| Popis: |
Parks are embedded in our urban life, providing ecosystem services, health benefits, and social capital. However, not every community has access to urban parks, and many researchers and activists have questioned whether access is equitable across communities. The methods themselves, which determine equitable access, are inherently inaccessible because they utilize proprietary software which cannot be easily replicated. This study seeks to develop a framework to assess equitable access using open source spatial technologies, specifically Python and QGIS. This work addresses the following questions: 1) How is equitable access currently defined, and is this definition adequate at identifying those without equitable access?; 2) Are parks equitably accessible to vulnerable communities (e.g., children, the elderly, women, low-income households, ethnic minorities)?; and 3) Based on the definition of equitable access used in this study, which subsets of the population are not receiving access? Using Austin, Texas as a case study, it was found that less than half of Austin’s population lives within a quarter mile of a park (45.2%). Consistent with literature, in this study racial minorities (specifically, Hispanic and Latinx) and low-income communities had the greatest access to parks with 47% and 48.5% respectively. This study also determined that Austin’s north-central and south-central regions are most in need of parks. As such, park officials should focus on increasing access to those areas. The open-access framework created will provide practitioners with a quick method to identify demographics that are being served. This enables city planners and officials to understand demographic trends to better improve equitable access across their city. The open-access nature of the framework lends itself to the application of a variety of equity mapping and spatial injustice studies, such as the identification of transit and food deserts in metropolitan areas. |
