A pandemic response to the issues of inclusivity and accessibility in green open spaces

Abstract

Urban areas in the world often disregard the importance of social and environmental aspects in the process of rapid growth. The principle of inclusiveness in urban design which bears the meaning of “space for all” ensures the fulfillment of this aspect. Inclusiveness is one of the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the same principles applies to Indonesia through the Decree of the Minister of Public Works number 5 year 2008, which includes the provision of green open spaces in order to launch Indonesian citizens’ livelihood towards an ideal quality. This research focuses on accessibility can be applied to achieve inclusiveness during the Covid-19 pandemic era. To answer the question, this research employs three different open green spaces as the case studies, which are Martha Tiahahu Park, Ayodya Park, and Puring Park, to observe how inclusiveness and accessibility were implemented. The accessibility factor is infused in the inclusiveness principle, which is accessibility for all residents to their rights in enjoying affordable open green spaces. However, the implementation of accessibility during the pandemic cannot be worked thoroughly, mainly due to rules of physical distancing and the Covid-19 operational standards. But still we can use the several key aspects for a pandemic respond is engineering and designing on the use of space and time at public green open spaces, such as innovative design on its elements (bench, pathway, jog track, etc.).