Figure 5- Well-designed streets and public spaces encourage walking and cycling

2.4 Benefits of Public Open Space

Public spaces offer a wide range of benefits and advantages that contributes to the overall development of the city along with the development of the physical and mental well-being of the citizen. Some of the ranging advantages of the public spaces include9:

1. Public spaces are a producer of environmental stability:

The negative consequences of excessive paved surfaces in cities are well known. Parks, gardens, and playgrounds, particularly when well distributed in an urban area, are essential antidotes to this problem and open and green spaces perform vital ecological functions. A well-planned city-wide public space system can create green networks to regenerate ecological systems and restore environmental connectivity (wildlife, sanctuaries, and watercourses) and support biodiversity in urban areas. This can, in turn, create ample benefits for the citizenry at large and attract visitors. The role that public spaces can play in the provision of ecological services is extremely important in the mitigation and adaptation strategies to climate change. As an ideal reflection of the same, the Ibirapuera Sao Paulo in Brazil can be considered, Located in the heart of Sao Paulo, Ibirapuera is the center of the city’s cultural life. The park was designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx and modernist Oscar Niemeyer. First opened to the public in 1954 to celebrate the city’s 400th anniversary, it’s now the city’s most famous attraction.

Covering a total of two square kilometers, Ibirapuera features a beautiful landscape of fountains, lakes, and monuments. It also contains a series of museums, the Japanese Pavilion, and the renowned Bienal – the venue for São Paulo Fashion Week. During the weekends, visitors can also enjoy live music shows in the park’s many performance spaces. The presence of a resplendent space in the city has improved the living conditions of the people.10

Figure 2: public spaces enhance environment stability; Source: European Environment agency Figure 3: Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Source: Onthegotrus.Com

9 Global Public Space Toolkit: From Global Principles to Local Policies and Practice (n1) 17

10 ON THE GO TOURS (2018) 10 of the World’s Best City Parks. [WWW] Available from: https://www.onthegotours.com/blog/2018/03/worlds-best-city parks/#:~:text=Located%20in%20the%20heart%20of,Marx%20and%20modernist%20Oscar%20Niemeyer. [Accessed : 03-05-2022]