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Participatory design strategy through post-occupancy evaluation of built assets is a feedback mechanism into the design process. This paper draws upon a wider empirical study that aims at evaluating the University Campus Open Spaces (UCOS) of six federal universities in South-west Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to generate evidence-based design toolkits for UCOS towards spanning of disconnects between designers and users thereby revisiting and revitalizing their design criteria.

A sample (n=3,016) of users was drawn in a cross-sectional survey through stratified random method. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire in multiple choice and Likert-type scales. The data obtained were subjected to statistical techniques.

Results show that males use the UCOS for active and passive recreation than females. The UCOS are male dominated because the females have higher concerns for lack of safety and inclement weather. Both genders have equal preference for sitting. “Group academic” activities are at peak in the “afternoon”, while “being alone” takes place in the “evening” and “personal academic” in the “morning”. Safety is primary to zoological and botanical gardens. Social interaction spaces enhance successful recreation parks. Coherence and legibility are the highest cognitive satisfaction factors for pedestrian sidewalks.

The research generated design requirements for UCOS, and it is important for informing better design solutions in the future.

The results are synthesized into three-in-two new frameworks to guide future design actions for innovative strategies between design and use/operational phases.

The recreational benefits of urban parks and gardens have been documented in the literature. However, the extent to which the mechanism behind this is reliant on demographic variables and sites' quality, among others, is not clear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of these variables on recreational experiences in Ibadan, Nigeria, towards recommending the best practices.

A questionnaire was carried out with a random sample of users (n=232) of the three most prominent parks and gardens in the city. The content was grouped into three broad themes – the overall design of urban natural landscape, meeting people's needs, and the nature of space management. These three streams of parameters were investigated on a five-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information on personal, physical and psychological issues.

Based on the hypotheses that recreational experiences do not depend on the variables, results indicate no correlation between recreational experience and age, education, marital status, income and schedule of visits. However, there are positive significant correlations with gender, sites' quality, company and frequency of visit.

The results of the study suggest policy indication that planning for parks and gardens in cities should consider gender, sites' quality, company and frequency of visit variables further beyond age, education, marital status, income and schedule of visits.

The study was carried out in May 2011, and it has capacity to guide planning for urban eco-recreation places in developing nations.

The poor outdoor quality of highly populated third-world cities is a consequence of the misuse of public open spaces as refuse dumps and for informal trading activities. This describes the situation of Lagos metropolis before the present political will that has infused great landscaping transition into the cityscape. However, the challenges of maintenance are germane to the sustainability of these landscape products. The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality and characteristics of the landscapes that have undergone transition and to formulate a framework for maintenance strategies.

The study objectively evaluates the physical qualities of 22 randomly selected sites that have undergone transition through on-site assessment and photographic recording. The management regimes were subjectively studied to appraise the level of their effectiveness and to guide future strategies. This was carried out by collecting the opinions of 130 selected government officials in charge of maintaining the spaces with the aid an interview guide.

Analyses of the data revealed rich values of the landscapes and management strategies in favour of a public-private partnership. It recommends public open space transformation for recreational activities in cities as a vital means of enhancing urban living and city outlooks.

The study concludes with formulation of sustainable management framework for the landscapes and argues in its favour. It thus has policy implications on the maintenance of urban open spaces that have undergone transition in Lagos and Nigeria at large.

The study was carried out in May 2011. Its significance lies in its capacity of enhancing the quality of urban open spaces through appropriate policy formulation of management regimes.