Influences of the Accessibility and Availability of Green Spaces on the Liveability of Residential Complexes in Erbil City

Maysa Ghazi Thanoon¹ and Hamid Turki Haykal^1,

¹Department of Architecture, Salahadden University, Erbil, Kurdistam Region, Iraq

Cite this paper:
Maysa Ghazi Thanoon and Hamid Turki Haykal. Influences of the Accessibility and Availability of Green Spaces on the Liveability of Residential Complexes in Erbil City. American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture. 2020; 8(2):25-36. doi: 10.12691/ajcea-8-2-1

Abstract

Liveability refers to the quality of the urban environment in consideration of dwellers’ needs and expectations to increase the attractiveness of the urban environment and promote the overall quality of life. In the last couple of decades, the concept of liveability has been debated in urban studies. The Kurdistan-Iraq Region has witnessed the rise of new issues in terms of rapid urbanization and development. This study aims to assess the influences of the accessibility and availability of green spaces on a neighborhood’s liveability by combining a spatial analysis checklist and a questionnaire survey amongst residents to create an interrelated tool for comprehensively and reliably measuring liveability level. Consequently, ANOVA is used to explore the differences amongst respondents’ satisfaction with the characteristics of public open spaces that affect the liveability of the neighborhood. Moreover, a paired sample t-test is conducted to test the correspondence of measurement tools. Spatial analysis results indicate that inequalities exist between the cases in terms of the studied variables as they are present on the ground. This study also shows significant differences amongst respondents’ satisfaction with the two characteristics that affect the liveability of the neighborhood in the selected cases. Lastly, insignificant differences are found between objective and subjective evaluations, indicating a correspondence between the spatial analysis results of the accessibility and availability of green spaces and the satisfaction of residents.

Keywords:
Liveability Accessibility green spaces residents’ satisfaction

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