An integrated GIS approach for identifying new recreational sites in Riyadh

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that the city of Riyadh is faced with poor spatial distribution of recreational sites, with some areas having few or no recreational sites serving the current population. This is attributed to the increasing development within the city that has led to increased population growth and urbanization with little space left for recreational facilities. It is thus important to analyse the existing distribution of recreational sites and propose new recreational site locations using GIS. Applying GIS technology in spatial planning helps in solving equity problems of resources allocation and helps map the spatial location of various elements while placing various accompanying factors into consideration. This research aims to identify suitable locations where new recreational sites within the city of Riyadh can be set up using multicriteria decision analysis. The study determined the spatial distribution of existing recreational sites within Riyadh city by creating a geodatabase with entry from the existing recreational sites dataset. After generating the spatial distribution of existing recreational sites, the population density of the city was computed and compared with the distribution of the existing recreational sites within the city. The comparison reflects the current situation is used to identify areas in the study area that are underserved. It is found that the population and the recreational sites have a positive relationship in that the existence of events in an area. The research also performed an accessibility analysis to the recreational sites and identified areas with no or little access to the recreational sites and conducted suitability analysis and identify new sites for the establishment of new recreational sites. It was found that the west, east, north and south region have low recreational sites. A map was created to show the most suitable sites for the establishment of new recreational sites. Recommendations are made to the government and interested private agencies in urban planning based on the results.