Author: Lee Glew
Glew, Lee, 2025 Analysing the Impacts of Metropolitan Adelaide's Open Space Policies on Engaging Young People (18-30), Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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Urban greenspace (UGS) is an instrumental resource amongst metropolitan neighbourhoods as they are designed and distributed to mitigate urban heat indices, improve air quality metrics, reduce carbon emissions, and foster natural disaster resilience. UGS, when perceived to be of adequate quality and accessibility, also contributes to societal prosperity through the passive promotion of physical activity, encouragement of healthy diet, social cohesion, stress reduction, and increased cognitive recovery. However, increasing urbanisation of metropolitan regions have jeopardised equitable provision of UGSs throughout Adelaide, South Australia. Thus, open space policy is the tool through which such resources can be manipulated to manage civil, environmental, and economic welfare of a local council area (LGA).
This thesis synthesises an original perspective of existing knowledge of the provision of informal mental and physical health intervention for young people (18-30 years) through UGSs. COVID-19 lockdowns spanning 2020-2021 prompted a trend away from regular engagement with physical activity amongst young people, alongside an increased reliance on online and sedentary behaviours for socialisation and outlets for wellbeing. This has been trailed by an increased burden from mental health-related disease and symptoms amongst young people, albeit at an age of highly malleable cognitive development.
This research quantified young people’s engagement with inner-metropolitan Adelaide UGS alongside council vegetation vitality and inclusions of open space policies. Young people’s perceptions of their local UGS were also compared to broader expectations to formulate recommendations for future policy to encourage young people’s use and consequential relief from the demographic mental health epidemic.
Open space policy had a considerable correlation with frequency of engagement with outdoor recreational physical activity, yet little correlation with local vegetation vitality. Barriers to engagement were correlated to perceptions of biodiversity, social connection, and safety. Perception of biodiversity encourages engagement through the strengthening of residential place-based relationships. Reception to experience nature in its diversity is linked to strengthened social cohesion, perceived liveability, and ultimately improved quality of life. Blockages on these fronts directly impede on resident receptivity to known mental and physical benefits of engaging with greenspace.
The perception of safety to partake in recreational activities was not aligned with the demographic’s expectations, serving as an additional barrier to willing engagement. Arrangements of UGS that contribute to such accessibility include a connected urban design, with easy and structurally safe access to greenspaces. Infrastructure encouraging safe use such as footpaths, lighting, and adjacency to significant landmarks must also be considered, particularly amongst women. Aesthetic perception of UGS also influences use, particularly acknowledgement to pre-colonial selection and arrangement of flora.
Whilst indoor physical activity still delivers on physiological benefits, psychological benefits are limited. It is important for councils to create safe, biodiverse, and social greenspaces to engage with to foster the health of younger residents and liveability of their localities. To do so, future policy should be directed at healthy lifestyle promotion, greenspace accessibility, thriving natural environments, community engagement, and upholding heritage and culture, which can be actualised through dedicated land use with infrastructural and program standards. Pledged ongoing government management of spaces and related policies should also be done so transparently.
Keywords: urban greenspace, UGS, young people, physical activity, vegetation, urban planning, policy, local government, mental health, physical health, covid-19, wellbeing, South Australia, open space, open space policy, biodiversity, recreation, recreational activity, wellbeing, community, urban heritage
Subject:
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2025
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Gareth Butler