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

Abdullah Addas,Ahmad Maghrabi

doi:10.3390/su13084372

Abstract

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.

Highlights

Public open spaces (POS) are public or privately owned open spaces, green parks, playgrounds, and green parks [1,2,3,4]
The study mainly focuses on a socio-cultural evaluation of public open space services (POSS) and their impact on well-being on a micro-scale at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) located in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia (Table 1)
To analyze the importance of services provided by POS, respondents were divided into six age groups: 60 (14.47%)

Summary

Introduction

Public open spaces (POS) are public or privately owned open spaces, green parks, playgrounds, and green parks [1,2,3,4]. POS are mainly located in urban landscapes and are freely accessible to the general public [7]. These POS provide mental refreshment as well as opportunities for physical activities, such as walking, physical exercise, and leisure. They enhance social cohesion [3,5,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. Recognizing the potential impact of POS on mental and physical health and well-being, POS have recently been prioritized in urban planning as well as in public health research [5,8,20,21]

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Discussion

Conclusion