September 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 60

G R E AT PA R K

But what exactly is a " great park " ?
What makes one park great, another
mediocre and another a failure? Does
a park qualify by having a high-cost,
fancy new play equipment, interactive
fountain or bocce courts? What are
the things that characterize great parks
across North America and the world?
How can you do an assessment of the
parks in your own community?
Three primary categories of information may help residents, elected officials, and park and recreation
professionals assess the " greatness "
of their parks:
* Design Principles
* Cultural Influences
* Emerging Trends

Inclusive and Welcoming
Great parks make you feel good
when you get there. They are open in
their design and welcoming in their
attitude. Regardless of your gender,
age, cultural background or affinity
group, you know you are in a public space that has been designed with
you in mind, and you have little hesitation to enter and enjoy yourself.
You enter knowing you are in a safe
place, joining others who share your
need to get away, relax, exercise, play
with your kids or help your dog meet
new friends. A great example of an
inclusive, welcoming park is Trojan
Park in St. Louis, Missouri, made
possible by NRPA's Parks Build
Community initiative.

Design Principles
Sustainable and Resilient
Great parks embody environmentally
responsible development strategies,
which are a key part of a community's
public realm. They are not only great
places for people, but also for migratory birds, insects, soil organisms and
aquatic life. They are designed with
ecological processes in mind and incorporate them beautifully. Stormwater treatment, native plants, pollinator
gardens, highly efficient water and
energy utilization, and organic main-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID LLOYD/SWA GROUP

Great parks require great designs.
They rarely, if ever, just " happen. "
Nearly all communities have some
assemblage of public spaces and
features that evolved without any
type of an overall plan organizing
it. These places may be appreciated, but they certainly are not the
places they could have been with
the application of solid design
principles. The following top seven
design principles should be evident
in every great park or natural area:

Parks & Recreation

| S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

tenance practices have both intrinsic
and symbolic benefits for park patrons. A great example of this type of
park is Tanner Springs Park, designed
by GreenWorks and Atelier Dreiseitl,
in Portland, Oregon.
Beautiful
Great parks must be filled with
beautiful elements. Researchers tell
us that beauty is not simply a subjective exercise with a wide divergence
of opinions. Despite our cultural
differences, there is broad consensus among humans about what is
beautiful. The design elements that
make something beautiful include
line, color, texture and form organized in ways to create balance,
unity, rhythm, proportion and emphasis. Sit on a beach watching the
sunset, examine a flower's intricate
internal structure or take in the long
view across a park's pond toward
the trees on the other side and you
instantly recognize beauty, and it
refreshes your soul. One of the
most beautiful parks in the world is
Hibiya Park in Tokyo, designed by
Dr. Seiroku Honda. Even elements
placed within landscapes should be
beautiful and add to the user experience. For example, Portland, Oregon's Forest Park Bridges, by Fieldwork Design & Architecture, which
was recognized nationally by AIA
in its 2019 Small Project Awards.
Sensitive to Context
Great parks do not ignore their
physical or social context, but
rather directly respond to it. A
park adjacent to an elementary
school must recognize the young

Resilient design strategies incorporated into
Hunter's Point South Park in Queens, New
York, help capture and clean stormwater,
buffer the impact of storm surges, and increase biodiversity and ecological function.

September 2019 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2019 - Parks & Recreation