FACTORS OF PERCEPTION AND ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEMS OF GREEN AREAS IN KYIV BY ITS RESIDENTS

Abstract

Living in an urban environment poses additional risks to human health and psychological comfort. Green and blue zones of the city, providing ecosystem services, in particular cultural services (CES), reduce such risks. In our opinion, the consumption of CES to the maximum extent requires, among other things, that green areas are perceived as attractive to humans. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to find out the factors of perception and identify the reasons that underlie the choice of green areas for visiting, as well as limit the possibilities of their usage. The empirical material of the study was the data collected in the framework of the project Transnational partnership towards academic integration in Europe: Urban blue-green infrastructure in Europe’s East and West (LINC). To collect the data, an unlimited online survey and a direct survey of Kyiv residents in the form of individual interviews were used. The survey revealed the main factors of residents’ positive perceptions of green spaces. Kyiv inhabitants consider the spaces with woody vegetation and water bodies to be the most attractive. The nature of the green areas usage indicated that the most popular are the CEPs for recreation (87%), maintenance of moral and psychological (64%) as well as physical (52%) health. Thus, the areas that are able to provide them are chosen by Kyiv citizens as attractive for visiting. Also, the study identified problems that limit visiting green areas. Most of them are related to poor maintenance and lack of time for visiting. Littering was identified as the main problem (83.5%). However, the overall level of satisfaction of residents with the condition, quantity, and accessibility of green areas, which had above average and high scores, indicate that the problems related to individual areas, and not to the blue-green infrastructure of the city in general.