Urban parks are a vital element of the urban environment, playing a key role in enhancing the well-being of city residents. To ensure that citizens can fully benefit from the ecosystem services provided by these green spaces, it is essential that parks are located within close proximity to residential areas. This study examines pedestrian accessibility to urban parks in Lviv through the application of network analysis conducted in a GIS environment. Using population data, it calculates the share of the residents living within 400-meter and 800-meter walking distances to parks for each of the city’s 40 neighborhoods. The results reveal clear differences between short- and long-distance access, with significantly fewer neighborhoods having adequate park access within the shorter 400-meter range. The spatial distribution of park access highlights the disadvantaged position of peripheral areas, which is consistent with findings from previous studies in other countries. Additionally, a north-south divide within the inner city is identified, with southern neighborhoods offering more favorable conditions for residents.
Banakh, U., & Lozynskyi, R. (2024). (In)accessibility of green areas in the context of dense residential development (the example of Shevchenkivskyi district of modern Lviv). Society and National Interests, 8(8), 444–461. https://doi.org/10.52058/3041-1572-2024-8(8)-444-461 (in Ukrainian)
de Sousa Silva, C., Viegas, I., Panagopoulos, Τ., & Bell, S. (2018). Environmental justice in accessibility to green infrastructure in two European cities. Land, 7(4), 134. https://doi.org/10.3390/land7040134
Fasihi, H. (2019). Urban parks and their accessibility in Tehran, Iran. Environmental Justice, 12(6), 242–249. https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2019.0014
Kaufmann, T., Swapnil, V., Mansi, K., O'Brien, D. T., Shekel, T., Gabrilovich, E., Wellenius, G. A., Dijkstra, L. & Veneri, P. (2023). Comparing access to urban parks across six OECD countries. OECD Regional Development Papers No. 45. https://doi.org/10.1787/4d17ce4c-en
LUN City. (2019, March 27). Where in Kyiv is the closest to parks and garden squares? https://lun.ua/misto/ozelenennya
Niu, Q., Wang, Y., Xia, Y., Wu, H., & Tang, X. (2018). Detailed assessment of the spatial distribution of urban parks according to day and travel mode based on web mapping API: A case study of main parks in Wuhan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(8), 1725. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081725
Phillips, A., Plastara, D., Khan, A. Z., & Canters, F. (2023). Integrating public perceptions of proximity and quality in the modelling of urban green space access. Landscape and urban planning, 240, 104875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104875
Shyshchenko, P. H., Havrylenko, O. P., Tsyhanok, Ye. Yu. (2021). Accessibility of green spaces in the conditions of a compact city: case study of Kyiv. Visnyk of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, series "Geology. Geography. Ecology", 55, 245–256. https://doi.org/10.26565/2410-7360-2021-55-18 (in Ukrainian)
State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Main Statistical Office in Lviv Region. (2022). The population of Lviv Region. Demographic yearbook. https://www.lv.ukrstat.gov.ua/ukr/publ/2022/ZB1920220101.pdf
Sturm, R., & Cohen, D. (2014). Proximity to urban parks and mental health. The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 17(1), 19–24.
Urban Development Platform. (n.d.). Research-based division of Lviv into neighborhoods based on the study. http://urbanua.org/ideyi-i-proekty/miski-proekty/155