Urban parks

In the context of the contemporary urban landscape, parks and public gardens play a fundamental role in the bond between man and the now almost lost natural element.
Both are called to respond to similar needs (play, leisure, recreational, sports), must be easily accessible from the entire urban fabric and must guarantee easy accessibility for everyone. However, some aspects can be found that differentiate the urban park from the neighborhood garden, first of all the size: we start talking about an urban park starting from 10.000 m2 of surface, while below this value we talk about a garden.

The urban park, very large, is often located on the outskirts of the city and serves a hygienic-recreational function. Thanks to its generous dimensions, many activities can be placed there; these are real functional areas structured according to standard schemes and rules. The lawn solution is the predominant one because it is easy to maintain, and is intended to highlight the vastness of the whole.
If the park is located in areas affected by suburban expansion, there could be areas used for vegetable gardens and spaces that recreate specific natural habitats, in order to develop and protect animal species that contribute to the ecosystem balance.

Parks can be classified into:

URBAN → medium size, formal appearance, recreational activities
METROPOLITAN → large size, large turnout of users
OF METROPOLITAN BELT → ecological protection, agricultural activities

Generally speaking, it can be noted that a greater presence of the plant component corresponds to a lower intensity of design of the architectural component.
Today they fulfill an important social function as they are used daily by the inhabitants of the neighborhood who consider them a point of reference and meeting on holidays.
The design of these spaces requires attention, here are some small design tips:

• a correct positioning of the shrubs ensures the alternation of shaded and sunny areas;
• the choice of plant species can be varied but must imply little maintenance;
• native species are to be preferred;
• the alternation of green areas and paved and equipped spaces guarantees the easy carrying out of recreational and sporting activities and moments of rest;
• the absence of architectural barriers must be guaranteed unconditionally from the early design stages, so as to allow access also to people with disabilities.