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Historical public parks : investigating contemporary visitor needs
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Paraskevopoulou, Angeliki, Klados, Andreas and Malesios, Chrysovalantis (2020) Historical public parks : investigating contemporary visitor needs. Sustainability, 12 (23). 9976. doi:10.3390/su12239976 ISSN 2071-1050.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12239976
Abstract
Worldwide, several large-scale historical gardens have been adapted to social needs and became public parks. Historical parks, designed in a different era and often subjected to pressures for development, raise concerns in meeting contemporary visitor needs, rendering them vulnerable to private interests. The main purpose of this paper was to determine whether a historical park designed in a different era can meet today’s visitor needs. The National Garden (NG) in Athens, Greece, a well-protected historical park, was selected as a case study. A questionnaire survey addressed to the visitors of the NG was undertaken on the basis of the main components of park design, factors affecting visitation, and visitor perceptions of involvement in park management. A descriptive and regression analysis was applied. Even though the NG was not originally designed as a public park but as a garden, overall results showed it satisfies its visitor’s needs. The planting and associated tranquility are the most liked characteristics of the NG that are inextricably linked with its original design as a private garden. The main qualitative traits of plants that people like were found in the NG plant species. Suggested improvements to fulfill further contemporary visitor’s needs have to be considered carefully and must comply with the statutory measures that protect the NG and associated wildlife habitat. As in many urban parks, concerns for safety and cleanliness and willingness to volunteer in park maintenance were also expressed by visitors of the NG. This study illustrates that historical gardens designed many years ago and transformed into public parks can protect and conserve the historical and cultural heritage and concomitantly meet today’s visitor needs. Further research is suggested to study other historical parks.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology D History General and Old World > DF Greece G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure S Agriculture > SB Plant culture |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > School for Cross-faculty Studies > Institute for Global Sustainable Development | ||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Ethnikos Kēpos (Athens, Greece) , Ethnikos Kēpos (Athens, Greece) -- Social aspects, Parks -- Greece -- Athens, Historic parks -- Greece -- Athens, Urban parks -- Management -- Greece -- Athens, Environmental psychology -- Greece -- Athens, Parks -- Public use -- Greece -- Athens, Cultural property -- Greece -- Athens, Urban parks -- Citizen participation -- Greece -- Athens | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Sustainability | ||||||
| Publisher: | MDPI | ||||||
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 | ||||||
| Official Date: | 29 November 2020 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 12 | ||||||
| Number: | 23 | ||||||
| Article Number: | 9976 | ||||||
| DOI: | 10.3390/su12239976 | ||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 30 June 2023 | ||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 30 June 2023 |
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