GreenspacePerth: 2017

Monday 24 April 2017

GREENspace Perth - the survey has now closed

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the GREENspace Perth survey. I really appreciate your help with my research. If you entered the draw to win one of two $50 VISA gift cards, the draw will take place on 1 May 2017 and winners will be notified. Thanks again.

Friday 6 January 2017

GREENspace Perth Survey - Participant Information

This research is being conducted as part of a PhD project at The University of Western Australia. Some important things to note before proceeding with the survey:

You must be at least 18 years of age and live in the Perth Metropolitan Area in order to participate. This means you must live in one of these local government areas:

There are no known or anticipated risks from participating in this study.
Participation in this survey is voluntary and completely anonymous. You are not asked for your name or any identifying information so your responses cannot be linked to you.
All information you provide will be treated as confidential and all data will be stored securely in line with requirements of The University of Western Australia.
You are free to omit any question you prefer not to answer by leaving it blank and you may withdraw your participation at any time by not submitting your response.
Approval to conduct this research has been provided by The University of Western Australia, in accordance with its ethics review and approval procedures [Ethics approval no. RA/4/1/8739]. Any person considering participation in this research project, or agreeing to participate, may raise any questions or issues with the researchers at any time. In addition, any person not satisfied with the response of researchers may raise ethics issues or concerns, and may make any complaints about this research project by contacting the Human Ethics Office at the University of Western Australia on (08) 6488 3703 or by emailing to humanethics@uwa.edu.au

About me

I'm studying urban green space!

Hello! I'm a PhD student at the University of Western Australia and I'm researching how people use and experience urban green spaces (neighbourhood parks, reserves, sporting ovals, gardens etc.) in Perth.

Er, why?

Well, urban green space exists at the human/nature interface and contributes towards the sustainability and livability of cities. Many studies to date have shown that urban green space provides many health, wellbeing and environmental benefits. Less well understood are the nonmaterial benefits or ‘cultural ecosystem services’ provided by urban green space, including educational and recreational values, aesthetic experience and sense of place. My research explores cultural ecosystem services in the context of urban green space in Perth. Specifically, how important ‘small’ areas of urban green space are to the provision of cultural ecosystem services to urban dwellers; whether ‘natural’ areas of urban green space differ in the cultural ecosystem services they provide; whether participation in stewardship activities affects cultural ecosystem services, and how important cultural ecosystem services derived from urban green space are for motivating stewardship.

Why my research is important

My work will contribute to the growing body of urban ecological research.

Cultural ecosystem services remain relatively understudied owing to their ‘intangible’ nature and yet critically underpin how humans interact with nature. I hope to advance knowledge about cultural ecosystem services in general, and in the context of urban green space in particular. Given that urban green space is at the human/nature interface, and in the case of Perth, will increasingly be at a premium owing to the pressures of urbanisation, study findings may help to inform the management of existing urban green space and future planning.