The role of open space in urban neighbourhoods for health-related lifestyle

Lestan, Katarina Ana (author), Eržen, Ivan (author), Golobič, Mojca (author)

The research reported in this paper addresses the relationship between quality of open space and health related lifestyle in urban residential areas. The research was performed in the residential developments in Ljubljana, Slovenia, dating from the time of political and economic changes in the early nineties. Compared to the older neighborhoods, these are typically single-use residential areas, with small open spaces and poor landscape design. The research is concerned with the quality of life in these areas, especially from the perspective of the vulnerable users, like the elderly and children. Both depend on easily accessible green areas in close proximity to their homes. The hypothesis is that the poor open space quality affects their health-related behavior and their perceived health status. The research has three methodological phases: (1) a comparison between urban residential areas by criteria describing their physical characteristics; (2) behavior observation and mapping and (3) a resident opinion survey. The results confirm differences between open spaces of the selected residential areas as well as their relation with outdoor activities: a lack of outdoor programs correlates with poor variety of outdoor activities, limited to transition type, less time spent outdoors and lower satisfaction with their home environment. The survey also disclosed a strong influence of a set of socio-economic variables such as education and economic status on physical activity and self-perceived health status of people. The results therefore confirm the hypothesis especially for less affluent and educated; i.e., vulnerable groups.

• Language: English
• Keywords: urban green areas, neighborhoods, health related behavior, urban planning, vulnerable user groups, quality of life
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.08 - Published Scientific Conference Contribution
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty; MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2014
• Number of pages: Str. 6547-6570
• Numbering: Vol. 11, iss. 6
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-129223
• UDC: 712.25
• ISSN on article: 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph110606547
• COBISS.SI-ID: 7972729
• Publication date in RUL: 30.08.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1660-4601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1818965

Licences

• License: CC BY 3.0, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
• Description: You are free to reproduce and redistribute the material in any medium or format. You are free to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
• Licensing start date: 23.06.2014

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: odprti prostor, planiranje prostora, soseske, stanovanjska naselja, kakovost bivanja, zdravje

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency