Using Google Street View to Examine Urban Context and Green Amenities in the Global South: The Chilean Experience

Thumbnail Image
Date
2021-06-28
Authors
Haddad, Monica
Christman, Zachary
Pearsall, Hamil
Sanchez, Melinda
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Person
Haddad, Monica
Professor
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Organizational Unit
Community and Regional Planning

Community and regional planning is a professional field of study aimed at assessing the ever-changing socioeconomic and physical environments of our communities and planning for their future. Planners evaluate and seize opportunities to understand and solve problems. Most planners work at the local level, but they are concerned with issues that affect the world: the preservation and enhancement of the quality of life in a community, the protection of the environment, the promotion of equitable economic opportunity; and the management of growth and change of all kinds.

History
The Department of Community and Regional Planning was established in 1978 when it was split from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Community Planning.

Dates of Existence
1978–present

Related Units

Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Community and Regional Planning
Abstract

This study evaluates the use of virtual, human-interpreted, field observations using Google Street View (GSV) to examine the presence of conditions that may be used to analyze green gentrification in the Global South. We propose that green gentrification is characterized by the introduction or improvement of green amenities (such as parks) as well as corresponding changes to the urban context (such as facade materials). While virtual field observations have been used to examine neighborhood context for other applications, this method has not yet been applied to the study of green gentrification, nor in the Global South. Using one urban park located in Talca, Chile, and in three urban parks located in Santiago, Chile, we sought to address the following research questions: (1) How do in situ and virtual field observations compare as methods of evaluating green amenities and urban context? (2) What characteristics of green amenities and urban context must be addressed to investigate green gentrification in the Global South? (3) How do indicators of green amenities and urban context observed via virtual field observations indicate the potential for green gentrification? In order to observe the streetside conditions of the neighborhoods surrounding established, improved, and new parks, we utilize the ground-level 360° imagery through GSV as an alternative to in situ studies, which can be time-consuming, expensive, and logistically challenging. Features related to the land use composition, building materials used, and the presence of aesthetic improvements and pedestrian amenities were noted as potential indicators of gentrification, and the correspondence between the two methods of observation were evaluated. Results indicate that virtual field observations can provide a promising method that may facilitate the identification and investigation of the effects of green gentrification in the Global South, broadening the scope and application of this research. This comparison offers insight into the use and comparison of virtual and in situ observations for identifying green gentrification in the Global South and for the applicability of the virtual observation method in this heterogeneous urban landscape, especially in cases with unreliable or unavailable data.

Comments

This article is published as Haddad, M., Christman, Z., Pearsall, H., Sanchez, M., Using Google Street View to Examine Urban Context and Green Amenities in the Global South: The Chilean Experience. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. 3(July 2021); Article 684231. Doi: 10.3389/frsc.2021.684231

Description
Keywords
Citation
DOI
Copyright
Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2021
Collections