What if...
What if…
…no one created new parks?
Urban designer
Emma Appleton
Whether you’re designing a small development of homes, remodelling a city centre or creating an entirely new community, high quality public space plays is vitally important. This includes green space as well as urban squares and streets.
Well designed and maintained green spaces make an area more attractive and desirable – property values can be between 5% and 7% higher for homes near a park. They provide variety and enable community and social events to take place, whether it’s a group of friends kicking a football about or a concert or cultural festival.
High quality new parks and urban spaces create a focal point in a city or town where people naturally gather. Sheffield’s Heart of the City scheme, for example, centres on the Peace Gardens and the Winter Gardens. These new spaces have brought citizens back into the centre and have stimulated a great deal of development. These spaces are part of a city centre public realm strategy, aiming to have linked streets and spaces of the highest quality to ensure an enjoyable pedestrian experience.
In Runcorn, the redevelopment of the Castlefields estate involved the creation of a new park, Phoenix Park, on a derelict school site. Local people helped decide what should go there and as a result it has become a hugely popular feature, and private developers are keen to build nearby.
The government has recognised the importance of parks and open spaces, and national planning policy encourages taking a strategic approach to green space, with a focus on quality and functionality rather than quantity. Parks act as an important link between different areas or neighbourhoods, and can encourage more sustainable forms of transport – a park with a cycle route, for instance, can help persuade people to commute to work by bike rather than car.
Community health worker
Nathalie Carter
Parks make you feel better. A cared-for park helps you feel good about the area you live in. It can provide opportunities for socialising and exercise.
This isn’t just wishful thinking on the part of planners. A study in 2002 by researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental School found that pensioners living near city parks had a longer life expectancy than those who didn’t have access to green spaces.
The charity Green Space reports that children with attention deficit disorder are more able to concentrate when they have plenty of contact with the natural environment.
While parks can help people who are stressed or have mental health problems gain a better sense of wellbeing, they also help save the taxpayer money by promoting better physical health. A regular brisk walk can help prevent heart disease and obesity – so much so that some GP practices are now prescribing exercise to patients who are at risk.
In Chester-le-Street, County Durham, a scheme called Footsteps to Fitness helps people get used to the idea of regular walking with Sunday morning three- or four-mile guided walks twice a month.
For children, a park with a playground or activity area can provide a welcome opportunity to take exercise and let off steam in a safe environment. This is especially important as concerns grow about the rise in childhood obesity.
By 2008, the Department for Communities and Local Government wants most local areas in England to have at least one good quality green space that’s worthy of a Green Flag award.
