Western Sydney Parklands is a corridor of 5500 contiguous hectares, the
largest urban park in the southern hemisphere and an extraordinary open
space resource.
PEOPLE AND PARKS: The Real Value of Open Space in Western Sydney
is a research project funded by a four year Australian Research Council (ARC)
Linkage Grant which sees the Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSW in partnership
with the Metropolitan Open Space Team, NSW Department of Planning.
The research project aims to understand and articulate how people value urban open
space in the 'heartland' of Western Sydney and to explore what makes different parks
special for different people. This project will assist innovative parkland planning
in the dynamic urban landscape of Western Sydney—home to almost 10 percent of the
Australian population. Throughout the various stages of this project, we will be
using quantitative and qualitative research techniques to gauge 'imageability' and
feelings of 'attachment' and 'connectedness' to the Parklands experienced by
residents of Western Sydney.
With our industry partner, The Department of Planning, we will be engaged in a
continual process of constructing new thematic layers for an existing Geographic
Information Systems database that will incorporate subjective values about open
space. This expanded understanding of feelings and connectedness will reveal shared
community values and enhance future planning and design of urban parklands.
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