Urban open space management in the Nordic countries. Identification of current challenges based on managers' perceptions

In urban areas where increased density has caused loss of urban open space (UOS), there is a need for high-quality parks that are inclusive and fit for multiple user groups. To make parks more inclusive, UOS management may need to consider multifunction and the perspectives of various age groups in future development and maintenance activities. Walking interviews were conducted in a park in central Landskrona, Sweden, with children, adolescents, and elderly users, and also with the head park manager of the city. The results revealed different perspectives among the three age groups of users concerning affordances and UOS management. The manager described user-oriented management to support multifunction and inclusion, including user participation. All user groups studied showed an appreciation of liveliness, contact with nature, social places for their own age group, clean and safe parks, and a variety of different atmospheres and activities in the park. Social multifunction can be developed in programmed or non-programmed ways, but some functions interfere with each other. UOS managers can develop parks to suit different age groups, promote user participation within management, and develop social multifunction to create inclusive parks for various age groups.

Download Full-text

Arts-Aided Recognition of Citizens’ Perceptions for Urban Open Space Management

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14010135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 135

Author(s):

Sari Suomalainen ◽

Helena Kahiluoto ◽

Anne Pässilä ◽

Allan Owens ◽

Clive Holtham

Keyword(s):

Open Space ◽

Well Being ◽

Image Method ◽

Natural Environments ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Human Environment ◽

Space Management ◽

Still Image ◽

Urban Open Space

Urban open spaces of local natural environments can promote the health and well-being of both ecosystems and humans, and the management of the urban spaces can benefit from knowledge of individuals’/citizens’ perceptions of such environments. However, such knowledge is scarce and contemporary inquiries are often limited to cognitive observations and focused on built environmental elements rather than encouraged to recognize and communicate comprehensive perceptions. This paper investigates whether arts-based methods can facilitate recognition and understanding perceptions of urban open spaces. Two arts-based methods were used to capture perceptions: drifting, which is a walking method, and theatrical images, which is a still image method and three reflective methods to recognize and communicate the perceptions. The results show related sensations and perceptions enabled by arts-based methods comparing them to a sticker map method. The main findings were perceptions, which included information about human–environment interaction, about relations to other people and about ‘sense of place’ in urban open spaces. The hitherto unidentified perceptions about urban open space were associations, metaphors and memories. The methods used offer initial practical implications for future use.

Download Full-text

Unravelling Layers of Colonial and Post-Colonial Open Space Planning and Heritage: The Identity of [Padang] Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal ◽

10.21834/e-bpj.v4i11.1721 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (11) ◽

pp. 151

Author(s):

Nadiyanti Mat Nayan ◽

David S Jones ◽

Suriati Ahmad

Keyword(s):

Cultural Values ◽

Open Space ◽

Publishing House ◽

Cultural Development ◽

Kuala Lumpur ◽

Space Planning ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Urban Open Space ◽

National Heritage ◽

International Publishing

In 1880, when the British moved their Federated Malay States administrative centre to Kuala Lumpur, the Padang quickly became a symbol of British economic and administrative colonisation, and a nucleus of the socio-cultural development of Kuala Lumpur. This paper discusses the layers of history, symbolism and cultural values that the Padang contributes to the socio-cultural tapestry of both Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia, and the lack of relevant planning and heritage measures to conserve these attributes and characteristics. The conclusions offer avenues to engage with pre- and post-colonisation that enable re-making and the conservation of the iconic space of Kuala Lumpur.Keywords: Urban open space; Merdeka Square; Kuala Lumpur City Hall; National Heritage Act 2005eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i11.1721

Download Full-text

The legal street: a scarcity approach to urban open space in mobility transitions

Urban Transformations ◽

10.1186/s42854-021-00018-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Brett J. M. Petzer ◽

Anna J. Wieczorek ◽

Geert P. J. Verbong

Keyword(s):

Urban Space ◽

Open Space ◽

National Level ◽

Urban Mobility ◽

New Approach ◽

Urban Open Space ◽

Space Allocation ◽

Zero Sum ◽

Lock In ◽

The Eu

AbstractAn urban mobility transition requires a transition in space allocation, since most mobility modes are dependent on urban open space for circulation and the storage of vehicles. Despite increasing attention to space and spatiality in transitions research, the finite, physical aspects of urban space, and the means by which it is allocated, have not been adequately acknowledged as an influence on mobility transitions. A conceptual framework is introduced to support comparison between cities in terms of the processes by which open space is (re-)distributed between car and bicycle circulatory and regulatory space. This framework distinguishes between regulatory allocation mechanisms and the appropriation practices of actors. Application to cases in Amsterdam, Brussels and Birmingham reveal unique relationships created by the zero-sum nature of urban open space between the dominant automobility mode and subordinate cycling mode. These relationships open up a new approach to forms of lock-in that work in favour of particular mobility modes within the relatively obdurate urban built environment. Empirically, allocation mechanisms that routinise the production of car space at national level within the EU are shown to be far more prevalent than those for bicycle space, highlighting the constraints faced by radical city-level policies aimed at space reallocation.

Download Full-text