Neighbourhood Park - Measuring Tool

Neighbourhood Park Measuring Tool

Quality Evaluation Tool

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Guide to use this document

Policy-makers

This document aims to primarily to educate and motivate everyone to con tribute towards the development of their neighbourhood. This document also helps in creating awareness towards people centric urban spaces and hence to consider arrangement of spaces in order to accommodate daily needs of people.

Neighbourhoods

It is important to realise that parks are containers of human activity and social interaction. A well maintained park with an active community partici pation creates a liveable public space. Parks cannot be seen in isolation and hence communities need to step up and participate in shaping common public spaces.

Professionals in the Built Environment

This document allows multidiscplinary professionals to evaluate the quality of parks for their respective purposes. This would enable professionals to undertake various tools to study their area of interest. The document also allows changes and expansion of this toolkit depending on site conditions. Hence it allows professionals to develop their own toolkit within which they can apply their expertise.

Process

Neighbours and planners, should monitor for any changes or additions required.

Neighbours and policy makers, together should describe their shared vision.

Neighbours and planners can collect primary data on site and program the space accordingly

Policy makers and planners, should implement design decisons which can also include neighbours

Professionals with expertise can provide with options for the stated vision.

Neighbours, planners and policy makers, together should develop a strategy to carry out the vision.

QUEEN’S PARK

1 Introduction

2 Observational Tool

3 Potential Evaluation Tool

4 Intercept Tool

5 Analysis and Recommendation

According to Jacobs, parks are ‘volatile’ places and their popularity and quality depends on its neigh bourhood activity. Parks are not mere abstractions as visualised but a reflection of the quality of life in the neighbourhood.

The following section will define the approach of this document and the characteristics of a ‘high potential’ park. Also, it will demonstrate various tools that were used to document the processess.

Approach

The aim of this document is to establish a symbiotic relationship between the park and the neighbourhood

1 Basic Needs and Facilities are well maintained

2 Connection and Safety towards all users

3 Provide Positive Experiences for Park users

4 Relevant to communities they serve

5 Economic Generators

6 Adaptable to changing circumstances

How do we measure?

Photography

Mapping

Taking test walks Intercept Interviews

What do we measure?

Observing Socio Spatial design

Mapping how people spend time

Surveying what are the user groups in the park

Diverse community activities in the park

Observational Tool

This tool is allows us to record movement of users within the park and their activities. Also it helps us to note the nuances in public space such as a park which may not be obtained by any other method such as interviews.

What

In order to evaluate how a park is functioning, it is important to know the movement of people within that space. Whether stationary or mobile and what kind of activities are they engaged in. This gives us an socio spatial understanding of public space. By observing the level of interaction we can understand how inviting is this public space for different people.

Directions to use :

Photographic mapping of people and their activities by standing in a specific area of the site.

Walk through the site taking snap shots of how people use the space. Note the time. This will help cate gorising different types of users.

Use different maps to indicate specific time/ day based activities.

Take notes of unusual activites and the ones happening in large groups.

Notes

individuals cycling inspite of the rules not permitting cycling in the park

farmers market on salusbury road. Queen’s Park used as a transition path

Mapping on Weekend

Mapping on Weekday

3

Potential Evaluation Tool

This tool is primarily for neighborhood and poli cy planners to develop a shared vision for urban parks. This tool will help them evaluate the existing conditions in terms of infrastructural, social, eco nomical and environmental factors. This tool pro vides a framework for future strategies.

What

The survey gives a broad under standing of how parks function at a neighbourhood scale. This is also to direct a fresh perspective towards looking at urban parks as not mere abstractions but in the context of their surrounding. The tool can be used to kickstart conversations among various stakeholders. This tool aims to create a common language of evaluation for urban parks and yet provide flexibilty in terms of solutions that it suggests.

Directions to use :

Select your park in case of more than one in the neighbourhood

Take time to understand all the factors and assess the site based on your understanding and experi ence.

This evaluation tool can be used individually as well as in groups.

The tool is flexible to change depending on site. Factors which are not covered can be mentioned in the notes section.

Intangible Assets

Accessible areas of the park

Free Access

Paid Access

Limited Access

Socio Spatial Patterns

Existing patterns of movement

Imagined Patterns with new activities

Environment

Air pollution in the area

Tree inequity

Tangible Assets

Park Maintenance

Cleanliness

Toilet Facilties

Garbage Picking

Seating spaces

Connection and Safety

Accessibilty of the park

Loitering in public space

Safety at evenings

Positive Experience

Facilites to play and exercise

Nature observation

Usability under all weather conditions

Community events

Active participation of users in these events

Economic Generators

Funding opportunities

Partnerships with private entities and council

Adaptability

Environmental Resilience

Flexibilty to change

Mapping Seating Spaces in Queen’s Park

Shortcut route

Benches

Seating points are an important aspect of physical infrastructure in a public space such as a park. Mapping benches could help us identify spatial structuring of the park and its use in the specific areas. Benches also act as ‘places of solitude’ in a public realm. In the Quiet Garden, no one is seen in large groups and people are often sitting by themselves. Similarly, benches are close to the cafe, since it is the most visited point in the park all through the day.

LEGEND : High traffic gate

Mapping Socio-Spatial Patterns in

Queen’s Park

Everyday use (7a.m 6p.m depending on season)

Used mostly in Summer (daytime)

Weekend use (mornings and evenings)

Closed

Underused open spaces

Overground Railway Housing

Queen’s Park Day (Temporal event)

Underused open spaces

Overground Railway Housing

This is a comparison map between everyday use and temporal use of the park to establish the flexibilty of a public space. Mapping socio spatial nature of the park during various days of the week or times in a day and during various events can establish patterns of movement of its users and their relationship with the park.

LEGEND : LEGEND :

Mapping Accessibilty in

Queen’s Park

Permission Required for Bandstand (Grade 2 Listed)

Paid entry for Golf Course 1/4th of the park for less than half the users

Paid entry for Tennis Court

Space of ‘expected’ silence in Quiet Garden (subtle boundaries)

Limited access (only children below 12 years, parents and park staff)

Overground Railway Housing

4 Intercept Tool

This tool allows us to collect data from park users. Data could vary from site to site, but it fosters en gagement of the users with the park. This tool helps us to uncover many aspects and gain deeper insights into what other tools have provided.

What

Intercept tools are used to develop an understanding based on user experiences. It also helps to record unique information about the park and its surrounding areas. The sample size is much smaller since this is a time consuming activity. It is a site specific tool but can be used to compare different parks based on the level of user engage ment.

Directions to use :

Approach people using the park with a tailor made questions. This tool can be designed based on demographics.

Questions can be asked through card games or model or question naire.

Aim to record answers from vari ous user groups.

Record the day. Specific user groups may be coming to the park only on particular days.

Notes

“ I know we are not allowed to cycle here but this park is very convenient for cycling. I try to avoid kids and elderly people who are walking”

“ I notice an evolution in people use this space and be more health conscious. I have been coming to this park 40 years ago”

“ I came here by car. This is my first time coming here be cause my wife has a friend with kids of my kids age. I am from Tottenham”

1. How do you come to the park ? walking cycling car train

2. How far away do you stay from the park ? 5 min 10 min 15 min

more than 15 min

3. What is your reason to visit the park ? Bring children to the park / Family time

Exercise/ Run/ Play sports/ Walk a dog

Community events / Group activities

Relax and sit in a quiet place

4. According to you, how would you categorise the following themes into ‘important’ and ‘wishful’ ?

The park could have drinking water facilities and better public toilets

Dogs can be let off the lead in some areas of the park

Participation in community events organised in the park

Nature walks in the woodland area should be initiated

Cycle track inside the park

Open air theatre for communal activities

Important

Wishful

Diagram of User Purposes of Visit in

Queen’s Park

Diagram of Travel Distance and Modes in Queen’s Park

Diagram of User Preference in

Queen’s Park

5 Analysis and Recommendations

The final part of the toolkit consists of summary and analysis of all the data collected with recom mendations or proposals to create equitable urban spaces.

Summary and Analysis

1 Events are organised annually but on a daily basis, civic engagement is far too less

2 Paid entry to sports facility creates subtle boundaries of private and public

3 Golf course occupies 1/4th of the total park area and can only be used for one activity.

4 More community events needed to be organised

5 There are not many passive actors. No one can linger around.

6 Making the garden spatially adapatable for longer sustenance

Recommendation

Urban Allotments

Repurpose unused land

Create a land bank

Lease out a flower bed

Diversify funding of parks

Temporal function

Breaking functional montony

Adding new elements

Diversify the neighbourhood

Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park

Serpentine Pavillion, 2022 , Hyde Park