Management Of Public Spaces Research Articles

Crowdsourced Data for Physical Activity-Built Environment Research: Applying Strava Data in Chengdu, China.

The lack of physical activity has become a rigorous challenge for many countries, and the relationship between physical activity and the built environment has become a hot research topic in recent decades. This study uses the Strava Heatmap (novel crowdsourced data) to extract the distribution of cycling and running tracks in central Chengdu in December 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) and develops spatial regression models for numerous 500 × 500 m grids (N = 2,788) to assess the impacts of the built environment on the cycling and running intensity indices. The findings are summarized as follows. First, land-use mix has insignificant effects on the physical activity of residents, which largely contrasts with the evidence gathered from previous studies. Second, road density, water area, green space area, number of stadiums, and number of enterprises significantly facilitate cycling and running. Third, river line length and the light index have positive associations with running but not with cycling. Fourth, housing price is positively correlated with cycling and running. Fifth, schools seem to discourage these two types of physical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides practical implications (e.g., green space planning and public space management) for urban planners, practitioners, and policymakers.

Mobilizing legal expertise in and against cities: urban planning amidst increased legal action in Bogotá

ABSTRACT In the past decade, there has been a rise in legal action around urban policy and planning in Colombia. Legal expertise has been mobilized by a plethora of actors, including social movements, local politicians, neighborhood groups and individual citizens. This has resulted in legal experts and judges often dictating how social housing, transport corridors, public space, or waste management schemes ought to be implemented by municipal administrations. In this context, mayors and planners complain that the increasing involvement of the judiciary in urban planning drains local resources and undermines the power of mayors to set and implement the political agenda they were democratically elected to execute. In this article, we analyze the rise of legal action against urban planning in Bogotá and conclude by proposing a research agenda for socio-legal and urban scholars interested in further exploring the potential implications of the increasing mobilization of legal expertise in urban planning.

The Comparative Study on the Management Mode of the Street Vending in Hong Kong and Singapore

Street vending, one of the crucial livelihoods of poorer sections, persists in all cities; meanwhile, it brings increased social costs, like traffic congestion and public health, which becomes one of the main challenges of urban public space management. Adopted by the desk-and-computer research method, this paper would analyze the management measures of hawkers in Hong Kong and Singapore from a comparative perspective. It, therefore, suggests that city administrations need to safeguard the rights of hawkers and adopt a more people-oriented management style, so as to pursue a more inclusive urban ecology.

Differences in likelihood of use between artificial and natural turfgrass lawns

Parks in urban areas provide a range of significant benefits across natural and social systems. These critical urban green spaces and those who manage them are faced with balancing budgetary constraints, sustainability goals, and user requirements. Competing demands are exemplified in the difficulties faced in managing the dominant form of park vegetation: natural turfgrass lawns. Traditionally turfgrass lawns can have high input requirements (e.g., water and fertilizer), which may cause negative environmental effects if not managed properly. One proposed solution is the adoption of artificial turfgrass lawns which do not require the more intensive inputs of natural turfgrass lawns. However, park users’ perceptions of the equivalency of artificial and natural lawns across various use cases remain unknown. Thus, we surveyed adults in the United States to elicit responses on the most common uses of public lawn spaces, as well as specifically how likely they were to use artificial and natural lawns across various use cases using photos of each type. Overall, significant differences were found between participants' likelihood to use artificial lawns compared to natural lawns with small to moderate effect sizes across the majority of use cases. This work suggests that park users are generally more hesitant to use artificial turfgrass lawns compared to using natural turfgrass lawns. More work needs to be done on understanding specific reasons for why park users seem to prefer natural lawns across various use cases compared to artificial lawns. The current work generates several implications for decision making and management of public lawn green spaces: Higher favorability towards natural turfgrasses across many use cases should prompt managers to assess the suitability of low input turfgrasses to meet user preferences while addressing management, budgetary, and sustainability constraints and targets. Individuals utilize lawns for a wide variety of use cases. Park level observational surveys could be employed by public land managers and parks departments to assess use cases in any given park and/or park sub-area to better align management regimes with uses. Artificial turfgrass lawns could be used in specific contexts where constraints demand, such as sports fields where individuals held equally favorable views towards artificial and natural turf.

Public Open Space Vandalisation Trends and Transmutation Roots in South-Eastern Nigeria

This study addressed factors influencing public open space vandalisation trends and transmutation roots in South-eastern Nigeria. To achieve the aim of the study, the research considered: public open space vandalisation and reasons for vandalising public recreational open spaces. The research adopted field investigations method via case study approach which involved descriptive survey research design through field observation, questionnaire administration and oral interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data research methods were employed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of the study demonstrated that urban indifference and insensitivity contributed marginally to public recreational open space vandalisation and conversion in the sampled urban areas. Besides, vandalisation contributed immensely to increased loss of interest in public recreation as a result leads to disregard of public recreational open spaces. This prompted a high rate of conversion of public recreational spaces in South-Eastern Nigeria as the management abandoned some of the recreational spaces, with dissuading costs like obesity, boredom and insomnia. To resolve these abnormally, there is the need to engage in spatial services to both monitor and predict future occurrences in the management of public recreational open spaces in South-eastern Nigeria. Besides, the private sector should be encouraged to invest in open space operations in the sampled states. Key Word: Vandalisation, Public Open Space Management, Recreation, Open Space Conversion, Conversion Root

Study on the Construction and Management Mode of Public Cultural Space in the Transformation of Old Community by Social Capital*

With the continuous development of economy and society, the common prosperity of spiritual life has become an important part of promoting the realization of common prosperity, which is related to the happiness and sense of gain of the masses. There are problems in the construction and management of public cultural space in the transformation of old residential areas, such as shortage of funds and difficulty in operation. This paper studies the feasibility of social capital participating in the construction and management of public cultural space in the transformation of old residential areas through the "Jinsong Model" of Beijing and the "Qicai Community" of Hangzhou, and combines the "Jinsong Model " of Beijing and the "Qicai Community" of Hangzhou with complementary advantages. It is concluded that (1) strengthening the construction of "government-enterprise cooperation" and improving the level of cooperation; (2) The conclusion of building a digital service platform to reduce the time cost of all parties provides a reference value for the construction and management of public cultural space in the transformation of old residential areas and the management of other public affairs.

The Evolution of Sustainable Mobility and Urban Space Planning: Exploring the factors contributing to the Regeneration of Car Parking in Living Spaces

Strategies and actions to promote sustainable mobility must be based on the characterization of the mobility supply and the promotion of decarbonization policies (e.g. the management of public spaces). The presence of parkings, especially in urban areas, has a significant impact on the occupancy of physical spaces. In this framework, referring to the last decades and the recent pandemic, the paper focuses on the evaluation of influencing factors that have contributed to the changes of planned and designed parking spaces in urban areas. Parklets can support post COVID-19 (Phase 3) pandemics by improving the quality of public space and social distancing close to shops and activities, benefiting from this micro-urban regeneration. Moreover, they can be considered as an extension of the pavement and their implementation can encourage the reduction of private traffic by promoting soft mobility (i.e. walking and cycling). The article defines and highlights the features for the identification and planning of spaces where parklets can be implemented, to improve sustainability and support the post-pandemic recovery.

Privatization of public space: stakeholder analysis in shifting the function of public space case study in Kediri city, Indonesia

Infrastructure development must take into account the needs and safety of the people living around the area where the infrastructure will be built. Kediri is one of the cities in East Java that has experienced rapid development in the last ten years. The government is the main actor because the policy on the management of public space is in government agencies. This study aims to determine the shift in the function of public space and how the interests that exist in it. Using descriptive qualitative methods with three data collection techniques, namely interviews, observations and documentation to informants consisting of the Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Transportation, Street Vendors, and the general public. The result is a pattern of shifting the function of public space in the City of Kediri, consisting of three, namely the shift of the function of the sidewalk to a trading area, the shift of the function of the road to a parking area, the shift of the function of convenience to fulfillment of needs. In addition, there are three types of stakeholders that have been identified, namely key, primary and secondary. JEL Classification: R32, R53, R58

Tokyo, Japan – urbanistic hybridity in a networked metropolis

PurposeThis paper aims to identify relevant innovations in Tokyo’s spatial articulation of infrastructure, building and public space, intertwining large-scale networks with local scale urban fabrics, to inform urban management towards sustainable urban transitions.Design/methodology/approachThe research used a methodological combination of literature review, relevant case identification and analysis, on-site survey and photography, morphological interpretation through cartographic analysis and urban space and architectural redrawing and discussion under the conceptual framework.FindingsUnder Japan’s cultural construct, public/private thresholds are blurred and layered, defining a public space network which includes not only large-scale urban objects, such as railroad and commercial hubs but also small scale, hybrid and rather aweless forms of urban space, which can be of interest to the challenges of sustainable urban transition.Research limitations/implicationsAdaptations in urban management and design need to consider the multi-scalar embeddedness of urban networks in local fabrics, considering public space structure and socio-cultural specificities. Limitations to growth-oriented rationale require increasingly decentralized networks and more hybrid spatial configurations in buildings, infrastructures and public space.Originality/valueTokyo represents an example of how a network-dependent metropolis, accommodates highly adaptive, inconspicuous and decentralized forms of basic service provision with an impact on the perception, use and management of public space. The main argument lies in the potential that these spatial arrangements hold as references for contemporary urban management and design in what pertains to societal challenges, low-carbon transition and network optimization.

Mapping of Livability Assessment in Recreational Public Space: A Case Study of Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur

Livability and recreational spaces are considered important aspects of urban life. However, there appears to be a knowledge gap in the current field of study of livability, which is the absence of an assessment criteria that can be used to assess/evaluate livability specifically for recreational public spaces. This research aims to address this knowledge gap by devising a custom assessment criteria that can be used to assess livability for a recreational public space and applying it to the selected case study of Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, a popular recreational park in Kuala Lumpur. The custom livability assessment criteria is used through an online questionnaire that serves to gauge the park users’ satisfaction towards livability qualities and was able determine that Titiwangsa Lake Gardens can in fact be considered as a livable recreational public space because the assessment revealed that the majority of qualities exhibited by the park is contributing positively to its livability. This research has also identified ‘comfort’ and ‘visual aesthetics’ as two of the most important aspects of recreational space design for livability suggests reasons for this. The custom livability assessment criteria for recreational public space devised through this research serves to contribute to the field of livability studies and can be used as a guide or reference for better planning, management, and design of recreational public spaces in the future.

A methodology for managing public spaces to increase access to essential goods and services by vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to be used by the local authorities of a city in the planning and response phase of a disaster. The SDSS focuses on the management of public spaces as a resource to increase a vulnerable population’s accessibility to essential goods and services. Using a web-based platform, the SDSS would support data-driven decisions, especially for cases such as the COVID-19 pandemic which requires special care in quarantine situations (which imply walking access instead of by other means of transport).Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a methodology to create a web-SDSS to manage public spaces in the planning and response phase of a disaster to increase the access to essential goods and services. Using a regular polygon grid, a city is partitioned into spatial units that aggregate spatial data from open and proprietary sources. The polygon grid is then used to compute accessibility, vulnerability and population density indicators using spatial analysis. Finally, a facility location problem is formulated and solved to provide decision-makers with an adaptive selection of public spaces given their indicators of choice.FindingsThe design and implementation of the methodology resulted in a granular representation of the city of Lima, Peru, in terms of population density, accessibility and vulnerability. Using these indicators, the SDSS was deployed as a web application that allowed decision-makers to explore different solutions to a facility location model within their districts, as well as visualizing the indicators computed for the hexagons that covered the district’s area. By performing tests with different local authorities, improvements were suggested to support a more general set of decisions and the key indicators to use in the SDSS were determined.Originality/valueThis paper, following the literature gap, is the first of its kind that presents an SDSS focused on increasing access to essential goods and services using public spaces and has had a successful response from local authorities with different backgrounds regarding the integration into their decision-making process.

COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE DALAM KEBIJAKAN RUANG TERBUKA HIJAU PUBLIK DI KOTA MAGELANG

According to UU 26/2007 of Spatial Planning, the percentage of green open space in the city area is at least 30% of the total area of the city consisting of 20% public green open space and 10% private green open space. Until early 2021, the percentage of public green open space in Magelang City has only reached 16% of total area of Magelang City. This is because there are still limited human resources and finances. The government of Magelang City still dominates in the management of public green open space and doesn’ t empower other stakeholders. To accelerate the achievement of the target of public green open space in Magelang City need collaboration between government with private and civil society. The collaboration of them in the process of formulating, implementing, and evaluating public policies is known as collaborative governance. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify the stakeholders in the Public Green Open Space Policy in Magelang City, (2) to analyse the role of each stakeholders in the Public Green Open Space Policy in Magelang City, (3) to analyse Collaborative Governance in the Public Green Open Space Policy in Magelang City. In this study, the researcher used a qualitative descriptive approach with Collaborative Governance theory by Ansell and Gash. The result of this study indicate that (1) the stakeholders of Public Green Open Space in Magelang City are DPUPR, DLH, Bank Jateng, Bank Magelang, HK Mustika Gold, and civil society, (2) DPUPR has role as a policy maker and coordinator; DLH acts as implementer; private as facilitator; and civil society as users of Public Green Open Space, (3) collaborative governance in the Public Green Open Space in Magelang City has not gone well, collaboration between the government and the private is only carried out for a certain period of time and there is not sustainable collaboration.

Komunikasi Interpersonal Antara Koordinator Dan Anggota Pengelola Ruang Publik Terpadu Ramah Anak Kelurahan Galur Jakarta Pusat

Interpersonal communication between the coordinator and members has an important role in supporting performance, but conditions show that interpersonal communication between the implementers of the Galur Village RPTRA Manager still looks bad, this can be seen from the frequent misunderstandings in the process of carrying out tasks. Thus, the research question can be formulated, namely how is Interpersonal Communication Between Coordinators and Members of the Child Friendly Integrated Public Space Management (RPTRA) Galur Village, Central Jakarta Administration, and the aim is to find out the Interpersonal Communication between the Coordinator and Members of the Child Friendly Integrated Public Space Management (RPTRA) Galur Village, using descriptive qualitative research methods through observation and in-depth interviews with informants, namely the management members as the object of research. The results of the study show: a), there is still weak or lack of communication between the coordinator and the management members so that they become passive in interacting, b) there are obstacles, namely the lack of discussion space and regular meetings. The research suggestions to overcome the obstacles faced are by scheduling regular meetings, making capacity building/training training, increasing the capacity of members, and family gatherings to increase intimacy

Urban Populism and Politics (Study on Public Space Governance in Pangkalpinang City)

Physical development of public spaces was one of the priority programs during the Molen-Sopian administration as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Pangkalpinang for the period 2018-2023. The availability of public space in urban areas refers to the provisions for the distribution of the proportion of Green Open Space (RTH), namely 20% Public Green Open Space (RTH) and 10% Private Green Open Space (RTH). The City Government of Pangkalpinang is faced with the dynamics of urban politics which are colored by pros and cons issues related to the development of public spaces in Pangkalpinang City. This study aims to determine the role of the Pangkalpinang City government in striving for the arrangement and management of public space in the Pangkalpinang City area as well as exploring the factors that influence the implementation process. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. The results of this study indicate that the availability of public space in the form of Green Open Space (RTH) in Pangkalpinang City has not reached the minimum target required in accordance with the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW), which is 20% of the city area. The role of the Pangkalpinang City government in striving for the arrangement and management of public spaces in Pangkalpinang City includes regulators, facilitators, executors and dynamists. In the process of structuring and managing this public space, there are also three factors that influence, namely political will, the role of third parties, and budget availability.

Urban Populism and Politics (Study on Public Space Governance in Pangkalpinang City)

Physical development of public spaces was one of the priority programs during the Molen-Sopian administration as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Pangkalpinang for the period 2018-2023. The availability of public space in urban areas refers to the provisions for the distribution of the proportion of Green Open Space (RTH), namely 20% Public Green Open Space (RTH) and 10% Private Green Open Space (RTH). The City Government of Pangkalpinang is faced with the dynamics of urban politics which are colored by pros and cons issues related to the development of public spaces in Pangkalpinang City. This study aims to determine the role of the Pangkalpinang City government in striving for the arrangement and management of public space in the Pangkalpinang City area as well as exploring the factors that influence the implementation process. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. The results of this study indicate that the availability of public space in the form of Green Open Space (RTH) in Pangkalpinang City has not reached the minimum target required in accordance with the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW), which is 20% of the city area. The role of the Pangkalpinang City government in striving for the arrangement and management of public spaces in Pangkalpinang City includes regulators, facilitators, executors and dynamists. In the process of structuring and managing this public space, there are also three factors that influence, namely political will, the role of third parties, and budget availability.

Privatized public space in Johannesburg and Nairobi: unexpected opportunities for sociability in highly segregated cities

ABSTRACT Public spaces in the historic cores of Johannesburg and Nairobi are currently being reshaped by informality, neoliberal spatial practices, and fear. Historically, colonialism and apartheid denied the ‘publicness’ of such spaces. Critics lament that post-democratization privatization exacerbates urban fragmentation. Others highlight the failures of government to provide and maintain public space. This study reveals a tangled spectrum of user perceptions which this article captures through visualizing the ‘urban motif’. The findings suggest that the pluralization of public space management offers unexpected opportunities to foster arenas for multifarious forms of sociability in otherwise highly segregated cities.

Assessment of public open space management: case study of Siquijor Island, Philippines

Public open space or POS is an area for people to be accessed. The physical elements of POS offer many benefits in improving the quality of life: health, social interaction, and economic value. This paper outlined the different management practices, quality, stakeholder involvement, and current challenges of selected POS in Siquijor. The researchers conducted key informant interviews among key local government officials, individuals from various municipalities. Focused group discussion was employed to determine vital issues and concerns. Study reveals that several management approaches were utilized for the selected POS. In general, local government units or LGUs of various municipalities directly operate and monitor the well-being of POS. Volunteers from residents surrounding POS takes an active role in the maintenance aspect, while business entity, non-governmental organizations, schools are among other stakeholders who joined the LGUs in maintaining the POS. However, these POS are faced with several challenges such as rapid development which tends to reduce their functions, the limited budget, the diminishing public interest among others. This study recommends that local government units shall endeavor a more active role in the preservation of POS by introducing various programs and activities that ensure the sustainability of POS.

Exploring and limiting the ecological impacts of urban wild food foraging in Vienna, Austria

Wild food foraging in urban areas can have considerable benefits, but concerns have been raised by public authorities about its potential negative ecological impacts. In this study, our aim was to explore experts’ perspectives on the foraging practices that prevent, limit, or cause negative ecological impacts in urban areas, and how different levels of local ecological knowledge among foragers translate into the (non-)adoption of preventive or limiting measures. We conducted twenty-one semi-structured expert interviews with urban foragers, environmental educators, managers of public urban green spaces, open space planners and representatives of research institutions and non-governmental institutions in Vienna, Austria, and analysed the data using qualitative content analysis. A range of preventive, limiting, and damaging practices were reported as taking place at the same time. The ecological impact of foraging practices related to the selection of plant species and foraging locations, the quantities foraged, the foraging techniques applied, foraging dates and the care taken when foraging. The experts suggested that two different types of impacts can be harmful: first, urban foragers can cause negative ecological impacts to plant populations if they are not familiar with the species being foraged or with foraging in public urban green spaces; second, urban foragers can harm the integrity of public urban green spaces in foraging hotspots in particular. The biospheric versus utilitarian mindsets of urban foragers and their nature relatedness were also associated with the ecological impacts. We argue that medium and long-term measures to limit damage to urban plant populations should include population studies of plant populations observed to be at risk, clear legal frameworks for wild plant foraging, and a revitalisation of the declining traditional transmission of local ecological knowledge combined with comprehensive and innovative educational measures.

Understanding how multi-sensory spatial experience influences atmosphere, affective city image and behavioural intention

This article firstly emphasizes the perspective viewing public spaces as places where meaningful spatial quality, i.e., atmosphere, is generated through multi-sensory spatial experiences, secondly proves that atmosphere has a positive direct impact on affective city image, also a positive indirect impact on behavioural intention, and finally proposes strategies of designing, managing and representing architectures and urban spaces, for city image formulation and communication. Nanjing, a historical Chinese city eager to re-image, is chosen as the case area to testify the significance of multi-sensory spatial perception in shaping one's affection for a city. The study reviews the key dimensions composing multi-sensory experience in public spaces, also interviews 162 visitors and 201 residents. The results suggest that, for sustainable urban development, the design, management and promotion of iconic public spaces should holistically enhance people's haptic, audible and visual experience in motion to facilitate perception of atmosphere.

Cooperation of the Local Government and the Church in the Service of the Old People in Poznań.

About 148 thousand seniors live in Poznań and according to forecasts, this number will systematically increase. The cooperation of the local government, non-governmental organizations and the Church counteracts the social exclusion of this group of people and is a necessary condition for seniors to live in their environment as long as possible. The senior policy in Poznań is implemented in the areas indicated by the WHO: construction, public space management, transport, housing, social support, professional and social activation, counteracting exclusion, social support, health protection. The Center for Senior Initiatives, as a municipal unit, implements projects for seniors and cooperates with Caritas.