ASSESSING THE USE AND ADEQUACY OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACES IN OLD PORT HARCOURT TOWNSHIP [ READ ]
Ibama Brown, Wocha Chikagbum, Kpunpamo Owanate Boyle
Public open spaces place high value on the quality of life and social interaction of residents in an urban center, and contribute to a healthy urban environment. Public open spaces are publicly or privately owned land that is publicly accessible and has been designated for leisure, play or sports. It is land set aside for the protection and /or enhancement of the natural environment. However, there have been factors militating against the utilization of these open space facilities. This raises the question of the various problems facing the use of public open spaces and what are the present uses of public open spaces around the Port Harcourt Township Area. This gave credence to the need for this paper which has its goal as assessing the use of public open spaces in Port Harcourt old Township Area. To this respect, data were collected, collated and analyzed using the SPSS model and results presented in tables, graphs and charts to interpret the findings. It was discovered that some users were not satisfied with some recreational facilities because of the inadequacy and deteriorating condition. To resuscitate open spaces in the study area, recommendations were made which suggested that the Rivers State Government should fund and partner with the private sector for effective management facilities in the Port Harcourt old Township Area and should see recreation in the light of its usefulness to health and general well-being of the people.
Ibama Brown, Wocha Chikagbum, Kpunpamo Owanate Boyle
Public open spaces place high value on the quality of life and social interaction of residents in an urban center, and contribute to a healthy urban environment. Public open spaces are publicly or privately owned land that is publicly accessible and has been designated for leisure, play or sports. It is land set aside for the protection and /or enhancement of the natural environment. However, there have been factors militating against the utilization of these open space facilities. This raises the question of the various problems facing the use of public open spaces and what are the present uses of public open spaces around the Port Harcourt Township Area. This gave credence to the need for this paper which has its goal as assessing the use of public open spaces in Port Harcourt old Township Area. To this respect, data were collected, collated and analyzed using the SPSS model and results presented in tables, graphs and charts to interpret the findings. It was discovered that some users were not satisfied with some recreational facilities because of the inadequacy and deteriorating condition. To resuscitate open spaces in the study area, recommendations were made which suggested that the Rivers State Government should fund and partner with the private sector for effective management facilities in the Port Harcourt old Township Area and should see recreation in the light of its usefulness to health and general well-being of the people.
