A GIS-Based Analysis of the Public Open Space Distribution and Accessibility in Gurugram City, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23917/forgeo.v38i2.4759Keywords:
GIS, Network Analysis, Public Open Spaces, Urban PlanningAbstract
The rapid pace of urbanization and increasing urban density in India has led to critical concern about the sustainability and livability of urban environments. In the city of Gurugram, public open spaces (POS) like parks and playgrounds are limited, highlighting the problem regarding their availability and accessibility. This study analyzes the current distribution of POS in the city of Gurugram at the ward level and compares the existing situation with national planning guidelines. It also aims to identify the population served by POS and the areas deficit in POS provision. The analysis reveals a deficit in per-capita POS at the city level, which stands at 3.14 m2 and shows high variability across different wards. A significant gap in the provision of housing area and neighborhood level POS was observed. The accessibility index calculated using Geographic Information System (GIS) based network analysis, reveals uneven access patterns across the city, with five wards lacking POS accessibility for residents, located primarily in central and southern-central areas. None of the wards of the city had all of its area serviced by POS, and only six wards had above 50 percent of the population residing in area serviced. These findings emphasize the need for strategic interventions to ensure universal access to POS, aligning with the sustainable development goals for urban areas.
Downloads
References
Beck, H. (2009). Linking the quality of public spaces to quality of life. Journal of Place Management and Develop-ment. doi: 10.1108/17538330911013933.
Bennet, S. A., Yiannakoulias, N., Williams, A. M., & Kitchen, P. (2012). Playground accessibility and neighbourhood so-cial interaction among parents. Social Indicators Research, 108, 199-213. doi: 10.1007/s11205-012-0062-4
Bhalla, P., & Bhattacharya, P. (2015). Urban Biodiversity and Green Spaces in Delhi: a case study of new settlement and Lutyens’ Delhi. Journal of Human Ecology, 52(1-2), 83-96.
Brenner, N., Marcuse, P., & Mayer, M. (2009). Cities for people, not for profit. City, 13(2-3), 176-184. doi: 10.1080/13604810903020548
Byrne, J., Sipe, N., & Searle, G. (2010). Green around the gills? The challenge of density for urban greenspace planning in SEQ. Australian Planner, 47(3), 162-177. doi: 10.1080/07293682.2010.508204
Census of India. (2011). Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, New Delhi, India.
Chan, E. (2023). Government-driven commodification of public space: The case of Kwun Tong Promenade, Hong Kong. Cities, 134, 104204. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104204
Cohen, D. A., Inagami, S., & Finch, B. (2008). The built environment and collective efficacy. Health & Place, 14, 198–208. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.06.001
Comber, A., Brunsdon, C., & Green, E. (2008). Using a GIS-based network analysis to determine urban greenspace ac-cessibility for different ethnic and religious groups. Landscape and Urban Planning, 86(1), 103-114. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2008.01.002
Cutts, B. B., Darby, K. J., Boone, C. G. & Brewis, A. (2009) City structure, obesity, and environmental justice: an inte-grated analysis of physical and social barriers to walkable streets and park access, Social Science & Medicine, 69(9), 1314–1322. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.08.020
Dadvand, P., Bartoll, X., Basagaña, X., Dalmau-Bueno, A., Martinez, D., Ambros, A., ... & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (2016). Green spaces and General Health: Roles of mental health status, social support, and physical activity. Environment International, 91, 161-167. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.02.029
Das, D. (2008). Urban quality of life: A case study of Guwahati. Social Indicators Research, 88, 297-310. doi: 10.1007/s11205-007-9191-6
Dhar, M. (2022) Projection of district-level annual population by quinquennial age-group and sex from 2012 to 2031 in India, IIPS, Mumbai, India.
Di Masso, A. (2015). Micropolitics of public space: On the contested limits of citizenship as a locational practice. Jour-nal of Social and Political Psychology, 3(2), 63-83. doi: 10.5964/jspp.v3i2.322
Dony, C. C., Delmelle, E. M., & Delmelle, E. C. (2015). Re-conceptualizing accessibility to parks in multi-modal cities: A Variable-width Floating Catchment Area (VFCA) method. Landscape and Urban Planning, 143, 90-99. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.06.011
Francis, J., Giles-Corti, B., Wood, L., & Knuiman, M. (2012). Creating sense of community: The role of public space. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(4), 401-409. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.07.002
Gehl, J., et al. (2011). Cities for People. Planning News, 37(4), 6-8.
Giles-Corti, B., Broomhall, M. H., Knuiman, M., Collins, C., Douglas, K., Ng, K., Lange, A., & Donovan, R. J. (2005). In-creasing walking: how important is distance to, attractiveness, and size of public open space? American Jour-nal of Preventive Medicine, 28(2), 169-176. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2004.10.018
Gupta, K., Roy, A., Luthra, K., & Maithani, S. (2016). GIS based analysis for assessing the accessibility at hierarchical levels of urban green spaces. Urban forestry & Urban Greening, 18, 198-211. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2016.06.005
Gururani, S. (2013). Flexible Planning: The making of India’s 'Millennium City' Gurgaon. Ecologies of Urbanism in In-dia: Metropolitan Civility and Sustainability. Hong Kong University Press, 119–142. doi: 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139767.003.0005
Haaland, C., & van Den Bosch, C. K. (2015). Challenges and strategies for urban green-space planning in cities under-going densification: A review. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 14(4), 760-771. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2015.07.009
Hadavi, S. & Kaplan, R. (2016). Neighborhood satisfaction and use patterns in urban public outdoor spaces: Multidi-mensionality and two-way relationships. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 19, 110-122. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2016.05.012
Holy-Hasted, W., & Burchell, B. (2022). Does public space have to be green to improve well-being? An analysis of pub-lic space across Greater London and its association to subjective well-being. Cities, 125, 103569. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103569
Hug, S. M., Hartig, T., Hansmann, R., Seeland, K., & Hornung, R. (2009). Restorative qualities of Pindoor and outdoor exercise settings as predictors of exercise frequency. Health & Place, 15(4), 971-980. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2009.03.002
Hunter, R. F., Cleland, C., Cleary, A., Droomers, M., Wheeler, B. W., Sinnett, D., ... & Braubach, M. (2019). Environmen-tal, health, wellbeing, social and equity effects of urban green space interventions: A meta-narrative evidence synthesis. Environment International, 130, 104923. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104923
Johnson, A. J., & Glover, T. D. (2013). Understanding urban public space in a leisure context. Leisure Sciences, 35(2), 190-197. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2013.761922
Kamble, T., Bahadure, S., & Punglia, S. (2022). Availability and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces in a High-Density City: The Case of Raipur, India. The Professional Geographer, 74(2), 290-303. doi: 10.1080/00330124.2021.2007495
Kaur, N., Kaur, M., Padhi, S. S., & Singh, K. K. (2022). Geospatial analysis of the distribution of urban green spaces: a study of four Indian cities. Cities & Health, 6(3), 443-459. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2021.1941722
Konijnendijk, C. C. (2023). Evidence-based guidelines for greener, healthier, more resilient neighbourhoods: Introducing the 3–30–300 rule. Journal of Forestry Research, 34(3), 821-830. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-022-01523-z
Koohsari, M. J. (2011). Access to Public Open Space: Is Distribution Equitable Across Different Socio-Economic Areas. Journal of Urban and Environmental Engineering, 5(2), 67–72. doi: 10.4090/juee.2011.v5n2.067072
Kuta, A. A., Odumosu, J. O., Ajayi, O. G., Zitta, N., Samaila-Ija, H. A., & Adesina, E. A. (2014). Using a GIS-Based Net-work Analysis to Determine Urban Greenspace Accessibility for Different Socio-Economic Groups, Specifically Related to Deprivation in Leicester, UK. Civil and Environmental Research, 6(9), 12-20. Retrived from https://repository.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/2456
Lahoti, S., Lahoti, A., & Saito, O. (2019). Benchmark assessment of recreational public Urban Green space provisions: A case of typical urbanizing Indian City, Nagpur. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 44, 126424. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126424
Lin, B., Meyers, J., & Barnett, G. (2015). Understanding the potential loss and inequities of green space distribution with urban densification. Urban forestry & Urban Greening, 14(4), 952-958. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2015.09.003
Maas, J.,Van Dillen, S.M.E, Verheij, R.A., Groenewegen, P.P. (2009). Social contacts as a possible mechanism behind the relation between green space and health. Health & Place 15(2): 586–595. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.09.006
Manojkumar, N., & Srimuruganandam, B. (2021). Health effects of particulate matter in major Indian cities. Interna-tional Journal of Environmental Health Research, 31(3), 258-270. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2019.1651257
Mavoa, S., Koohsari, M. J., Badland, H. M., Davern, M., Feng, X., Astell-Burt, T., & Giles-Corti, B. (2015). Area-Level Disparities of Public Open Space: A Geographic Information Systems Analysis in Metropolitan Melbourne. Ur-ban Policy and Research, 33(3), 306–323. doi: 10.1080/08111146.2014.974747
McEachan, R. R., Yang, T. C., Roberts, H., Pickett, K. E., Arseneau-Powell, D., Gidlow, C. J., Wright, J., & Nieu-wenhuijsen, M. (2018). Availability, use of, and satisfaction with green space, and children's mental wellbeing at age 4 years in a multicultural, deprived, urban area: results from the Born in Bradford cohort study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 2(6), e244-e254. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30119-0
McKinsey & Company. (2010). India’s Urban Awakening: Building Inclusive Cities, Sustaining Economic Growth. Retrived from https://www.mckinsey.com/ ̃/media/McKinsey/ Global Themes/Urbanization/Urban awakening in India/MGI_Indias_urban_awakening_executive_summary.ashx.
Mehtani, P. C. (2012). Growth, development and sustainability of cities: A case study of Gurgaon (Doctoral Disserta-tion). University of Delhi, India.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. (2020). Ease of Living Index 2020. Retrived from https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/final_web_ease_of_living_report_2020_.pdf
Mitra, P. (2013). Open space shrinking, city gasps for breath. The Times of India. Retrived from http:// timeso-findia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Open-spaceshrinking-city-gasps-for-breath/articleshow/20188789.
Moroni, S., & Chiodelli, F. (2014). Public spaces, private spaces, and the right to the city. International Journal of E-Planning Research, 3(1), 51-65. doi: 10.4018/ijepr.2014010105
Nasution, A. D., & Zahrah, W. (2018). Quality of Life: Public open space effects. Asian Journal of Environment-Behaviour Studies, 3(10), Article 10. doi: 10.21834/aje-bs.v3i10.319
Paquet, C., Orschulok, T. P., Coffee, N. T., Howard, N. J., Hugo, G., Taylor, A. W., Adams, R. J., & Daniel, M. (2013). Are accessibility and characteristics of public open spaces associated with a better cardiometabolic health? Landscape and Urban Planning, 118, 70-78. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.11.011
Pearce, J., Witten, K., & Bartie, P. (2006). Neighbourhoods and health: a GIS approach to measuring community re-source accessibility. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60(5), 389-395. doi: 10.1136%2Fjech.2005.043281
Peters, K. (2010). Being together in urban parks: Connecting public space, leisure, and diversity. Leisure Sciences, 32(5), 418-433. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2010.510987
Peters, K., & De Haan, H. (2011). Everyday spaces of inter-ethnic interaction: the meaning of urban public spaces in the Netherlands. Leisure/Loisir, 35(2), 169-190. doi: 10.1080/14927713.2011.567065
Phillips, A., Plastara, D., Khan, A. Z., & Canters, F. (2023). Integrating public perceptions of proximity and quality in the modelling of urban green space access. Landscape and Urban Planning, 240, 104875. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104875
Pramanik, S., Butsch, C., & Punia, M. (2021). Post-liberal urban dynamics in India–The case of Gurugram, the ‘Millen-nium City’. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 22, 100504. doi: 10.1016/j.rsase.2021.100504
Pretty, J., Peacock, J., Hine, R., Sellens, M., South, N., and Griffin, M. (2007). Green exercise in the UK countryside: Ef-fects on health and psychological Well Being, and implications for policy and planning. Journal of Environ-mental Planning and Management, 50, 211–231. doi: 10.1080/09640560601156466
Sathyakumar, V., Ramsankaran, R. A. A. J., & Bardhan, R. (2019). Linking remotely sensed Urban Green Space (UGS) distribution patterns and Socio-Economic Status (SES)-A multi-scale probabilistic analysis based in Mumbai, India. GIScience & Remote Sensing, 56(5), 645-669. doi: 10.1080/15481603.2018.1549819
Seeland, K., Dübendorfer, S., & Hansmann, R. (2009). Making friends in Zurich's urban forests and parks: The role of public green space for social inclusion of youths from different cultures. Forest Policy and Economics, 11(1), 10-17. doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2008.07.005
Shahfahad, Kumari, B., Tayyab, M., Hang, H. T., Khan, M. F., & Rahman, A. (2019). Assessment of public open spac-es (POS) and landscape quality based on per capita POS index in Delhi, India. SN Applied Sciences, 1, 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s42452-019-0372-0
Shen, Y., Sun, F., & Che, Y. (2017). Public green spaces and human wellbeing: Mapping the spatial inequity and mis-matching status of public green space in the Central City of Shanghai. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 27, 59–68. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2017.06.018
Singh, K. K. (2018). Urban green space availability in Bathinda City, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 190(11). doi: 10.1007/s10661-018-7053-0
Singh, P. (2019). Shrinking Urban Green Spaces: A Problem beyond Urbanization in India. Policy Change Initiative. Re-trieved from https://pciindia.in/shrinking-urban-green-spaces-a-problem-beyond-urbanization-in-india/
Sugiyama, T., Francis, J., Middleton, N. J., Owen, N., & Giles-Corti, B. (2010). Associations between recreational walking and attractiveness, size, and proximity of neighborhood open spaces. American Journal of Public Health, 100(9), 1752-1757. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.182006
Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation Guidelines. (2014). Ministry of Urban De-velopment. Volume I. Retrieved from https://mohua.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/URDPFI%20Guidelines%20Vol%20I(2).pdf
Van Herzele, A., & Wiedemann, T. (2003). A monitoring tool for the provision of accessible and attractive urban green spaces. Landscape and Urban Planning, 63(2), 109-126. doi: 10.1016/S0169-2046(02)00192-5
Verma, P., Singh, R., Bryant, C., & Raghubanshi, A. S. (2020). Green space indicators in a social-ecological system: A case study of Varanasi, India. Sustainable Cities and Society, 60, 102261. doi: 10.1016/j.scs.2020.102261
Wan, C., Shen, G. Q., & Choi, S. (2021). Underlying relationships between public urban green spaces and social cohe-sion: A systematic literature review. City, Culture and Society, 24, 100383. doi: 10.1016/j.ccs.2021.100383
Wartmann, F. M., Stride, C. B., Kienast, F., & Hunziker, M. (2021). Relating landscape ecological metrics with public survey data on perceived landscape quality and place attachment. Landscape Ecology, 36, 2367-2393. doi: 10.1007/s10980-021-01290-y
World Health Organization. (2022). Global Status Report on Physical Activity. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/physical-activity/global-status-report-on-physical-activity-2022
Ye, J. (2019). Re-orienting geographies of urban diversity and coexistence: Analyzing inclusion and difference in public space. Progress in Human Geography, 43(3), 478-495. doi: 10.1177/0309132518768405
Yung, E. H., Langston, C., & Chan, E. H. (2014). Adaptive reuse of traditional Chinese shophouses in government-led urban renewal projects in Hong Kong. Cities, 39, 87-98. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2014.02.012
Downloads
Submitted
Accepted
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Asmita Kanav, Jitendra Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
