Knowing urban nature differently: undervalued nature relationships linked to community parks in the City of Tshwane

Adopted colonial ideologies of ‘protecting nature’ for exclusive use by ‘white’ European settlers to the detriment of local Indigenous communities, have had far reaching consequences for how residents engage with nature in South Africa. Expanding on research seeking locally appropriate conceptualizations of nature, we ask from a landscape architectural perspective: How can local narratives about urban nature places, such as parks, support more inclusive landscape design in cities? Drawing on data collected from three phases of ethnographic research, totaling 52 interviews, and over 50 site visits, we introduce place-specific interpretations of nature benefits for the City of Tshwane. We present three identified ‘cultural ecosystem services’ centered around socio-economic benefits, gendered and generational use of space, and the extensions of home and sense of belonging. The findings show the place-specificity of human-nature relationships in urban settings and illustrate undervalued relationships neglected in landscape design, which challenge current municipal processes and legislation.