Quantitative Evaluation of Public Open Space per Inhabitant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Case Study of the City of Jeddah

2021

Sustainability

Self Cite

The review and assessment of urban greening patterns play a crucial role in sustainable urban planning and green spaces (GSs) management, helping to improve human well-being. In recent years, various methods and strategies were applied to examine the relationship between GSs and environmental sustainability, but so far, no studies on systematic review and empirical assessments were carried out in Saudi Arabian context. Thus, a comprehensive review and assessment of current GSs patterns and planning strategies are important for achieving urban environmental sustainability. This study aims to assess spatial pattern of GSs across the cities and a bibliographic review on the urban greening strategies in the Saudi context. These six urban strategies were further supported from empirical evidence on Saudi cities. Geographical information system (GIS) techniques and questionnaire surveys were performed for spatial mapping of GSs and the perceived role of GSs strategies of the respondent to environmental sustainability across cities. The findings showed that (i) highest PCGS was reported from Dammam (5.4 m2) followed by Riyadh (1.18 m2), and Jeddah (0.5 m2); (ii) most of the respondents use GSs for picnic (59%), mental well-being (53%), and physical activities (47%), respectively; (iii) GSs play a significant role for local climate regulation such as temperature control (78%) and UHI reduction (81%), and GSs provide thermal comfort (84%), respectively; and (iv) 40% respondents do not use GSs due to the lack of availability, accessibility, design, management, and safety of GSs. Thus, such findings of the study surely assist planners and policy makers to understand and implement the suggested GSs strategies to meet the satisfaction level of the respondents as well as to manage GSs at neighborhood and city level for urban environmental sustainability.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Urban Greening Strategies for Environmental Sustainability—A Review and Assessment in the Context of Saudi Arabian Megacities

2021

Sustainability

Self Cite

“…As per these guidelines, the integration of green spaces has been significantly prioritized in the decision-making framework. Apart from this, special focus has been given on the availability as well as the accessibility of POS in Saudi cities by the National Transformation Programme (NTP) in Vision 2030 [29,30]. The Saudi government is concerned with the provision of POS to make cities more livable and has invested huge sums to enhance the accessibility of POS [29,30,63].…”

Section: Shanghai (China) Fan Et Al 2016mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from this, special focus has been given on the availability as well as the accessibility of POS in Saudi cities by the National Transformation Programme (NTP) in Vision 2030 [29,30]. The Saudi government is concerned with the provision of POS to make cities more livable and has invested huge sums to enhance the accessibility of POS [29,30,63]. At a local scale, municipalities must focus on the restoration and management of POS for urban environmental sustainability and improve the quality of life of city dwellers.…”

Section: Shanghai (China) Fan Et Al 2016mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The assessment of preferences and perceptions regarding public open space services (POSS) has emerged as a significant tool in addressing complex challenges related to global environmental change and systematic urban planning and associated policies [27,28]. In Saudi Arabia, a desert country with a population of 34 million, there have been very few studies on the identification and assessment of POS [29][30][31][32][33][34]. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, few studies of POS have examined socio-cultural perspectives in detail or the contribution of POS to well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Evaluation of Public Open Space Services and Their Impact on Well-Being: A Micro-Scale Assessment from a Coastal University

2021

Sustainability

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Public open spaces services have been shown to be profoundly affected by rapid urbanization and environmental changes, and in turn, they have influenced socio-cultural relationships and human well-being. However, the impact of these changes on public open space services (POSS) remains unexplored, particularly in the Saudi Arabian context. This study examines the socio-cultural influence of POSS on the King Abdulaziz University campus, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the impact of these services on well-being. A field survey and questionnaire were used to collect data. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests) were used to find significant differences in the importance of POSS as perceived by stakeholders based on socio-demographic attributes. Factor analysis was performed for 14 POSS to identify those that are most important. The study showed that (i) university stakeholders are closely linked to services provided by public open spaces (POS) and dependent on POSS, (ii) there were significant differences in the perceived importance of POSS according to gender, age, and social groups, and (iii) 70 to 90% of stakeholders reported POSS as having a positive impact on well-being. Thus, the findings will help design and plan POSS to meet the needs of society and promote well-being.

“…POS were neglected in the past and given low priority until the announcement of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. In its key performance indicators, the Vision 2030 National Transformation Program (NTP) highlighted the importance of enhancing the urban landscape in Saudi cities by increasing residents' access to POS and improving POS availability per inhabitant [71,80]. In addition, the NTP established several programs to support Vision 2030, including the Quality of Life Program, which aims to make Saudi cities more livable [70].…”

Section: Public Open Space Provision In Saudi Arabiamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Proposed Planning Concept for Public Open Space Provision in Saudi Arabia: A Study of Three Saudi Cities

2020

IJERPH

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Public open spaces (POS) have an essential positive impact on cities and their residents. These spaces play a critical role in enhancing users’ physical, mental, and social wellbeing. In addition, POS improve city resilience and economic value, and act as part of the city’s visual amenities. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking many approaches to enhance quality of life in all its cities through initiatives such as increasing the POS area per capita. Several studies have examined the importance of the accessibility of POS in addressing users’ needs. In this study, we measured the per capita area and accessibility of POS in the three megacities Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah. We also collected data on user preferences for the use of POS through semi-structured interviews, observations, and an online questionnaire. This study suggests that the country needs to establish its own POS planning approach based on users’ desires and behaviors when using POS, as well as the country’s social characteristics, and to depend not only on standard international planning approaches. The paper recommends considering the possibility of increasing POS by creating typologies of these spaces based on each city’s landscape characteristics. This proposal will have a major impact on city planning and design in Saudi Arabia. In addition, it will make the Saudi cities livable and have a positive impact on the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of the population.