Salient attributes of urban green spaces in high density cities: The case of Hong Kong

This study aimed to elicit users' perceptions of key attributes of urban green spaces (UGS) in Hong Kong, a compact and land-hungry city, and assess their associations with perceptions of the usefulness, quality, and the frequency of visits in a sample of users of these spaces. This study first employed the repertory grid technique to interviews with 21 respondents to elicit users' assessment of key attributes of green spaces. Second, the factors that emerged were used to develop a questionnaire, which was administered telephonically to 263 individuals who were users of these spaces. The responses were then analysed by multiple regression to assess the extent to which the attributes predicted users' attitudes regarding usefulness and quality and users' behaviour regarding frequency of use of the spaces. The results suggested that the four factors of attributes (features, naturalness, accessibility, and variety of facilities) significantly predicted both of the attitudes and the behaviour relevant to UGS in Hong Kong. Accessibility was most important to the frequency of use and features were the most important to attitudes regarding usefulness and quality. The results imply that policymakers and urban planners could more effectively and sustainably utilise limited land resources by considering users' nuanced meanings and perceptions of urban green spaces. Limitations of the study and future research directions are discussed. •Repertory grid technique was employed to elicit key attributes of UGS.•Features, naturalness, accessibility and variety of facilities were identified.•Features is the strongest predictor of usefulness and perceived quality.•Accessibility has a stronger influence on the use of UGS.