Spatial Accessibility Disparities and Users’ Opinion Assessment of Khartoum State Public Green Spaces

Khartoum State, the capital of Sudan is situated in the Sahelian and Sudanese arid zone and it is expected to face excessive dry climate conditions due to climate change. In such an eventuality, accessible Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) represent a traditional adaptation measure for its growing population. This study aims to describe and explain the spatial disparities and potential accessibilities to public green space of Khartoum State and to determine users’ opinions about them using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and questionnaires. It assesses the potential accessibility to 44 urban parks, community gardens, and city forests in Khartoum State for both drivers and pedestrians in 5, 10, and 15 min. The results showed inequitable access opportunities to UGSs, mostly in favour of first-class residential areas. Within a 5-min walking interval, the UGSs service zone covered <1% of the population. Furthermore, users’ opinion assessment revealed that 80% of the parks require entrance fees; however, 75% of the respondents show the willingness to bear extra travel costs and time to access well-equipped parks. The study concludes that potential accessibility to UGSs does not correspond to the international quality of life indices.