BEYOND PROXIMITY: AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF ACCESSIBILITY FOR PUBLIC PARKS

This article aims to critically analyse the concept of accessibility in the academic literature with the end goal of developing a new integrative framework for defining and measuring accessibility. Access to urban public facilities such as parks and green space is alleged to contribute to community well-being, as well as the development of social capital and inclusive neighbourhoods. Accessibility, however, is a complex concept difficult to define but much harder to measure. Our analysis indicates that while accessibility has been developed as a multidimensional construct, its measurement has been limited to its physical and temporal dimensions, leaving other relevant factors such as social conditions and personal constraints, largely unexplored. We argue for the relevance of these latter factors to realistically assess accessibility to urban public facilities. We present an alternative concept of accessibility, which is an integrated model of park accessibility containing both spatial and non-spatial dimensions and propose that this model be used to facilitate future research into more effective public facility delivery.