Utility-based assessment of urban park accessibility: Integrating age-specific mobility and the 10-minute city concept in Seoul

초록

The significance of urban park accessibility is increasingly recognized worldwide, both in quantitative planning and qualitative evaluations concerning equity and well-being. Addressing this trend, this study presents a utility-based evaluation framework that integrates park attractiveness with user-specific travel costs, focusing on age-related variations in walking speed. Applied to Seoul, South Korea, the model operationalizes the concept of the “10-minute city” and employs both global and local spatial equity indices to evaluate the balance between park supply and population demand. The findings indicate that, although accessibility appears generally equitable at the population level, transportation-disadvantaged groups—especially children and older adults—experience significantly lower utility due to limited mobility and shorter walking distances. These differences are not easily captured by traditional proximity-based metrics, highlighting the importance of considering behavioral diversity and user-specific constraints in spatial accessibility analysis. By mapping spatial mismatches between park supply and population demand, the proposed framework reveals spatial disparities in utility, providing an evidence base to guide targeted park investment policies. Integrating perceptual and behavioral dimensions into the spatial equity evaluation enables a more accurate diagnosis of urban vulnerability. It offers a robust foundation for developing equitable, demand-sensitive park planning strategies. Ultimately, the proposed framework enhances the dialogue on spatial justice in urban infrastructure by offering a scalable and transferable method that accounts for both the physical distribution and experiential realities of park accessibility.

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