A complex landscape of inequity in access to urban parks: A literature review

Capitalism and Leisure Theory

This review examines disparities in access to urban green space (UGS) based on socioeconomic status (SES) and race-ethnicity in Global South cities. It was motivated by documented human health and ecosystem services benefits of UGS in Global South countries and UGS planning barriers in rapidly urbanizing cities. Additionally, another review of Global North UGS studies uncovered that high-SES and White people have access to a higher quantity of higher quality UGSs than low-SES and racial-ethnic minority people but that no clear differences exist regarding who lives closer to UGS. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to uncover (1) whether UGS inequities in Global North cities are evident in Global South cities and (2) whether inequities in the Global South vary between continents. Through the PRISMA approach and five inclusion criteria, we identified 46 peer-reviewed articles that measured SES or racial-ethnic disparities in access to UGS in Global South cities. We found inequities for UGS quantity (high-SES people are advantaged in 85% of cases) and UGS proximity (74% of cases). Inequities were less consistent for UGS quality (65% of cases). We also found that UGS inequities were consistent across African, Asian, and Latin American cities. These findings suggest that Global South cities experience similar inequities in UGS quantity and quality as Global North cities, but that the former also face inequities in UGS proximity.

Access to Urban Green Space in Cities of the Global South: A Systematic Literature Review

Green infrastructure (GI) has been identified as a promising approach to help cities adapt to climate change through the provision of multiple ecosystem services. However, GI contributions to urban...

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Challenges of mainstreaming green infrastructure in built environment professions

Setha Low, Dana Taplin, and Suzanne Scheld. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2005. 240 pp., halftones, maps, tables, and index. $50.00 hardcover (ISBN: 0-292-71254-5). In recent years, social sci...

Rethinking Urban Parks: Public Space and Cultural Diversity

A small income and the limited ability of the government and the formal business sector to provide sufficient employment opportunities to people in the economically active age categories are two of the main reasons for informal trading in South African cities. As a result, the informal street trading sector plays an important role in providing a security net for millions of the unemployed in the South African economy. However, informal street trading is not without problems. The aim of this article is to report on some of the opportunities and constraints faced by informal street traders in the central business districts (CBDs) of the four main metropolitan areas of South Africa.

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Opportunities and constraints facing informal street traders: Evidence from four South African cities

Within the context of territorial justice, geographical research has been focusing increasingly on service delivery (more specifically urban parks) in an effort to determine who benefits and why. Parks benefit people by providing a sustainable community and a higher quality of life. Apartheid planning left a legacy of inequality in park delivery, and even existing South African park literature dates back to the apartheid era, providing only limited scope, without any thorough analysis of community neighbourhood park (CNP) proximity to residents. Consequently, this paper provides a spatial analytical overview of the distribution of CNPs in the City of Cape Town (CoCT) by mapping CNP availability per socio-economic area, and determining CNP proximity alone and with certain capacity constraints. The most important literature pertaining to the application of geographic information systems to determine park proximity is also outlined. Results indicate that environmental injustice exists even today; although al...

A Flowmap-geographic information systems approach to determine community neighbourhood park proximity in Cape Town

Urban parks help enhance the value of urban settings and provide dynamic recreation facilities for citizens; however, environmental injustice is still noticeable throughout South Africa regarding the unequal distribution of urban parks. This article provides an overview of community neighbourhood park (CNP) conditions in five subsections of Mitchells Plain (Beacon Valley, Portlands, Rocklands, Tafelsig, and Woodlands). Results indicate that 18% of the respondents in Mitchells Plain have to walk further than the accepted norm of 15 minutes to reach CNPs. This negatively influences the CNP usage patterns, and the time spent in CNPs. The most important concerns influencing CNP non-use include safety and improper maintenance (mostly experienced in Portlands), and a lack of facilities and natural features (mostly experienced in Tafelsig). The ways in which CNPs can be improved echo the concerns for not visiting CNPs frequently. Significant policy implications for the City Parks Department are also discussed. Keywords : Park use; community neighbourhood parks (CNPs); CNP satisfaction; reasons for not visiting CNPs; environmental justice; Mitchells Plain

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Some perceptions and preferences of residents' use of community neighbourhood parks in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town

Living sustainably entails fulfilling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The need for leisure and recreation is one of the most essential higher-order needs, and local authorities can meet these needs through park delivery. The existing park literature in South Africa is limited in scope and dates back to the apartheid era, with little evidence pertaining to community neighbourhood park (CNP) use in townships. The aim of this paper is to determine the perceptions, preferences, needs and uses of CNPs in five black townships in Cape Town. Findings indicate that townships have few CNPs, which therefore require travelling greater distances by public transport for access. Due to a lack of private garden space, respondents visit CNPs regularly and spend more time there, participating in either active or passive recreation. The main concerns about CNPs include safety and maintenance, and a lack of CNP facilities. These concerns extend to the type of facilities that respondents want to develop in CNPs, to create their ideal setting.

Community Neighbourhood Park (CNP) Use in Cape Town’s Townships

The recent rise of China as a major global capitalist player has significantly affected those countries to which the Chinese have migrated, and South Africa has proved no difference. Little research was found pertaining specifically to the daily operation of Chinese shops in South Africa. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to fill this gap in our knowledge by providing an outline of the operational aspects associated with running Chinese shops in the city of Johannesburg and entrepreneurs’ perceptions and opinions of their business environment. The background information sketches a picture of the Chinese diaspora and the economic activities of Chinese immigrants in South Africa, while the literature review provides insights into the global nature of Chinese migrants as ethnic entrepreneurs and examines their patterns of economic activity in foreign countries. Questionnaire interviews were conducted with 500 respondents selected at random throughout the city of Johannesburg. The demographic results show that respondents have followed different trajectories to establish themselves in South Africa. Furthermore, results indicate that economic factors and ‘guanxi’ networks (close family and friend networks) are the most important aspects that influence and shape the general business profile of respondents. Despite trying circumstances, respondents remain innovative entrepreneurs who use their economic resourcefulness and guanxi networks to make a living in Johannesburg by adapting to local circumstances quickly. Important implications for better local government planning for Chinese communities and businesses in Johannesburg are also highlighted.

Lodene Willemse

Papers

Opportunities and constraints facing informal street traders: Evidence from four South African cities

A Flowmap-geographic information systems approach to determine community neighbourhood park proximity in Cape Town

Some perceptions and preferences of residents' use of community neighbourhood parks in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town

Community Neighbourhood Park (CNP) Use in Cape Town’s Townships

The Role of Economic Factors and Guanxi Networks in the Success of Chinese Shops in Johannesburg, South Africa