Stakeholders’ value mapping for urban park planning / Nurul Akmaniza Mohd Nasir and Nawfal Kamarul Bahrain

Urban parks play a vital role in developing sustainable environments among local communities. Urban park is believed to deliver numerous benefits especially on health, socio-economic and improving community quality of life. However, the value of urban parks is a challenging procedure because of the different viewpoints among stakeholders groups. Different demographic profiles and economic status might influence their preferences for urban park values. Furthermore, local authorities might think differently on how their urban park should be served for the people. Therefore, this study provides the application of Q methodology in assessing different viewpoints among three different stakeholders groups; urban park visitor, local community and professionals groups. Natural value, sense of ownership value, recreational and health value and social value obtained from this study should be implemented in urban park planning strategies for mapping the park design to ensure it meets the needs and demands among stakeholders. Thus, successful urban parks will be able to provide a platform in improving community well being especially in urban areas.