Relationships between urban green space types, cultural ecosystem services and disservices - a Public Participation Geographic Information System study in Zagreb, Croatia

Urban green spaces are important providers of ecosystem services in cities, however cultural ecosystem services remain difficult to quantify. Different types of urban green spaces provide various cultural ecosystem services and differ in how they are perceived and utilized by citizens. In this study, we used a Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) survey to collect data on citizens' perceptions and use of cultural ecosystem services and disservices provided by different types of urban green spaces in Zagreb, Croatia. We collected spatial data from 384 respondents on the perceived provision of 19 different attributes of cultural ecosystem services and disservices in 20 defined types of urban green spaces. We used descriptive statistics, spatial metrics, multivariate analysis and visualization techniques to explore and explain 5757 spatial points collected with the PPGIS questionnaire. Results confirm the importance of parks and forests but also that the water elements and greenery around residential buildings serve as important urban green space for providing benefits for citizens of Zagreb. Based on results presented, cultural ecosystem services are perceived as more important than disservices but in some places both co-exist. Our study builds on current literature by providing a systematic, city-wide assessment of cultural ecosystem services related to different types of urban green spaces, while advancing the availability of methods for their quantification.