USE AND EXPERIENCE OF NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS IN SINGAPORE

The use of nearby open spaces or neighborhood parks has received signi ficant attention from researchers in the West (e.g., Jacobs, 1969; Ban gs gs Mahler, 1970; Gold, 1972, 1977; Hester, 1984; Hutchison, 1994), but little is known about how people across densely populated Third Wo rld cities respond and relate to such spaces within their day-to-day l iving milieu. This paper explores urban residents' uses and views of n eighborhood parks in a densely populated non-western city: Singapore. It reports a study of residents' experiences of nearby open spaces, th at provides an understanding of how and why urban residents use open s pace in their everyday life.