Using landscape to promote social interaction in a park

I think there are lots of different types of ‘parks’ or public space whether the context is more urban or less developed. A National Park in the United States, for example, might rely almost entirely on its geographic location and natural features to draw users, whereas a community park in an urban neighborhood might vary more greatly in terms of program and and use.

How to make a park more livable throughout the year is a fundamental reason we use the pallette we do-plants, trees, landform, rocks, and architecture. If you’re designing a park, spending time on the site is key. Know all the discomforts- the wind, the bugs, the hot sun, the cold, etc..

Too often in the US we design parks that are flat and safe. We have trouble justifying open space without a set of specific criteria like baseball, playgrounds, swings, tennis, etc. I think there’s a lack of good passive public space in the US, especially in suburbia.

william whyte discovered that you need to let people move things around in the park..give them things they can interact with..and sound – can be a design element.. the plantings should NOT dictate the design..circulation is number one, besides drainage..don’t be too fussy – AE Bye said all you need for a good park is a tree stamp and a bench stamp..Don’t get snobby about benches – can’t have too many, really..varied paths – ways of walking..slow path, fast path..I like “A pattern Language”, which seems to be having some sort of resurgence among architects, thank god..

NYC does a lot of programming for its parks, in the way of organized events and sports in addition to allowing and even encouraging concessionaires. Central Park has the Woolman Rink for skating in the winter, a pond specifically for toy boats in summer, concerts, plays, etc. The New Urbanists seem to feel that public space needs to be filled with all kinds of leisurely consumerist attractions, which I don’t necessarily agree with. As far as livability goes, at the very least you need basic amenities like restrooms and shelter from the weather. Depending on the climate, the choice of plantings can go a long way toward making the microclimate more amenable.

BUT,

some of the best places most fond in my memory didn’t have any path, but certainly a destination. The path was undefiuned and thats what made the journey so great..it was about discovery, whereas if all our parks are organized around (formal) paths I think you have a museum of landscape (plants trees, lawn, outdoor stuff, rather than a true subjective experience.

I’m not necessaril disagreeing by the way, I’m just challenging for sake of dicussion. I think we could do better in advocating for unprogrammed wild space in general.

I’m not sure whether people will completely disagree with me on this or not. I’d say one of most important things for a successful park, and, unfortunately, something we LA’s have little control over, is what surrounds the park. If you have a single type of use, like residential, then you will only get people using the park when they are home from work. Or if you only have offices, then you just get people using it at lunch time.
If you have a mix of uses surrounding a park (housing, offices, shopping, restaurants, etc.), then the park will be used more because of the greater variety of potential users. So, a great design and good programming are important, but what surrounds the park is just as important, if not more important.

Activiy – experience – requirement

Circulation is an activity that takes place in every park to one degree or another. It is our job to determine the appropriate experience for the user(s). Then we need to figure out the physical requirements to achieve that experience. I think that Lugman is in search of information on what some of those experiences might be more desirable for one situation or another and then what physical built work has been documented to be effective at making it happen.

I want to say that there is another book called “People Places” or something like that which discusses how people interact in public spaces. It also discusses what can be built to facilitate these interactions. I might have that title all messed up, it is a bit of a distant memory.