The Role Of Public Park Design In Physical Activity Promotion (A case study of Al-Azhar Park )

Physical activity is essential for public health. It can prevent premature death and a number of diseases, e.g. cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes. Physical activity also boosts our mental health and the sense of well-being. Parks can be an important, low-cost neighborhood resource to increase physical activity , reduce overweight and obesity, provide psychological, social, and physical health benefits for users, and can facilitate community building. Literature indicates two main factors for the shift of people towards sedentary lifestyle: The personal factors related mainly to gender, race, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and religion and need a behavioural change and factors arising from the urban design of neighbourhoods/communities and cities [1]–[3]. All in all, beautiful, exciting and safe environments encourage movement, and hence, the design of the urban environment is essential for citizen‘s level of physical activity. A growing part of the population choose to live in the city, and thus, city planning plays an increasingly important role for general public health. Communities may consider increasing park maintenance and addressing attractiveness in existing parks as a relatively low-cost environmental strategy to encourage park use, increase physical activity, and reduce the burden of obesity, especially among people in low-income communities.    Al-Azhar Park is one of the foremost public parks in Egypt, found in Cairo City, and it is recorded as one of the world's sixty incredible open parks by the Public Spaces Venture. The Historic Cities Support Program made it with the help of The Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Once a rundown region in Cairo, it has undergone a miraculous change and is a popular tourist destination in Egypt.  The Park is an awesome place to relax, learn about history, and enjoy the beauty of nature. Al Azhar Park is self-sustainable and a driver and catalyst for a whole range of associated urban regeneration projects in its surroundings. It is a model of development and this is replicable in other historic cities The aim of the current research is to investigate the parameters that should be taken in account in the planning and design of open parks within neighbourhoods/communities in order to enhance and ameliorate the quality of life of people in the community. Due to time and scope limitations, the research investigates the features and characteristics that a park must provide in order to encourage physical activity for its users. The purpose of the study is to bring social interests together, contribute to the protection of the country‘s nature and environment, create and preserve valuable buildings and involve the public in the planning process. In conclusion, as conditions and perceptions of parks may be more important than the presence or absence of these resources in influencing physical activity, improving quality of the parks may be key to increasing usage and promoting physical activity within various communities