green spaces, as well as comparing different types of IGS and formal green spaces. Our findings revealed no significant difference in the density of citizen science observations between IGS and formal green spaces, once the variance in available area of each land use is accounted for. Notably, railway and utility easements exhibited the highest density of citizen science observations among all types of IGS. This research demonstrates that IGS make an important contribution to urban green space networks and additional thought should be given to how urban planning and land management may further increase the value of these spaces for people interacting with nature.