Assessing Open Space in Scotland: Reliability and Construct Validity of the Open Space Scale

Abstract

The design of open spaces is the subject of interest when searching for solutions to promote well-being and a better quality of life for dwellers, especially those who live in urban areas. A user-friendly open space that meets the needs of an area has become a major concern in sustainable city design, environmental health, and psychological health. Thus, a universal scale that can be applied in different places is needed to study the different needs of different areas. This study systematically adapted the Open Space Scale previously developed in Hong Kong and assessed the reliability and constructed validity of the adapted version in Scotland; 535 samples from Edinburgh and Glasgow completed the revised version of the scale. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated a good model fit and factor loadings in the revised scale. Overall, the Open Space Scale-Revised demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties. In the future, this scale can be used with other scales for further analysis and more complex structural equation models. This scale can also be used in conjunction with other scales for various types of policy analysis to provide policymakers and urban planners with substantial data. For example, one can measure the influence of open spaces on physical and psychological health in an area, such as well-being and sense of belonging, to decide if it is required to improve or expand the proportion of open spaces in that area.