start-with-the-park

38 Start with the park
Can you have too
much green space?
Pressure on land in areas of housing
growth is acute and new developments
are being built to relatively high densities.
Each green space must therefore justify
its use of valuable land. The example of
Georgian squares shows how much a
well-designed, relatively small space
can contribute in an urban setting.
Many of the high-rise developments of
the 1960s provided for a large amount
of amenity green space around densely
built housing blocks. Many of these
lacked any clear function and offered
little value to local people. In some cases
these areas have become characterised
by high rates of vandalism, crime
and fear.
In areas of low housing demand, there
may also be more open space than
can be effectively managed. Here the
challenge is to find appropriate uses and
management regimes, perhaps taking
the opportunity to create semi-natural
space or to make the land both functional
and productive.
In areas of low demand it is vital to take a
strategic approach to space and housing
density. Simply demolishing housing
and grassing over the gaps will result in
non-functional green spaces that are
expensive to maintain and may well
attract anti-social behaviour.