Public park behaviour in Da Nang: An investigation into how open space is used

Abstract

The provision of open space is seen as a feasible solution in mitigating the challenges of urbanization, which accommodates the daily leisure activities of residents and contributes to sustainable development. This study aims at understanding how users perceive open space in 29-3 Park in Da Nang, Vietnam. This understanding may help to adopt a better approach to development and improvements. More specifically, it focuses on identifying roles and attributes of the space and determining those elements which affect how users of the space gather, based on their perspective. Residents' behaviour parameters were identified and classified based on activities that occurred in this space, and were collected using a behavioural mapping survey method. The analysis of 20 in-depth interviews, and 287 questionnaires, show existing problems that need to be improved and detail 11 physical factors that have potential to impact on users’ satisfaction. These results may have the potential to play an important role in assisting designers and administrators to create successful open space in urban areas of Vietnam or other developing countries in the future. Keywords: Open space, Environmental behaviour, Behaviour mapping, Da Nang, 29-3 park