ASSESSMENT OF URBAN PARKS AND RECREATIONAL AREAS IN SAMARKAND CITY USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES

Urban parks and recreational areas are essential elements of sustainable urban development because they provide ecological, social, cultural, and public-health benefits. In rapidly urbanizing historic cities, however, the distribution, accessibility, quality, and ecological condition of green spaces may vary significantly among neighborhoods. This study assesses urban parks and recreational areas in Samarkand City, Uzbekistan, through the application of geospatial technologies. The research combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, satellite imagery, spatial database development, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis, land-use mapping, buffer analysis, and network-based accessibility assessment. Open Street Map data, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, Landsat imagery, municipal planning documents, and publicly available geographic data were used to identify and evaluate the location, size, vegetation condition, accessibility, and recreational potential of parks.