Sustainable Park Research Articles

Does Parking Type Preference Behavior Differ According to Whether It Is Paid or Free? A Case Study in Istanbul, Türkiye

Parking behavior depends on drivers’ choice of parking type and willingness to pay for parking. Generally, the parking type refers to off-street and on-street parking facilities. The main factors affecting the preference for parking types are driver, vehicle, travel, and parking characteristics. Understanding drivers’ parking type preference behavior and accurately modeling drivers’ tendencies helps develop sustainable parking management policies. This study examines the parking preferences of drivers in Istanbul with binary logit models according to whether they pay for parking. The results of the models show that the number of factors influencing parking type preference is higher for free parking than for paid parking, including driver, vehicle, travel, and parking characteristics. Moreover, some factors in the models affect drivers’ parking type preferences differently for paid and free parking. Namely, low-income individuals tend to use on-street parking when parking is free and off-street parking when it is paid. Conversely, individuals who drive small-size vehicles prefer off-street parking for free parking and on-street parking for paid parking. Individuals who prefer off-street parking for free parking expect shorter walking distances to the final destination and parking duration. On the contrary, individuals who choose on-street parking for paid parking anticipate shorter walking distances to the final destination and parking duration.

Inequity in Access to Sustainable Urban Parks in South Tucson, AZ

This study highlights the poor conditions of urban parks in South Tucson, a predominantly Hispanic area, and provides actionable solutions for enhancing equity in urban park access and quality. This was done by comparing the parks in the study area to the parks in East Tucson, an area predominantly Caucasian. The samples were selected using stratified random sampling. The case study method was used to make a comparison between three parks in south Tucson, namely Santa Rosa, Mirasol, and Ormsby Parks, and those in East Tucson, namely Roy P. Drachmann Agua, Morris K. Udall, and Michael Perry Parks. Findings show that parks in east Tucson had more amenities, were better maintained, were larger, and had a higher proportion of green spaces and more facilities than those in south Tucson. The author recommends that park authorities ensure that the parks in South Tucson are well-maintained and have enough amenities and green spaces to meet the needs of the residents. Also, the residents should collaborate to identify park development priorities to ensure they have a voice in creating sustainable parks in their communities. Lastly, the principles of environmental justice should be included as a criterion for the distribution and maintenance of public parks for underserved populations.

Sustainable Parking Innovations: Enhancing Security with IoT and Facial Image Recognition

Sustainable Parking Innovations: Enhancing Security with IoT and Facial Image Recognition

Large walking and wellbeing behaviour benefits of co-designed sustainable park improvements: A natural experimental study in a UK deprived urban area

There is little robust evidence of how sustainable park interventions impact on physical activity and other behaviours important for wellbeing. This controlled natural experimental study aimed to examine the effects of co-designing a sustainable park intervention, in a deprived UK urban area, on walking and other wellbeing behaviours.Behaviour observations were conducted at two intervention sites and two matched comparison sites (n = 4,783). Walking observations (primary outcome), wellbeing behaviours (vigorous, sedentary, social and take notice activities) and demographic characteristics were assessed at pre-intervention, and post-intervention (3 and 15 months). Outcomes were compared between intervention and comparison groups, controlling for pre-intervention using multilevel negative binomial regression models. Additional behaviour observations were conducted in two unchanged nearby sites to assess changes in general local activity. Intercept surveys (n = 623) assessed change in self-reported outdoor space usage at intervention and control areas.Post-intervention, walking increased 203 % at 3 months (IRR 2·03, 95 % CI 1·01-4·09) and 351 % at 15 months (IRR 3·51, 95 % CI 2·07-5·93), for intervention sites relative to comparison sites. Large increases for other wellbeing behaviours were also observed. The proportion of non-white persons increased substantially post-intervention, compared to comparison sites. Nearby unchanged sites showed little evidence of general increased activity. Self-reported outdoor usage increased more in the intervention sites (p=<0·001).Sustainable solutions can yield large increases in walking and wellbeing in deprived areas, especially where interventions are co-designed with residents. More collaborative and robust natural experimental studies like this are needed to better inform decision-makers how to maximise health and wellbeing outcomes from sustainable interventions.

Aesthetic gene and prospect of garden city from the perspective of Chinese dream

This study aims to delve into the impact of the Chinese Dream ideology on the development and aesthetic characteristics of park cities. Building upon their dialectical and unified relationship, it seeks to predict the evolutionary trajectory of urban modernization and methods to enhance residents' quality of life. Focusing on domestic cases of park city construction, the research employs innovative approaches such as on-site investigations, semi-structured interviews, and literature reviews. A distinctive contribution of this study is the introduction of the concept of "aesthetic genes," which is used to describe and interpret aesthetic elements and cultural features within park cities from five different perspectives. Furthermore, the research offers profound analyses from four distinct viewpoints regarding the future prospects of park city development in the new era. By organically integrating the Chinese Dream ideology with the concept of park cities, this study provides valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance in the fields of sustainable park city construction and urban aesthetics research.

Sustainability of Urban Parks: Applicable Methodological Framework for a Simple Assessment

Urban parks are central to advancing urban sustainability and improving overall quality of life by providing green spaces that promote physical and mental well-being, mitigate environmental issues, and foster community cohesion. However, there is a lack of methodologies that measure these benefits and provide a sustainability rating. In this study, we propose a valuable tool for measuring the sustainability level of urban parks: low (0–50%), medium (51–79%), and high (80–100%). It employs effective and affordable measures for the daily management of urban parks. It is rooted in the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. We have defined 19 indicators (e.g., renewable energy and energy efficiency, environmental impact on society) and 50 criteria (e.g., clean energy generation, water workshops). A multi-criteria analysis facilitated the selection process for these indicators and criteria. This methodology is developed by characterizing and systematically documenting the park’s day-to-day operations. We present a case study of Cárcamos Park in Guanajuato, Mexico. Through this real-life scenario, we demonstrate our methodology’s high applicability and effectiveness. The sustainability assessment of Cárcamos Park reveals a level of 57%, with the environmental pillar at 47.7%, the economic pillar at 49%, and the social pillar at 75%. The adaptability of our methodology during the design phase of new parks plays a crucial role in shaping sustainable park layouts. Park managers can apply our procedure to any park, evaluate their sustainability status, and detect areas of opportunity.

Student and senior views on sustainable park design and intergenerational connection: A case study of an urban nature park

Sustainable park design is a trend towards efforts to preserve natural resources and support quality of life for people of all ages. The aim of this study was to investigate how a sustainably designed and managed urban nature park in Colorado, USA is viewed and used by younger and older people and therefore understand the potential for intergenerational connection in these settings. Interviews with 21 seniors aged 65 – 85 years from a neighbouring senior living complex and walking tours with 36 students aged 6 – 14 years from the adjoining school investigate views and use of park features, including a lake that is transitioning into a wetland. The study adopts the theory of affordances as a framework to thematically analyse activity and experience opportunities for younger and older park users and investigate how urban nature park design can promote intergenerational connection through understanding the perception of shared affordances. Results reveal three significant themes for students: i) playing; ii) improving ones mood; and iii) learning. Significant themes for seniors were: i) exercising; ii) observing nature; and iii) meeting people. Where affordance themes converged between student and senior responses intergenerational connect opportunities emerged. These insights have implications for optimizing applied design and maintenance of urban nature parks for intergenerational health and wellbeing. The study advocates for city parks departments and landscape practitioners to implement environmentally sustainable landscape design and management strategies that afford and sustain intergenerational cohesion in urban nature parks.

Sustainable Parking Facility with Green Building Standards

This research focuses on designing a three-storey parking facility that adheres to the standards outlined in the Green Building Code. The aim of this project is to address the escalating issue of inadequate parking space within the City Hall Compound. Positioned behind the City Health Building, the parking facility is strategically located within the confines of the City Hall Compound. Numerous considerations come into play when devising the research design. These factors encompass the assessment of the construction site's condition, as well as elements such as the project's scope of work and cost analysis. These components collectively formulate a budgetary framework and construction timeline. In the process of developing this project, data pertaining to the land area and the volume of vehicles were amassed. These statistics played a pivotal role in the strategic planning and architectural design of the parking facility. The project's viability and accomplishment were subsequently evaluated. Upon analyzing the outcomes, the researchers determined that the parking facility effectively aligns with the principles of the Green Building Code, highlighting its commitment to sustainable materials and indoor environmental quality. Furthermore, owing to its capacity, the three-storey parking facility aptly addresses the parking space scarcity issue at the City Hall Compound.

Parks’ sustainability as a method to revive historical parks in Egypt

The role of urban development is to restore the ecological system by making parks more efficient and sustainable. The sustainability of historical parks is concerned with more than just conservation; as it contributes to the pillars of sustainability as well as restoring nature conservation areas. Furthermore, historic parks offer demands regarding how to fulfill modern visitors’ needs, since these needs have not been provided in the previous era, and these parks are frequently susceptible to deterioration. This research aims to apply potential strategies to revive abandoned historical parks in Alexandria, which are considered of a significant value to national and international heritage assets, due to their influence on the residents’ socio-cultural heritage. This aim is achieved through two main dimensions. The first one describes the development of restoring historical parks throughout the ages, identifies parks’ laws and charters, the investigation of parks, the reasons for parks' deterioration in Egypt, and the requirements for sustainable parks. The second one is an application of the strategic criteria to different international parks to measure the parks’ sustainability. This leads to an analysis of how these strategies can be implemented at Antoniadis Park. The research concludes that historical park restoration facilitates eco-friendly development by recognizing the sustainability pillars and their intersection.

A Comparative Study of Constructed Wetland Parks as a Model for Sustainable Parks

A Comparative Study of Constructed Wetland Parks as a Model for Sustainable Parks

Public response to the appearance of ecological urban park design: the battle between the ‘picturesque’ and the ‘messiness’

ABSTRACT Innovative landscape design of sustainable and resilient infrastructure needs public satisfaction and support. In the 1990s, a new type of urban park, called ecological or sustainable park, emerged to function as green infrastructure. Precedent research reiterated the affection for the picturesque of the Americans, and their opposition to this emerging ecological landscape which tends to look messy. This research investigated if the picturesque and the messiness also matter to Thais. The questionnaire gathered opinions of 315 respondents on the appearance of Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park—a pioneering ecological park in Bangkok. The results revealed respondents’ preference for the picturesque and resistance to the messiness and poor maintenance. The picturesque convention, cues to care tactic and knowledge about nature and ecology appeared to involve in their perception of the beautiful, natural and ecologically sustainable landscapes. The research suggested strategies for designing ecological urban parks in Bangkok, which are also applicable elsewhere.

Examining parking occupancy prediction models: a comparative analysis

Parking is a persistent challenge in urban areas, especially on college campuses, as limited parking spaces and increasing vehicular traffic are at the forefront of campus administrators’ concerns. Lack of parking availability leads to frustration among students, faculty, and staff and results in increased traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and reduced overall productivity. Accurate prediction of parking occupancy plays a vital role in optimizing parking resource allocation, minimizing congestion, and improving the overall campus experience. Thus, this study comprehensively analyzes parking occupancy predictions for a college campus garage, using several different models. The dataset spans from January 2022 to March 2023, providing insights into the models' performance for more than one year. The research aims to utilize random forest, decision tree, linear regression, and support vector regression (SVR) models and compare their effectiveness, using evaluation metrics such as root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and R-squared (R2). Random forest outperformed decision tree, SVR and linear regression models in terms of accuracy, as indicated by the lower MAE values. Additionally, random forest achieved a better classification performance, and a higher R2 suggests a stronger correlation between the predicted and actual occupancy values. Conversely, SVR displayed the weakest performance among the four models, with a high MAE and negative R2 value. The findings of this research will aid in improving parking management systems and contribute to the development of efficient and sustainable parking solutions on college campuses and in urban areas.

Sustainable Urban Agroecopark Development Plan for Optimizing Local Community Welfare and Preserving Traditional Agriculture Land at Padang Panjang City West Sumatera Province

Nature hilly area at Padang Panjang at West Sumatera Province is proposed to be sustainable agroecopark (SAEP) with dairy cow as main object. This urban recreation park is a healthy and educative outdoor space which is needed for accomodating new normal life type due to Covid 19 pandemic Study carried out on 3.2 Ha open space land at the city edge to create a conceptual park plan which could accommodate family leisure activity, increase local people welfare, and protect local landscape. Data and method of analysis used are descriptive analysis for site condition; RRA and CVM analysis for community acceptability. Published materials, site mapping and observation, survey and FGD were method of data collecting. Only 21% relatively flat area will developed as park actvities and facilities areas, and the rest hilly part will be preserved. Local community support SAEP development due to its positive impacts, and negative tourism impacts will be minimized by introducing sustainable park management model. Problems of job opportunity, forage supply and traditional agricultural land preservation will be solved with management of agriculture system of surrounding area. SAEP will be developed as interactive educational park in form of integrated farming within local nature and culture.

A review of digitalization and sustainability in parks and recreation indicators and thresholds research

Park and recreation researchers have integrated digitalization into visitor use assessments, aiming to provide managers with information to assist with decision-making and sustainability goals. Applying a management framework of objectives, indicators, and thresholds of quality guided by normative theory, researchers have explored how to define and manage sustainability in park and recreation settings since the 1960s. Digitalized presentations of indicators are more recent (1990s) and continue to advance this framework. A review of the contributions and transferability of these digitalized methods and contexts is necessary, considering both the increasing popularity of its application across parks, recreation, and tourism management and its potential to incorporate sustainability measures. We conducted a related systematic literature review, synthesizing 91 qualifying peer-reviewed articles sourced from thousands examined. In particular, we examined elements of context, digitalization, and sustainability. We found that the method has broadly advanced measuring indicators through varied application of visual, aural, and simulated conditions. However, results indicate that researchers have applied digitalization of indicators most often through research question-focused case study, in U.S. national parks, for social indicators and particularly “people at one time,” and without reference to monitoring. These constraints may limit the method's contributions toward sustainability. Digitalization facilitates sustainable park and recreation management by expanding the indicators examined and corresponding methods used and offers sustainable management strategies for concerns established and emergent. This systematic literature review can help enhance the robustness of this management framework and its transferability to the global context. Results from this investigation suggest that although park and recreation management agencies’ objectives are often broadly focused on sustainability, and visitor use and perceptions studies also focus on this general goal, this connection is not explicitly detailed in the majority of the sources examined. This provides opportunity for managers and researchers to discuss these connections further and ensure that practices related to sustainability (such as monitoring plans) are included across communications.

Development of comprehensive carbon footprint and environmental impact indicators for building transportation assessment

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to consolidate a set of indicators for assessing design and construction phase strategies for reducing operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. They will also estimate the quantity of operational GHG emission and its associated reduction over assessment period.Design/methodology/approachFive steps framework adopted include defining the purpose of the indicators and selection of candidate indicators. Others are defining the criteria for indicator selection, selecting and defining the proposed indicators. Relevancy, measurability, prevalence, preference, feasibility and adaptability of the indicator were the criteria used for selecting the indicators.FindingsThe study consolidated public transport accessibility, sustainable parking space, green vehicle priority, proximity to amenities and alternative modes as indicators for design and construction phase strategies. Transportation accounting and carbon footprint (CFP) and their associated reduction are indicators for operational GHG emission while plan and policy is an indicator for policymakers and stakeholders.Practical implicationsThe study shows that providing correct indicators for assessing direct and indirect GHG emission with easy to obtain data is essential for assessment of built environment. Stakeholder can use the indicators in developing new rating systems and researchers as an additional knowledge. Policy makers and stakeholders can use the study in monitoring and rewarding the sustainability and activities of building related industries and organisations.Originality/valueThe study was conducted at the Center for Energy and Industrial Environmental Studies (CEIES) Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia and utilises existing rating systems and tools, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and GHG protocol reports and guides and several other standards, which are open for research.

Exploring Stakeholder perspectives in protected areas and gateway communities: the case of aviation tourism growth in the Alaska Range

ABSTRACT As the primary method of accessing the south side of the Alaska Range, aviation plays a critical role in providing visitor access to some of the most spectacular regions of Denali National Park and Preserve. In recent years, flightseeing and glacier-landing tourism in Denali has grown considerably, bringing with it several benefits, impacts, and challenges being felt both within the national park and in the gateway community of Talkeetna, Alaska. This paper seeks to integrate sustainable tourism planning, stakeholder perspectives, and national park management using Talkeetna and Denali as a case study. Specifically, this research uses qualitative methods to document stakeholder-identified impacts of the growth in aviation tourism and considers local perspectives of tourism planning and management challenges. Results indicate that the impacts of growth in aviation tourism are being felt both within and outside the boundaries of the national park, demonstrating the need to consider the broader context of the complex tourism system affected by growth in aviation in the region. Findings also reveal that local stakeholders perceive several administrative challenges affecting the ability of the National Park Service to effectively manage impacts of aviation tourism, offering important insight into regional-scale tourism administration and potential future park management decisions.

Preserving Sustainability Gains of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of MIT Campus Commuting

COVID-19 profoundly affected how communities live, work, and commute. In particular, reductions in commutes caused reductions in commuter-related emissions. The pandemic also prompted businesses and institutions to consider longer-term adjustments, including work-from-home policies that continue beyond pandemic protocols. If properly evaluated and implemented, these policies may have long-term beneficial impacts in reducing commuter-related emissions. This work presents a case study of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus community, using data from a prepandemic transportation survey with responses from approximately 50% of the community, as well as data on the academic groups and home locations of the broader population. These data were used to estimate car commuter miles by various academic groups and to model and evaluate interventions in relation to reducing car commuter miles. The interventions include staff work-from-home policies, changes that increase use of alternative transit, and improving access to housing. The analysis used differences in how groups commute to inform the potential interventions. For example, there was an estimated 16% reduction in car commuter miles if staff worked from home 1 day/week on average (excluding service staff whose work is on-site), and the same estimated reduction could be achieved were just one staff group that is well-suited to working from home allowed to do so 2 days/week. This analysis is intended to establish groundwork for further studies to assess how potential campus policies and land use might affect sustainable transportation use and parking demand, as well as to provide a case study for other institutions considering similar changes.

Community participation in heritage tourism management of Sukhothai historical park

Purpose This study aims to examine community participation in cultural heritage management with regard to sustainable heritage tourism management in Sukhothai Historical Park (SHP) in Sukhothai Province. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative and quantitative research approaches were applied; in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 key informants, and 104 questionnaires were distributed among stakeholders and local communities. Findings The results revealed that sustainable park management has made a positive impact upon local economy, social and cultural conservation of the world heritage site. The Park Authority has developed and conserved archaeological sites with local community assistance, particularly for physical management, but it has not yet used archaeological heritage in the park for more benefits of tourism development. Research limitations/implications The results reveal that sustainable park management has made a positive impact on the local economy and social and cultural conservation of the World Heritage city. The Park Authority has developed and conserved archaeological sites with local community assistance, particularly for physical management, but it has not yet used archaeological heritage in the park for greater urban tourism development. Sustainable cultural heritage management in SHP is government-led, so community participation is based upon two-way communication in the form of “tokenism.” Practical implications Sukhothai is encouraged to find suitable mechanisms to facilitate multisectoral communication and development to jointly face the challenge of more visitors and urbanization. Originality/value Guidelines for enhancing community involvement in cultural heritage management of the park were proposed.

Eco- Parks: Sustainable Parks’ Role in Improving the City Image

Eco- Parks: Sustainable Parks’ Role in Improving the City Image

Concept of Balance in the Hindu-Balinese Community for Sustainable Tourist Park Spatial Planning

The rapid development of Bali tourism sector, especially in the tourist area of Lake Batur, lead to many changes in community cultural patterns. Several issues, such as the transition of space functions and the development of tourism designations, have not considered the environmental, economic, social and cultural conditions in the local area. Several regional policies were established in order to maintain the local wisdom of the Hindu-Balinese community and become the basis for organizing tourism in Bali. The availability of open space in a tourist attraction in an destination can be a supporting factor for tourists and local communities. This was a qualitative descriptive study. This method aims to obtain an in-depth description regarding the forms of local wisdom of the Hindu-Balinese community which contain the elements of balance which further be adjusted into spatial planning. A sustainable tourist park may be a site for the activities and interaction among local community, tourists, and also be able to become a forum for education regarding Balinese culture and the natural environment, both of which need to be preserved for the sustainability of Lake Batur tourist area which has a great potential in the development of tourism sector.