Physical and mental well-being are linked to exposure to ecosystems perceived as aesthetically pleasing. However, the perceived aesthetic value is shaped by both ecosystem features and observer characteristics. This study explores the relationships between these two influential factors, and perceptions across three Canadian urban greenspace types: natural vegetation remnants (forest stands, marshes and peatlands), city parks, and vacant lots. We administered an online photo-questionnaire, completed by 514 respondents, who assessed the beauty of 45 greenspaces on a five-point Likert scale. Respondents were university students and staff, members of the general public, and specialists in ecosystem services. They also answered questions on socio-demographic factors, pro-environmental attitudes, nature-related travel habits, and ecological knowledge. We calculated five variables from each greenspace photo: vegetation structural complexity, visual complexity, percentage of green pixels, percentage of canopy cover, and presence/absence of artificial structures. On average, natural vegetation remnants and city parks were preferred over vacant lots. Among natural remnants, forests were preferred over semi-open peatlands. Different ecosystem features were associated with perceived beauty across the three greenspace types. For natural remnants and city parks, visual complexity was positively related to appreciation scores, whereas for vacant lots, the presence of artificial structures was associated with lower appreciation scores. Respondents who self-identified as environmental defenders, had greater knowledge of flora, and travelled to observe fauna gave higher appreciation scores to vacant lots compared to other respondents. Younger respondents, and those who engaged in frequent nature-related travelling attributed higher scores to natural remnants. We conclude that aesthetic preferences for natural vegetation remnants, city parks, and vacant lots are influenced by a complex interplay of ecosystem features and observer characteristics. Understanding these intricate relationships can guide the management of vacant lots and promote more inclusive engagement with greenspaces, by considering the varying preferences of diverse segments of the population.

中文翻译：

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自然植被遗迹、城市公园和空地的审美价值：生态系统特征和观察者特征的作用


身体和心理健康与是否接触被认为美观的生态系统有关。然而，感知的审美价值是由生态系统特征和观察者特征共同决定的。本研究探讨了这两个影响因素之间的关系，以及对加拿大三种城市绿地类型的看法：自然植被残余物（林分、沼泽和泥炭地）、城市公园和空地。我们进行了一项在线照片调查问卷，由 514 名受访者完成，他们按照李克特五点量表评估了 45 个绿地的美丽程度。受访者包括大学生和教职员工、公众以及生态系统服务专家。他们还回答了有关社会人口因素、环保态度、与自然相关的旅行习惯和生态知识的问题。我们从每张绿色空间照片中计算了五个变量：植被结构复杂性、视觉复杂性、绿色像素百分比、树冠覆盖百分比以及人工结构的存在/不存在。平均而言，自然植被遗迹和城市公园比空地更受青睐。在自然遗迹中，森林比半开放的泥炭地更受欢迎。不同的生态系统特征与三种绿地类型的感知美感相关。对于自然遗迹和城市公园，视觉复杂性与欣赏得分呈正相关，而对于空地，人工结构的存在与较低的欣赏得分相关。与其他受访者相比，自认为是环境卫士、对植物有更多了解、经常去观察动物的受访者对空地的评价分数更高。 年轻的受访者和经常进行与自然相关的旅行的受访者将较高的分数归因于自然遗迹。我们得出的结论是，对自然植被遗迹、城市公园和空地的审美偏好受到生态系统特征和观察者特征的复杂相互作用的影响。了解这些错综复杂的关系可以指导空地的管理，并通过考虑不同人群的不同偏好，促进对绿色空间更具包容性的参与。