Motivations for urban front gardening: A quantitative analysis.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning
• Psychology

Background:

• Urban gardens offer environmental and societal benefits, including mitigating urban heat islands and flooding.
• Front gardens are underutilized despite their potential for positive environmental impact.
• Understanding householder motivations is crucial for promoting front garden planting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and categorize householder motivations for front gardening.
• To address research gaps concerning non-food gardening and front garden specific motivations.
• To provide a quantitative basis for interventions aimed at increasing front garden planting.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale online survey (n=1,000) of urban/suburban dwellers in England.
• Exploratory factor analysis to identify motivational factors.
• Multiple regression analysis to determine predictors of time spent front gardening.

Main Results:

• Three primary motivational factors were identified: intrinsic (enjoyment, meaning, benefit), aesthetic (creating beauty), and utilitarian (functional outcomes).
• Intrinsic motivations were the strongest predictor of time spent front gardening, explaining 11% of the variance.
• Intrinsic motivations were significantly stronger for women than for men.

Conclusions:

• Front gardening is primarily driven by intrinsic motivations, highlighting the importance of personal satisfaction and meaning.
• The findings offer a quantitative framework for future research and policy development to encourage urban front gardening.
• Targeted interventions considering gender-specific motivations could enhance the adoption of front garden practices.