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Urban home gardening: inspiring endeavours during the Covid-19 pandemic at a terrace housing area
2021
This forum promotes strong participation from policy makers, professionals, property developers, academia, community leaders and stakeholders to ensure their inclusion in the identification of new issues, the sharing of lessons learnt and the exchange of urban solutions and innovation. MUF2020 is building on the knowledge and expertise of participating experts in planning the way forward for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda from culture and arts perspective. This will be the outline for some key ways in which culture and art contribute to make cities and settlements sustainable as a driver of inclusive economic development.
MEGARON / Yıldız Technical University, Faculty of Architecture E-Journal, 2021
Open and green areas, including areas such as parks, urban forests, daily recreation areas, residential gardens, can take on the task of changing the spatial system. Especially during epidemic/pandemic periods, people's longing for nature gradually increases and this situation can lead to the emergence of various social problems. This study tried to put forward the views of Landscape Architects, who undertake important duties in the planning, design, implementation and sustainability of open and green spaces offered to the public, on the use of open and green spaces during the pandemic process and applications made in this regard through a survey. As a result of the survey conducted with 400 Landscape Architects, it was emphasized that the use of open and green areas is necessary in order to support public health during the pandemic period, but the necessity of various measures such as disinfection, physical distance, and re-handling of the use of urban furniture has been acknowledged. Understanding the socio-spatial consequences of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the epidemic and determining new concepts related to lifestyles that combine working and life patterns and arising from new spatial environments are among the benefits to be gained from the study. Based on the findings obtained through this study, it can be stated that Landscape Architects need to gain experience in nature, natural factors and health relations in order to be able to design urban green spaces in harmony with nature and with consideration to public health.
The Garden City of the 21st century
In 2014 the prestigious Wolfson Economics Prize (2014) was awarded to David Rudlin of URBED, for answering the question "How would you deliver a new Garden City which is visionary, economically viable, and popular?" The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne announced in 2014 that the first new garden city for 100 years will be constructed at Ebbbsfleet (2015) in Kent, UK, to provide 15,000 homes.
Realising the Value of Green Space: A Planners' Perspective on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Town Planning Review, 2021
The COVID-19 virus has quickly become a top risk for public health worldwide, with quarantine and self-isolation as its main measures of prevention. While it is necessary to prevent further infections and protect the population, the considerable impact of such measures on health and wellbeing of people is undeniable. Lockdown measures have limited the access of people to services and facilities outside of their local areas, whilst lowering the intensity of their usual physical activity. As a result, the greenspace within neighbourhoods has become more important than ever in hosting people’s outdoor activities. Difficult and uncertain times as these show the importance of urban planning and design and the need for the inclusion of greenspace when planning and designing neighbourhoods. In this viewpoint, we elaborate our perspective, as planners, on the proximity and quality considerations of greenspace, which can have significant impacts on physical and mental health of individuals and communities during this pandemic. We also discuss the ways with which planning can improve greenspace for a healthier post-pandemic time.
The domestic garden – Its contribution to urban green infrastructure
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2012
Domestic gardens provide a significant component of urban green infrastructure but their relative contribution to eco-system service provision remains largely un-quantified. 'Green infrastructure' itself is often ill-defined, posing problems for planners to ascertain what types of green infrastructure provide greatest benefit and under what circumstances. Within this context the relative merits of gardens are unclear; however, at a time of greater urbanization where private gardens are increasingly seen as a 'luxury', it is important to define their role precisely. Hence, the nature of this review is to interpret existing information pertaining to gardens/gardening per se, identify where they may have a unique role to play and to highlight where further research is warranted. The review suggests that there are significant differences in both form and management of domestic gardens which radically influence the benefits. Nevertheless, gardens can play a strong role in improving the environmental impact of the domestic curtilage, e.g. by insulating houses against temperature extremes they can reduce domestic energy use. Gardens also improve localized air cooling, help mitigate flooding and provide a haven for wildlife. Less favourable aspects include contributions of gardens and gardening to greenhouse gas emissions, misuse of fertilizers and pesticides, and introduction of alien plant species. Due to the close proximity to the home and hence accessibility for many, possibly the greatest benefit of the domestic garden is on human health and well-being, but further work is required to define this clearly within the wider context of green infrastructure.
Urban Domestic Gardens (XIV): The Characteristics of Gardens in Five Cities
Environmental Management, 2008
Domestic gardens make substantial contributions to the provision of green space in urban areas. However, the ecological functions provided by such gardens depend critically on their configuration and composition. Here, we present the first detailed analysis of variation in the composition of urban gardens, in relation to housing characteristics and the nature of the surrounding landscape, across different cities in the United Kingdom. In all five cities studied (Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leicester, and Oxford), garden size had an overwhelming influence on garden composition. Larger gardens supported more of the land-use types recorded, in greater extents, and were more likely to contain particular features, including tall trees and mature shrubs, areas of unmown grass and uncultivated land, vegetable patches, ponds, and composting sites. The proportional contribution of non-vegetated land-uses decreased as garden area increased. House age was less significant in determining the land-use within gardens, although older houses, which were more likely to be found further from the urban edge of the city, contained fewer hedges and greater areas of vegetation canopy [2 m in height. Current UK government planning recommendations will ultimately reduce the area of individual gardens and are thus predicted to result in fewer tall trees and, in particular, less vegetation canopy[2 m. This might be detrimental from ecological, aesthetic, social, and economic stand points.
Functional Features and Benefits of Residential Gardens: The Case of İstanbul (European Side
This article investigates the extent to which residential gardens affect human welfare in Istanbul (the European side). The developing technology, population growth, and immigration are factors which expose the city of Istanbul to intense construction. Consequently, the gardens in the houses located at the center of Istanbul are decreasing day by day, limiting outdoor activities for the residents, and affecting them physically and mentally. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to 400 people in Istanbul's European side to investigate the extent to which residential gardens affect human well-being. These questionnaires were applied according to five-point Likert scales and the results were analyzed in the SPSS program by applying correlation analysis. The data obtained from the applied questionnaires were analyzed in the SPSS program. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that residential gardens have a positive influence on the physical and psychological development of people, and also contribute to the protection of nature and biological diversity. Statistically, it has been determined that people mostly use their gardens in the summer months (49.30%) and on the weekends, and spend an average of 0-2 hours (57.50%) in their gardens. In addition, these analyses were associated with participant characteristics such as age (18-25, 26-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 60 and older), gender (female/male), socioeconomic status (occupation and income) and social demography (change in population). As a result, this study showed that residential gardens in urban areas contribute significantly to people and nature, that more garden areas should be added to the residences to be built in urban areas, and that these areas should be designed in a functional and sustainable way for people to benefit from nature in the best way.
A garden at your doorstep may reduce stressPrivate gardens as restorative environments in the city
International Conference on Inclusive …, 2004
Can gardens surrounding residential homes in cities help to create a less stressful everyday environment? This article is based on a study in which 953 randomly selected persons in nine Swedish cities answered a questionnaire concerning their experiences of their own health status and access to and use of gardens at home. The results show that having access to a garden has a significant positive impact on stress. There is also a significant positive relationship between frequency of garden visits and stress prevention. The study also shows that the amount of verdure in the garden is crucial to its restorative quality. The results indicate that verdant gardens in the city may play an important part in offering restorative environments, irrespective of the citizens' socio-economic background, gender or age.
Community gardens: sustainability, health and inclusion in the city
Local Environment, 2011
Community gardens: sustainability, health and inclusion in the city Food-producing community gardens have taken various forms over the past two centuries and have fulfilled a variety of roles. As we grapple with issues of food security, the use of biotechnology and artificial chemicals in agriculture, rising food prices and the environmental costs of growing and distributing food, the different functions of community gardens are coming under increasing attention. This issue of Local Environment is based on papers first delivered at a National Community Garden Conference in Canberra, Australia. The range of papers explores the key themes that emerged from the conference and deepens our knowledge of community gardens in both theory and practice. In particular, conference participants addressed various aspects of community gardening that centred on issues of sustainability, health and inclusion for urban dwellers.