VOLUME 1 HUMAN SETTLEMENT PLANNING AND ... - CSIR

GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENT PLANNING AND DESIGNGUIDELINES FOR THE PLANNINGAND DESIGN OF GENERIC FORMS OFSOFT OPEN SPACEImportant considerations in the planning and designof generic forms of soft open space are:• location - where different forms of soft open spaceshould be located within human settlements;• access - the maximum distance users should haveto travel in order to use different forms of softopen space;• size and dimensions - the area, width and length ofdifferent forms of soft open space;• use capacities and thresholds - the number andfrequency of users a space can accommodatebefore the space begins to degrade, and thenumber and frequency of users that are requiredfor efficient utilisation;• edges - the boundaries and definition of differentforms of soft open space;• surfaces - the appropriate horizontal covering ofdifferent forms of soft open space; and• public furniture - the physical objects in differentforms of soft open space.Table 5.4.3: Guidelines for the planning and design of generic forms of soft open spaceLOCATIONParkways • Parkways can be located along water courses, adjacent to floodplains determined by the1:50 year floodline, in order to act as part of the major stormwater management system.• Parkways can be located as links between larger spaces, and can incorporate buffer areasaround incompatible or unsafe land uses.Parks • Larger parks should be located in areas with no or limited access to natural amenities (inthe form of mountains or coastlines). They should be fairly evenly distributed throughouta settlement, and where possible, connected by parkways.• Larger parks can be juxtaposed to, and incorporate, urban agriculture, fuelwood planting,solid waste disposal and nature conservation sites, in order to enhance multifunctionalityand visual interest.• Smaller parks can be located within easy walking distance (i.e. ± 300 m) of workers situatedwithin busy commercial and industrial centres in order to create contrasting spaces of reliefwithin predominantly residential areas, so as to create easily surveilled child-play spaces,and within school clusters, which create safe, shared playtime spaces.Sportsfields • Larger competitive sportsfields should be located within clusters of schools and close toprivate sports clubs, in order to facilitate the sharing of amenities between different usergroups and to avoid under-utilisation. Schools can have allocated times of use during theday, while sports clubs can use the amenities mainly during the evening.• Competitive sportsfields should be located close to public transport services, in order tofacilitate the access of visiting teams.• Sportsfields can be located on low-lying land adjacent to water courses and incorporatedinto parkways, in order to act as part of the major stormwater management system inthe event of severe storms.Soft open spaces Chapter 5.49