Studying the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Use of Public Green Spaces and Parks by Tehran Residents: Application of an Urban Planning Study

“Urban green spaces” which include urban and peri-urban parks are a part of “urban public spaces” and also an element of what is called "social space". This space plays an important role in enhancing the quality of life in urban areas. Public urban parks have the capability to strengthen the social, cultural, environmental and health aspects of life and provide a variety of benefits for the people living and working in cities, such as providing opportunities for various leisure-cultural-social and physical activities that would reduce the tensions of urban life and improve the people’s physical and mental health. These benefits and opportunities become even more important during crises, either natural or man-made. Pandemics can be considered an urban planning problem, as they not only affect "urban life" and the behaviour of people living and working in urban areas, but can also affect urban policy-making processes and generate changes in urban guidance and control systems and mechanisms. Experiences such as social distancing, lockdowns, various modes of limited and compulsory quarantines and self-quarantines in some countries, have presented social lessons to be learned by both people and policymakers. From the beginning and during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis that started in late 2019 and early 2020, urban and peri-urban parks and public green spaces, not only provided opportunities for physical activities, but were also a useful source of urban resilience in cities worldwide. The pandemic crisis and the regulations to mitigate it seems to have extended the use of public green spaces and parks. Considering the importance of tackling such crises and their impact on the theory and practice of urban planning and management, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis on the use of public green spaces and parks by Tehran residents. To investigate these impacts, a web-based (online) survey was conducted amongst the residents of Tehran. The necessary data were collected, processed and then analysed with SPSS software using descriptive statistics. Findings of the survey indicate a decrease in the respondents’ motivation and use of urban green spaces and parks during the pandemic. The correlation between variables such as “people's use of green spaces and parks” and “social and economic characteristics of the users” was not confirmed. However, there was an increased tendency to use local parks (compared to city-wide urban public parks and other green spaces at urban and peri-urban levels) during the pandemic due to their accessibility. This paper supports the notion that in order to conserve and enhance the positive effects of urban parks and other urban green spaces, in general and during a crisis, besides appropriate planning support systems, an efficient planning process and culture are necessary to address the needs of users of these spaces.