Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 46(2): March 2020 CONCLUSION On one hand, the differences in the perceptions of women and men simply reveal the crucial importance of separate planning according to different needs and communities. On the other, women, comprising half of the users of urban public spaces, including urban parks, have the right to equitable use. Because of reli- gious norms and beliefs, particularly in certain societ- ies, women face constraints in the use of public open spaces such as parks. Also, perhaps because of tradi- tional codes of belief and culture, women are more comfortable in communities and spaces specifically allocated to them alone, rather than in those for both genders. As such, the idea of creating “Ladies Parks” in Iran can lead to offering suitable public spaces for women in Iran. The women using such spaces would be able to be free of “Hijab,” the Islamic headscarf, which would allow women to freely engage in uplift- ing physical activities in urban parks. This study focused on women’s perceptual prefer- ences toward landscape spatial configurations. The preferences of different socio-demographic groups might help in the appropriate design of such spaces, and this was the focal point of the current study. Among the socio-demographic characteristics, age, education, and income significantly affect the prefer- ence of women for the landscape. Preferences for quality indicators significantly vary among different age groups, and design approaches in the urban parks should be changed based on the target group. Based on the results of the 2016 census and according to the age pyramid of the East Azerbaijan province, the middle-aged population is increasing, where the aver- age age of the women living in urban areas is about 31.6. Thus, it is crucial that the planning and design- ing of urban parks takes the views of this age group into account to meet important and immediate future needs. As middle-aged women (40 to 49 years) show the highest preference for spatial qualities, they can serve as advocates for park development. Similarly, given the age structure of women living in metropol- itan areas, these quality indicators will prove to be of higher efficiency in urban areas. According to the results, it is evident that with a high level of education, there is an increase in the preferences for LSQIs. Women exhibit a higher pref- erence for landscape quality indicators (e.g., coher- ence, complexity, legibility, and refuge). This study examined the impact of formal education on women’s 105 preferences. Women with less education had the low- est preferences for LSQIs. It seems that education is a key factor in understanding and exploring the spa- tial quality of the landscape. Also, women with less education were not able to recognize such landscape spatial characteristics as legibility and complexity. It seems that they might perceive the landscape in dif- ferent ways, which could be explored in future research. Regarding economic status, planting design approaches must change according to the location of the urban park and the women who use it. For exam- ple, as the largest and most famous urban park in the city of Tabriz, El-Goli Park is located in one of the most prosperous areas of the city. In addition, resi- dents from all parts of the city, at both the deprived and prosperous extremes of the economic spectrum, visit this park as a popular destination. Consequently, the planting design of the park should be based on research findings that might satisfy the needs of dif- ferent groups, for instance, women. The ideas suggested in this and previous research could be used to help create healthier societies and build sturdier platforms for sustainable development. A complex landscape in the urban park was the younger women’s favorite, as the results suggest. The recommended way to create a landscape with higher complexity involves the use of a broad range of plants that repeat with high frequency. Since 2005, 6 urban parks have been dedicated to women in the city of Tabriz. In light of the fact that this research focused on women’s preferences, the implications of these findings will be most applicable to parks dedicated to women in the city of Tabriz. Park managers can use the results of the present study, in the sense that they plan to gather data on the age, education, and income levels of their female visitors. As a possible practical instance, if most users turn out to be 19 to 29 and 30 to 39 years of age, the best quality indicator for this group would be complexity. It is recommended that further studies continue to explore men’s preferences for landscape spatial con- figuration indicators in the urban parks of Tabriz as well, comparing the results with the findings of the current study. In addition, the assessment of women’s preferences toward restorative quality indicators (such as fascination, being away) is another recom- mended course of action for possible follow-up research. ©2020 International Society of Arboriculture
March 2020
| Title Name |
Pages |
Delete |
Url |
| Empty |
Ai generated response may be inaccurate.
Search Text Block
Page #page_num
#doc_title
Hi $receivername|$receiveremail,
$sendername|$senderemail wrote these comments for you:
$message
$sendername|$senderemail would like for you to view the following digital edition.
Please click on the page below to be directed to the digital edition:
$thumbnail$pagenum
$link$pagenum
Your form submission was a success.
Downloading PDF
Generating your PDF, please wait...
This process might take longer please wait
