**4. Conclusions**

The challenges pertaining to green spaces within urban environments, as captured in the literature review, were also evident from the empirical investigation and local case study. Despite the theoretically recognised values and benefits linked to green spaces, the economic value thereof is still underestimated to a large extent in the South African context [16].

According to international case studies, as discussed in Section 1.3, UGSs can have a positive influence on proximate property value [6]. The proximity principle may hold true in the global North planning context, but was rejected in the Potchefstroom case study in 2015 [12] and 2019. In the Potchefstroom case most properties located further away from a UGS in the purposefully selected residential areas indicated a higher value in ZAR (South African Rand) per square meter in comparison to properties located adjacent to said UGS. Both the 2015 and 2019 case studies thus delivered contrasting results compared to the findings in international literature. From these findings it was evident that the proximity principle could not be applied to all contexts, indicating the need to consider context in the planning of UGSs.

The Professional Planner survey investigated perceptions of green spaces, from the perspective of a sample of South African Professional Planners, in attempt to gain insight into planning practice in the South African context. This survey indicated that a lack of maintenance, community engagemen<sup>t</sup> and efficient local budgeting are the core challenges inhibiting UGS planning approaches. Half of the planners included in the survey stated that environmental considerations are not prioritised in the planning process, even though Environmental Management is considered a crucial component of local Urban Planning approaches, policy and legislative frameworks. The latter findings questioned the extent to which the environment is prioritised in mainstream Urban Planning and emphasised the opportunities for more comprehensive, trans-disciplinary planning approaches going forward.

Even though the proximity principle was rejected for the Potchefstroom case study, and that Professional Planners indicated that environmental considerations are under-prioritized from a planning perspective, the local resident survey revealed a certain level of recognition of the importance of green spaces.

The Potchefstroom resident survey investigated local perceptions towards green spaces, in an attempt to further understand the challenges and needs pertaining to green space planning in Potchefstroom for a participatory perspective. The survey indicated that the majority of respondents recognise the environmental and social values of green spaces, and to a lesser extent the economic value of green spaces. The majority of residents are willing to pay more for a property that is located next to green space, indicating that the residents perceive green spaces benefits as valuable (willingness to pay), regardless of the ecosystem disservices associated with UGSs (poorly maintained green spaces and crime hotspots). Thus, from a community perspective, green space value should be prioritised. Preliminary results indicate a discrepancy between community perspectives, the provision of green spaces within the local context, and economic valuation to support such initiatives.
