Analysis of user participation in the management and improvement of urban green spaces case study: December 11, 1960 Garden in Chlef city, Algeria

The aim of this paper is to analyse the extent to which users participate in the management and improvement of green spaces. The analysis considers three inter-related dimensions: awareness of participation; active participation; and perceived constraints. It also considers how users assess green spaces. The study was conducted with users of the 11 December 1960 Garden in Chlef, Algeria. A questionnaire designed for this study was administered to 223 respondents. The following statistical methods were adopted using SPSS software: frequencies, percentages, t-tests, ANOVA, the Pear-son correlation coefficient, and simple linear regression. The results showed that, alt-hough user’s generally assessed green spaces positively, they felt that services were lacking and that the level of participation was medium and only partially related to the assessment (10.2%). Awareness of participation was also medium to high and related to active participation (6%), as were perceived constraints, which were medium to low. No significant gender differences were found in terms of evaluation, awareness or constraints, although males exceeded females in terms of participation. No differences were found based on age, while those based on educational level favoured secondary school graduates and those based on professional status favoured active groups.