Recreation ‘home range’: Motivations and use of green spaces along an urban—peri-urban continuum

Abstract

The attractiveness of urban forests for people is complex, influenced by culture, social norms, and individual characteristics. The main factors include the occurrence and nature of accessibility (far-near), the availability of facilities (less-more), and the level of naturalness (less-more) in the landscapes. Urban areas most used for recreation, as streets and parks, are often those areas that are most developed by infrastructure and constructions. There seems to be a gap between stated preference, intentions and actual behaviour for recreation in an urban setting. In this study we aim to investigate the motivations for and actual use of six defined green space classes along the urban-peri-urban continuum, and how socio-demographic factors varied along this spectrum. We tested this by means of representative web-survey of the city of Oslo population (N = 1003), Norway. Recreational use frequency was highest in the inner-city built zone. The results confirm earlier research that socio-demographic variables vary along the urban-peri-urban continuum. That variation does not stop at the city's edge but extends into a gradient within the built zone. Our results show that many of the same motivations for visiting the inner-city are very similar to those desired by visitors to remote peri-urban natural areas. People's demand for peace and quiet, and escape from everyday routines, work, and stress are important motivations in the inner-city built zone. Our study results support research showing that parks, backcountry and wilderness are relative concepts defining inhabitants' recreational ‘home range’ as a function of their experiences and understanding of these spaces as nature. The findings have implications for recreation valuation and accounting.