Assessing the Availability, Accessibility, and Distribution of Public Open Spaces: A Case Study of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), cities such as Riyadh face many challenges, including those related to public health. Public open spaces (POS) can play a central role in promoting community health by accommodating passive and active daily activities in these cities. However, these valuable resources may not be readily available, accessible, or well-distributed among all urban communities. This study aims to evaluate the availability and accessibility of POS and their distribution in the neighborhoods of Riyadh. Several studies have highlighted the importance of availability, accessibility, and other factors in the planning and distributing POS. The distribution of open spaces across various social and spatial domains has also been a subject of concern. Three research objectives are considered. The first objective is to measure the existing levels of availability and accessibility of POS in the neighborhoods. The second is to explore the availability and physical accessibility of POS based on neighborhoods' socioeconomic status. The third is to investigate the POS availability and physical accessibility among Riyadh's neighborhoods based on urban development periods before and after 1953 (old and modern neighborhoods). POS availability is defined as POS areas per person which was measured by calculating the total of POS areas with respect to the total population within a geological area. POS accessibility is defined as the ease with which people can reach POS by walking. To study differences among Riyadh’s neighborhoods, we focused on the 400 meters network distance from the POS. Spatial and socioeconomic data were collected from Riyadh’s official government websites. POS was defined as urban community parks that meet the criteria of being public, free, accessible, and developed. The neighborhoods in Riyadh were sampled to investigate the availability and accessibility of POS according to the three objectives. All POS were mapped and evaluated using the geographical information systems (GIS). We used a One-way ANOVA to test the differences between the social and spatial groups. The findings demonstrated that POS availability in Riyadh is low, and POS accessibility is limited, with variations in their distribution. Across 137 neighborhoods, there is an average of 1.65 m2 of POS per person, which does not meet the minimum WHO standard of 9m2, nor did not reach 3.1m2 per person, as seen in the comparable local example of Dubai. The findings revealed that the high-income neighborhoods were higher in the availability of POS compared to medium and low-income neighborhoods. Finally, the findings show that the neighborhoods developed before 1953 had lower POS availability than those developed after 1953, and there is a statistically significant difference. Our findings show that POSs accessibility is limited. Only a third or less of Riyadh’s population resides within good or average access coverage of POS. In contrast, two-thirds of Riyadh’s population live in places with poor POS coverage. This study proposes several recommendations and suggestions to improve the availability and accessibility of POS. These practical and constructive solutions focus mainly on three dimensions: administrative and political, design, and user-related activities and programs in public spaces. Future research opportunities are identified. However, a challenge remains in acquiring comprehensive social and spatial data and enabling access to such data and tools.