A research presentation on how proximity to recreational areas and the availability of nearby recreational spaces may relate to housing prices in Düsseldorf.
Urban green spaces and recreational amenities are increasingly recognized as important determinants of quality of life, residential attractiveness and urban housing markets (Kolbe & Wüstemann, 2015; Ramírez-Juidías et al., 2022).
How do proximity to recreational areas and the availability of nearby recreational spaces relate to housing prices in Düsseldorf?
To examine whether recreational accessibility, measured through proximity and availability indicators, is associated with housing prices in Düsseldorf.
Understanding recreational accessibility can support evidence-based planning decisions.
Environmental amenities may influence residential attractiveness and market prices.
Parks and recreational areas contribute to health, well-being and urban livability.
The project follows the logic of research methodology: research question, objective, literature review, research gap and methodology.
The literature suggests that housing prices are influenced not only by structural characteristics but also by locational and environmental amenities.
Housing prices reflect a bundle of structural, locational and environmental characteristics.
Key Sources
Rosen (1974)
Basu & Thibodeau (1998)
Geoghegan et al. (1997)
Green spaces generate environmental, social and economic value in housing markets.
Key Sources
Kolbe & Wüstemann (2015)
Ramírez-Juidías et al. (2022)
Lee & Li (2009)
Accessibility measures influence residential attractiveness and housing market outcomes.
Key Sources
Wittowsky et al. (2020)
Helbich et al. (2014)
Apparicio et al.
GIS and geospatial analysis provide new opportunities for accessibility measurement.
Key Sources
Wei et al. (2022)
OpenStreetMap Foundation
Lovelace et al. (2024)
Existing research has examined green spaces and housing prices, but several gaps remain for this specific research project.
The study is based on Hedonic Pricing Theory, which explains housing prices as the combined value of property characteristics.
Recreational accessibility is treated as an environmental amenity within the hedonic pricing framework.
Better access to recreational areas may be reflected in higher housing prices per square meter.
Recreational accessibility is conceptualized through two measurable dimensions: proximity and availability.
meters
count
€/m²
The study adopts a quantitative research design and combines housing market data with geospatial information.
Düsseldorf, Germany.
ImmobilienScout24 and available Düsseldorf open-data sources.
OpenStreetMap data for parks, forests, meadows and recreation grounds.
R, GIS, spatial analysis and thematic mapping.
Residential properties located within Düsseldorf.
Quantitative, secondary-data-based and geospatial.
The workflow translates the research question into measurable spatial indicators and statistical analysis.
| Variable | Type | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Housing Price | Dependent Variable | €/m² |
| Distance to Recreational Area | Independent Variable | Meters |
| Number of Recreational Areas | Independent Variable | Count within 500m |
Measured as euros per square meter.
Measured in meters from each residential property.
Measured as count of recreational areas within walking distance.
Provides evidence for a city that is less represented in existing studies.
Demonstrates how open spatial data and reproducible R workflows can be used.
May support evidence-based discussion about recreational infrastructure.
Rosen (1974); Geoghegan et al. (1997); Basu & Thibodeau (1998); Lee & Li (2009); Kolbe & Wüstemann (2015); Helbich et al. (2014); Wittowsky et al. (2020); Ramírez-Juidías et al. (2022); Wei et al. (2022); Lovelace et al. (2024); OpenStreetMap Foundation.
This research project investigates whether recreational accessibility is associated with housing prices in Düsseldorf.