AUTHOR=Rojas Quezada Carolina , Aguilera Sáez Felipe , Vecchio Giovanni , Steiniger Stefan 

TITLE=Perception of Green Spaces Preparedness and Accessibility During COVID-19: An Exploratory Survey in Two Mid-Sized Chilean Cities

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Cities

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2022.816688

DOI=10.3389/frsc.2022.816688

ISSN=2624-9634

ABSTRACT=Urban green spaces have shown to be beneficial for the physical and mental wellbeing of the general population – which holds in particular during an unprecedented, stressful situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In urban settings characterized by structural inequality, scarce access to green spaces in the neighbourhood can affect the wellbeing of its inhabitants and lower overall resilience of a community. This paper aims to assess the level of accessibility to green areas under conditions of public mobility restrictions by COVID, such as curfews and quarantines, assuming that the effects of confinement at home produce an increased demand for recreational and sports activities. The evaluation is carried out using accessibility and perception indicators, applied to two Chilean cities with a Mediterranean climate, Talca and Chillán. Comparing the quality of parks and squares assessed through official statistics and through a questionnaire directed at residents, high-quality urban green spaces are accessible for both cities. Focusing on the qualities of existing urban green spaces allows estimating more precisely their availability as a space of leisure, and allows to provide more precise suggestions for urban plans and policies that intend to enhance citizens wellbeing.