Major Indian cities have a lower public open space (POS)-capita ratio and do not meet national and international standards. Moreover, factors such as lack of design guidelines for POSs, limited funding, and lack of public participation have affected these limitedly available POSs and made them ineffective and incapable of meeting the contemporary needs of a diverse range of users. Therefore, it is essential to make them not only inclusive, user-friendly, attractive, and efficient, but also socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable in order to serve the various facilities and services at their optimum level. This study includes the assessment of two POSs to identify strengths and deficiencies that affect their character and use. These POSs are public parks, provide free access to users and are located in the city of Nagpur. For assessment, the study proposed the Public Open Space Index (POSI) that combines five aspects: Individual well-being, Inclusiveness, Engagement, Sustainable spaces, and Management.A mixed methods approach was considered for data collection, including a self-administered questionnaire survey and observations.According to the results, POSs have strengths in that they facilitate social cohesion, engagement, and basic facilities. POSs do not encourage equitable access and sustainable practices, which are considered deficiencies.The study helps planners, designers, and parenting authority to develop initiatives to make these limited POSs inclusive, functional, and sustainable.
Public open spaces (POSs) provide a forum for social gathering, health, leisure, and recreation opportunities for city dwellers. POSs are considered one of the city's essential components that connect city dwellers to nature and improve their quality of life. India, a developing country, is rapidly urbanising. Indian cities are emerging with diverse and well-developed societies. These societies are looking for POSs that are not only inclusive, vibrant, functional, and sustainable, but also capable of providing people with social, economic, and environment benefits. It is therefore essential to evaluate existing POSs at the city, neighbourhood, and site scales using a modern approach. The evaluation aids in identifying the POSs' strengths and weaknesses, which influence their character and use. This study evaluates city POSs using the 'Lively planning integrative perspective' (LPIP), which includes seven aspects: Livability, Sustainability, Successful spaces, Place-making, New Urbanism, Green planning intervention, and Public realm. The study also proposes the 'Lively planning integrative perspective index' (LPIPI) for evaluation. The study evaluates two POSs, i.e. parks, which located in the city of Nagpur. Both POSs provide free access to users. A mixed methods approach is used for data collection and includes tools such as self-administered questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observation. A total of 747 respondents from both spaces participated in the main survey. The study's results revealed that POSs have some functional and aesthetic strengths that support LPIP, but also have some weaknesses that limit their use. The study offers recommendations to assist planners and designers in making better decisions and developing inclusive POSs for city dwellers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.