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European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research - COST Action C11 |
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Glossary - Definitions of Greenstructure and Urban Planning terms Some first definitions for the words listed in the table below; this is meant to make you react and make improvements - let's start a debate!! To add your own definitions or ideas just email me and I shall add them to these pages.
The Glossary will be in English, with translations into the languages listed below. It will gradually be assembled on these pages - use the message board or email me with any words/phrases you want included. Then everybody should try to give their own definition and translation, where possible. Words in red = see below for first ideas about definitions Greenstructure and Greenspace in Urban Planning - Definitions suggested by Anne Beer Definitions
and related Case Studies Greenspace Anne Beer -
UK Greenspace
- Greenspaces are "places" within and around the
city - these "places" carry human activity as well
as plants, wildlife and water and their presence
influences quality of life, as well as the quality
of air and water. It can be
argued that Greenspaces are essential to the
maintenance and enhancement of the quality of life
in all urban areas. See below for a
diagram indicating the
composition of urban Greenspace within a
city.
Ann Caroll
Werquin -FR The term is not
common in France, to me it is similar to
"green
system",
which is a term I frequently use Greenspaces do
exist by themselves, greenstructure is part of the
image of the city or of places within or around the
city. It is the alive body of it dealing with
vegetal life and natural moves (light, sky, birds,
squarrels ...) , such as inhabitants are the
society part of it, … Stephan Pauleit
-D Urban
Greenstructure encompasses all urban open spaces,
from designated public to private open spaces
(residential, commercial, industrial and services),
incl. accessory urban open spaces, e.g. along roads
and railway lines. A comprehensive definition of
urban greenstructure is important as open spaces
which are non vegetated (not green) may also have
important functions for recreation, environmental
improvement, wildlife and urban character. For
instance, railway lines may serve as corridors for
fresh air and wildlife. To add your own
definitions or ideas just email
Anne
Beer.
Patterns of Greenspace - for a mixture of natural environmental (mainly topographical) and historic reasons, cities can have differing patterns of Greenspace.
To add your own
definitions or ideas just email
Anne Beer
Definitions
To add your own
definitions or ideas just email
Anne Beer
The
functions of urban open spaces Stephan
Pauleit-D The criteria
for the assessment of the performance of urban open
spaces may be sorted into these broad categories.
Economy could be added as a further
dimension. Urban site
requirements means the different conditions for
urban green spaces in European cities and towns,
e.g. climatic regimes, socio-cultural background,
history, economic frame conditions.
Assessment of the performance of urban open spaces Definitions Greenstructure
Anne Beer -
UK This word is
not used in the UK planning systems. However, in
urban planning literature Greenstructure has been
used to allow the development of concepts relating
to the role of a city's Greenspaces in the
planning, designing and management of urban areas.
There is a noticeable lack of planning theory in
relation to the overall role of Greenspace in
cities; instead only specific Greenspaces with
specific attributes have been considered by the
planning process in the UK (i.e. public parks,
historic urban gardens and recreational open
spaces). In the planning literature (at least in
English) there is a lack of discussion about how a
proper consideration and understanding of the
function of Greenspaces might influence the future
spatial planning of urban areas. I take
Greenstructure to be concerned with the
organisational aspects of a city's Greenspaces -
how such spaces are best planned, designed and
managed in relation to the other land uses of a
city. Ann Caroll
Werquin -FR Greenstructure
is for me a different concept than greenspaces,
containing the idea of an interaction between built
part of an urban context and at the same time signs
of Nature. Studying
greenstructure includes a consideration of a city's
greenspaces and other urban spaces (public or
private) with concentrations of vegatation but also
pays attention to how natural elements are valued
in the place under consideration(it therefore deals
with social, ecological and economic issues…)
Is
Greenstructure only colored in green ? Probably
not, because it brings together for me porous soils
(earth, sand) blue lines (rivers, canals…) and
topography… etc. making a whole. Which urban
spaces are parts of Greenstructure ?: this may be a
question of interest for our group. Trying once to
make a literature list about " greenways ", I found
in American author Roxanne Warren Mc Graw book "
The Urban oasis, guideways and greenways to the
human environment " (1997) lots of cases of
pedestrian zones, which while giving a different
rhythm to a walk within the city are not
"ecologically sound" places. We will need to decide
whether we include these non ecologically sound
spaces as part of green structure? Greenstructure
is for me more linked with ecology taking a leading
part, limitting pollution and water problems
(Boston as said Anne…) being protected from
noise… To add your own
definitions or ideas just email
Anne Beer
Greenstructure
Planning Anne Beer -
UK The concept of
Greenstructure Planning has been adopted in
some northern European countries (notably Norway
and the Netherlands) as a means of linking
consideration of the quality of life in the present
day city to the presence or absence of Greenspaces
and the special and varying qualities of such
spaces. Greenstructure Planning is a
mechanism which deals with how a city's Greenspaces
might be planned in a spatial sense, and then how
they might best be designed, managed and maintained
for the benefit of the local population. These
benefits include the use of Greenspaces as follows:
A properly
functioning urban Greenstructure is as
important to the quality of life of urban dwellers
as a city's Infrastructure* and needs to be
recognised as such by the planning
system. *Physical
Infrastructure is taken to mean the network of
buildings and the associated communication, utility
and material supplies needed for these to function
as supports for a city's economic and social
infrastructure. Ann Caroll
Werquin -FR In my opinion -
there is much need to investigate the concept of
"Planning greenstructure" now. Because the new
urban settlements in France and elsewhere have
strarted changing from the patterns in the two last
decades - the idea of the " urban" city has come
into fashion and at the expense of the "villagey"
or "lanscaped" city (which was using lots of
hedgerows…). Green surplus is disappearing
fast. There is a need
to work out how ecological purpose can be supported
with patterns of green structure styrong enough to
withstand the growth of concentrate planned urban
areas . We need
examples of where greenstructure has been
successfully introduced so bettering recent urban
development projects and also of projects where the
greenstructure fits with the aims of urban design
solutions which aim to save land. This seems to me
a realm of research in which gathering materials
would be very useful. Stephan Pauleit
- D What are the
main challenges for urban
greenstructure? A distinction
may be made between challenges for urban
greenstructure by urban development in the city and
the city region which have a characteristic
configuration of built spaces and greenstructure
and a specific set of strength/ opportunities and
weaknesses/ threats. These were identified in the
Munich Case Study - see
diagram • Inner
city: historic cores and closed multistorey blocks
from the 19th and early 20th century Challenges:
overall low cover/ deficits of public open spaces;
deficit and low quality of private open spaces,
e.g. in backyards; threats to heritage of
historical gardens and parks: need to preserve,
regenerate and manage. •
Transition zone: mix of different land uses/
settlement types. The transition zone is often the
result of quick and uncoordinated growth since the
1950. Moderate dynamics. Challenges:
managing infill development on private open spaces
(housing, commercial areas), restoration of
derelict land; improving access to open spaces;
upgrading of open spaces on the grounds of public
housing, shopping centres and in industrial areas,
conservation of overall high
biodiversity. • Urban
fringe: predominantly agriculture/
forestry Challenges:
improving access to the land (agriculture,
institutional land) and pathways from the city;
accommodating urban development and new land uses
(e.g. housing, retail centres and business parks;
recreation facilities); upgrading of farmland
(biodiversity, landscape character) • City
region: Urban pressure zone: Challenges:
developing a greenstructure which (re-)creates
landscape identity from the chaotic mix of remnants
from natural, cultural, modern farming, urban and
post-industrial landscapes; which accommodates the
different land users, and which is a backbone for
future development. Otherwise all the challenges
listed for the urban fringe. To add your own definitions or ideas just email Anne Beer
© A.R.Beer and COSTC11 research group, 2000 |
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