The Assessment of Residents’ Perception of Possible Benefits and Challenges of Home Vertical Gardens in Kigali, Rwanda

Abstract

This paper aimed to provide a new insight into the application of home vertical gardens in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, through a pre-assessment of the inhabitants’ perceptions. There are several studies that indicated the awareness of the way residents think about the potential benefits and challenges of home gardens could make a considerable difference in designing and implementing these gardens. The Likert-scaled questionnaire (n = 558) was employed to evaluate how residents perceive vertical gardens, and what issues concern them most. The findings revealed that dwellers are almost familiar with the vertical garden concept and its possible effects on urban environments. The respondents mostly regarded vertical gardens as nice spots to socialize, relax, and interact with nature, and an opportunity for beautification, and recreation by growing ornamental and edible plants. However, they were rather apprehensive about some issues, more importantly, the extra expenses, the complicated operation and maintenance, and the type of structure installed on walls. In conclusion, small-scale and low-cost vertical gardens with lightweight structures and easy-to-use technologies are more likely to encourage householders to embrace home gardens. It is recommended that the vertical garden projects should be integrated into the urban green network strategy, leading to facilitating the processes of decision-making and financing.