Your favourite park is not my favourite park: A participatory geographic information system approach to improving urban green and blue spaces—a case study in Edinburgh, Scotland

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Access to urban green and blue spaces (UGBSs) has been associated with positive effects on health and wellbeing; however, the past decades have seen a decline in quality and user satisfaction with UGBSs. This reflects the mounting challenges that many UK cities face in providing appropriate public facilities, alongside issues such as health inequalities, an ageing population, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. At present, little is known about the preferences of different population subgroups and, specifically, the UGBSs they visit and the spaces they avoid. Using a public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS), the overall aim of the research presented here was to investigate the preferences of different population subgroups in urban areas, and the UGBSs they visit, using Edinburgh, Scotland as a case study. We created a baseline visitor demographic profile for UGBS use, and highlighted how visitors perceive, physically access, use, and engage with UGBSs. The results revealed considerable variation in UGBS preference: one person’s favourite UGBS may be
one that someone else dislikes and avoids. It is clear that adapting UGBSs to suit local communities should not be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. The conflicting views and preferences of different groups of respondents point to the importance of developing policies and park management plans that can
accommodate a variety of uses and experiential qualities within individual parks. PPGIS approaches, such as those utilised in this study, offer opportunities to address this issue and provide evidence to increase equitable UGBS usage.
Original languageEnglish
Article number395
Pages (from-to)1-28
Number of pages28
JournalLand
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Mar 2024

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • urban green and blue space
  • community engagement
  • co-production
  • public participation
  • spatial analysis

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