A According to studies in green rooms in towers and on roofs, increased public parks can alleviate urban heat, improve air quality and support well -being. In order to harvest these advantages, urban planners and political decision -makers have to tackle problems with accessibility, security and inclusiveness.
The research paper focuses on two increased urban areas in London. During walk -in interviews with 33 visitors to the Sky Garden in the 20 Fenchurch Street and 33 visitors to the CrossRail Place Roof Garden in Canary Wharf.
Both locations offer free public access to an increased green area in a dense urban environment that is reached with lift or roller.
The rooms are highly valued as places to go, contacts, contacts, relaxing and views. The parks on the roof are described as a “great escape” for relaxation and mental well -being. “A refuge from the dense urban environment.”
But the physical nature of the gardens on the roof threw problems that are specific for increased public spaces – whether people knew about the parks, it was easy to access them and whether they perceived these parks as really public spaces.
“Including accessibility in increased urban areas is not only an additional consideration of the design, but a fundamental pillar of its functionality and its success”
The 66 walk-along interviews were carried out with a diverse group of participants aged 18 and over. Researchers encouraged open discussions, impressions, feelings and opinions about the room, “This gives them rich, context -specific data that could miss traditional interviews.”
In Sky Garden, visitors were of the opinion that the room was more exclusive and private. This is partly due to its entry guidelines – free tickets must be booked online up to three weeks in advance, and admission is not guaranteed when the capacity is reached. Visitors also undergo “strict security checks before they rise to level 35 via the elevator.” This in combination with the lack of visibility of street level makes the room less open and public.
“The room feels private in view of the request for the pre -booking and the limited one -hour visitor. These factors generate a certain pressure, although I have never been asked to leave the premises,” said a London female resident at the age of 26.
In the Sky Garden, 38% of the participants stated that the main activity stated, while 32% of visitors for more inpatient activity such as sitting, eating or reading the goods-the report underlines the need for non-commercial places to sit. The food offered were described as expensive.
CrossRail Place was perceived as a safer and accessible – although the visitors found that they could not do things like normally in a public park. “I can't practice the same activities … Picnic, sit on the grass with my dog and listen to music, are not possible here,” said a 28-year-old female resident of Canary Wharf.
“The overall layout was considered confusing and the visibility was generally considered inadequate.”
The lack of visibility from the street on the CrossRail Place was also emphasized as an accessibility problem. First visitors found it difficult to reach the garden: “The overall layout was considered confusing and visibility was generally considered inadequate.”
In order to support the use of increased green spaces, the report recommends a direct connection from the street level to the roof garden, whereby the symbolic green of the street level is visible in order to signal the existence of public space.
The report also recommends minimal and inconspicuous security measures and the introduction of accessible areas in which visitors can perform activities that are more often connected to public parks in order to promote a stronger feeling of community and social feeling.
“Including accessibility in increased urban rooms is not only an additional consideration of the design, but a fundamental pillar of its functionality and success. The guarantee of a comprehensive, intuitive access is of the greatest importance for improving public use and the social importance of these rooms.”
About a quarter of the participants in the Sky Garden reported “complaints due to constant surveillance” with a person who said: “It feels like someone was watching them all the time, and that takes the relaxation.”
The report states: “Such obstacles underline the need for design strategies that compensate for access control with integrative, flexible accessibility to ensure that increased rooms serve as fair environments that support spontaneous public commitment and meet a broader user basis.”
“Design and management strategies for increased urban spaces should aim to reconcile the security and order with the desire of the user for freedom and public. Improvement of transparency in relation to rules, relaxation of the requirements before booking and reducing seats with commercial facilities could help to alleviate the feeling of private life and make these rooms more integrative and open.”
“By solving these problems, designers and managers can help to ensure that increased urban spaces are not only safe, but also really public and offer a balance between freedom and security, which promotes a feeling of commitment in the community.”
Find out more Read the full report “Increase the public area: A framework for the design of resilient urban green spaces in hyperden cities” by Ahmed Ehab, Gary Burnett and Tim Heath