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Engagement in public open spaces across age groups: The case of Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur city, Malaysia

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Abstract

People’s engagement with public open spaces is complex and affected by different factors. The importance of people’s needs differs according to their age groups. In this respect, what this article aims to unveil is the priority of needs in public open spaces across age groups. A self-administered questionnaire survey collected the opinions of 400 people aged 13 years and above using the time-interval sampling method. The results revealed that the strongest inverse relationship existed between age and social needs. This illustrated that old people are less likely to carry out social interaction with other groups or to explore public open spaces compared to younger people. In turn, old people are more concerned about their physical and environmental needs. Exploring the dichotomies between the needs of old and young people highlights the intergenerational conflicts that challenge urban designers and decision makers to ameliorate the design and management of future public open spaces.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

    Amir Hossein Askari

  2. Faculty of Design and Architecture, University Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia

    Soha Soltani

  3. Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

    Ibrahim Mohd @ Ahmad

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  1. Amir Hossein Askari
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  2. Soha Soltani
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  3. Ibrahim Mohd @ Ahmad
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Correspondence to Amir Hossein Askari.

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Askari, A., Soltani, S. & @ Ahmad, I. Engagement in public open spaces across age groups: The case of Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur city, Malaysia. Urban Des Int 20, 93–106 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/udi.2014.5

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