Accessibility to and Availability of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) to Support Health and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—The Case of Bologna

Claudia De Luca, Andrea Libetta, Elisa Conticelli and Simona Tondelli
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Claudia De Luca: Department of Architecture, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40100 Bologna, Italy
Andrea Libetta: Department of Architecture, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40100 Bologna, Italy
Elisa Conticelli: Department of Architecture, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40100 Bologna, Italy
Simona Tondelli: Department of Architecture, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40100 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: In accordance with SDG N11.7, each city should work on providing “by 2030, universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities”. This target became even more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This paper presents and discuss a method for (i) assessing the current distribution and accessibility of urban green spaces (UGSs) in a city using hierarchical network distances; and (ii) quantifying the per capita values of accessible UGSs, also in light of the restrictions in place, namely social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methods have been tested in the city of Bologna, and the results highlight urban areas that suffer from a scarcity of accessible UGSs and identify potentially overcrowded UGSs, assessing residents’ pressure over diverse UGSs of the city in question. Based on our results, this work allows for the identification of priorities of intervention to overcome these issues, while also considering temporary solutions for facing the eventual scarce provision of UGSs and related health and wellbeing benefits in periods of movement restrictions.

Keywords: ecosystem services; spatial analysis; urban green areas; urban planning standard; ES supply and demand; green and blue infrastructure; distributional justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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