Low Income and Mental Health: Can urban parks be the solution for better health?

Abstract

This study investigates park elements influencing the park visit frequency of low-income communities in an urban area, Kuala Lumpur. A set of survey questionnaires was distributed to identify participants' health history, the frequency of park visits and the park elements that pleasure low-income users during visits to Rimba Bukit Kerinchi Park in Pantai Dalam. The findings show the low-income community was unsatisfied with the park's safety. As a recommendation, additional planning guidance to planners and professional designers assists in accommodating a low-income-friendly park that supports healthy lifestyles. Keywords: Urban park; low-income community; mental health; preliminary study eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA CE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i21.3720