2) Parks, Trails and Public Space

2. Parks, Trails and Public Spaces

The second visual tenet is Parks, Trails and Public Spaces. The SCCP and the 17 program partners place importance on greenspace because of the natural and human benefits they bring to a place. Providing greenspace that is accessible to all residents is a critical element of environmental equity. It is common for cities to create a goal to reach a certain area of greenspace per-captia. Parks, trails, and public spaces should be designed in a way that promotes environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Well planned greenspace networks are multifunctional in accordance with environmental, social, and economic benefits. Providing a network of greenspace benefits humans, wildlife, and allows for the land to regulate and function naturally; this is called microclimate regulation.

A popular publication from 2013 titled Supplying Urban Ecosystem Services explains three categories of functions sustainably planned greenspace can have: ecological functions, cultural functions, and production functions. The ecological functions can include “climate regulation, carbon sequestration, water infiltration, biodiversity conservation, nutrient cycling, and other benefits for environmental health.” The cultural functions include “recreation, visual quality, cultural heritage, education, and other benefits directly experienced by humans”. Finally, the production benefits include ways in which the land can provide things like food, biofuel, or medicinal resources.9

Land that is impacted or projected to be impacted by climate change can be good to transform to public greenspace. Floodplains can be designed into multifunctional spaces that serve as park land as well as flood mitigation. Planning parks with multiple functions is typically requires a multi-scale planning approach. Because green infrastructure works best in a network, environmental planners suggest cities work with their surrounding areas to create a collaborative network of greenspace that is connected through greenways, bodies of water, or trails.8 A green network is an alternative to planning disconnected greenspaces throughout a city. Although disconnected greenspaces also have mitigative and social benefits, the impacts are maximized in areas that plan for a connected system of greenspace in the form of parks, trails, and public space.

Below, in Image 9, is the plan for an urban greenbelt in Austin, Texas. The project has required collaboration from 8 partners including the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. The greenbelt utilizes water ways including two creeks and a lake to design greenways alongside it. The greenways will create a walkable system for people to use as well as a healthier water system by including green buffers around each body of water that will prevent run off and pollution from entering the water system.

9 Lovell Taylor (2013). Supplying Urban Ecosystem Services

Image 9. Downtown Austin Alliance plan for Urban Greenbelt in Austin, Texas. (https://downtownaustin.com/what-we-do/current-projects/urban-greenbelt/)

A person’s understanding of what public space is may vary. Some may include streets, parks, and squares and others may not. This causes conversations surrounding public spaces to also vary. However, the interactions that public space make possible are what gives

the spaces true value. Cities need well-functioning public spaces. Determining who can access a public space, and what they are able to use it for, is critical. A city should ensure access to all people in public spaces. Furthermore, cities should strive to ensure all people are comfortable and welcomed into public spaces to practice whatever they please, within legal limits.10 Public spaces should be designed to be inclusionary. They should be designed to be multifunctional, to cater to all groups of people. Social justice should be promoted in all public spaces by promoting and fostering diversity and inclusion.

Public spaces also need to be managed. It is not uncommon for a space to either be overmanaged or undermanaged. A city should observe and find the right amount of maintenance for each space. Management includes public safety and cleanliness.11

10 : Don Mitchell (1996) INTRODUCTION: PUBLIC SPACE AND THE CITY, Urban Geography, 17:2, 127-131, DOI: 10.2747/0272-3638.17.2.127 11 Carmona, Matthew. 2010. Contemporary Public Space, Part Two: Classification. Journal of Urban Design15(2): 157-173.