Investigate the spatial equity in the provision of urban parks

Abstract

Spatial equity is an upcoming research area, and the aim of spatial equity research is to ascertain whether the distribution of public services is equitable and correlates with observed socio-economic spatial patterns, (Talen & Anselin, 1998). The achievement of equity in the provision of urban public facilities is a significant goal to urban planners in the preparation of urban development plans, to improve the quality of urban environment. This study focuses on the city of Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia located in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, evaluating the spatial equity of the provision of urban parks. This is an initial attempt in evaluating the spatial equity of urban public facilities in a Sri Lankan context. In this paper, it attempts to highlight the importance of having an integrated equity measure, using accessibility as the core factor in achieving spatial equity in the provision of urban public facilities as planners have been unable to give a comprehensive evaluation for spatial equity in the provision of urban public facilities. Finally, spatial equity evaluation in the empirical study indicated that spatial equity of urban public facilities is more uneven for aggregated level than for the disaggregated level.