According to Dr. Intan Muning Harjanti, S.T., M.T., Diponegoro University Vocational School Lecturer, Spatial Planning and Land Study Program, city parks are important green spaces in the urban context because they not only provide opportunities to interact with nature but also promote social integration among city dwellers. In the context of Semarang City, optimizing city parks as public spaces is essential to meet people’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. This research aims to find additional variables that can influence the optimization of city park use, apart from the existing factors in previous theories.
Dr. Intan uses a positivistic paradigm with a deductive approach, using multiple linear regression quantitative analysis techniques in his research. Through an assessment of city parks in Semarang City and empirical testing of additional variables identified, this research found significant factors in optimizing city parks.
The analysis results show that the scale of service, attractions in the park, park location tags, and user reviews are additional variables that significantly influence the realization of an ideal city park as a public space.
“An interesting finding from this research is that aspects of social media, which have not been discussed much before in related theories, have a significant influence. “This is reflected in the park location tag variables and user reviews, which show the influence of the popularity of city parks in society,” he said.
These findings can be a guide for the Semarang City government and other cities to assess the success of city parks in creating ideal public spaces. Theoretically, these findings also contribute to developing theories on optimizing urban parks by exploring possible new theoretical bases for improving existing models and theories.
“Thus, this research not only provides new insights into how to maximize the benefits of city parks as public spaces but also opens the way for further research in understanding the dynamics of public spaces in the modern urban context,” he concluded.