PaRKS – Parks Rating and Knowledge System: a tool for the qualitative assessment of urban parks

Abstract

Urban green spaces are a strategic component of city ecological infrastructure, as they can generate significant environmental, health, and social benefits. However, the assessment practices adopted in urban contexts often favour quantitative approaches, focusing on size and accessibility, while neglecting qualitative and management parameters, which are essential for ensuring and maximizing these benefits. Scientific literature highlights how the positive effects of green spaces are closely related to how they are designed, built, and maintained. Starting from a systematic review of the literature, the research developed a qualitative assessment tool aimed at measuring the effectiveness of urban parks in promoting public health (physical, social, and psychological), environmental and climate sustainability, and enhancing ecosystem services. The proposed model is divided into 7 domains and 28 indicators, which can be assessed based on the presence or absence of specific design and management elements, and calibrated according to the size of green spaces, to ensure a scientifically robust and comparable method. The tool was tested in three parks in Milan, representing different size categories. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the scoring system in providing reliable, comparable assessments geared towards identifying the most significant critical issues. Although it has some limitations related to the seasonality of the observations, the tool is an innovative contribution to the field of urban green space quality studies, offering operational support for the planning of high-quality green networks, the reduction of environmental inequalities, and the promotion of healthier, more resilient, and sustainable cities.