Assessment of urban resilience: Citizen perception in sustainable landscapes, agroforestry, and public space regeneration

Abstract

The uncontrolled population growth in Latin American cities negatively impacts urban ecosystems, including reduced vegetation coverage, fragmentation, and the loss of ecosystem services. This research aimed to assess the population’s perception of the recovery and restoration of public spaces through a sustainable landscape program featuring fruit trees. The goal was to enhance the ecosystem services of regulation, provisioning, and cultural services in intermediate cities, using Neiva, Colombia, as a case study. Public spaces on sidewalks and medians along main roads were identified with urban fruit trees. A census of these trees and shrub species has been conducted recently, up to 2020. A Likert-type survey was administered to 352 city residents, exploring their perception and receptivity to such programs as tools for territorial development. It was found that 27% of the studied public space is suitable for reforestation, with 2,025 established fruit specimens, including Syzygium malaccense and Mangifera indica. Although the presence of these species does not guarantee consumption, their high frequency suggests potential contributions to urban food security. These findings underscore the need to understand the complex relationship between environmental perceptions and citizen participation, providing valuable insights for designing interventions and policies that strengthen ecological awareness and action in urban settings.