Dr. Intan Muning Harjanti, S.T., M.T., a lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Vocational School, Diponegoro University, believes that city parks are crucial green spaces in urban contexts. They provide opportunities to interact with nature and promote social integration among urban residents. In the context of Semarang City, optimizing city parks as public spaces becomes essential to fulfill the community’s needs for recreation and social interaction.
Dr. Intan has conducted in-depth research on optimizing active city parks as public spaces in Semarang City. The study aims to identify additional variables that can influence the optimization of city park utilization, apart from existing factors in previous theories.
In her research, Dr. Intan used a positivistic paradigm with a deductive approach, utilizing multiple linear regression quantitative analysis techniques. Through assessments of city parks in Semarang City and empirical testing of identified additional variables, the research successfully identifies significant factors in optimizing city parks.
The analysis results indicate that service scale, attractions in the park, park location tags, and user reviews are additional variables significantly influencing the realization of an ideal city park as a public space.
“An interesting finding from this research is that the aspect of social media, which has not been extensively discussed in previous related theories, surprisingly has a significant influence. In social media, it is reflected in the park location tags and user review variables, indicating the popularity of city parks within the community,” she explained.
These findings can guide the Semarang City government and other cities in assessing the success of city parks in achieving an ideal public space. Theoretically, these findings also contribute valuable insights to developing theories related to city park optimization by exploring possibilities for new theoretical foundations to enhance existing models and theories.
“Thus, this research not only provides new insights into maximizing the benefits of city parks as public spaces but also paves the way for further research in understanding the dynamics of public spaces in the context of modern urban areas,” she concludes. (Nina-Public Relations)
