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The mean differences of the functional benefits of improved and unimproved neighbourhood parks
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As Taiwanese people's awareness of civic consciousness has risen over the past decade, the government has undergone administrative reform to allow citizens to participate in public affairs. The Neighbourhood Park Improvement Plan (NPIP), as executed by the Taipei City Government, is aimed at encouraging community involvement in the planning and des...
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... Scholars correlate nature connectedness with improved emotional and physical well-being [16,17] and quality of life [18]. Pivotal attributes for creating quality and functional open spaces are proximity to where people live or work [19][20][21], presence of natural features [21,22], cleanliness and maintenance [21], presence of amenities [22], sufficient park size [20] and people's participation in planning green spaces [23]. Summarizing [14] claims strategic planning, design and management as the key criteria for delivering functionality and benefits. ...
This study discusses parameters that are important for designing quality and functional open spaces in high-density cities. Research is often limited to large parks and public squares; studies on open spaces in high-density cities are rare. Hong Kong is a high-density high-rise city where people live in compact living environments small as 12 sqm. In such contexts, open spaces play a pivotal role on human well-being. Hong Kong consists of many pocket open spaces that are intended for passive recreation. Elderly use these public amenities predominantly. Therefore, accessibility, safety and user comfort become significant considerations. Improving existing pocket open spaces is essential since there are no plans for new parks in old districts. This study analysed eight pocket open spaces, adopting for their qualitative attributes. Microclimatic field data, photographic analysis, shadow analysis simulation and user perception survey shed light on spatial design, comfort and functional aspects. This study contributed to knowledge by developing guidelines to promote quality and functionality of pocket open spaces in high-density cities.
... In terms of methodology, online surveys are a viable research method for this study. The history of using surveys in the fields of public engagement and urban design [14][15][16] and the high rate of internet accessibility in South Korea, where some 99.7% of households have mobile access to the internet [17], strengthen the logic for using online surveys. In addition, internet-based communication between the government or institutions and individuals has been found to have significant credibility in South Korea [18]. ...
... Although a plethora of literature has examined public participation and urban design in general [15,[20][21][22][23][24], public engagement programs for urban open space development have yet to be fully discussed [25]. Some propose that in-person public engagement is a necessary step (for example, see Ostrom, 1998); however, the scale of national urban development projects such as Yongsan Park could become difficult hurdles for such an effort. ...
... Effect evaluation is used to measure the effect of an intervention, whereas process evaluation describes process development and implementation. Huang's survey-based study of a citywide park policy is a typical effect evaluation; its aim is to evaluate a previously implemented urban park development policy [15]. Although public engagement efforts about urban planning and related policymaking have mostly focused on effect evaluations [15,24,33], a few programs have focused on the design or evaluation of the process [21,35]. ...
Gathering public consensus about long-term urban open space development is more difficult than ever, even though public engagement is crucial for sustainable long-term policymaking. Routine evaluation of public awareness is important for retaining project momentum and designing appropriate public engagement processes for the future. This study focuses on the Yongsan Park Development Project, which has been in progress for more than three decades. An online survey of 2,000 respondents was conducted and analyzed to evaluate the current public awareness and ask questions about respondents' expectations for public engagement. The results of this study reveal that 1) a hybrid methodology is needed to effectively approach different age groups; 2) an online survey can offer new insights for projects that repurpose U.S. army base and military sites into urban open spaces; 3) the survey results will enable us to design a better public participation process that is appropriate for post-pandemic society, in which virtual meetings and socially distanced communications are part of the new norm.
... Decision-making processes for urban forestry have, in the past, been oriented as a "top-down" process, rarely considering the needs of the public (Hladnik and Pirnat, 2011). Top-down approaches to planning and development of urban forests have been increasingly criticized as inappropriate because they are "largely based on professional assumptions rather than users' needs, and these assumptions could be patronizing or even anachronistic" (Huang, 2010). Thus, tree planting in private spaces for the public good could counter these experiences and contribute to the establishment of urban forests that respond to users' needs and preferences. ...
Increasing human populations and rapid urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa have prompted the development and maintenance of urban green infrastructure, including urban trees for sustainability, human wellbeing, liveability and climate resilience. However, there are still insufficient amounts and large inequities in the distribution of trees between and within towns and cities of the Global North and South. In South Africa, urban green space planning and planting are encoded in several policies at national level. However, these policies are rarely translated into specific guides, standards or actions, and consequently disparities in urban trees and green space distribution persist. This study assessed the prevalence of urban trees in domestic gardens in low-cost housing areas (LCHAs) of eight small to medium-sized towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and examined residents’ perceptions in this regard. This was done via surveys with 800 households in old and recently developed LCHAs. The results revealed that most households (52 %) had at least one tree in their yard, with more households in the older neighbourhoods (60 %) reporting having trees than in the newer ones (44 %). Most of the trees (66 %) had been deliberately planted as opposed to natural regeneration. Experience of formal urban tree planting programs was low, but 75 % of residents expressed willingness to participate in the future, preferably in tree planting and maintenance. Urban green spaces and trees cannot be an afterthought in the development of sustainable human settlements, and municipal plans should reflect tangible commitments in this regard. Meeting goals for greener LCHAs requires the involvement of local residents, and for municipal authorities to be receptive to the wishes of residents and willingness to green their residential areas.
... A su vez son numerosos los trabajos que inciden en el papel que la IV juega en el desarrollo de las relaciones entre la calidad de los parques, el carácter de las visitas y el alcance de los vínculos sociales en el vecindario (Dipeolu, Ibem & Fadamiro, 2020;Huang, 2010). Se puede afirmar que la satisfacción del visitante depende en parte de los activos tangibles del parque, como la calidad del servicio (Tonge & Moore, 2007), así como de la percepción y satisfacción subjetiva que desarrolla el visitante en su uso y disfrute del espacio verdes (Anderson et al., 2000). ...
The studies that analyse the social dimension of the spaces that support the ecological function in the urban environment have focused fundamentally on the local analysis of green spaces. However, the social dimension of Green Infrastructures (IV) as a set of free spaces on a metropolitan scale has been little analysed. This article, based on an immer sive search methodology of 110 documents and 523 case studies, develops a critical review of the main aspects analysed on the social impact of the spaces that make up the IV. Our results show from a methodological point of view how the predominant qualita tive and local character of these studies makes it difficult to generalise their results to a metropolitan scale. Given the growing complexity of urban space, it is necessary to focus on analysing the social dimension of the IV from the metropolitan scale, paying special attention to citizens' perceptions and a more decentralised management of green spaces in order to ensure the socio-environmental wellbeing of citizens.
... A su vez son numerosos los trabajos que inciden en el papel que la IV juega en el desarrollo de las relaciones entre la calidad de los parques, el carácter de las visitas y el alcance de los vínculos sociales en el vecindario (Dipeolu, Ibem & Fadamiro, 2020;Huang, 2010). Se puede afirmar que la satisfacción del visitante depende en parte de los activos tangibles del parque, como la calidad del servicio (Tonge & Moore, 2007), así como de la percepción y satisfacción subjetiva que desarrolla el visitante en su uso y disfrute del espacio verdes (Anderson et al., 2000). ...
Los estudios que abordan la dimensión social de los espacios que albergan la función ecológica en el ámbito urbano se han centrado fundamentalmente en el análisis local de los espacios verdes. Sin embargo, la dimensión social de las Infraestructuras Verdes (IV) como conjunto de espacios libres a escala metropolitana ha sido un aspecto poco analizado. Este artículo a partir de una metodología de búsqueda inmersiva de 123 documentos y 539 casos de estudios desarrolla una revisión crítica de los principales as-pectos analizados sobre el impacto social de la IV. Nuestros resultados muestran desde el punto de vista metodológico, como el predominante carácter cualitativo y local de estos estudios, dificulta generalizar sus resultados a escala metropolitana. A su vez, la creciente complejidad del espacio urbano hace necesario focalizar el análisis de la dimensión social de la IV desde la escala metropolitana, prestando especial atención a las percepciones ciudadanas y una gestión de los espacios verdes más descentralizada de cara a asegurar el bienestar socioambiental ciudadano.
... As a result, governance of UGS, whether through planning, design, or management, is usually very complex, and involves a wide range of stakeholders (Van Herzele et al., 2005). The traditional top-down or bureaucratic mode of public governance has been increasingly criticized as inappropriate (Jim and Chen, 2006a;Huang, 2010), because it is mainly based on professional assumptions and not on the needs of the public (Jim and Chen, 2006a). In the process of traditional governance, the public is regarded as a passive receiver, which makes the results of governance arbitrary, even outdated, failing to reflect the different needs of different social groups, including their desire to participate in relevant decisions (Sanesi and Chiarello, 2006). ...
The governance of urban green spaces (UGS) often involves a wide range of stakeholders, each with their own views, preferences, and needs. However, the traditional top-down governance of UGS has struggled to meet the needs of today’s public. By reflecting the different needs of different social groups, public participation has become one of the innovative solutions used to solve the problems of public governance, which has been a widespread concern. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study complements environmental responsibility (ER), environmental concern (EC), subjective environmental knowledge (SEK) and media influence (MI) as the factors influencing the formation of citizens' participatory attitude, and provides multiple influencing paths for increasing citizens' participatory intention and behavior. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of the newly constructed theoretical model based on 1191 questionnaires administered face-to-face in Beijing. The results demonstrate that perceived behavioral control has the greatest positive influence on citizens’ intentions and behaviors; that is, their intention and behavior to participate is strongly restricted by the objective conditions of the citizens themselves. Among the additional impact factors, expected personal gratification (EPG) also has a positive effect on intention. Local governments can increase citizens’ intentions and behaviors to participate in UGS governance through two measures: one is to optimize the process of citizens’ participation in UGS governance to reduce the threshold of participation; the other is to enhance the city’s infrastructure and cultural and entertainment activities to enhance citizens’ environmental responsibility.
... For the UGS planning itself, at least three aspects should be reinforced. Firstly, deep public engagement mechanism should be established, the absence of which leads to accessible UGS inequities within cities where UGS quantities such as the per capita UGS or coverage rate may meet standards but densely populated areas are undersupplied (Kabisch and Haase, 2014); inappropriate UGS designs also occur when different groups' preferences are ignored (Fan et al., 2017;Huang, 2010;Shan, 2012). Citizens are the biggest stakeholder of UGS, and therefore, deep public participation is necessary to entitle the public to decide where to allocate and how to design UGS (Shan, 2014), rather than simply surveying by questionnaires, which is a superficial approach at the bottom of Arnstein's ladder (Arnstein, 1969). ...
Urban green space (UGS) is essential for improving urban resilience and the well-being of residents, and UGS supply is an important aspect of the construction of eco-cities in China. As a quasi-public goods, compared to UGS equity studies within a city, there has been little research on UGS equity among different cities. This paper first established a conceptual framework for UGS provisioning of local governments, and then, based on multi-source data, the UGS equity among 58 major cities in China and the related influencing factors were investigated; lastly, strategies for making improvements were put forward. The findings showed that the proposed integrated conceptual framework could reveal the formational processes of current UGS in China’s cities, providing a coherent framework for UGS supply improvement. The average UGS of 58 cities was found to be in undersupply compared to current standards, and its spatial equity was not good; climate, urban topography, proportion of secondary industry, and title incentive factors exerted significant effects on UGS coverage, per capita UGS and accessible UGS; furthermore, the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and land availability were found to have a significant influence on UGS coverage and per capita UGS; while population density only impacted the per capita UGS. Comprehensive governance strategies including policy innovations for the central government, capacity enhancements of local governments, UGS planning refinements in terms of contents, procedures, and standards, and the engagement of non-profit organizations should be implemented to strengthen the supply of UGS and alleviate intercity inequity.
... First, it is crucial to engage and consult with residents and stakeholders in order to identify their preferences and needs (Huang 2010;Shan 2012;Jim 2013). Engagement should try to identify the requirements of current, as well as future resident demographic, social and cultural groups. ...
In this chapter, we set out the ascendant ideology of TOD and review the barriers to its implementation in urban densification settings in suburban cities. These barriers can include land assembly and development feasibility issues, community resistance, lack of consumer demand and infrastructure provision challenges. As a result of these barriers, attempts to implement TOD have proven a challenge. Moreover, a substantial portion of urban densification is occurring in an ad hoc manner, a trend we explore in relation to Australian cities. This chapter raises concerns about this indiscriminate form of urban densification, as it offers minimal access to public transport, contributes little to urban activation, compromises urban forests, and entrenches community opposition to infill development. Given these issues, this chapter stresses the need for a complementary strategy to support urban densification in suburban cities.
... First, it is crucial to engage and consult with residents and stakeholders in order to identify their preferences and needs (Huang 2010;Shan 2012;Jim 2013). Engagement should try to identify the requirements of current, as well as future resident demographic, social and cultural groups. ...
This chapter briefly summarizes the key points of the book. We then direct researchers to potentially fertile areas for future research. These include a systematic evaluation of community sentiment in relation to urban infill strategies, and the potential effects of emerging transport types on Transit-Oriented Development, amongst others. We then speculate on the possible societal and environmental implications of both our current strategies for urban densification and the urban sprawl that they inadvertently precipitate. We discuss this in the context of cities in Australia, and globally, many of which demographers project to grow significantly in this twenty-first century.
... First, it is crucial to engage and consult with residents and stakeholders in order to identify their preferences and needs (Huang 2010;Shan 2012;Jim 2013). Engagement should try to identify the requirements of current, as well as future resident demographic, social and cultural groups. ...
While in the previous chapter we defined Greenspace-Oriented Development (GOD) and explained the multitude of benefits it offers, here we explain how practitioners can implement GOD. We suggest a step-by-step process that aims to guide GOD implementation. These steps are: (1) select parks for upgrading; (2) upgrade parks; (3) rezone the urban precincts surrounding parks; (4) catalyze and facilitate redevelopment; (5) decentralize services infrastructure; (6) conduct needs-based assessment and equip parks, and (7) upgrade surrounding key streetscapes. This step-by-step process sets out how GOD can guide urban densification while offering multiple socio-ecological benefits through the redesign and activation of public green spaces.
