The Planning and Utilisation of Green Spaces in South Africa: Potchefstroom as a Case Study

Jeeva, Zaakirah and Gumbo, Trynos (2023) The Planning and Utilisation of Green Spaces in South Africa: Potchefstroom as a Case Study. LET IT GROW, LET US PLAN, LET IT GROW. Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Resilient Smart Green and Blue Cities. Proceedings of REAL CORP 2023, 28th International Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 727-737. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

Public green spaces, commonly known as parks, play an important socio-psychological, physical and ecological role within cities. They support active lifestyles, promote citizenships, reduce air pollution, decrease heat island effects and support environmental sustainability. However, previous studies have found that the quality of parks within settlements fluctuates depending on their location relative to the Central Business District (CBD) and wealth of residents. This variation in quality (supply of park area or facilities) effects the utilization (potential demand) of parks, which in turn reduces the benefits, derived from these spaces. This paper sought to investigate the quality and utilization of parks in Potchefstroom, South Africa. It explored 3 different parks in 3 suburbs on the basis of the wealth and racial history of the suburb. Qualitative data was collected at each park through semi-structured interviews to determine its utilization, and an observation study was used to determine the park quality. The analysis indicated that there are marked discrepancies in the quality of neighborhood parks between suburbs previously designated for different racial groups. However, the utilization was not determined by the quality of the neighborhood parks, with poor quality parks in previously disadvantaged areas being used more frequently. The study“s findings shed light on the green inequality of South African cities and calls for further intervention to bring in green equality.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Green Inequality, Green spaces, Distributional Justice, Sustainability, South Africa
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Depositing User:	REAL CORP Administrator
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2023 10:55
Last Modified:	04 Oct 2023 17:26
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/1062

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