Urban parks, sustainable development, environmental design, urban ecology, landscape architecture
Many urban parks that have been established throughout California strive to develop a naturalistic landscape and fulfill people’s inherent value for green space within their communities that offset the congestion and stress of city life. Although they may reflect nature in terms of aesthetic, these parks often do not adhere to what would normally be the region’s ecological constitution or function. In order to comply with sustainable standards, parks must practice the integration of native plants, take advantage of natural lighting, work in tandem with ecological processes, and improve social well-being. This must be accomplished in ways that are not only ecologically sound but also designed in such a way as to improve the livability of the area. As notions of sustainability become more prevalent in both academia and mainstream discussion, it is important that this be reflected in urban parks, the places in which nature is most manifested in major American cities. Very often, environmental issues are solely dealt with on international scales and in areas that are quite secluded from most of society. The venue of urban parks generates a role for local and regional government in achieving sustainability while continuing efforts to improve recreational city life. By doing this study, there is hope for a greater awareness of the potential niche that urban parks play in the continuing endeavor to make cities more sustainable for it is an issue that is becoming increasingly important in the face of global environmental degradation.
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http://www.cprs.org/membersonly/Spring08_GreenDesign.htm
Existing research suggests that urban parks have historically maintained an important, though evolving, function as responses to cities’ social problems. As current concerns of environmental degradation, which arises from and affects both resource consumption and standards of living, are garnering increased social importance, this proposal assesses the potential role that urban parks can play in forging sustainable cities. It serves as a reaction to the greater social awareness of both continual resource exploitation and their limited availability. The research strategy centers on case studies of parks in California’s metropolitan areas that ideologically appeal to notions of sustainability. Through an assessment of these case studies, a more concrete definition of sustainable parks and design guidelines for their development will be determined. The research will contribute to existing literature on the history and design of urban parks, and sustainability in the hope of improving the translation of environmental design theory into practice.
Parks have an eidetic quality that allows them to be a reflection of culture, environmental attitudes, nature itself, and imagination. In terms of the their development, landscape ecologist Nina-Marie Lister suggests two separate design classifications for sustainable urban parks—designer ecology and ecological design. This paper asserts that a balance between these two design constructs is necessary. The purpose of this research is to determine whether this balance exists and what design strategies are successful in achieving this balance. The research strategy centers on case studies within southern California that ideologically appeal to sustainability. Through an assessment of these case studies and an application of the Sustainable Sites Initiative rating system, it has been determined that a balance is possible, though requires early, extensive planning and a conscious integration of both models. This research contributes to existing literature on urban park history, and sustainable development in the hope of improving the translation of sustainable design theory into practice.
Another urban form being conceptualized as part of the public realm and informing sustainable cities is the urban park. In order to prevent valuable urban park areas from becoming lost spaces, it is important that the design constructs associated with parks evolve to fit needs of the current social climate. The most recent model for the urban park is the sustainable park, a model that addresses ecological issues while building upon the social objectives that have shaped parks since the late 19th century. This calls for a balance between both social and ecological imperatives in order to forge more livable spaces in terms of human well-being and environmental welfare. More recently, developed parks such as Cottonwood Creek Park of Encinitas and Orange County Great Park of Irvine have exhibited this balance, integrating both activity programs and sustainable design initiatives within their respective designs. Each transformed a formerly “lost” space into valuable park space for the community, with the Cottonwood Creek formerly being an unnecessary service utility yard and the OC Great Park an abandoned air station. For both parks, the most successful strategies for achieving this balance were the integration of native plants, stormwater management, and the recycling or reuse of existing materials. These exhibited the best results when consciously integrated during the early planning stages as well as when active participation from the community was encouraged. They were successful because they not only increased the functionality of park space in terms of recreation but also enhanced the parks’ ability to serve as a restorative environment.
This research will be divided into two main components. First, there will be a historical examination of the overall development of the urban park and its response to various social problems that has culminated in today’s increasing emphasis on sustainability and environmental safekeeping. The heart of this research will then analyze various design schemes that have been implemented in urban parks within California’s three major metropolitan areas and assess the various successes of each. This will be accomplished by analyzing the mission statements and planning documents for each park, and also by determining if the goals were actually achieved through direct contact with park officials and some of the limited documents that are available, which state relevant information such as energy and water usage for the parks. This will require public cooperation and archival data. Scientific journals will also be used to assess the various stances that scholars maintain in response to the efforts to make urban parks more sustainable. Current literature describing ecological design elements that have been proposed will used to see what theories have been put into practice and their actual effectiveness.
The spatial focus of this research lies within southern California for two main reasons. The first is that California is commonly thought to be one of the leading states in the country with regards to environmental issues, developing some of the most stringent and contemporary environmental laws in the nation. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires development projects to conduct an analysis of and provide disclosure of the potential environmental effects. Assembly Bill 32 (AB32) mandated regulations and market mechanisms to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, a 25% decrease. Senate Bill 375 (SB375) promotes and provides incentives to halt sprawl. Secondly, southern California has the highest population density within the state, housing three counties that all rank amongst the most populous in the country (US Census Population Division, 2008). Increasing sustainability within these areas would potentially have a greater impact because of the population’s density and states legal advancement of environmental measures.
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