Urban parks, climate adaptation and environmental justice: users' perceptions of the public concession in Recife - Pernambuco.

Abstract

Abstract: Urban parks are important facilities for promoting the well-being of city dwellers, providing ecosystem services, and adapting to climate change. Despite this, few studies have evaluated the different forms of management that exist for these spaces. The aim of this article was to assess the perception of users of four parks in the city of Recife that have been granted private management and to evaluate the potential impacts of the concession project on the function of these spaces as promoters of climate change adaptation and environmental justice. To do this, we administered questionnaires to 150 park users and analyzed documents from the parks' concession plans. The results showed that more than 30 percent of those interviewed do not know which body is responsible for managing the parks, and more than 50 percent do not know the correct source of the funds for maintaining the parks. Only 11% of those interviewed knew of the park concession project, yet 50% favored the concession. The interviewees' perception of the concession is still very uncertain; they believe it will improve the leisure and catering infrastructure, but not the provision of vegetation cover.