A Methodological Approach for Creating Urban Commons of Wellness in Public Open Spaces in the City of Chania

To investigate the wellbeing factor within the urban context, the authors developed a methodological process for understanding and recreating the term “wellness” focusing on the public open spaces of the city. Using as case study the city of Chania, this research firstly proposes the assessment of four well-being indicators in specific areas of the city linking their effect on people's disposition and then uses the generated data for the redesign of public open spaces in terms of strengthening urban prosperity, with a comprehensive six-step methodology that combines participatory processes and methods based on GIS technologies. This chapter is structured into three main sections as follows: the first section elaborates on the research questions and justification of methods used, the second proceeds with the analysis of the proposed methodology while the third section highlights its overall assessment. Finally, some concluding remarks are expressed for further research.

Visual quality of Banjir Kanal Timur riverbank as a public open space in the city (Case study: Banjir Kanal Timur Jakarta)

The availability of public open spaces in urban areas is very urgent at this time, especially considering the need for public open spaces that can be used by urban communities, both as social areas and sports recreation. The existing condition along the canal edge requires improving the visual quality so that it can be used as a public open space. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the riverbank, as well as increasing the visual appeal to form public open spaces without reducing the ecological quality of the land and waters of the canal. The analysis method uses scenic beauty estimation, semantic, differential to assess the visual quality at 10 capture points of the coastal riverbank landscape and those with a value less than - 20 have a low or poor visual quality value. In general, the riverbank has a moderate visual quality value because it has not been used properly. The final result of this research activity is as a reference for improving the visual quality of Banjir Kanal Timur, thus creating a Public Open Space according to standart, safe, comfortable regulation for social interaction, sports recreation, education and concern for the ecological and hydrological aspects of the city.

ACCESSIBILITY EVALUATION OF THE TRANSIT PLAZA OF TANAH ABANG STATION ACCORDING TO USERS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

- Visual impairment is a term given to someone who does not have healthy vision. To fulfill their daily life needs, people with visual impairment tend to depend on the facilities in public open spaces. Accessibility that should support people with visual impairment in using public transportation facilities is often poorly maintained. This kind of condition could lead to fatal consequences to the safety of persons with disabilities. Options linked to accessing public open spaces for people with visual impairment become limited due to the lack of facilities. The refurbishment has been done at Tanah Abang Station by providing a transit plaza for users that is connected to various public transportation facilities, which enables easy and comfortable navigation. This has become an opportunity, to build better public facilities that are accessible to all users, including for people with visual impairment. Through this effort, the transit plaza should be able to serve as a public space that is beneficial for people with visual impairment, so there are more possibilities to ensure their quality of life. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the transit plaza can provide accessibility for people with visual impairment. The method used is qualitative and data collection was carried out through literature studies, field surveys as well as interviews and simulations with people with visual impairment. The results conclude that the accessibility value referring to technical requirements indicates that the transit plaza sufficiently complies with accessibility standards regarding public open spaces. This value is compared to the experience of people with visual impairment . This study found that there are some differences from the aspect of convenience according to the people with visual impairment's point of view. The mobility in the transit plaza is considered easy and safe by people with visual impairment. When they had to determine direction or orientation, people with visual impairment who were not familiar with transit plaza still had difficulties to navigate independently. When facing these situations, blind people adapted by relying on abilities other than their sight as an alternative. Transit plaza could provide universal convenience for users by accommodate accessibility that can not only encourage the independence of the people with visual impairment, but also support comfort and safety of individuals without visual impairment. Keywords: Visual impairment, accessibility, transit plaza

The landscape concept of environment in Taman Gajah Mada Medan

Taman Gajah Mada is an outdoor recreation landscape located on Jalan Gajah Mada Medan, North Sumatra. Residents around Medan use this landscape to carry out sports activities. Usually, Taman Gajah Mada is visited by visitors in the morning and evening. Visitors who come in the morning usually come to just exercise. Meanwhile, visitors who come in the afternoon typically sit around enjoying the afternoon atmosphere in this beautiful and clean garden. This study was qualitative, and the ethnography method was applied to collect and analyze the data. The analysis also deliberated the unity of multidiscipline landscape architects and landscape anthropology to explain the use of outdoor recreation in Taman Gajah Mada. This literature becomes a reference for research on the concept of public open space at Taman Gajah Mada to maintain cultural originality in the use of roars in the landscape. This study indicates three public open spaces, namely the buffer zone, transition zone, andcore zone. These three public open spaces can be grouped into two based on their function and purpose: general and special public open spaces. The general public open spaces such as transition zoneand core zonecan be utilized and used by the entire community, while special ones such as the Buffer Zone are buffer areas.

POLA PEMANFAATAN ALUN-ALUN SEBAGAI RUANG TERBUKA PUBLIK DI KOTA MAGELANG

Alun – alun kota Magelang merupakan salah satu ruang terbuka publik sekaligus Landmark Kota yang sering dikunjung oleh banyak orang, dimana banyak orang melakukan kegiatan sosial, ekonomi, dan berwisata. Setting lingkungan yang ditawarkan pada ruang terbuka publik mempengaruhi bagaimana pelakunya berkegiatan. Adanya kegiatan atraksi wisata, kuliner, permainan anak, dan olahraga menimbulkan adanya pola pemanfaatan ruang yang terjadi pada kawasan tersebut. Pola yang terebentuk didominasi oleh pelaku dan aktivitas yang menimbulkan intensitas kepadatan pada area tertentu. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah teknik behavioral mapping yang bertujuan untuk menggambarkan pola pemanfaatan ruang didalam sebuah peta kemudian mengidentifikasi frekuensi pelaku dan aktivitas yang dilakukan serta menunjukan kaitannya dengan setting lingkungan yang ditawarkan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pola pemanfaatan ruang pada area tertentu kemudian memberikan berupa usulan desain yang dapat menunjang kegiatan pelaku dan aktifitas pada alun – alun Kota Magelang. Hasil temuan yang didapat adalah dapat diketahui bahwa, intensitas pemanfaatan ruang tertinggi terdapat pada setting fisik dancing fountain sebagai atraksi wisata yang dapat dinikmati oleh semua kalangan pengguna pada periode waktu akhir pekan.THE PATTERN OF UTILIZING THE PLANES AS A PUBLIC OPEN SPACE IN MAGELANG CITYMagelang City Square is one of the public open spaces as well as a City Landmark that is often visited by many people, where many people carry out social, economic, and tour activities. Environmental settings offered in public open spaces affect how the perpetrators carry out activities. The activities of tourist attractions, culinary delights, children's games, and sports have led to a pattern of spatial use that occurs in the area. The formed pattern is dominated by actors and activities that cause density intensity in certain areas. The analytical method used is the behavioral mapping technique which aims to describe the pattern of spatial use in a map, then identify the frequency of actors and activities carried out and show their relation to the environmental setting offered. The purpose of this study is to determine the pattern of space utilization in a certain area and then provide a form of design proposals that can support the activities of the actors and activities in Magelang City Square. The findings show that the highest intensity of space utilization is found in the physical setting of the dancing fountain as a tourist attraction that can be enjoyed by all users during the weekend.

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN FASILITAS INSTRUKTUR RUANG TERBUKA PUBLIK DI TEPIAN SUNGAI MUSI

Abstrak Keberadaan ruang terbuka publik ditepian sungai Musi, Palembang belum dapat dimanfaatkan secara optimal, seperti area pelataran 7 Ulu di Kawasan Kampung Kapitan yang sepi pengunjung. Pemanfaatan fungsi tepian sungai menjadi ruang terbuka publik tidak dibarengi dengan pembangunan fasilitas infrastruktur yang memadai. Melalui penelitian ini akan dikaji mengenai kebutuhan fasilitas, tingkat pelayanan dan nilai ekonomis pengembangan fasiltas di area pelataran 7 Ulu. Untuk dapat mengetahui apa saja yang perlu ditingkatkan, diperlukan pengamatan terhadap setting fisik dan aktivitas, pembobotan fasilitas eksisting berdasar kriteria waterfront design character dengan metode skala likert, analisis tingkat pelayanan pelataran dan kebutuhan fasilitas dengan metode level of service. Nilai investasi dari fasilitas yang ditambahkan dianalisis menggunakan net present value, payback periods, internal rate of return dan depresiasi. Dari analisis nilai investasi diketahui bahwa perencanaan fasilitas dermaga wisata, kulinery, papan iklan menjadikan perencanaan fasilitas 7 Ulu layak investasi. Peningkatan terhadap standar pelayanan umum seperti pencapaian menuju pelataran, fasilitas-fasilitas penunjang dan keamanan musti kontekstual dengan karakter kawasan sehingga penataan pelataran dapat mendukung kawasan pelestarian 7 Ulu. Kata kunci: Fasilitas, Ruang Terbuka Publik Abstract The existence of public open space on the banks of the Musi river, Palembang has not been used optimally, such as the 7 Ulu courtyard area in the Kapitan Village area which is empty of visitors. Utilization of the function of river banks into public open spaces is not accompanied by the development of adequate infrastructure facilities. Through this research, it will be studied about the need for facilities, service levels and the economic value of developing facilities in the courtyard area of ​​7 Ulu. To be able to find out what needs to be improved, it is necessary to observe the physical setting and activities, the weighting of the existing facilities based on the waterfront design character criteria using the Likert scale method, analysis of the level of service in the yard and the need for facilities using the level of service method. The investment value of the added facilities was analyzed using net present value, payback periods, internal rate of return and depreciation. From the analysis of the investment value, it is known that the planning of tourist pier facilities, culinary, and billboards makes the planning of the 7 Ulu facility worthy of investment. Improvement of public service standards such as reaching the courtyard, supporting facilities and security must be contextual with the character of the area so that the arrangement of the courtyard can support the 7 Ulu conservation area Keywords: Facilities, Public Open Spaces

Improving the Elderly’s Mental Health by Using Public Open Spaces in Disadvantaged Urban Neighborhoods: Tehran, Iran

Background: Today, the beneficial impact of public open spaces(POS) on the mental and physical health of the elderly is considered worldwide. However, the knowledge about these effects on the mental health of older adults in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, especially in developing countries, is still insufficient.Methods: This study investigates the relationship between POS use and the mental health status of elderly residents in the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Tehran, the capital of Iran. The data on the frequency of use of public open spaces and the health status include ten items collected from 420 older adults of disadvantaged neighborhoods in District 10 of Tehran. We used exploratory factor analysis to explore the main factors of the elderly mental health in the disadvantaged neighborhood. Finally, the multivariate multiple regression model was used to determine the relationship between the frequency of POS use and mental health status among older seniors.Results: These ten items identified two fundamental characteristics of mental health status, including “feeling worthless” and “social interaction,” using exploratory factor analysis. “Feeling of worthlessness” was negatively significantly associated with the level of gender, marital, occupation, and education, as well as frequently attending in POS. “Social interaction” was influenced by gender, occupation, and marital status, as well as frequent use of POS. The results showed that the frequency of public open space use has a negative correlation with the feeling of worthlessness and a positive correlation with the older residents’ social interactions and contacts.Conclusion: According to the findings, increasing the more senior residents’ access to public open spaces through planning can improve their mental health as well as their social interactions, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods.