Abstract
Abstract. The identification of service areas of urban green spaces and areas with lack of these is increasingly necessary within city planning and management, as it translates into important indicators for the assessment of quality of life. In this setting, it is important to evaluate the attractiveness and accessibility dynamics through a set of attributes, taking into account the local reality of the territory under study. This work presents an operational methodology associated with these dynamics in local urban green spaces, assisting in the planning and management of this type of facilities. The methodology is supported firstly on questionnaire surveys and then on network analysis, processing spatial data in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment. In the case study, two local green spaces in Lisbon were selected, on a local perspective explorative approach. Through field data, it was possible to identify service areas for both spaces, and compare the results with references in the literature. It was also possible to recognise areas with lack of these spaces. The difficulty to evaluate the dynamics of real individuals in their choices of urban green spaces and the respective route is a major challenge to the application of the methodology. In this sense it becomes imperative to develop different instruments and adapt them to other types of urban green spaces.
Highlights
The evaluation of accessible and attractive green spaces is an integral part of urban quality of life (Herzele & Wiedemann, 2003), as the quantity, distribution and accessibility can be major contributions to the social and ecological functioning in urban environments (Barbosa et al, 2007)
Magalhães (1992) believes that the urban green space concept emerged after the post-industrial era, like a space that intents to create the presence of nature and rural components in the urban environment
Recent studies focus on issues of usefulness, attractiveness and accessibility, where the theme of "walkability", the compatibility of the urban environment with pedestrian habits as defined by Abley and Turner (2011), has increasingly being present, due to the contemporary need to search for sustainability and healthy life (Cambra, 2012)
Summary
The evaluation of accessible and attractive green spaces is an integral part of urban quality of life (Herzele & Wiedemann, 2003), as the quantity, distribution and accessibility can be major contributions to the social and ecological functioning in urban environments (Barbosa et al, 2007). It is imperative to evaluate the respective attractiveness and accessibility dynamics to increase the use, improve access and enhance their role and overall benefits in the urban environment. The importance of having green spaces nearby the residential areas and the positive association between close distance and increased use are mentioned in various health policies and urban planning guidelines, becoming a contemporary issue (Schipperijn et al, 2010), a theme with significant impact in governance priorities
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