Public response to the appearance of ecological urban park design: the battle between the ‘picturesque’ and the ‘messiness’

ABSTRACT Innovative landscape design of sustainable and resilient infrastructure needs public satisfaction and support. In the 1990s, a new type of urban park, called ecological or sustainable park, emerged to function as green infrastructure. Precedent research reiterated the affection for the picturesque of the Americans, and their opposition to this emerging ecological landscape which tends to look messy. This research investigated if the picturesque and the messiness also matter to Thais. The questionnaire gathered opinions of 315 respondents on the appearance of Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park—a pioneering ecological park in Bangkok. The results revealed respondents’ preference for the picturesque and resistance to the messiness and poor maintenance. The picturesque convention, cues to care tactic and knowledge about nature and ecology appeared to involve in their perception of the beautiful, natural and ecologically sustainable landscapes. The research suggested strategies for designing ecological urban parks in Bangkok, which are also applicable elsewhere.