Usos e perceções sobre jardins e parques públicos urbanos. Resultados preliminares de um inquérito na cidade do Porto (Portugal)

The crescent population concentration in cities is recognized as one of the main contemporary challenges. It is in cities that social and environmental challenges are increasing, which implies a look at the sustainable urban planning. Urban green spaces play an important role in responding to such challenges, specifically through ecosystem services. Cultural services gain special importance, particularly in improving the mental, physical, and social health of its users. This work aims to examine the uses and perceptions of users of gardens and public parks in the city of Porto, as well as how these same spaces are meeting their needs, establishing a relationship with their location considering greater or lesser socio-economic and environmental deprivation. A survey is being conducted to the users of 25 gardens and public access parks and a discussion on the preliminary results obtained (n=131) is proposed. The results provide a sketch of the profile of potential users of these spaces, besides revealing that the spaces of the city with greater socio-economic and environmental deprivation are perceived by their users as green spaces with lower quality. It is expected that the results can help to define attraction strategies for the green spaces of the city with lower quality and in areas of higher deprivation.