Exploration of Effective Spatial Performance of Accessible Neighbourhood Green (Ang), Including its Proportion and Standard Distance from User in Dhanmondi Residential Area, Dhaka

Abstract

Urban physical context can be analyzed across three key matrixes (3-P) among others i.e. place, path, and people. So, pragmatic analysis of spatial effective performances connecting 3-P, require provoking frequency of people’s experience. Acknowledging this issue, the demand for accessible neighbourhood green (ANG) at an appropriate distance becomes the primary concern to enhance the quality of life and liveability in a city. However, with the continued urban growth and densification, the discrepancy between the demand and supply of open space continues to vary requiring adjustments to remain responsive. The real-life circumstance results in a shortage of parks and open areas in terms of demand and supply within accessible distance in Dhaka city. This paper intends to examine this issue through the case of the planned Dhanmondi Residential Area (DRA) in Dhaka. Despite having provision of multiple open spaces in DRA, visitor’s frequency varies due to age and gender group accessibility conditions and varying distances. Considering existing spatial norms set by Detail Area Plan (DAP), Dhaka structure plan (DSP), and numerous research works on Dhaka open spaces, the major inquiry posed here is whether these open spaces are appropriate for DRA or not. Therefore, the objective of this paper focuses on examining the quality of the physical environment of Neighbourhood public open spaces termed here as accessible neighbourhood green (ANG) in DRA to examine their adequacy concerning proportion and distance synchronized with the frequency of visits. The initial part of the paper focuses on conceptualizing the problem vis-à-vis the existing scenario.  Surveys and interviews have been conducted to assess people’s perceptions in terms of comfort, accessibility, sociability, and user frequency aligned with proximity. The result indicates that the provision of one appropriate ANG within two or three standard blocks apart contribute to enhancing the quality of life for the city dwellers and their liveability.