An analysis of residents’ satisfaction with attributes of urban parks in Dammam city, Saudi Arabia

Parks improve the environment of the city, and the physical and psychological well-being of users, thus enhance their quality of life. However, these positive effects on individuals are contingent on their use of parks, the level of which is a function of their satisfaction with factors such as accessibility, safety and amenities of the parks. In this study, users of a sample of three parks in Dammam City were surveyed regarding their level of satisfaction with selected items. Comparisons were made among different user groups by analyzing the ordinal data with non-parametric techniques. The results suggest no difference in the satisfaction levels among the users of the three parks, so the issues seem to be systematic. However, there are gender- and age-based differences of satisfaction. It is hoped that the results would help authorities in conducting further studies and setting priorities regarding developing new parks and improving existing ones.