INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMATICS AND GEOSCIENCES

Volume 4, No 3, 2014
Copyright 2014 All rights reserved Integrated Publishing services

Research article

ISSN 0976 4380

Quantitative evaluation of distribution and accessibility of urban green

spaces (Case study: City of Jeddah)

Ragab Khalil1,2
1-Civil Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
2- Landscape Architecture Dept., Faculty of Environmental Design, KAU, Saudi Arabia
khalilragab@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Urban green spaces are quite significant in reducing negative effects of urbanization. They
are viewed as the green lung of the city, and typically perform important functions, including
absorbing rainwater and pollutants, and mitigating urban heat. Urban green spaces can also
provide considerable socioeconomic benefits, such reducing work-related stress, and
increasing property values. Green space is becoming an important measure in judging the
ecological sustainability of urban areas. Planners and designers need efficient tools to
quantitatively evaluate and compare the impact of alternative plans and designs so that more
informed development choices could be made. This study presents an evaluation of spatial
equity in distribution of green spaces in Jeddah city using Geographic Information System
(GIS). GIS analysis is used to study the spatial distribution of needs and accessibility. The
results of this study show that the average green space per capita is 0.9 m2 and more that 70%
of population have to walk distance exceed 500 m to reach green space. In order to reach
green space equal to 30 m2 per capita which is the standard of united nation its needed to
meet lack of urban green space about 93,808,406 m2 in Jeddah city.
Keywords: Urban green spaces; accessibility; per capita; GIS analysis.
1. Introduction
Green spaces and parks are of great importance both for ecological balance and for the health
of individuals (Al-Ballaa et al 2010; Paquet et al 2013). They are quite significant in reducing
negative effects of urbanization and increase physical activity of people (Hillsdon et al 2006;
Mytton et al 2012). Urban green spaces are viewed as the green lung of the city, and typically
perform important functions, including absorbing rainwater and pollutants, and mitigating
urban heat. They can also provide considerable socioeconomic benefits, such socializing and
rest and restitution (Peschardt et al 2012; Rahnama and Akbari 2013), and increasing
property values (lin et al 2013). Green space is becoming an important measure in judging the
environmental quality and ecological sustainability of urban areas (Gupta et al 2012). Laghai
and Bahmanpour (2012) summarized more than 30 function and services of urban green
spaces.
Proximity to the green space affects the purpose and frequency of visiting the place. The
social role of green spaces is affected by its optimal distribution (Chiari and Seeland 2004).
The European Environment Agency (EEA) recommends that people should have access to
green space within 15 min walking distance, while English Nature (EN), a UK government
agency, recommends that distance to green space should not exceed 300m from home
(Barbosa et al 2007). Toftager et al (2011) found that persons living more than 1 km from
green space had lower odds of using green space to exercise and keep in shape compared

Submitted on December 2013 published on March 2014

526

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

with persons living closer than 300 m to green space. One of the green city index indicators is
per capita space. Decreasing in per capita urban green space causes a decrease in daily
exposure to more natural environments (Barton and Pretty, 2010). Lower exposure to natural
environments is associated with a number of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes II,
osteoporosis and stress-related illnesses such as depression, heart diseases and mental fatigue
(Ulrich, 2006; Mitchell and Popham, 2008). The aim of this study is to evaluate the equity of
the distribution of public green spaces and their accessibility using GIS analysis and to figure
out if the amount of green space in Jeddah matches the international standards.
2. Study area and data
Jeddah is a city in the Hijaz region on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center
of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the
Red Sea, the second-largest city and an important commercial hub in Saudi Arabia. It is
located between (21 15 N, 21 50 N) and (39 5 E, 39 20 E) as shown in figure (1). It has
a population of 3430697 according to (Central Department of Statistics & Information 2010).
The data used in this study was collected from Jeddah Municipality. It contains Road,
Districts and Urban green space layers and districts population statistical data. The total
number of Jeddah population according to 2010 statistics was gotten from the Central
Department of Statistics and Information web page.

Figure 1: The location of study area

3. Methodology
In the analysis of the distribution of green spaces in Jeddah, the next steps were followed:
International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences
Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

527

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

1. Data collection consulting specific literature, connecting Jeddah Municipality

for getting districts, urban green spaces (some districts), roads and population
statistical data;
2. Database creation districts population data Excel sheet was prepared to be linked
to the districts layer. The district names were verified to match that of the districts
layer. Digitization of green spaces based on Bing map online available with
ArcGIS 10 software;
3. Data processing using GIS models and techniques completed by statistical
analysis;
4. Interpretation of the results obtaining graphs and cartographic materials using
GIS techniques.
The following indices have been used for the assessment of the distribution of green spaces:
1. green space per capita (m2), the results of Jeddah was compared to the
international standards such as United Nations (30 m2 per capita) (Laghai and
Bahmanpour 2012), European Union standards (26 m2 per capita) (Vlad and
Brtanu 2011), public health bureau and the ministry of housing of the united
states of America (18 m2 per capita) (Laghai and Bahmanpour 2012) and World
Health Organization standards (9 m2 per capita) (Saz.S.D and Rausell P. 2008).
2. accessibility to green spaces, measured by the percentage of the total population
of the districts living in less than 300 m, 500 m and 15 minutes walking distance (
1000 m) from urban green areas.
4. Data processing and results
Jeddah has 119 districts according to the Municipality new divisions, 72 of them have
population data. The population data was for year 2002 with expectations for year 2014. The
expected population was used in this study and was shown in figure (2) after excluding
airport, seaport, naval base and the university campus. The percentage of green spaces to
each district area was calculated and presented graphically in figure (3). Table (1)
summarizes the percentage of green spaces related to the districts area. From figure (3) and
table (1), it is clear that almost half of Jeddah districts have green space less than 0.1% of
district area. Only 10% of districts have green spaces equal to 5% to 8% of its area. In order
to get the information of green space per capita in Jeddah city the discussed layers including
population size and amount of green space have been overlaid and shown in figure (4). The
average green space per capita in Jeddah was calculated and found to be 0.9 m2. A
comparison of Jeddah average per capita to the existing standards is shown in figure (5)
which illustrates the great difference between Jeddah green space and the international
standards. Jeddah municipality has to increase the amount of green spaces at least 10 times
the existing situation to reach the minimum amount of standards. Based on existing data
from public census expectations of population in year 2014 and the statistics of green space
area in Districts of Jeddah city in the same year, the green space per capita has been
calculated and the outcome was compared with the international standards as shown in table
(2). Figure (6) shows the shortage in green spaces based on the world health organization
standards.

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences

Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

528

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

Figure 2: Distribution of population in districts of Jeddah

Figure 3: Percentage of green spaces in districts of Jeddah

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences
Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

529

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

Table 1: Percentage of green spaces in districts of Jeddah

% Green space
< 0.1%
1%
2%
5%
8%

No. of districts
33
23
6
8
2

% of Jeddah districts
47.6
35.2
6.6
10.2
0.5

Figure 4: Green spaces per capita (m2) in districts of Jeddah

Figure 5: Comparison of Jeddah green space per capita with existing standards

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences

Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

530

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

Figure 6: The shortage in Jeddah green space based on 9 m2/capita standards.

Table 2: Comparison of Jeddah green space per capita with existing standards
Existing standards
World Health Organization
standards: 9 m2/capita
Public health bureau and the
ministry of housing of the
USA: 18 m2/capita
European Union
standards:26 m2/capita
United Nations standards:30
m2/capita

Descriptions
In this situation only (AL ANDULUS, AL
AMEER FAWAZ AL SHAMALY and AL
AMEER FAWAZ ALJANOUBY) Districts
satisfy the standards and rest of the Districts
has shortage.
In this situation only (AL ANDULUS)
District satisfies the standards and rest of
the Districts has shortage.
In this situation all Districts have shortage.

In this situation all Districts have shortage.

Shortages (m2)
26,413,151 m2
(10 times the
existing)
55,178,699 m2
(20 times the
existing)
80,913,294 m2
(29 times the
existing)
93,808,406 m2
(33 times the
existing)

Accessibility is measured by the walking distance to the green space. The 15 minutes walking
distance (1000 m) recommended by European Environment Agency (EEA) seems to be
long distance in Jeddah weather conditions, while 300 m walking distance recommended by
English Nature (EN) is appropriate. Buffer distances of 300, 500 and 1000 m are shown in
figure (7). The covered area by each buffer zone was calculated and the percentage of
residential area that can access to the green space is shown in figure (8). It can be seen in
figure (8) that only 15% of residential area is located less than 300 m away from the nearest
green space, while 27% are situated from the nearest green space at a distance of 500 m and
International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences
Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

531

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

54% of residential area fall within 1 km of the nearest green space. The percentage of each
district area fall within 500 walking distance is represented in figure (9). From which it was
found that only 7 districts which represent 10% of the study area have 70% of each area fall
within 500 m to the green spaces.

Figure 7: Accessibility to green spaces in districts of Jeddah

Figure 8: The percentage of residential areas by the accessibility to green spaces

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences

Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

532

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

Figure 9: Percentage of 500 m accessibility in districts of Jeddah

5. Conclusions
Green space areas in the densely populated cities of today are valued more than before while
at the same time are suffering shrinkage due to pressures for more lands for housing
development. ArcGIS was used to analyze the distribution and accessibility of green spaces
in Jeddah. From the results of analyzing the spatial distribution of green spaces the
followings could be concluded:
1. More than 80% of Jeddah districts have green spaces of less than 1% of its area.
2. Only 10% of districts have green spaces of 5 to 8% of its area.
3. The average green space per capita is 0.9 m2 which is far away below the minimum
standards.
4. It's needed to establish green space with the area of 26,413,151 m2 which is 10 times
the existing green area to fulfill the World Health Organization standards.
5. To reach the United Nations standards, it's needed to establish green space with the
area of 93,808,406 m2 which is 33 times the existing green area.
6. More than 85% of Jeddah population has to walk distance longer than 300 m to reach
the nearest green space.
7. More than 70% of Jeddah population has to walk distance longer than 500 m to reach
the nearest green space.
8. Only 3 districts in Jeddah that 95% of their populations live within 500 m of green
space.
9. Districts with high need for green spaces and low levels of accessibility are
emphasized as critical areas that public decision makers need to focus on.

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences

Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

533

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

6. References
1.

Al-Ballaa, H., Comber, A. and Smith, C., (2012), Distribution Pattern Analysis of
Green space in Al-Madinah Using GIS, GIS Research UK 20th Annual Conference,
2, 11-13th April 2012, Lancaster, pp 161-169.

2.

Barbosa, O., Tratalos, J., Armsworth, P., Davies, R., Fuller, R., Johnson, P. and
Gaston, K., (2007), Who benefits from access to green space? A case study from
Sheffield, UK, Landscape and Urban Planning, 83, pp 187195.

3.

Barton, J., Pretty, J., (2010), What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for
improving mental health? A multi-study analysis, Environmental Science &
Technology 44, pp 39473955.

4.

Central Department of Statistics & Information, (2014),

http://www.cdsi.gov.sa/english/, accessed on 5th January 2014.

5.

Chiari, C. and Seeland, K., (2004), Are urban green spaces optimally distributed to
act as places for social integration? Results of a geographical information system
(GIS) approach for urban forestry research, Forest Policy and Economics, 6, pp 313.

6.

Gupta, K., Kumar, P., Pathan,S. and Sharma, K., (2012), Urban Neighborhood
Green Index A measure of green spaces in urban areas, Landscape and Urban
Planning, 105, pp 325335.

7.

Hillsdon M, Panter J, Foster C, Jones A., (2006), The relationship between access
and quality of urban green space with population physical activity, Public health,
120, pp 11271132.

8.

Laghai, H. and Bahmanpour, H. (2012), GIS Application in Urban Green space Per
Capita Evaluation, Annals of Biological Research, 3(5), pp 2439-2446.

9.

Lin, I., Wu, C. and De Sousa, C., (2013), Examining the economic impact of park
facilities on neighboring residential property values, Applied Geography, 45, pp
322331.

available

at

10. Mitchell, R., Popham, F., (2008), Effect of exposure to natural environment on
health inequalities: an observational population study, The Lancet, 372, 9650, pp
16551660.
11. Mytton, O., Townsend, N., Rutter, H. and Foster, C., (2012), Green space and
physical activity: An observational study using Health Survey for England data,
Health Place, 18, (5), pp 10341041.
12. Paquet, C., Orschulok, T., Coffee, N., Howard, N., Hugo, G., Taylor, A., Adams, R.
and Daniel, M., (2013), Are accessibility and characteristics of public open spaces

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences

Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

534

Quantitative Evaluation of Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Green Spaces (Case study: City of
Jeddah)
Ragab Khalil

associated with a better cardiometabolic health?, Landscape and Urban Planning,

118, pp 70-78.
13. Peschardt, K., Schipperijn, J. and Stigsdotter, U., (2012), Use of Small Public Urban
Green Spaces (SPUGS), Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 11, pp 235 244.
14. Rahnama, M. and Akbari, M., (2013), Analysis the principles and Dimensions of
Urban Parks with point on green spaces in Mashhad city, Iran, American Journal of
Engineering Research , 2(12), pp 136-143.
15. Saz S. D. and Rausell P., (2008), A Double-Hurdle model of urban green areas valuation:
Dealing with zero responses, Landscape and Urban Planning, 84, pp 241251.

16. Toftager, M, Ekholm, O, Schipperijn, J, Stigsdotter, U, Bentsen, P, Grnbk, M,

Randrup, TB and Kamper-Jrgensen, F., (2011), Distance to green space and
physical activity: a Danish national representative survey, Journal of Physical
Activity and Health, 8(6), pp741-749.
17. Ulrich, R.S., (2006), Evidence-based health care architecture, Lancet, 368, pp S38
S39.
18. Vlad, M. I. and Brtanu, D., (2011), Quality Of Life Assessment Based On Spatial
And Temporal Analysis Of The Vegetation Area Derived From Satellite Images,
Romanian Review Of Regional Studies, 7(2), pp 111-120.

International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences

Volume 4 Issue 3, 2014

535