Assessment of User’s Perception towards Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study of Delhi, India

This study involved Delhi, Capital of India, which is currently experiencing two opposite phases. Delhi is one of the greenest capitals of the world yet most polluted city. At present Delhi has around 20.59 % green cover which can substantially enhanced by Urban Forestry. There are more than 18000 Parks and Gardens in NCT spread in about 8000 ha in various locations. The study undertook 3 important Parks of Delhi: Lodi Garden (South Delhi), District Park, DDA, Sector 11, Dwarka (South-west Delhi) and Kamala Nehru Ridge Park, North Delhi (Proposed Biodiversity Park). The aim of the study was to analyze the important roles of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) in the life of city dwellers. Respondent's attitude towards UGS and various services provided by them was studied through a semi-structured questionnaire which has covered social, ecological and economic aspects of these places. In total 120 respondents were selected from both parks (DDA Park and Lodi Garden) through quota sampling method and 52 respondents were randomly selected from Kamala Nehru Ridge Park, a favorite destination for morning walkers of Delhi. The study showed that more than 50% of the respondents had Willingness to Pay (WTP) for sustainable management and conservation of urban biodiversity spaces. Around 67% of the respondents didn't mind paying green tax to enjoy benefits of these places. In respondents view, most important benefit of Parks and Gardens were: they get opportunities to improve their physical health free of cost and they helps in building social ties especially for old aged adults. The results of this study struck an optimistic note that public showed WTP for conservation of UGS. Similar trends of result were shown for Kamala Nehru Ridge area. This results showed that city people doesn't neglect the importance of these Urban Green Spaces in their life as 57% thinks that UGS has positive impact on their lifestyle.