Effect of Open Space Distribution on Spatial Accessibility and Park Management Costs in the Context of Urban Neighbourhoods

Abstract

Preserving open space in residential areas has been proven to have numerous physical and mental health benefits for the residents. Parks, playgrounds, and walking trails for pedestrians and cyclists are primary designed open spaces in a neighbourhood structured plan (NSP) that promote active living lifestyle regardless of a resident’s personal attitude towards fitness. The City of Edmonton has established a Municipal Reserve (MR) plan and strategy to allocate open green space for public recreational facilities in NSP. In the subdivision development process, 10% of gross developable land is allocated as MR, which is designated for public recreational facilities and school/park development. This study focuses on how accessibility to neighbourhood parks (MR) could be enhanced through the suitable distribution of MR. Spatial interaction index (SIx) for 18 case study neighbourhoods is assessed using a spatial accessibility model. Results show a skewed distribution of SIx in most cases. Hedonic pricing analysis for these neighbourhoods shows positive correlation of property value with MR. As the distance from well-developed MR with playgrounds or recreational parks increases by 1%, property value decreases by 1.02% for neighbourhoods located in the southwest region of Edmonton. The study also reveals that proximity to open space reserved as storm management facilities has a significant effect on the housing value (price elasticity is 1.5%) for the same neighbourhoods. A hypothetical neighbourhood design is created to simulate the effect of various policy scenarios on neighbourhood design. The results reveal that distributed design of MR increases the accessibility to this reserved public space, overall property value increases by $5,686,924, and the corresponding additional municipal tax revenue is $43,133. Cost analysis of park maintenance operation in the hypothetical design scenario reveals that this additional revenue is sufficient to recover annual park management costs. Also, mowing duration optimization is possible by using an alternative machine size in the case of the new hypothetical design.