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The aim of this study is to add to the emerging knowledge base in the UK and be of relevance to land use planners and all stakeholders in property taxation. Urban green open spaces are valuable environmental resources often associated with positive influences for quality of life and property value.

Using a hedonic pricing specification, this paper measures the proximate effect of public green space on residential property value. It examines the relationship between 3,854 residential sales transactions and public green spaces across the Belfast housing market gathered from Land and Property Services throughout the year 2011 showing the percentage effect on property value with respect to distance to public green spaces.

The results show that, ceteris paribus, urban green space has a significant positive impact on proximate residential properties sale price for the terrace and apartment sectors and that terrace and apartment property located closer to public green spaces achieved increases in sale price of up to 49 per cent. Adjacency to green open space produced significant property value premiums in only two of the four housing types analysed, with limited statistically significant proximate effects evident for the detached and semi-detached sectors, a finding which has important social and public policy implications.

A number of empirical studies have demonstrated that public green space, such as urban parks, have a positive impact on property values. However, there is a paucity of empirical research on this relationship in the UK. This study serves to address this gap by examining the effect of public green spaces on house price within the medium-sized regional city in the UK.

In parallel with industrialization and population growth, the need for housing areas in developing countries has also increased. Diminishing green areas in cities due to unplanned urbanization led people to search for new residential areas where they can meet with green and can satisfy their social and cultural needs.

Trabzon city is located on the East Black Sea coast of Turkey. By virtue of the concentration of settlement in the city center and the problems it has caused, the residential areas have been directed to the eastern parts of the city. Kaşüstü is one of Trabzon's new and popular residential and commercial areas. As the study area, 3 different site areas in Kaşüstü region located in the Yomra district in the east of Trabzon were determined.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the outdoor facilities and opportunities of different housing estates in Kaşüstü region. Outdoor activities, types of usages, preferences and requests of users in these areas were identified. Thus, outdoors in different housing estates in the same region and the usage types of these places were compared. In addition, new suggestions and alternatives for outdoor usage have been developed.

The residents of Baghdad city has been suffering from various issues, including poor social relations, low quality of life, as well as neglect of many public spaces and small parks. Therefore, there is a need to devise effective alternatives to compensate for the loss of large public open spaces so as to enhance the residents’ social interactions and other social activities. Having that said, this study identified the types and characteristics of public open spaces to enhance residents’ social activities in Baghdad city.

This study adopted the questionnaire survey method to gather quantitative data from 306 respondents based on the single-stage random procedure. The targeted population of this study refers to the residents of the Karkh district, the western part of Baghdad.

The study outcomes highlight the need to provide pocket parks with adequate characteristics to promote the residents’ social interactions in Baghdad city.

This study contributes by emphasizing the significance of establishing pocket parks for social interaction in Baghdad City.

The study shows a number of solutions related to pocket parks by studying the critical actionable attributes that can be embedded into new development, land-use policies, or to upgrade existing parks. The study may serve as a useful reference for urban and landscape planners, architects, social psychologists, the Municipal of Baghdad, and other interested researchers in this field.

Urban green spaces support people to approach active, healthy ageing, especially in high-density cities where they compensate for limited private living spaces. This research paper aims to examine how urban green spaces support active, healthy ageing by exploring correlations between behaviour, physical setting and gender difference among older people in a highly populated urban context.

Urban parks in older neighbourhoods of Macau were selected for data collection. Photographic documentation was used to collect data, with 1,201 older people photographed identified as valid samples. Each was coded according to labels of behaviour, physical setting and gender. Chi-squared tests were conducted to assess correlations between behaviours and features of physical settings, and differences between genders in behaviours and physical settings. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to further examine associations between older people's behaviours and features of physical settings by gender.

The research reveals types and frequency of behaviours displayed, preferred environmental features for different behaviours and gender differences in behaviours and preferred environmental features. Design principles targeting active, healthy ageing should consider particular amenities and street furniture, the arrangement of trees and landscapes and the integration of open and secluded places.

Previous studies address older people's behaviour from the perspective of either environmental influence or gender difference, but there have been few studies on gendered behavioural differences among older people in urban green spaces. Analysing the behaviour–physical setting–gender relationship provides more evidence in the field of built environment studies.

This paper probes into the relationship between Neighbourhood Parks and their efficiency as a potential stress reliever from the outdoor environment. It consists of the introduction to the relationship between stress and outdoor environment, background research on recent issues of Neighbourhood Park and it then continues with the context of perceiving Neighbourhood Park as a stress reliever. This paper looks into the previous studies that employed observations, survey, interviews and instruments as methods in proving Neighbourhood Parks as a potential stress reliever. Relevant findings were highlighted and recommendations for improving the design and planning were suggested to generate more quality living environment in the future.

Visual aesthetics are a vital aspect of environmental quality. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the implementation of visibility analysis and visual quality standards on a campus to enhance productivity and effectiveness.

This study has identified the most crucial and valuable metrics for evaluating the visual quality of open spaces through an analysis of theoretical foundations and relevant background information. To achieve research goal, a multi-method approach was employed, incorporating a survey, user satisfaction ratings and ISOVIST simulation techniques. Specifically, this study focused on assessing the quality of open spaces in three open areas located on the campus of the Iran University of Science and Technology.

Based on the study’s findings, the most significant factors that students considered when evaluating the visual quality of open spaces on the Iran University of Science and Technology campus were green areas, gathering spaces and architectural elements such as furniture, color and texture. Among the three open areas examined, “Open Space One” was identified as the most satisfactory location for students. According to the study, “sensory richness,” “complexity” and “mystery” were significant indicators of students' satisfaction in this area. This area also had the widest radius and field of view feasible, which gave it a feeling of openness and spaciousness.

This study explores the influence of students' experiences, behavioral patterns and visual analyses on their use of open spaces on university campuses, with a focus on the Iran University of Science and Technology. By assessing students' satisfaction levels with these spaces, this research provides valuable insights that can guide the initial analysis stage before the design process and facilitate design optimization during the development stages. The results highlight the importance of considering user experiences and visual analysis when planning and creating open spaces on university campuses.

Highlights

1. Conducting an initial analysis before developing a design plan can be very helpful in understanding how users think and behave.

2. The three criteria of visual quality that have the strongest correlation with students' satisfaction with “open space” are “mystery,” “sensory richness” and “complexity.”

3. Two factors, namely the “radius of vision” and the “area” index, significantly influence students' satisfaction with open spaces.

4. Outdoor designers should incorporate “green space” and “gathering spaces” into their designs since the presence of these is effective in attracting and satisfying students.

5. The number of people using an open space has little to do with how satisfied students are with it.

6. Half of the students use open areas between 11:00 and 14:00, so the provision of “canopy” and “shelter” in these spaces is essential.

Conducting an initial analysis before developing a design plan can be very helpful in understanding how users think and behave.

The three criteria of visual quality that have the strongest correlation with students' satisfaction with “open space” are “mystery,” “sensory richness” and “complexity.”

Two factors, namely the “radius of vision” and the “area” index, significantly influence students' satisfaction with open spaces.

Outdoor designers should incorporate “green space” and “gathering spaces” into their designs since the presence of these is effective in attracting and satisfying students.

The number of people using an open space has little to do with how satisfied students are with it.

Half of the students use open areas between 11:00 and 14:00, so the provision of “canopy” and “shelter” in these spaces is essential.

This chapter is the first of three analytical chapters which explore the research findings. Drawing on data gained through community guided walks and mental maps workshops, the chapter examines the diversity of everyday spaces in Comuna 13 and the practices of use the inhabitants develop in them. It establishes them as important social spaces, defined by their material configuration and the activities taking place in them. Streets, paths and stairs, front gardens, sports fields, play areas, squares, parks, green setbacks, leftover open spaces and leftover landscape are presented as the main categories of open spaces, some of them developed formally, while others established informally through the residents of Comuna 13, and some of them more publicly usable, while others more private. Additionally, other important community spaces mentioned in the data-gathering activities are portrayed.

This article explores the benefits of green exercise and open spaces for people living with dementia. These benefits are set within the existing general evidence base concerning well‐being and connection with nature. The scale of the social, economic and demographic challenges are outlined to enable potential opportunities to be identified. The benefits of green exercise, contact and connection with nature and open spaces for people with dementia and the current research gaps are identified. A case study of Dementia Adventure is highlighted, as are implications for practice.

This study examines the relationship between quality and quantity of open space in residential areas and the sense of community of Chinese older adults in Hong Kong.

A survey was conducted with 257 adults aged 55 and over in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. The quality of open space was assessed from four dimensions: social and recreational facilities, entrance, location and environment. Geographic information system (GIS) was used to evaluate the quantity of open space in terms of size and amount.

The result shows that the environment has a strong influence on the sense of community, while the quantity of open space does not. The results provide urban planners with evidence for open space planning in the future. Urban planners should consider building more people-oriented environment; such as green areas instead of merely increasing the size, amount and facilities of open space. The Hong Kong Government also needs to review the current standardised planning guideline in order to maximise the social connection of older adults.

This cross-sectional study tried to understand the relationship between the quality and quantity of open spaces and sense of community in Chinese older adults in Hong Kong. It is one of the few studies to simultaneously examine both the quality and quantity of open spaces when studying its relationship with sense of community.