Performance Assessment Indicators for Comparing Recreational Services of Urban Parks

Yang Yang, Zhifang Wang and Guangsi Lin
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Yang Yang: Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
Zhifang Wang: College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Guangsi Lin: Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: Parks can offer varied services to human well-being, including recreational services (RS); however, there is insufficient understanding of park differences concerning the actual performance of their varied RS. To fill this gap, this study aimed to develop a set of performance indicators as a tool for comparing the functional efficacy of RS among different parks. The indicators covered three aspects of RS: recreational usage of various physical activities, their recreational satisfaction level and the collective performance rating. These indicators were applied in a case study of four parks in Guangzhou, China, based upon on-site observation and a questionnaire survey. The functional difference of these indicators was compared and the collective indicator was found to be able to effectively capture different efficacies of urban parks in supporting varied RS. Results show all the parks were far from reaching the maximum performance of designed RS, so it is worthy of consideration by urban managers to further improve their RS efficacy. In addition, the overall spatial design and configuration were inferred to be essential for improving the RS efficacy of urban parks, but not park size nor ornamental vegetation. The findings offered valuable evidence for the optimal spatial design and management of urban parks.

Keywords: urban park management; cultural ecosystem services; evaluation indicator; high-performance landscape; park use; recreational physical activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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