URBANISTA Lesson #1: Walk with me in the PARK...

If one of your friend invites you to walk, will you walk?

Of course, first question that will pops into your mind is, the “where” question right?
If she mentioned a place, to the nearest mall, the nearest coffee shop, the nearest McDonalds, you will immediately agree with no hesitation especially on Saturdays or Sundays after weekdays of work.

But if she invites you to walk on the… PARK? Will you immediately agree?

No? Yes, I want!, or Yes?! with hesitation…

Well, what makes a park a PARK? But my real question is this...

How to make a park more inviting?

First, of course the main component of of a park, are the TREES or what we call as our "green elements".
"In the sense, trees and or the clusters of trees are viewed as one of the fundamental tools in building the public space, viewed more from the perspective of experiencing the space than as an "object" to be viewed". - Plans and Projects from Barcelona 2011-2015 by Guallart, Barcena and Gratacos. Yes! A public space is more of an experience than an object to view it as the "park", or an area to walk on, run or to jump on. There is a sense in the experience as one urges to run for example to clear ONE's mind or just sit to have that intimate conversation with a close friend or walk to lose that unwanted weight. Why one urges to walk? Maybe to inhale that fresh air from outside or to experience the heat from the sun or feel that stroke of wind from one's skin.

Second, factor is the ACCESS. Who are the main users of the park or public space in general? The Neighbourhood themselves or the people of different ages, gender and races so Parks should be directly accessible to the users themselves. Every cluster of a neighbourhood should have that common area to which they can talk, play, run or just the purpose of sitting by the park. Thus, adjacent neighbourhoods can have that ease of access through PCN (Park connectors) that can be accessible by means of walking or biking.

Thirdly, it has its BORDER and LENGTH to where the people can easily identify the direction and path. Path walks are also one key feature in a park as it denotes the "continuity" or encourages movement in general. Parks are for recreation and fitness purposes, so people should be encouraged to be WALK.

Fourth is the presence of WATER. This dynamic element is an inviting factor in every liveable place in general as it instantly calms our minds and emotions. That's why Parks are mostly situated adjacent to rivers, waterfronts and reservoirs to let one enjoy it's breathtaking views while running or walking. Just the sound of flowing water cover ups the noise from cars and buses from the streets.

Fifth is PHYSICAL and VISUAL qualities of a park which includes the Park's horizontal or vertical point or elements of interest. In order for the Park to be inviting it's sense of linearity satisfied through aligned strip of trees also marks direction. But, in terms of it's uniqueness, how can a park stand-out from the rest of the park? The source of the park's attraction can be satisfied by having that "sense of place" for interaction and incorporating an "economic" element to it. That power of the user "to spend", or "to eat", are the main reasons why there is more people on commercial establishment than of Parks thus, we just need to adapt to what is working with human behaviour now. As quoted by the same book as mentioned above "Public space should be something friendly and close to the reality of individuals as the element that objectively mediates between them and their environment (urban/natural environment), allowing varied actions and bearing in mind the subjective viewpoint of each user."

This is Elsa, inviting you to walk on.. PARKS!

And, signing off in School of Thoughts, as I leave you with this quote saying:

“Out of every crisis comes the chance to be reborn, to preconceived ourselves as individuals, to choose the kind of change that will help us to grow and to fulfil ourselves more completely.”
-Nena O’ Neil

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All photos & writing are original work by author (@schoolofthoughts)