Appraisal of public park accessibility in South African cities

Underutilisation of public parks in the residential areas of South African cities is a challenge. Although accessibility, environmental and social factors are argued to be some of the challenges for the utilisation of parks, the challenges of accessibility – particularly in the residential areas of cities are least explored. This study examined the most important accessibility factors that influence the use of public parks and how the utilisation of public parks can be improved in the residential areas of South African cities. For this purpose, a case study was performed by using Bloemfontein city of South Africa. Findings suggest that the ratio of road network to pedestrian facilities network, the number of access streets to the parks, size (in area) of parks and the level of illumination in the parks during evening periods are the major variables, which to a varied extent influence the utilisation of parks. An optimal level of number of access streets to the parks, proportionate pedestrian facilities on the roads providing access to parks and appreciable illumination will enable significant improvement in the utilisation of parks in the residential areas of South African cities.