October 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 83

4

Eyes on the Park

Jane Jacobs, in her hallmark book, The
Life and Death of Great American Cities, noted the importance of what she called,
" Eyes on the Street. " She pointed out that
neighborhood safety and vitality depend
on a maximum number of people watching over a streetscape. In a well-connected, mixed-use neighborhood, people are
present 24/7. Residents and workers in
the neighborhood are moving in and out
so that someone is always present. Jacobs
observed this feature as a hallmark of a
thriving street, public space or park. Sub-

5

Mobility

Finally, mobility enables people to
reach places through multiple modes of
travel - walking, biking and various
forms of private and public transit.
Sidewalks and streets can occupy more
than one-third of the land of a city.
Adding surface parking lots, that figure
can range to as much as two-thirds of
the ground plane. Understanding the
importance of these aspects of mobility
as part of the park system is foundational to developing the connectivity necessary for a dynamic park system.

While the specifics of how each park provides these
elements are unique to its context and location, a fully
connected park system begins at the doorstep of each
resident and serves as infrastructure that supports health
and well-being.
sequent research confirms that the observation of public space enables a level of
safety and security that has both health
and well-being impacts for the observer
and the observed. Parks are especially
sensitive to supervision and the proximity
of residents, the presence of mixed-use,
easy access through a well-connected network, and the presence of trees are all
linked to higher levels of activity and
social support. Providing close proximity of active uses and easy visual and
physical access can ensure sufficient
numbers of Eyes on the Park, as well as
enhancing both physical activity and social interaction.
	

Parks that can be reached on foot by
the first circle of users provide important
neighborhood destinations and participate in a park infrastructure that connects parks, greenways and blueways
across a region through trails, sidewalks,
streets and rails. Kardys points out that
" complete streets with generous sidewalks, which connect to convenient transit access points, are the essential ingredients of a truly accessible system of parks
and open spaces. "
Kardys also notes that " a multimodal approach to connectivity ensures
that access is equitable, allowing the
largest number of residents to enjoy

great public spaces and experience
a green and safe journey to reach
them. " This comprehensive and inclusive approach to mobility also enables
people with various levels of personal
mobility to enjoy parks. Making parks
welcoming for users with supportive
appliances provides opportunities for
social interaction and physical activity in a safe space that builds skill and
enhances well-being.
This five-point checklist:
(1) Mixed-Use
(2) Connectivity
(3) Greenness
(4) Eyes on the Park
(5) Mobility
provides a framework for assessing the
potential for parks to contribute to community and individual health. Other
aspects of resilience and hazard mitigation add to the ecological health profile,
and there are clearly many other aspects
of park design. The key contributors to
health, however, are embedded in this
checklist and, to the extent that park and
park system design provides and enhances these elements, the closer parks move
toward a healthy community design
strategy.
While the specifics of how each park
provides these elements are unique to its
context and location, a fully connected
park system begins at the doorstep of
each resident and serves as an infrastructure that supports health and well-being.
Parks provide the places where many of
life's most profound experiences are celebrated - designing parks as linked elements within a parks infrastructure can
transform our suburbs, towns and cities
so that these beloved places are also our
partners in health.
Joanna Lombard, AIA, LEED, AP, is a Professor at
the University of Miami School of Architecture
and the Department of Public Health Sciences,
Miller School of Medicine (jlombard@miami.edu).

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October 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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