THE ROLE OF URBAN PARKS FOR THE SUSTAINABLE CITY (Anna Chiesura)

After read this journal I found the writer explored and carried out issues about how parks can
improve the citizens social functions and psychological needs. As she said it as urban nature or
urban park to get sustainable city for the citizens, I found that crucial relations within urban
people and parks. In the introduction, Anna Chiesura stated some literature of importance and
benefits of green spaces or natural environments to social interactions, psychological value, and
health of the urban people to strengthen the aim of her paper. Cities sustainability and
regeneration strategies mainly focus on man-made and built components of the urban
environment. In comparison, attention to the natural components and the green spaces of the
urban structure is still poor. Low appreciation of green spaces is also reflected in the recent cuts
in the maintenance of budget of many towns (Tyrvainen and Vaananen, 1998). That showed the
writer concerned about parks in urban area for people well being to get what she called
sustainable city. She took out literatures; a park experience may reduce stress (Ulrich, 1981),
enhance contemplativeness, rejuvenate the city dweller, and provide a sense of peacefulness
and tranquility (Kaplan, 1983) to improve her statement about the citizens well being. Based on
research from Ulrich (1984) which founded that hospital patients who look out on trees and
nature could recover more quickly than those who viewed only the buildings. Also research on
the use of urban parks and forests, verifies beliefs about stress-reduction benefits and mental
health (Hartig et al., 1991; Conway, 2000). After that she stated about social benefits of nature.
Nature such as an outdoor spaces, increases social integration and interaction among
neighbors (Coley et al., 1997). The presence of trees and grass in outdoors common spaces
may promote the development of social ties (Kuo et al., 1998). Urban nature also can provide
economic benefits for both municipalities and citizens. Air purification by trees, for example, can
lead to reduced costs of pollution reduction and prevention measures. Aesthetic, historical and
recreational values of urban parks increase the attractiveness of the city and promote it as
tourist destination, thus generating employment and revenues. Furthermore, natural elements
such as trees or water increase property values, and therefore tax revenues as well (Tagtow,
1990; Luttik, 2000). Anna Chiesura has faith to get sustainable city the importance
characteristics must have public green spaces, public parks and recreation areas. Its to make
sure the city livable pleasant and attractive for people. She concerned about improving citizens
social life such as their satisfaction, experiences and perception of quality of environment.
(Beer, 1994).

To achieve her aim of her paper which was, Anna studied and surveyed people at Vondelpark,
the most popular park in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She used questionnaire as the method of her
study. The espondents were randomly selected among the visitors of the park, regardless of
their social extraction or professional background at the different part of park and at different
hours. She not stated the accurate time taken of the survey and I just found Questionnaires
have been distributed on both weekdays and weekends How many days or month or whole
year? Furthermore different people had different leisure time. It almost impossible to conclude
her aim with just 750 questionnaires used (only 62.3% was returned) because in fact the
Vondelpark visited almost 10 million (same data I got from internet although Annas paper
research between 2002-2003) people each year and the result only represent 0.0075% (maybe
less according to the questionnaires returned) of the visitors. But it still applicable as long aim
was achieved. Firstly, motives of people who came to the park. With given alternative options,
majority of the respondents (341, 73%) went to the park to relax, to be in nature (254, 54.4%)
and to escape from the city (154,32.2%). These showed that urban people want to run away
from stress at workplace, compactness of the city and get fresh situations. The situations could
be concluded that urban peoples aim when went to the park was to escape from the hectic
rhythm of the city by be in nature and green spaces rather than for sport activities, to be with
children, meet others and to get inspirations. I thought most of the respondents were from
working class people or differences ages citizen during survey was taken. Annas studies was
taken tenth years back, maybe at the present day the planner has improved the situations to
attract more families and people to involve in recreation activities with add-ons facilities. After
that, Anna added the questionnaire about emotional experienced by the people during visited
and spent their leisure time at the park to support her aim of the project. Same as first
questionnaire, the respondents just chose the feelings option such freedom, luck, adventure,
happiness, unity with myself, unity with nature and other. 64% of the respondents expressed
Freedom mood, and 43% felt Unity with the nature. Happiness, Unity with myself, luck
and Adventure got less mentioned. For me, the respondents emotions were real and honest
as we see Freedom and Unity with the nature get higher percentage among others. This was
because from the data I got from internet, on 2003 the population of the Amsterdam city was
736,562. It made sense that the citizens felt free, harmonies and filled in the nature atmosphere
from the hectic rhythm of the city. Only one respondent mentioned the feeling of fear for wild
animals. I thought the respondents just play around with the questionnaire show the weakness
of this method. The writer also made performance factors analysis by show two principal
components: recreation (include Freedom, Happiness, Adventure and Luck and spiritual

(include Unity of myself and Unity with nature). The term recreation was related to the sense
of relaxation and re-generative enjoyment that the very experience of nature promotes and
spirituality related to elevate the soul and the mind beyond the daily thoughts. Respondents
were then asked to rank the importance of these feelings and emotions for the general well. A
frequency analysis shows that 94% of the responses range from important to essential. For the
open answers, the author summarizes the main themes found and the related representative
arguments that containing similar words or meaning were considered as addressing the same
underlying motive, and thus grouped under the same representative theme. The theme were
restorative, amenity and spiritual. The respondents show their thought about how much they
need nature to expressed their feelings from busy of the city. As mentioned by Driver et al.
(1991) the concept of Temporary escape, understood as passive or mental only, such as
through meditation or gazing out a window at a pleasant natural view. Kaplan and Kaplan (1989)
describe the sense of Being away as a state involving distancing oneself from negative
distractions, or from ones day to day work. The last question the respondent was asked to
answer was Are there enough green areas in your city? The majority (almost 59%) of the
responses indicated dissatisfaction with the amount of urban green currently present in the city.
So, the results could conclude that the objectives of the authors paper achieved: the
importance of urban nature for the well being of the citizens and for the sustainability of the city
they live in.