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Open Space project redefines the park

More people on the planet now inhabit urban rather than rural areas, making our cities a key indicator of the health of our communities and our culture. So what role should the park of the future play in our increasingly urban existence?

Open Space is a Green Heart Partnership (GHP) project to redefine the concept of a 'Park' for the 21st century. To tackle several needs and planning policies at once a cross-disciplinary, cross-county team of local authority officers, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Royston, Buntingford and Bishops Stortford PCT, and Hertfordshire Constabulary -worked alongside land artist Lorna Green and landscape architect Oliver Rock.

Identifying the collective needs for creating sustainable solutions for the physical and social aspects of open spaces across Hertfordshire involved introducing research and case studies from across the county. A partnership relationship with the University of Hertfordshire also supported the project through 50 first year Design students designing facilities and features to be incorporated into park landscapes. The resulting models proved a very positive piece of consultation in how 18-25 year olds interpret the existing and future development of public open spaces.

"This cross-county project has grown from the voices of Hertfordshire Association of Cultural Officers (HACO) and several district borough authorities. All individually are looking for creative solutions towards skate parks, trails and healthy living infrastructure that will develop a more sustainable area for the whole community," Catherine Davis, County Arts Development Officer, told Sapling.info.

The results are now presented as an online guidance document that aims to break the habit of designing parks with single-purpose facilities and work towards a cohesive, multi-use concept of a park for the 21st century. The outcomes of the Open Space project, and the knowledge informing it will promote a new way of working, through case studies relevant to Hertfordshire. It will also serve as a tool for management teams, their partner developers and regional and national funding bodies.

Published on Sapling: March 2007

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