start-with-the-park

78 Start with the park
7. Inclusiveness
Parks and public gardens should
provide a resource for a wide range
of people of both sexes and different
ages and backgrounds. Public open
spaces should be socially inclusive
and accommodate a variety of uses.
Generally all individuals should feel
comfortable and no single group should
dominate. Different people have different
ideas about what open space is and
what it is for, but most people accept
that a public open space is not just for
a single group.
‘A hundred objective
measurements didn’t sum
the worth of a garden; only
the delight of its users did
that. Only the use made it
mean something.’
Lois McMaster Bujold, A civil campaign, 1999
Social inclusiveness can be promoted
by creating a series of spaces that look
and feel different, allowing different
interest groups to use them without
reducing others’ enjoyment. A space
might include provision for play, seating,
shelters, cafés, water features, places
for contemplation, skate parks, cycle
routes and sports facilities.
Parks can integrate a range of buildings
that allow for various activities to take
place at different times of day. This
should be more than just toilets and play
facilities, although these are important.
There are many examples of parks that
contain successful cafés, nurseries,
health centres, community buildings,
museums and galleries.