Abstract
How do people use and value urban open spaces such us city parks and community gardens? Are the values attached to open spaces by different groups such as users and non-users similar or different? Do officials charged with managing urban recreation have the same perceptions of the benefits of open spaces as do city residents who use or pass by them? These questions formed the basis of a comparative study of an adjacent city park and community gardens in Sacramento during 1982-85. The study compares the attitudes of users, non-users, and government officials toward a public park and user-managed community gardens. The historical development, planning and design process, management and maintenance, governmental perceptions, site use, and user and non-user attitudes associated with each site are compared. The different meanings attached by users, non-users, and government officials to both sites are contrasted. In conclusion, a conceptual framework for understanding the social context of parks versus gardens in cities is presented.
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