Access points are key to successful parks. (Pictured entrance to Zabeel park).
Plans to develop new parks are plentiful in the Middle East, but of these how many will become spaces that we really use and cherish? COD takes a look at what makes a great park.
Every great city needs a great park. Think London, and the sprawling mass that is Hyde Park, or New York City and its iconic Central Park, parks that have become identifiers of the cities that house them.
Dubai has a number of excellent parks - Zabeel to mention one - but as it propels itself towards its goal to be classed as one of the world's greatest cities, it is hardly surprising that more park creation and amelioration is high on the agenda.
Indeed, 2008 seems very much to be the year of the park for Dubai Municipality. In January the authority announced plans to undertake 109 landscape and beautification projects as part of its strategic plan to increase greenery of the total urban area from 1.5% at present to 3.15% by 2011.
And it's not just Dubai, Abu Dhabi has also been investing more in its greenery, recently opening Khalifa Park, while Sharjah is set to get a number of new public parks over the next year.
The importance of large green open spaces is not to be underestimated, particularly in a harsh arid environment like the Middle East. "It's almost the oasis mentality," says Alex Tully, senior associate of the UAE landscape practice Cracknell, which designed Zabeel Park.
"Every day we experience a fairly dry environment. We're all looking for somewhere to walk in leafy surroundings, somewhere that is a bit of an oasis away from the hubbub of the city."
Design priorities
But what makes a good park? What makes the difference between a park that people frequently use and becomes a symbol of a city, and a park that is sad and stays empty? One of the first things to consider is the user, says Martha Schwartz of Martha Schwartz Partners.
You have to start off by trying to imagine how the park is going to be used by people. It's really a stage for people to act upon," she says.
"You have to think who are the users and that can range. Parks really are different and they will look different and function differently because of people that are going to inhabit the parks. Parks should respond to that and should be able to evolve to deal with change and time and use as well."
This can range from making sure the needs of the typical user are anticipated, to ensuring that there is disabled access.
Related to this is the importance of considering the surrounding area, says Schwartz. "You have to think carefully about uses that surround the park. A park is only a park in relationship to what defines it.
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