An Evaluation of the Status of Pocket Parks and Their Impact in the Jos Metropolis

Abstract

A pocket park is an area of open space provided for recreational use which is of immense benefits to a community and its citizens, including economic, health, environmental, social, and overall quality of life. The main thrust of this paper is to evaluate the status of pocket parks and their impact in Jos, metropolis consisting of three Local Government Areas in the North-Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria.Field surveys by questionnaire and interviews were the main tools of data collection while Secondary data were collected from relevant literatures. Purposive random sampling technique was used to select 135 individuals. A total of 71 respondents were selected from Jos North, 50 respondents from Jos South and 14 respondents from Jos East. A total of One Hundred and Thirty-Five (135) questionnaires were distributed to respondents of which a total of 105 (77.78%) were retrieved and used for analysis. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic. The research revealed that majority of the respondents were within the age of 20-24, predominantly male, most of who were single, and majority possess tertiary education. The study reveals that most pocket parks are established without security, poor designed layout plans, inadequate landscape elements and lack sufficient recreation infrastructure that promote well-being of the human body. The findings of this research can be used as guide in related areas to improve and enhance the quality of public spaces in urban parks to fulfil the needs and requirements of urban dwellers and visitors