Does the Urban Park Provision Fit the Social Needs of the Community? Evidence for Semarang City, Indonesia

Abstract

Urban Park is a green open space in the form of social facilities that play an essential role in improving the quality of life of urban communities. This study aims to determine the categories of urban park services that can fit the community needs in Semarang City, Indonesia, covering locations of observation: Simpang Lima Park, Indonesia Kaya Park, Pandanaran Park, Banjir Kanal Barat Park, and Sri Gunting Park. Data were obtained by using a semi-open questionnaire from 100 park users. The analysis process used a scoring technique and hypothetical score category. The results showed that urban park services were in the “medium’ category. It can be seen from the assessment of 17 ideal urban park variables, dominated by the “medium” category (335<=X<397). They are completeness of the facilities, quality of facilities, types and the number of trees, suitability of the distance between spaces, park cleanliness conditions, clean air quality, wind, and sun direction orientation, parks’ use for social interaction, and users’ interest to promote the parks. These results indicated that urban park services were not yet maximum in fitting the community needs. This study is expected to be used for evaluation and input for future urban park planning.