Visitor’s involvement in urban parks: Role of sense of place for sustainability

Urban green spaces (UGSs) ensure many benefits for well-being, but the percentage of UGSs in Indonesia had not reached the minimum percentage of the required green area. Therefore, sustainability programs for green spaces should be taken to prevent unwanted future problems. Fostering the human-environment relationship is probably the first step to go to sustainability in urban green spaces. This study was conducted to search for what visitors and designers can do for UGSs sustainability based on the sense of place factors: physical characteristics, visitors’ activity, and meaning of place. Sense of place is a grounded theory that shows the human-environment relationship in some levels. The first study (N=211) showed some important factors determining physical characters and activities. The second study (N=145) will show the integration of factors that build visitors’ participation using the sense of place level. The data were analyzed by FA and PCA for determining latent factors in each variable for correlation analysis. The result shows that visitors’ involvement depends on the physical characteristics provided in parks. Involvement is created through activities and meanings of a place and should be fostered through providing visitors’ needs (relaxation needs, enjoyment needs, and exploration needs). If visitors’ needs meet with places, the relationship will be created, and a sense of place level will be fostered. Visitors’ sense of place level (familiarity, attachment, and sacrifice) will determine the sustainability of parks in the future. Designers and government should take more concern in providing parks with adequate and well-maintained facilities.