Speaker
Description
Urban green spaces, as sites of hope and aspiration, contribute to collective well-being, support ecological balance and biodiversity, and physical and mental health, social cohesion, and environmental justice (Chiesura, 2004; Kabisch et al., 2017). However, their uneven spatial distribution creates socio-spatial inequalities, negatively affecting disadvantaged communities and lowering overall quality of urban life (UN-Habitat, 2020). Urban planning and design strategies should adopt these spaces as agents of transformation to support fair access and enhance social cohesion and civic engagement, particularly by integrating community-driven design and participatory governance. This approach will promote accessibility, strengthen social ties, reduce disparities, and support sustainable urban transformation, thus becoming a tool to attain a livable urban future (Wolch et al., 2014; Gehl, 2011).
Based on TÜBİTAK-funded research (2019-2023), which evaluates spatial accessibility of urban green spaces in Ankara from the perspective of social sustainability and the right to the city. The research specifically analyzes socio-spatial inequalities by examining two types of urban green spaces: small green spaces (<5 hectares) and their accessibility in a 500-meter walking radius, and large green spaces (>5 hectares) and their accessibility in a 1,000-meter walking radius.
We mapped demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental variables in 378 neighborhoods and 2,195 urban green spaces in Ankara and identified disparities in urban green space accessibility using Geographic Information Systems. For assessment of spatial accessibility and relational impact of disparities, we used buffer zone analysis and regression models; key variables included building density, income levels, green space area (per 1,000 people), MAD1000 (Mean Angular Distance) (Cooper et al., 2019), and road network density. Our statistical analyses included factor and correlation analyses to determine primary components influencing green space accessibility. Next, we ran statistical analyses where our dependent variable, urban green space per capita, is related to these particular components.
The findings reveal significant socio-spatial disparities in the distribution of green spaces in Ankara. The first model, focusing on 2,119 small green spaces, indicated that areas with higher real estate values had better access, with a unit increase in average real estate value corresponding to a 0.498-unit increase in per capita green space. Housing and street network density (0.001) positively correlate with accessibility, indicating connected neighborhoods have improved green space access. However, lower-income areas remained disadvantaged, showing the link between socioeconomic status and green space distribution.
The second model analyzed 76 large green spaces, indicating that an increase in real estate value resulted in a 1.072-unit increase in per capita green space access. However, the model also highlighted the negative impacts of road network density (-6.478) and MAD1000 (-4.009) due to the proximity of large green spaces to rural areas with sparse, curvilinear road networks, which are used as proxies of spatial accessibility. Both models demonstrated moderate explanatory power, with R² values of 54% and 59.4%, respectively, confirming that economic factors, infrastructure, and urban form influence green space access. According to the models, wealthy neighborhoods have been identified as disadvantaged areas in terms of accessibility and walkability to public green spaces due to their urban morphological structure.
The study emphasizes a search for designing more inclusive and equally accessible urban green spaces, which is critical for more inclusive and participatory urban planning processes to address social equality (Wolch et al., 2014). Enhancing transportation infrastructure, integrating more small and large green spaces into disadvantaged neighborhoods, and developing policies responsive to community needs are essential to achieving social sustainability goals. These findings provide valuable insights for Ankara and other cities facing fast-paced growth. Equitable access to green spaces is fundamental to sustainable urban transformation, necessitating a paradigm shift in urban governance (Dempsey et al., 2011; United Nations, 2015).
References
Cooper, C., Chiaradia, A.J., Webster, C. (2019). Spatial Design Network Analysis(+), Cardiff University, www.cardiff.ac.uk/sdna/
Chiesura, A. (2004). The role of urban parks for the sustainable city. Landscape and Urban Planning, 68(1), 129-138.
Dempsey, N., Bramley, G., Power, S., & Brown, C. (2011). The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban social sustainability. Sustainable development, 19(5), 289-300.
Gehl, J. (2011). Life between buildings.
Geurs, K. T., & Van Wee, B. (2004). Accessibility evaluation of land-use and transport strategies: review and research directions. Journal of Transport geography, 12(2), 127-140.
Harvey, D. (2003). The right to the city. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27(4), 939-941.
Kabisch, N., Qureshi, S., & Haase, D. (2015). Human–environment interactions in urban green spaces—A systematic review of contemporary issues and prospects for future research. Environmental Impact assessment review, 50, 25-34.
Un-Habitat. (2020). World Cities Report 2020: The value of sustainable urbanization. UN.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations.
Wolch, J. R., Byrne, J., & Newell, J. P. (2014). Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’. Landscape and urban planning, 125, 234-244.
| Keywords | Urban green space accessibility; social sustainability; right to the city |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
