CONTEXTUAL PREDICTORS OF URBAN PARK UTILISATION AMONG MALAYSIAN ETHNIC GROUPS

Social interaction among diverse ethnic groups motivates people within communities to visit urban parks inline to achieving social cohesion. In Malaysia for example, different ethnic backgrounds spend their leisure time in urban parks, this is because the trend offer opportunities for social interaction among the users. The perception and requirement of attributes needed varies among the various ethnic groups that includes Malays, Chinese and Indians, this is to assured their full utilization of the parks. This study investigates the urban park attributes of the said three ethnics that encourage the utilization of urban park toward achieving social cohesion. Using survey questionnaire method a total of 274 respondents were sampled at Batu Pahat urban parks in Johor, Malaysia. Afterwards, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse and validate respondents' perception of urban park utilization. The findings show that aesthetics, safety, lighting, maintenance and cleanliness of the urban parks are the determinant factors that attracted the users to utilise the parks and contribute to achieve a social cohesion. (c) 2018 INT TRANS J ENG MANAG SCI TECH.