The quantification of cognitive development cultural service supply in the primary schools of Hamedan city, Iran

Abstract

Cities provide their residents and communities with specific services through urban green spaces. Cognitive development is an important service, which is the construction of thought processes such as remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making from childhood to adulthood. The present study aimed to evaluate and quantify the supply of the cognitive development services resulting from the exposure of green space for primary school students in Hamedan, Iran. In total, 179 schools were selected, and by applying a 50-meter buffer, the green space within the school area was classified into five categories based on field surveys and satellite imagery processing and weighted based on expert opinions. The final index value was obtained by summing the product of each polygon value in its area for each green infrastructure class, which was classified into five groups. According to the results, gardens and parks had the highest impact on cognitive development. Only 15 schools had a proper status in terms of the green cover standard (NDVI≥0.5) affecting the cognitive development of students. Considering the per capita standard of green space (0.5 m²) and standard area of ​​school infrastructure (1960 m²), only six schools met the triple standards, and four cases were added to the list by creating and expanding the green space. Since the design of schools is not focused on green spaces, its valuable capital remains a potential value. which should be recognized and activated to attain growth, academic progress, and improvement of students' learning.