Characterising perceptions and usage of pocket parks prior to a nature network intervention: Baseline findings from a natural experiment

Interventions to increase urban biodiversity are important due to their potential benefits to human and planetary health. Recent biodiversity net gain (BNG) legislation requires biodiversity to be considered by planners. In densely-populated urban areas, small public green spaces such as pocket parks may be the only viable locations to implement such interventions. This study reports baseline findings from a natural experiment evaluating biodiversity-focused redevelopments of six pocket parks in Edinburgh, UK. The study aimed to assess park usage patterns, user/non-user characteristics, and the relationship between nature connection and pocket park use. A household survey (N= 417 respondents) and systematic observations (N= 912 observations) were undertaken in March 2025. Parks were mainly used for active travel or dog walking, with typical visits of less than 10 minutes. Multivariate logistic regression assessed the relationship between nature connection and pocket park use. Pocket park use frequency was inversely associated with distance to study parks ( r = – 0.33). There were no significant differences between sociodemographic groups regarding pocket park use, however women rated park safety significantly lower than men, as did people with children. Nature connection showed a small but significant association with pocket park use after controlling for confounders (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1.01-1.02, p = 0.01). Pocket parks may be an important asset for biodiversity intervention. However, careful consideration should be given to ensuring new BNG interventions do not deter current use cases of pocket parks for local residents.