The Identification of Criteria and Indicators to Evaluate Hazardous Street Trees: A Delphi Study.

Trees have been playing an important roles in our lives for centuries, however too often we are unaware of the risk associated with the trees. Trees with defects may become hazard and cause personal injury or property damage. Structural defects such as decay. cavities, dead limbs, splits and shakes and injured roots, heavy horizontal limbs, wind and vehicle damage, leaning trees are some of the factors that predisposes a tree to failure such as property damage and personal injury. Interest in hazard tree management has increased in recent years due to safety and liability concerns. Recognizing hazardous trees and taking proper corrective actions can protect property and save lives. To achieve the initial step especially for the hazard tree management. a study was conducted to identify the criteria and indicators for evaluating and identifying hazardous street trees. The purpose of this study were: (1) to develop a reliable set of criteria for evaluating hazardous street in urban areas, (2) to develop a reliable set of indicators for evaluating hazardous street trees in urban areas and (3) to examine the relationship between group of experts in the Delphi process. Delphi method was used in this study to solicit the opinion from the expert. It is an iterative process for soliciting and collating opinions on a particular topic through a series of Questionnaire. Finally, this study has been successful in using the Delphi method that generated and identified six criteria and 38 indicators that need to evaluate and identify hazardous street trees. Besides developing the criteria and indicators, this study also indicated that there were no any differences in opinion between the lecturers and officers from the government agencies and even between respondents from different education levels. Hopefully the generated criteria and indicators will be an initial step for the Shade Tree Unit of DBKL to implement their hazard tree management programme

Exploring the urban park use, preference and behaviours among the residents of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The understanding of cross-cultural upon park usage is vital to be enhanced among public since findings that been discovered in the Western context are not own any similarities with the Asian context. In fact, it has been in a long run for the Western nations to primarily contextualized and conceptualized much on the literature of park usage. This study aims to look at how the people use and perceive urban parks in their daily life in the Malaysian cultural context, and also highlights the constraints faced by Malaysians while using the urban parks in the city of Kuala Lumpur. A survey consisted of 669 urban park users as the sample of the study (365 men, 304 females) aged between 18 and 73 years (M = 34.85, SD = 11.46) were conducted in five urban parks in Kuala Lumpur. Respondents were recruited based on a random sampling method, which composed of three main ethnic groups in Malaysia. Malaysians wanted to use the urban parks for multiple purposes including active activities and others. Most of them would visit the parks and spend their time in a group consisting of family members or friends rather than alone. The percentage of respondent with 74.7% stated their reason of visiting the urban park in order “to get fresh air”, followed by the factor of reducing stress and relaxing with 69.7%; and the latter reason would be “to exercise, play games or keep in shape” with 61.4%. More than 80% of the respondents claimed the parks in Kuala Lumpur are safe to be visited. This is because, majority of the respondents tend to visit the parks in group of family or friends rather than alone. In addition, most of the respondents would run their activities in parks during the weekends, which simultaneously make them to enjoy their day in such comfortable and secure way. The findings of this survey would contribute to a better understanding of the present park usage of Kuala Lumpur residents. With a better understanding of current park-visiting habits, various constraints faced by the residents related to public security and safety, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall have been suggested to develop more comprehensive strategy in order to provide engagement and urban parks stimulation for its residents. In addition, this study is also fruitful for Kuala Lumpur future parks in terms of its development, design and management

Factors contributing to the usage of pocket parks―a review of the evidence

This paper presents a summary of empirical evidence drawn from a literature review on the factors contributing to people using the pocket parks. Initial findings indicate that pocket parks play a significant role by providing access to nature for individuals living in urban areas. This paper provides an evidence-based approach to the usage and benefits of pocket parks by applying the SE-Model approach. This review includes 15 papers on pocket parks, obtained from electronic journal databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, SAGE Journals and Google Scholar sort by relevance containing key words such as pocket parks, vest-pocket parks, small public urban green space, small urban parks, use as well as usage of pocket parks. Selection was restricted to peer-reviewed publications related to pocket parks usage. The authors analysed these literatures for its sample characteristics, data collection, sampling method, data analysis and the main study finding. This review reveals an increase in research on the usage of pocket parks published in peer-reviewed journals in the recent years and a strong geographic bias. The selected studies have consistently reported on the importance of pocket parks for mental well-being, predominantly, followed by social benefits, however limited study approached the potential of pocket parks for physical activities. Physical components (green ground cover, bushes, trees, flower beds, water features) and Perceived Environment (preference for greener view; calm atmosphere; safety) are mostly reported to be highly associated with human health

Investigating the use and constraints associated with green outdoor environment at workplaces: what do the office employees in Kuala Lumpur say?

Green outdoor environment (GOE) is a dynamic infrastructure to an urban area and part of the city’s ecosystem. Although numerous studies have been carried out on GOE, there is still a lack of information on GOE and its relationship in term of usability by office employees. The objectives of the study are to investigate the usage and constraints associated with GOE at workplaces by office employees in the Kuala Lumpur CCZ. The survey was conducted in September 2018 until March 2019 where 326 respondents (N = 326) were involved in this study. The survey findings show that GOE in the Kuala Lumpur CCZ was widely used and enjoyed by diverse groups. Nevertheless, the study found variations in the use, preferences and constraints faced by office employees in CCZ using GOE. The respondents relate their concerns about the location of GOE at workplaces in the Kuala Lumpur CCZ, accessibility, quality of the environment and other personal issues like hectic working hours and health issues. By determining the function of GOE, we can identify any potential of GOE in Malaysian context despite its small size and maximise the use of GOE in the Kuala Lumpur CCZ as an urban space that can provide green, healthy, inclusive, open and public spaces for the citizen of Kuala Lumpur

Investigating the usability pattern and constraints of pocket parks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This study aims to provide an overview of the pocket parks in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur while identifying the characteristics of the pocket parks associated with the visitation and usage. This study also intends to identify the constraints that limit the use of pocket parks according to Malaysia context. A survey conducted among N=363 respondents consisting of pocket parks users and non-users are presented and discussed. Overall the pocket parks in Kuala Lumpur are used by the respondents to rest and reduce stress. This study concluded that slightly more women use the pocket parks than men and lack of time was the main constraint that limited the use of pocket parks in Kuala Lumpur. A higher majority of respondents also cited their willingness to use the pocket parks more often if changes were implemented to make the pocket park safer and more facilities were provided. The findings contribute to an understanding of the factors that influence the usability pattern and constraints that limit the usage of pocket parks in Kuala Lumpur. Further, a well-managed and maintained pocket park would create opportunities for all segments of the urban community to use the parks more often

Identification of criteria and indicators for hazardous trees in Recreation Forest of Selangor, Malaysia.

Recreation forest is a popular setting for outdoor recreation in Selangor, Malaysia. In the recreation forest, hazardous trees in this setting can be associated with risks in which the manager of the forest needs to give serious attention. A study was conducted to identify the criteria and indicators in evaluating hazardous trees in these forests. Delphi technique was used to gather a consensus on the characteristics related to criteria and indicators of hazardous trees. This technique allows the respondents some flexibility while selecting appropriate criteria and indicators involving three rounds of interviews with respondents. The respondents are staff of the State Forestry Department of Selangor who are experts in recreational forest landscape. The final outcome of the Delphi process was the identification of 17 criteria and 51 indicators in evaluating trees in recreational forest. From the findings of this study, the State Forestry Department of Selangor can use the identified criteria and indicators as guidelines in their hazardous tree management. This would help managers in making correct decision on hazardous tree problems and increase public awareness on the existence of those trees in their surroundings

Identifying women's preferred activities and elements of private green spaces in informal settlements of Kabul city

This study aimed to investigate women’s preferred activities and elements of private green spaces in informal settlements of Kabul city. This study was conducted in three of the 22 police districts (PDs) of Kabul city, which included 400 women. The women were selected using a non-probability sampling technique of convenience sampling. A survey was conducted using questionnaire. ‘Recreational activities’ were the most preferred group of activities by both the owners and visitors of private green spaces. This could be due to the nature of private green spaces which can provide recreational opportunities. As far as the elements are concerned, a mix of softscape and hardscape elements were preferred the most. Majority of the items in the first construct were aesthetic elements. The women’s preference for aesthetic elements, both softscape and hardscape, can be understood from the ability of these elements to respond to the recreational need. There was no statistically significant difference in preferred activities and elements of women who had private green space at home-owners and those who did not have private green space-visitors. There was a statistically significant difference in the preferred activities of owners as well as visitors differentiated by employment status, marital status, age groups, educational level and ethnic groups. The output of this research can be used as a planning tool in responding to the environmental needs of women in informal settlements of Kabul city and other similar areas. The results can also be used by authorities for upgrading projects as well as by the head of households to fulfil the environmental needs of their women