A Spatial Analysis Approach for Evaluating the Service Capability of Urban Greenways - A Case Study in Wuhan

A greenway is a low-speed road system built on high-level afforestation, and this system serves as a venue for sightseeing, relaxation, and exercise. In China, greenway planning and construction have been actively and successfully implemented to strengthen the construction of urban human settlements. However, a specific method has yet to be used to assess the service capability of urban greenways. On the basis of geographic information systems and geographical spatial data, we propose an approach to evaluate the overall service capability of urban greenways based on three different aspects. In the first aspect, a buffer-based service-level analysis method is applied to statistically analyze population and residential quarter areas within a greenway service coverage area. This aspect can also indicate the service level and scope of urban greenways. In the second aspect, minimum distance-based accessibility analysis method is utilized for the graduation statistics of residential quarter areas in different ranges of reach distance. This aspect can further reveal the service convenience of urban greenways. In the third aspect, a calculation model is built on the basis of regular grids, to analyze the value of comprehensive service capability in each grid, and to produce a spatial distribution map of the comprehensive service capability of urban greenways. This aspect can describe the service quality of urban greenways. The analysis results of these aspects can be integrated to identify service conditions in which an urban greenway is available to urban populations and residential zones, and to obtain the comprehensive service capability value of greenways. This approach can also emphasize the limitations of greenway construction, and thus help urban planners and decision-makers create optimized urban greenway designs.