Are citizens’ perceptions on urban green spaces influenced by their immediate environment? The case of Grand Nokoue, Benin Republic

Urban green spaces (UGS) are considered as an indispensable tool for urban planning and decision making in the context of climate change and urbanization challenges. Knowledge on citizens’ opinions on UGS, based on their immediate environment, is of high interest for planning UGS. However, this information is mostly inexistent. We used cities in Grand Nokoué in Benin to quantify spatial patterns of UGS and their relationships with citizens’ perception by means of statistical tests. At the city level, it was found that citizen’s responses on UGS benefits varied significantly between cities. At the individual level, significant differences in the spatial patterns of UGS in the surrounding of interviewees, depending on the acknowledged benefits of UGS were measured. This preliminary study suggests that the immediate environment surrounding citizens has an influence on their perception on UGS. Therefore, it is recommended that the use of surveys and remote sensing indicators should be combined to get a better understanding of UGS for cities’ sustainability and citizens well-being.