Assessing accessibility to peri-urban parks considering supply, demand, and traffic conditions

Abstract

With the acceleration of urbanization, ensuring equitable access (or accessibility) to peri-urban parks for residents has become a key issue in landscape and urban planning. Traditional studies on peri-urban park accessibility often lack a comprehensive evaluation of the supply and demand for peri-urban parks and traffic conditions. Taking Chengdu as an example, this study develops an improved two-step floating catchment area method that integrates traffic conditions. It dynamically assesses accessibility to peri-urban parks at different times during weekends and spatial inequalities, as well as explores the relationship between these inequalities and traffic conditions. The results indicate that under a 60-minute time threshold, there is significant two-tier differentiation in accessibility to peri-urban parks in Chengdu, with significant differences between different time points. Particularly during periods of traffic congestion, the issue of accessibility inequality becomes more prominent. This phenomenon highlights a strong correlation between congestion levels on routes to parks and inequality in park accessibility. This study provides a novel perspective and methodology for dynamically evaluating and optimizing accessibility to peri-urban parks, providing empirical evidence for urban planners in the planning of peri-urban parks and the design of transportation systems. This study emphasizes the need for comprehensive and proactive measures in the planning process to alleviate the adverse effects of traffic congestion on accessibility to peri-urban parks.