Mapping Park Maintenance Disparities Across Johannesburg’s Socio-Economic Landscape: A Pilot Assessment Study

Public parks provide essential recreational spaces in urban areas; however, their conditions and utility vary significantly across neighborhoods. This pilot study examined park maintenance disparities in Johannesburg by developing a classification system and documenting conditions of 28 parks across Johannesburg's seven regions using four criteria: infrastructure, amenities, maintenance, and safety. This assessment enabled the selection of three parks across socio-economically distinct areas in the city. In the analysis, field observations were combined with satellite imagery from Google Earth Pro. Three independent assessors achieved strong agreement in their evaluations, validating our assessment approach. The results revealed striking unevenness in the conditions and utility among the focused parks. While James Ethel Gray Park is in an affluent suburb spanning 467,819m² with excellent facilities and active community involvement, End Street North Park in the Central Business District (CBD) covers only 14,366m² and maintains basic cleanliness but lacks comprehensive recreational amenities. Lastly, Doris Park, located in a mixed-income neighborhood, occupies just 12,636m², 37 times smaller than the James Ethel Gray Park, with deteriorated and poorly maintained sporting facilities. These patterns reflect persistent spatial injustice rooted in apartheid-era planning. The findings demonstrate that neighborhood wealth strongly correlates with parks’ conditions and utility, highlighting the urgent need for equity-focused urban planning in South African cities for enhance public parks functionality.