For purpose of evaluating the level of satisfaction with the park areas in Tae-gu Metropolitan City and investigating the perceptions of the residents as users about these parks, objectives of this study are to provide basic data for informing the pro...
For purpose of evaluating the level of satisfaction with the park areas in Tae-gu Metropolitan City and investigating the perceptions of the residents as users about these parks, objectives of this study are to provide basic data for informing the process of creating urban parks and providing foundations for rational urban greening initiatives.
In this research, survey questionnaires were administered to the on-site users as well as the off-site users (city dwellers). A duration of this study extends from April, 2001 to June, 2001 for 3 months.
Contents of questionnaires were divided into 3 groups : personal characteristics of respondents, satisfactions with the park areas of Taegu City as a whole and satisfactions with the park areas in the neighborhood of residency and perception of the users about park areas.
Main results of this study are as follows.
1. The level of satisfaction with city-wide park areas as a whole was low. In particular, The satisfaction with safety in the parks was rated low. Factors influencing the level of satisfaction were an overall quality of parks and the management of the facilities in the parks.
2. The level of satisfaction with neighborhood parks was lower than that of the city as a whole. The level of satisfaction with security in the local parks was rated the lowest, suggesting need for remedy.
Important variables that determine the level of satisfaction with the local parks were design of the parks facilities and the scenery of park spaces.
3. Chi-square analysis, conducted to study an effect of personal characteristics of users and the level of satisfaction with the parks, showed that there was no significant correlation between the level of satisfaction with the parks and users' gender and education backround.
However, correlation between the age and the level of satisfaction was highly significant.
4. The analysis of the perception of the parks in Taegu City among the residents, indicated that the function of passive recreation was the most valued of the functions in park spaces. Treed areas were considered as the most important component of the park areas. As for the park area organization, health and recreational components were considered the most desirable. In regard to the development and location of parks, needs for the conversion of small strips of lands into mini-parks and parks for relaxation was cited frequently.
5. Chi-square analysis of the relationship between the personal characteristics and the perception of the parks showed that the residents of the Dalseo District considered the function of the environment preservation as important, while the residents of the North District considered the function of passive recreational space as important.
An analysis of the relationship between the personal characteristics of users and the composition of parks showed that the longer the residency of the respondents, the more importance they attributed to the treed areas.
An analysis of the relationship between the composition of the park spaces and personal characteristics of various social segments showed that the residents of Dal-seo District and the North District favored health and recreational components in the parks.
Finally, an analysis of the relationship between the perception of priorities in regard to the development and location of the park spaces and the personal characteristics of various social segments showed that more educated respondents favored the creation of a large number of small neighborhood parks and green spaces and that the residents of Dal-seo District indicated preference for the creation of mini-parks and parks for relaxation from the conversion of small fragment of neighborhood lands.