Small parks and their communities: Ethnographies of the public realm
By: Sinha, Amita
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Publisher: Mumbai Mahatma Education Society 2018Edition: Vol.5(2), September.Description: 20-33.Subject(s): URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN (AR-UPD)Online resources: Click here
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TektonSummary: Small urban parks are catalysts in promoting place-based communities. Their ‘centeredness’ is essential for successful social use as Jane Jacobs pointed out in Death and Life of Great American Cities. Subsequent studies of urban parks by Clare Cooper Marcus confirm that insight. Case studies of small urban parks in the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign in Illinois, USA support this urban design principle. Ethnographic research reveals three dominant subcultures in their social life-play, movement, and pause. All three subcultures are supported by two types of small parks – neighbourhood and community parks. Although both are centered, their urban context impacts the quality of social life. Mixed land use and high volume of traffic around community parks result in a public space for the larger community. Neighbourhood parks in the midst of single family houses and lined by streets with low volume of traffic, on the other hand, have a stronger sense of collective identity and feelings of ownership among their users. They are ‘parochial’ rather than truly ‘public’ and therefore more successful in fostering social capital in a place-based neighbourhood community.
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School of Architecture Archieval Section | Not for loan | 2018120 |
Small urban parks are catalysts in promoting place-based communities. Their ‘centeredness’ is essential for successful social use as Jane Jacobs pointed out in Death and Life of Great American Cities. Subsequent studies of urban parks by Clare Cooper Marcus confirm that insight. Case studies of small urban parks in the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign in Illinois, USA support this urban design principle. Ethnographic research reveals three dominant subcultures in their social life-play, movement, and pause. All three subcultures are supported by two types of small parks – neighbourhood and community parks. Although both are centered, their urban context impacts the quality of social life. Mixed land use and high volume of traffic around community parks result in a public space for the larger community. Neighbourhood parks in the midst of single family houses and lined by streets with low volume of traffic, on the other hand, have a stronger sense of collective identity and feelings of ownership among their users. They are ‘parochial’ rather than truly ‘public’ and therefore more successful in fostering social capital in a place-based neighbourhood community.
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