The Influence of Green Open Spaces and Historical Areas on Urban Growth of Banda Aceh, Indonesia: A Case study using the Sim-Weight Method

One of the efforts made to create a sustainable city is to balance the built-up areas with environmental conservation. The role of green space is very helpful in improving the environmental quality of the city. Preservation of historic buildings and the environment is also important for supporting the amenity of the City of Banda Aceh, which has been designated by the government as a heritage city. The high growth in the post-Tsunami period has caused concern that it could make the city less liveable. This study has explored how the role of green spaces and historical areas can encourage sustainable growth of the city. Data from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was processed and then tested for distance relationships to green open spaces (GOS) and to historical areas (HIA) using Sim-Weight. The results showed that shorter distances to GOS and to HIA positively influenced the growth of the city.