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Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 5 (2006) 121–129

www.elsevier.de/ufug

Comparison of two different approaches for assessing the

psychological and social dimensions of green spaces

Giovanni Sanesia,�, Raffaele Lafortezzaa, Mirilia Bonnesb, Giuseppe Carrusc

aDepartment of Plant Production Science, University of Bari, ItalybDepartment of Social and Developmental Psychology, University of Rome ‘‘La Sapienza’’, ItalycDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of Roma Tre, Italy

Abstract

Urban forests, trees and other green spaces are thought to contribute significantly to certain psychophysical andsocial needs of urban dwellers. Recent studies on citizens’ perceptions and behaviour toward urban green areas haveshown the complexity and the multidimensional character of the man-nature relationship in the city; inhabitants’ useof green spaces appears to be motivated by the need for psychological health with relevant social implications. In thispaper, we describe two empirical studies that have been independently conducted and recently published by Italianurban foresters and environmental psychologists. By comparing the two studies in terms of approach, materials,methods and results, we seek to find out if urban foresters and environmental psychologists in Italy approach andinterpret the psychological and social (P&S) dimensions of urban green spaces differently. Results show that urbanforesters have applied substantially different approaches and research methods than environmental psychologists. Thiscan be explained from their different backgrounds and perspectives. We conclude by discussing some basic hints andimplications for enhancing the P&S benefits of urban forests through collaborative projects and scientific co-operationbetween urban foresters and environmental psychologists.r 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Green spaces; Behaviour; Perception; Environmental psychologists; Urban foresters

Introduction

Urban forests and other green spaces are thought tocontribute significantly to certain psychological andsocial (P&S) needs of urban dwellers. Among the rangeof ‘services’ provided by urban forests and other urbangreen spaces those related to human health and well-being are gradually emerging as essential priorities.Urban green spaces provide opportunities to amelioratea situation characterised by an increasingly sedentary

e front matter r 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

ug.2006.06.001

ing author. Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni

mendola 165/A 70126 Bari, Italy.

ess: sanesi@agr.uniba.it (G. Sanesi).

population, increasing levels of mental stress related tourban living and contemporary work practices, andhazardous environments (Tabbush and O’Brien, 2003).Interaction with green areas could therefore helppromote human to physical and psychological well-being (Grahn and Stigsdotter, 2003).

These P&S dimensions of urban green spaces havealso been incorporated into various inter-governmentalprograms (e.g., such as those promoted by UnitedNations agencies) dedicated to sustainable developmentand to environmental issues (e.g., the UNESCO Manand Biosphere Programme; see UNESCO-MAB, 1995).According to the MAB principles, urban (andperi-urban) green spaces should foster people’s sense

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of ‘continuity’ between cities, natural areas andresources, thus overcoming the physical barriers be-tween people and nature represented by the spatialstructure and layout of urban settlements (Frost, 2001;Celecia, 2002).

The multidimensional character of ‘citizen-urbanforest and green’ interactions has been the subject ofrecent investigations (Bonnes et al., 2004; Sanesi et al.,2005). These studies have primarily focused on two basicaspects of the P&S dimensions: perception and behaviour

of citizens in response to forest and green areas in theurban environment. Based on the studies, citizens’perception and behaviour towards green spaces ap-peared to be motivated by different patterns rangingfrom indifference, or even hostility, to a genericawareness, to specific concern, to active involvementand participation in pro-environmental activities. Greenspaces are often perceived as elements of psychophysicalrestoration with relevant psychological, social, andbehavioural implications (Bonnes and Secchiaroli,1995; Korpela and Hartig, 1996; Hartig, 2004).

Given the P&S dimensions of urban green spaces, it isessential to establish integrative approaches based on afoundation of urban forestry and environmental psy-chology in order: (1) to understand the processesregulating the various patterns associated with citizens’perception and behaviour towards urban green spaces;and (2) to develop new insights and (defensible) guide-lines supporting land-use policies and plans, at both theurban and peri-urban level (Bonaiuto and Bonnes,2002). Indeed, this approach could contribute to createa less stressful and more restorative urban environmentfor citizens (Grahn and Stigsdotter, 2003).

Based on these considerations, this paper describestwo empirical studies that have been independentlyconducted and recently published by Italian researchersspecialized in urban forestry and environmental psy-chology. The first study refers to a research developedbetween late 2003 and early 2004 for the city of Bari,Apulian region, southern Italy (Sanesi and Chiarello,2006). The second study pertains to an investigationcarried out in late 1999 early 2000 for the city of Rome,Lazio region, central Italy (Bonnes et al., 2004; Carruset al., in preparation). While the former study had itsmain focus on the social character of urban forests, thelatter emphasised the psychological effects of greenareas on human health and well-being. By comparingthe two studies in terms of approach, materials, methodsand results, we seek to answer the questions in how farurban foresters and environmental psychologists in Italyapproach and interpret the P&S dimensions of urbanforests differently.

We expected substantial differences in terms ofresearch approaches and methods which could beexplained by the differing backgrounds and perspectivesof urban foresters and environmental psychologists.

To answer the question, in this paper we (1) brieflyoutline the past and present situation of environmentalpsychology in Italy; (2) compare research findingscoming from two major case-studies recently carriedout in Italy; and (3) argue for the feasibility of integrativeapproaches based on urban forestry and environmentalpsychology domains. We conclude by discussingsome basic thoughts and implications for enhancingthe P&S benefits of green spaces through collaborativeprojects and scientific co-operation between urbanforesters and environmental psychologists.

The development of environmental psychology in

Italy

Over the last two decades, in Italy and other southernEuropean countries, green spaces have obtained agrowing interest and involvement by different ‘actors’(researchers, technicians, decision makers and citizens),both public and private, operating in the field of urbanand environmental planning and management. Morerecently, trees and green spaces have become integralpart of urban plans and policies like other infrastruc-tures (e.g., water and sewage systems, public transport,etc.) because they provide citizens with a range ofservices all having economic consequences. For instance,tree planting and management can be used to stabilisesoils, reduce erosion, prevent floods, reduce particulateair pollutants and improve groundwater recharge (Ickeet al., 1999; Rijsberman and Van de Ven, 2000).

The development of urban forestry theories andapplications in Italy is partially related to the develop-ment of new disciplines within the psychological field,such as environmental psychology. Indeed, during thelast decades, environmental psychology in Italy hasbecome an autonomous discipline within the academiccircles. This is evident from the increasing amounts ofpublications produced by Italian authors in this fieldand disseminated both in Italy and abroad (e.g., Bonnesand Secchiaroli, 1995; Bonnes et al., 2003; Bonnes andCarrus, 2004). Evidence can also be derived from thegrowing number of academic institutions where coursesin environmental psychology are offered, and whereactive research work is carried out. (A selection of theseare the Universities of Roma ‘‘La Sapienza’’, Roma Tre,Roma ‘‘LUMSA’’, Padua, Cagliari, Florence, Milanand Genoa, and research institute ‘‘Scienze e Tecnologiedella Cognizione’’ of the National Research Council inRome.) Some important scientific initiatives and re-search projects should likewise be mentioned such as thetwo National Meetings on Environmental Psychology inItaly, held in Padua and Rome in 2001 and 2002,respectively, and the several thematic sessions dedicatedto environmental psychology held during the variousNational Congresses of the Social Psychology Section of

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the Italian Psychology Association (AIP) (Baroni andFalchero, 2003; Carrus et al., 2004).

As regards the issues dealt with in Italian environ-mental psychological research, on the one hand we canmention studies which traditionally characterise thisdiscipline, namely those looking at relationship betweenhuman psychological processes and the built-up envir-onment. These include study of residential satisfactionand of affective attachment to the urban environment,and research of perceptions and behaviour patterns ofpeople living in care structures such as hospitals orresidences for the elderly (Bonaiuto and Bonnes, 2002;Bonaiuto et al., 2003). On the other hand there has beenan increase in the number of studies dealing with therelationship between human psychological processesand natural environment. Examples of studies are thoseon perceptions and attitudes towards urban green spacesand diversity in the urban environment, work on pro-environmental attitudes and ecological behaviours, thestudy of the restorative properties of the naturalenvironment, and study of psychological processesinvolved in the promotion of sensibility, awarenessand environmental commitment in younger people(Bonnes et al., 2004; Carrus et al., 2004, 2005; Scopellitiand Giuliani, 2004).

Indications from two Italian case-studies

Despite of the lack of research work on urban forestsand other urban green spaces in the (heterogeneous)Italian context, some studies have been proposed inrecent years with the goal to incorporate the P&Sdimensions of green spaces within current practices ofplanning, design and management. Among these in-vestigations, two case-based studies could be regarded asillustrative; they were developed for the cities of Rome(central Italy) and Bari (southern Italy). Details fromthese studies can be found in Sanesi and Chiarello (2006)for Bari and in Bonnes et al. (2004) and Carrus et al.(2003, in preparation) for Rome. In the remainder ofthis paper, the two studies are briefly described andcompared in terms of scope, methods and results andthen discussed considering their applicability as con-cerns different objectives and contexts (Table 1).

Case study in the city of Bari (southern Italy)

General context and scope

According to official governmental statistics, Bari(116.2 km2) is among the largest Italian cities, as well asamong those with the lowest availability of public greenspaces with approximately 2.9m2/inhabitant. Neverthelessthis city represents an interesting case-study for exploringthe P&S dimensions of green spaces and urban forest

areas. The study aimed at addressing some basic questionsconcerning citizens’ relationship with green spaces, suchas: how do citizens perceive urban green areas in thiscontext?; and how do they behave in relation to them?

Starting from these questions, a research study wascarried out between late 2003 and early 2004 with thescope of analysing the different perception and beha-viour patterns underlying the ‘citizen-greenspace’ rela-tionship in the city (Figs. 1, 3a–c).

Material and methods

The research work involved carrying out a telephonesurvey among a representative sample (age418 years) ofthe city’s population (of approximately 317,000 inhabi-tants in total) stratified according to gender, area ofresidence, and age categories. The questionnaire con-sisted of two parts: the first part dealt with respondents’socio-demographic data, for example age, gender andprofession; the second included a total of 27 items(Table 2). These items included three basic categories ofquestions related to: (a) citizens’ perception of greenspaces in the particular context of the study (city ofBari); (b) citizens’ behaviour when visiting urban forestsand green spaces; and (c) citizens’ perception andbehaviour in relation to the green policies and participa-tion strategies currently adopted by the local (city)government. The survey was carried out by twointerviewers who were instructed beforehand, forexample on keeping the tone of the questions impartialand on limiting their influence on respondents. Ques-tionnaires were verbally introduced to respondents byspecifying the aim of the research and the number ofquestions. The overall length of the interview waslimited to up to 20min (Lohr et al., 2004). Multipleregression models were used to analyse some of thevariables deduced from the questionnaire.

Results and discussion

Thirty-three percent (351) of the 1065 citizens thatwere contacted agreed to participate in the survey. Thesignificance of the data obtained corresponds to aconfidence level of 95% with a confidence interval of70.05 with respect to the set of 27 questions in thequestionnaire.

For the items related to green spaces’ perceptions, thestudy showed that: (1) urban forest areas and greenspaces are commonly perceived as essential elements tomitigate heat waves, especially during heat stressperiods, with associated effects on citizens health andwell-being; (2) citizens have a clear perception of thepaucity of green spaces in their city; (3) citizens perceivethe current condition of urban forests and green spacesas lacking maintenance and control, especially in peri-urban locations; (4) the large part of respondents (66%)ranked as ‘insufficient’ (on a scale of 1–4, ‘insufficient’,‘sufficient’, ‘good’ and ‘excellent’) the overall quality of

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Table 1. Analysis of the two studies conducted in Bari (southern Italy) and Rome (central Italy)

Urban forestry Environmental psychology

Empirical study Sanesi and Chiarello (2006) Bonnes et al. (2004), Carrus et al. (in

preparation)

Scope To explore citizens’ perception and attitudes/behaviour towards green spaces

Key definitions

Perception Citizens’ appreciation of the ‘services’

provided by urban green spaces

Meanings assigned by citizens to the

presence of nature in the city

Attitudes/behaviour General behaviour of citizens in response

to the use of green spaces

Evaluative positions that citizens assume

on their residential green spaces; use

frequency of residential green spaces

Case-study City of Bari (317,000 inhab.) City of Rome (2,449,776 inhab.)

Research method Survey questionnaire Survey questionnaire

Questionnaire administration Telephone interview Self-report, paper-and-pencil

Sample size 351 483

Representativeness of the

sample

Yes No

Questionnaire type Closed answers with one or two options 6-steps (agreement-disagreement). Likert

scales with multiple options

Number of items 27 28

Results Citizens have a clear perception of the

limited amount of green spaces in their

city

Citizens living in neighbourhoods with

high-quantity and high-quality green

spaces have more positive attitudes

towards urban nature

Citizens perceive urban green spaces as

lacking maintenance (low quality),

accessibility and safety

Satisfaction for, and use frequency of,

green spaces is higher among people

living in neighbourhoods with a high

quantity of green

Citizens use to visit large green spaces

having both recreational and sporting

facilities

Urban residents might have more

difficulties in appreciating the actual

value of high-quality green space

Implications

Place specific Despite the paucity of green spaces (in

terms of both quantity and quality) and

the absence of green policies by the local

government, citizens are willing to

participate in the process of planning and

managing urban forests and green spaces

Decision makers should promote the

capacity of Rome’s residents to better

appreciate those high-quality green

spaces that constitute a very peculiar

feature of the Rome’s territory

General More consideration should be given to

green spaces and associated services

within land-use policies and plans.

Decision makers should aim at

promoting a better sense of continuity

between urban residents and their urban

natural spaces.

G. Sanesi et al. / Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 5 (2006) 121–129124

city green spaces; and (5) about half of the respondents,particularly women (51%) and retired people (54%),associated urban green spaces with problems relatedwith lack of safety and surveillance, especially duringevening hours. Presence of syringes, harassment ofdifferent types, and substandard structures and facilitieswere pointed out as the main sources of threat.

For the items related to behavioural patterns, thestudy indicated that: (1) only 43.3% of the respondents

claimed a tendency to visit greens spaces, with aconcentration in the age range between 25 and 44 yearsof age (54.2%); (2) the use of green spaces isconcentrated in the two largest urban parks which offersome kind of recreational and sporting facilities; (3)36.7% of respondents usually visits green spaces duringmorning hours; 27.3% favour afternoon hours; and (4)only 3% of respondents make use of public transport toreach green spaces while the large part use private cars.

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Finally, for the items related to the green policies andparticipation strategies, the study showed that: (1)89.2% of respondents appeared to be interested inreceiving information (e.g., via newspapers, local TVnews, etc.) on the development of new green spaces aswell as on their improvement; (2) besides gettinginformed, citizens are also willing to participate directlyin the process of planning, designing and managingurban forests and green spaces; (3) 73.4% of respon-dents agreed that the Urban Town Planning Council ofBari should support specific policies to increase the rateof both public and private green spaces, thus ameliorat-ing the overall urban green system.

The findings from the case study in Bari providedsome interesting and unexpected indications that couldbe summarised as follows. Firstly, citizens seem to beconscious of the paucity of green spaces in the city andof the limited accessibility. Secondly, citizens are voicingarticulated and precise requests for a structural andsubstantial improvement of green spaces as well as ofthe public transport system. Specific policies shouldtherefore be adopted to stimulate such improvements,using fiscal benefits and regulations. The study alsopoints out the potential for developing partnershipsinvolving the public and private sectors. This entireprocess, however, should be supported by adequateinformation and campaigns.

Fig. 1. Example of public green space in the city of Bari.

Table 2. Examples of items measuring perception and behaviour o

Question

Perception: what do you consider to be the most relevant functions

Perception: considering that the Italian regulation requires 9m2 of g

how do you perceive the green spaces available in your city?

Perception: what are the main problems related with public green sp

Behaviour: do you visit green spaces regularly?

Behaviour: how often do you visit green spaces in your city?

Behaviour: what is your main scope for visiting urban green spaces?

Case study on the city of Rome (central Italy)

General context and scope

Rome (1285 km2; 2,449,776 inhabitants) is the capitalof Italy and, according to official governmental statis-tics, one of the Italian cities with the largest amount ofpublic green space, i.e. approximately 12.2m2/inhabi-tant. After having considered this uncommon situation,the main aim of the study briefly reported here was toexplore how inhabitants’ attitudes towards, satisfactionwith, and frequency of use of green areas in the cityvaried according to the different characteristics of urbangreen spaces, for example in terms of quantity andquality (Figs. 2, 3d–f). To this end, residents ofneighbourhoods characterized by different amountsand different quality levels of green areas as assessedby means of expert criteria, were compared according toa 2 (high vs. low quantity)� 2 (high vs. low quality)between-subjects factorial design.

Material and methods

The study conducted in Rome made use of a paper-and-pencil questionnaire that was administered bytrained interviewers to 483 participants. Those inter-viewed were balanced for main socio-demographic char-acteristics (age, gender, level of education) and theirgeographical distribution over different neighbourhoods

f urban green areas in Bari

Possible

options

Options to

choose

of green spaces? 4 2

reen area/inhabitant, 4 1

aces in the city? 5 2

2 1

4 1

2 1

Fig. 2. Example of public green space in the city of Rome.

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Fig. 3. Other examples showing some of the green spaces that have been analyzed and/or mentioned during the case studies in the

city of Bari (a–c) and Rome (d–f).

G. Sanesi et al. / Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 5 (2006) 121–129126

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Table 3. Examples of items measuring satisfaction for, attitudes towards, and frequency of use of urban green areas in Rome

Question Possible

options

Options to

choose

Satisfaction: in your opinion, to what extent does the green space in your neighbourhood satisfy

the neighbourhood’s needs?

5 1

Positive attitudes: people increasingly need green in the city in order to relax. 6 1

Positive attitudes: urban parks remind us of the beauty of nature. 6 1

Negative attitudes: compared to the city’s other problems, issues concerning green are negligible. 6 1

Negative attitudes: in urban parks you may have bad encounters. 6 1

Frequency of use: how often do you use your neighbourhood’s green areas? 4 1

Frequency of use: how often do you use green areas located outside your city? 4 1

G. Sanesi et al. / Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 5 (2006) 121–129 127

of Rome. The main socio-demographic characteristicsof participants were also equally distributed across thefour cells of the factorial design. Subjects were asked toparticipate in a university survey on urban green space,specifying that it would take about 20min, and wereassured of the anonymous character of the survey. Thequestionnaire was composed of three different sections,with a total of 28 items, plus a fourth section drawing aprofile of the participants’ socio-demographic andresidential characteristics (Table 3).

The first section contained an ‘attitude toward urbangreen’ scale, composed of 25 Likert-type items (6-step)measuring two attitude dimensions found in previousstudies (Carrus, et al., 2004). These were: (1) positiveattitudes towards urban green space (18 items); and (2)negative attitudes towards urban green space (7 items).The content of these items explores people’s favour/disfavour towards the presence of nature in the city andtowards urban green spaces in general. The secondsection dealt with participants’ satisfaction with theirneighbourhood’s green areas. It included a 5-stepLikert-type item. The third section, finally, dealt withfrequency of use of intra-urban (both inside and outsidethe living neighbourhood) and extra-urban green areas.It included two fixed choice items.

Results and discussion

Overall, the findings highlighted a complex pattern ofrelationships between Rome’s residents and the city’surban and peri-urban green spaces. Main results aresummarised below.

Firstly, as regards the structure of attitudes towardsnature in the city, the results confirm a two-dimensionalpattern (positive vs. negative attitudes), which had alsoemerged from previous studies (Bonnes et al., 1999;Carrus et al., 2004). These two dimensions are relativelyindependent of one another, and appear to be differentlyrelated to environmental characteristics, such as thequantity and the quality of urban green areas.

Secondly, positive attitudes seem to be related to boththe amount of green space available and to the specifictypology of urban green spaces. Positive attitudes

toward urban green areas are in fact higher amongresidents of low-quantity plus low-quality of greenneighbourhoods, and high-quantity plus high-qualityof green neighbourhoods compared to residents of theother neighbourhoods (F(1, 479) ¼ 5.77; po.02). Positiveattitudes towards urban nature might then be related toboth an extreme availability of green spaces (leadingthen to a stronger appreciation of these) as well as to anextreme deprivation of green spaces (probably leading toa stronger need for these). Conversely, negative attitudesseem unrelated to these characteristics of urban greenspaces.

Thirdly, satisfaction with urban green areas appearsclearly higher among residents of neighbourhoods witha high quantity of green spaces (F(1,479) ¼ 50.52;po.001). This also seems to indicate that satisfactionfor urban green is, more so than attitudes, related tosome functional aspects of green spaces, which in turnare related to quantity (e.g., accessibility, closeness tothe home, etc.). Apparently, it seems that overall qualityof urban green areas is less directly related to residents’satisfaction, in particular in the case of a highavailability of green spaces, as the significant interactiondetected shows (F(1,479) ¼ 11.27; po.01).

Fourthly, frequency of use of green areas by residents(both inside the neighbourhood and outside the city) issignificantly higher among the ‘high-amount’ groups incomparison with the ‘low-amount’ groups (po.02 andpo.05, respectively). Also, in this case it seems thatoverall quality of urban green areas is less directlyrelated to residents’ use frequency (intra- and extra-urban). These patterns could also indirectly suggest atendency on the part of urban residents to make‘additional’ use rather than ‘substitutive’ use of extra-urban green areas with respect to the intra-urban greenareas. (In other words: those having more green spaceswithin their own neighbourhood also declared a morefrequent use of the extra-urban green.)

Taken together, these results indicate that a strongpresence of urban green areas leads to more positiveattitudes, higher satisfaction and more frequent useamong urban dwellers. The effects of quality of green

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areas appear to be less straightforward. High qualityleads in fact to more positive attitudes only if coupledwith high quantity. However, this does not necessarilymean that quality of urban green areas is less importantthan quality, nor does it mean that policy decisionsshould prioritise quantity of green areas at the expensesof their quality. Rather, since urban dwellers might havemore difficulties in appreciating high-quality greenareas, policy makers should try to better promote thiscapacity among the general public, in order to helpurban residents to better understand the ecological andsocial values of these high-quality green spaces.

Discussion

Although independently conducted, the two studiesrevealed some overlapping elements but also discrepan-cies as a consequence of the differing approaches andresearch methods applied by urban foresters andenvironmental psychologists. The studies conducted inBari and Rome shared the common goal of exploringcitizens’ perception and attitudes/behaviour towardsgreen spaces, yet the background definitions for theseterms are substantially different (Table 1). In the firstcase (Bari), perception is meant as citizens’ appreciationof the ‘services’ provided by urban green spaces (e.g.,influence on urban climate, mitigation of air pollution,place for recreation and social interactions, etc.). Such‘functional meaning’ also emerges from the definition ofattitudes/behaviour meant as general response of citizensin relation to the use of green spaces (i.e. functionalbehaviour). In the second case (Rome), the termperception conveys the concept of the different meaningsthat urban citizens tend to assign to the presence ofnature in the city, while attitudes/behaviour refers to thedifferent evaluative positions (at a cognitive, affectiveand behavioural level) that urban dwellers can assumeabout their residential green spaces.

In case of Bari, urban foresters used social-sciencemethods, thus considering phenomena in the course oftheir general state. Telephone interviews were adoptedas a tool for scientific investigation and, specifically, forunderstanding the impact of urban forests on citizens(Sanesi and Chiarello, 2006). Results, drawn fromstatistically representative samples were intended toprovide a descriptive picture of the overall trendsconcerning the specific phenomenon subject to enquiry(citizens’ perception and attitudes/behaviour).

In the case of Rome, researchers used a methodologythat is typical of environmental psychology studies,where: (a) there is a focus on some specific socio-environmental and socio-psychological constructs, pro-cesses, and related variables (e.g., environmentalattitudes, environmental satisfaction, etc.), with the

aim of a better understanding the psychological aspectsof people-environment relationships; and (b) the rela-tionships between specific environmental features andpeople’s perceptions/behaviours are assessed by meansof quasi-experimental research design, using multi-variate statistical techniques of data-analyses.

The way citizens perceive urban green spaces, citizens’expectations, the frequency of use, and the relationshipsbetween citizens and decision-makers are just few of themore interesting and common themes that have emergedfrom the comparison of the two case studies. Differenturban contexts generally lead to different expectationsand socio-cultural needs of urban dwellers, as well as topolicies and plans tailored to the specific context.Despite such dissimilarity, in both locations greenspaces appear to be fundamental elements for enhancingthe quality of the urban environment, even if it is notalways clear on the basis of which criteria and regulationthis enhancement occurs. Accessibility, safety, surveil-lance, and opportunities for social activities are the mostcommon elements influencing citizens’ perception andattitudes/behaviour towards urban forests and greenspaces. Conversely, other aspects such as, for example,levels of biodiversity, apparently hold little interest forthe users, who do not always seem to be able to correctlyevaluate these.

It would appear then that future studies shouldprovide further integration of different methodologiesand approaches, especially if the purpose is to supportdecision-makers and urban planners in their work.

A multidisciplinary survey approach, involving aboveall urban forestry and environmental psychology, canrepresent in the short run a useful reference for theurban green-space sector. Urban foresters and environ-mental psychologists, in synergy, are indeed capable ofguaranteeing a series of information and knowledgewhich should be fundamental in the process of planning,designing and managing sustainable urban forests andgreen spaces.

It is however equally clear that in the future moreattention must be paid to psycho-physical well-beinglinked to the presence and use of urban forests. On thispoint, experience is still very limited, and requiresappropriate scientific knowledge extending beyond thetwo scientific fields mentioned above to include thespecific skills of other natural and social sciences, suchas biology, economy, sociology, medical sciences, and soforth (Kaplan, 2001; Konijnendijk et al., 2000; Konij-nendijk et al., 2005).

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