Urban Parks as Inclusive Spaces: Generational Perspectives from Timișoara, Romania

Abstract

Recent studies on users of urban parks call for the need for more insight into the importance of green spaces as catalysts of more inclusive spaces. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate by examining urban parks as age-inclusive infrastructures in a post-socialist context. Three parks in the City of Timișoara, Romania, are selected as a comparative case study. Our analysis combines systematic field observations and GIS-based mapping of park accessibility and facilities with 42 semi-structured interviews with young, mid-aged and older visitors to the three contrasting parks: a renovated historic central park, a peripheral forest-like park and a small neighbourhood park embedded in a communist-era housing estate. The findings suggest that inclusiveness for all generational categories, as well as attachment for neighbourhood parks, are important drivers for urban parks users. Inclusiveness is driven not only by amenities, but also by park-specific attachment, as well as the quality of maintenance and lighting. These factors shape perceived equity and convenience. We advocate for a differentiated management model tailored to each park, balancing conservation-oriented quiet zones with flexible, event-capable areas. This model prioritises lighting, seating ergonomics and safety measures as core components of age-inclusive planning. Our findings support the need for different management of urban green spaces that capitalises on the social and spatial specificities of each park. The comparison further shows that the smallest and least equipped park generates the strongest attachment and the most regular use across all generations: proximity and continuity of maintenance matter more than surface area or scale of investment.