Extended Abstract
Background and Objectives: tUrban greenery is widely acknowledged as a key element for creating livable urban environments and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Public green infrastructure provides city dwellers with the opportunity to engage with the natural environment and ecosystems, in line with the Biophilic Hypothesis popularized by Wilson. The Biophilic Hypothesis asserts that individuals possess a deep biological need and desire to engage with nature in order to thrive as a species. It is reported that without engagement with nature, the general health and welfare of communities begins to decline. However, street greenery is an essential component of urban vegetation, providing residents with more frequent access to green spaces. While much of the research on urban green spaces has focused on parks, fewer studies have explored the role of street greenery at a micro-level. This research aims to evaluate and understand the psychological, physiological, and social prosperity benefits that people derive from experiencing high-quality street greenery within an urban landscape. Understanding the needs of local communities is the first step in planning to effectively and equitably address these needs. This case study explores the experiences, expectations, and satisfaction levels of users regarding the characteristics and impacts of urban street greenery along Amir Kabir Blvd in Shiraz, between Imam Hassan intersection and Ostad Bahman Beigi overpass intersections. The study employs the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) technique to assess these factors. The key research questions are: How can high-quality urban street greenery improve the quality of the street environment? What are the expectations and satisfaction levels of users in the study area concerning the characteristics and impacts of urban street greenery? What should be the priority of management actions based on users’ feedback to address problems and enhance the quality of the street environment, considering the role of street greenery?
Methods: This research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach with a case study. First, bibliographic and documentary collections were used to identify the relevant content. The Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) technique was widely applied to assess how well the attributes of urban street greenery (USG) met the expectations of consumers, clients, users, and visitors. In the measurement and data analysis section, this tool was utilized to evaluate the importance of the attributes and impacts of high-quality USG identified from the literature, comparing them against their relative performance for users of Amir Kabir Blvd in Shiraz, between Imam Hassan intersection and Ostad Bahman Beigi overpass intersections (n=180). Microsoft Excel 2019 and SPSS 27 were used for data analysis and graphing. To design the survey questionnaire, relevant literature, guided by Parker and Simpson and the PRISMA method of Moher et al., was reviewed. Studies conducted through a review of literature and global indicators, such as the World Health Organization’s report titled “Urban Green Spaces: A Brief for Action” and UN-Habitat’s “Global Public Space Toolkit,” were considered. These studies emphasized that street green spaces are part of the street and public space, and that streets serve as public spaces and drivers of urban prosperity. Additionally, both domestic and international articles on public green space, street green space, street-edge green space, and the Biophilic Hypothesis were reviewed.
Findings: The anonymous pen and paper self-report questionnaire used for the survey had categorical demographic questions as well as the question and paired Likert scales required for an IPA assessing 24 attributes of quality UGS spaces for the site users identified from the literature. The IPA asked USG users “How important are the following features of Amir Kabir Blvd. of Shiraz from the Imam Hassan to the Master Bahman Beigi non-coplanar intersections to you and how satisfied are you with their management?” Participants could provide their importance ranking for each of the 24 attributes related to the quality USG space using a 5-point Likert scale that ranged from 1 = Not at All Important to 5 = Extremely Important. Participants provided their performance rankings using a modified 6-point Likert scale that started at 0 = Unable to Report and then spanned from 1 = Not at All Satisfied to 5 = Extremely Satisfied. The demographic profile of the study site users in the autumn 2022 of Shiraz shows, the gender distribution of the surveyed site’s population is skewed towards men. The age of the survey participants is also skewed towards a younger population. Also, about 90% of the studied users are from Shiraz and about 60% live within 5 kilometers of the site, which shows that the user population is skewed towards locals.
The anonymous pen-and-paper self-report questionnaire used for the survey included categorical demographic questions as well as questions with paired Likert scales required for the IPA, which assessed 24 attributes of quality urban green spaces (UGS) for site users, identified from the literature. The IPA asked UGS users, “How important are the following features of Amir Kabir Blvd. in Shiraz, between Imam Hassan intersection and Ostad Bahman Beigi overpass intersections, to you, and how satisfied are you with their management?” Participants ranked the importance of each of the 24 attributes related to the quality of UGS spaces using a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = Not at All Important and 5 = Extremely Important. For performance rankings, participants used a modified 6-point Likert scale, starting at 0 = Unable to Report, and ranging from 1 = Not at All Satisfied to 5 = Extremely Satisfied. The demographic profile of the study participants in autumn 2022 shows that the gender distribution is skewed towards men. The age of the participants is also skewed towards a younger population. Additionally, about 90% of the users surveyed are from Shiraz, and approximately 60% live within 5 kilometers of the site, indicating that the user population is primarily local.
Conclusion: The results of this research emphasize the key role of urban street greenery in the livability of the street environment. The quantitative values for the IPA show that the street green space in the study area is generally of low quality and does not meet the expectations of most users. According to the studies and findings from data analysis, from the users’ view, the weakest performances with the highest importance are related to equality, environmental/ecological, and social impacts. Therefore, the first priority of study and planning actions and projects should focus on creating a suitable environment for the presence of different age and gender groups (elderly, adolescents, and women), managing surface water and flood risk, eliminating street air pollution, improving the level and amount of green space in the study area, and ensuring personal security on the sidewalk (a subcategory of social impacts).