Social Evaluation of Public Open Space Services and Their Impact on Well-Being: A Micro-Scale Assessment from a Coastal University
Landscape Architecture Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80210, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Rui Cunha Marques
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4372; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084372
Received: 12 February 2021
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Revised: 9 April 2021
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Accepted: 10 April 2021
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Published: 14 April 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Sustainable Urban and Rural Development)
Public open spaces services have been shown to be profoundly affected by rapid urbanization and environmental changes, and in turn, they have influenced socio-cultural relationships and human well-being. However, the impact of these changes on public open space services (POSS) remains unexplored, particularly in the Saudi Arabian context. This study examines the socio-cultural influence of POSS on the King Abdulaziz University campus, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the impact of these services on well-being. A field survey and questionnaire were used to collect data. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests) were used to find significant differences in the importance of POSS as perceived by stakeholders based on socio-demographic attributes. Factor analysis was performed for 14 POSS to identify those that are most important. The study showed that (i) university stakeholders are closely linked to services provided by public open spaces (POS) and dependent on POSS, (ii) there were significant differences in the perceived importance of POSS according to gender, age, and social groups, and (iii) 70 to 90% of stakeholders reported POSS as having a positive impact on well-being. Thus, the findings will help design and plan POSS to meet the needs of society and promote well-being.
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Keywords:
public open space services; socio-cultural evaluation; well-being; coastal city; KAU; environmental sustainability
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MDPI and ACS Style
Addas, A.; Maghrabi, A. Social Evaluation of Public Open Space Services and Their Impact on Well-Being: A Micro-Scale Assessment from a Coastal University. Sustainability 2021, 13, 4372. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084372
AMA Style
Addas A, Maghrabi A. Social Evaluation of Public Open Space Services and Their Impact on Well-Being: A Micro-Scale Assessment from a Coastal University. Sustainability. 2021; 13(8):4372. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084372
Chicago/Turabian StyleAddas, Abdullah, and Ahmad Maghrabi. 2021. "Social Evaluation of Public Open Space Services and Their Impact on Well-Being: A Micro-Scale Assessment from a Coastal University" Sustainability 13, no. 8: 4372. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084372
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