landscape urban transformation-sathya

39
URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN LANDSCAPE -Submitted by Sathya madhavan,1350008 M-arch General HIET 1

Upload: sivaraman

Post on 23-Dec-2015

19 views

Category:

Documents


2 download

DESCRIPTION

Landscape Urban Transformation

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN LANDSCAPE-Submitted by Sathya madhavan,1350008

M-arch General

HIET

1

Page 2: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

ABSTRACT

Historic urban places had exclusive space for parks and landscape, it had meaning and

spiritual, cultural meaning.

There were lots of squares and market places were people gather and lived socially.

industrialisation in 19th century leads to urbanisation, parks were demolished for the

development of infrastructure

Urban sprawls leads to suburbanisation, agricultural land lost its importance

City has become a space for car more than space for human being, which leads to

pollution, unhealthy environment, artificial environment.

City has become a place for machines. Now the concept of counter urbanization is

happening, people going to rural area from urban area to live in natural environment,

they also converting the current city to sustainable green city

This study is to implement the concepts of urban park in the city-rural in urban and how

to make it sustainable by having the inspirations from the historic cities urban

landscapes

Urban parks are dynamic institutions that play a vital, but not fully appreciated or

understood role in the social, economic and physical well-being of urban areas and its

residents. Dating back to the 19th century when Frederick Law Olmsted introduced the

first large-scale urban parks to this country, these green spaces provided relief from

urban intensity for residents and brought people together across social, economic and

racial divides. In the postwar years, when the population shifted away from urban

centers, our nation's parks suffered enormously from disinvestments and many are still

experiencing it.

As cities across the country are attracting millions of residents again, the center of this

sweeping urban renaissance are newly revitalized parks. They are not only safe and

beautiful, but also serve as green engines to help address nearly every critical urban need

from health to housing, to education and environmental justice, and countering sprawl to

combating crime.

2

Page 3: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Parks have long been recognized as major contributors to the physical and aesthetic

quality of urban neighborhoods. But a new, broader view of parks has recently been

emerging. This new view goes well beyond the traditional value of parks as places of

recreation and visual assets to communities, and focuses on how policymakers,

practitioners, and the public can begin to think about parks as valuable contributors to

larger urban policy objectives, such as job opportunities, youth development, public

health, and community building

3

Page 4: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 LANDSCAPE

Landscape refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land,

including ,Living elements, such as flora or fauna, the art and craft of growing

plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.

Natural elements such as landforms, terrain shape and elevation, or bodies of water;

Human elements such as structures, buildings, fences or other material objects

created and/or installed by humans; and Abstract elements such as the lighting

conditions.

1.2 URBAN

An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features

in comparison to areas surrounding it.

Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations

1.3 URBAN LANDSCAPE

Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and

cities. Thus, urban design is the art of creating and shaping of urban public place.

It involves the arrangement & design of buildings, public spaces, transport systems,

services, and amenities.

It is a framework that orders the elements into a network of streets, squares, and

blocks. Urban design blends architecture, landscape architecture, and city planning

together to make urban areas functional and attractive.

1.4 FEATURES OF URBAN LANDSCAPE

Steps and terraces

Paving and paths

Walls and fences

Gates and arches

Bridges

4

Page 5: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Pergolas and arbours

Furniture

Containers

Water

Determine in part the functional organization of urban areas. Serve as recreation

areas for working people and Contribute to the expressiveness of architectural

ensembles. It is the process of giving form, shape, and character to groups of

buildings, to whole neighborhoods, and the city. Ratio of hardscape and softscape in

urban landscape varies depending upon the functional aspect of the space.

Hardscape is always a dominant part in urban spaces as it provides space for

walking, relaxing and easy to maintain. Urban Landscape is an integral part of

modern urban construction. Softscape is closely related to a city’s construction plan

and are an indispensable element in the overall urban landscape.Hardscape is

integral part of urban scape but the importance of softscape can’t be ignored. Proper

space utilization, environmental sustainability and creating dramatic effect is what

can best describe Urban Landscape.

1.5 URBAN TRANSFORMATION

Cities are ever changing; they are ‘alive’, they respond to ever changing need. The

most constant feature of cities is change. They represent a process of evolution by

changing all the time but not always with a great evolutionary success. Cities

change because life changes. Urban form adapts to changes in civilisation reflecting

their social structures. Urban transformation is often considered as a ‘modern’

feature of the city.

5

Page 6: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

1.6 URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN LANDSCAPE

The 21st century in urban theory and practice is characterized as the century of

"new urbanism". Current trend in the practice of city structure urban development is

the landscape and urban planning transformation of the space-planning structures.

In global urbanization over the last 10-15 years the number of urban population has

increased dramatically. On the one hand, the socio-economic role of cities as

economic and cultural center of agglomeration increases, on the other the pressure

on cities’ ecosystem is growing, which has serious negative environmental

problems. In this situation, the relevance of transforming urban environment is

becoming evident

2.RESEARCH STRUCTURE

2.1 RESERCH STRUCTURE CHART

2.2 JUSTIFICATION

Landscape and urban planning transformation of the city territories and agglomerations

allows creating an open plan structure of the city, developing an efficient transport

6

Page 7: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

infrastructure, and creating a system of agricultural landscape neighboring the border of

the city

2.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Urban center has lost its green environment due to the urbanisation , suburbanisation and

urban sprawl, as a result it affects the identity of urban environments

The city in combination with the open structures is understood as an urban landscape.

Thereby it is not only the open green areas of the city that are understood as landscape

but also the architecture and infrastructure enter into a holistic landscape approach. This

is related to the fact that increased merging, dilution and blurredness are taking place

between built-, open- and infra-structures, creating a hybrid condition

Instead of Seeing City and country separately , seeing it together as urbanlandscape.

2.4 LIMITATION

This papers concentrates on the evolutionary concepts of the urban landscape , with the

ideas of historic urban landscape which has meaning, cultural identity and the place for

interaction

3.LITERATURE REVIEW

3.1 LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING TRANSFORMATION

OF SPACE-PLANNING STRUCTURE

Garrett Eckbo said that in any landscape we look for two features: one is an expression

of landscape nature specifics, the other is development of maximum landscape

opportunities for adjustment to the human being’s needs .

Landscape and urban planning transformation in the era of global urbanization is

an efficient vector and a mechanism of development of a stable planning city structure.

One of the main factors caused fast tempo of urbanization at the end of the 20th –

beginning of the 21st centuries is active population migration

The reason for that is the need of better economic and climatic conditions for migrants

from these regions. This situation is a result of active globalization which is currently

accelerators of fast urbanization, whereas fast urbanization causes negative influence

7

Page 8: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

on environment in cities and around. In the past 20 years in Russia the urbanization

growth has had some certain specifics connected to socio-economic factors of post-

soviet state development. Active migration into big cities caused population growth in

bigger cities. The issue of this phenomenon is quite complicated, it is related to the

absence of agricultural cluster in general around the country, to the absence of socio-

economic links between town and country and bad transport connections. As a result

quite a paradoxical situation appeared in the country: lots of agricultural land outside

town is not occupied whereas it could provide towns with food products and could

make up geographic range around towns and cities.

The landscape of the 21st century is not just a territory and nature fundamental

principal, which is taken into consideration while planning and renovating towns, it is a

basic element of the planning structure which forms a safe bio positive environment of

town at all levels. From the point of view of modern town planning conceptions (for

example, Paris, Hamburg, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Moscow) landscape plays one

of the most important and sometimes even the most important role in the forming

of urban planning structure development. Landscape is many-sided and double

natured, if we look at the city as a united landscape-urban planned system, then in the

21st century – the century of the landscape urbanism

we don’t talk about the system of recreational territories, we talk about the landscape

infrastructure of town. Landscape infrastructure differs from the system of recreational

territories because of its more complex and detailed integrated spatial structure. Thus,

for instance, the system of recreational territories is a part of a town landscape

infrastructure, but not the main functional element of the city gardening plan as it was

20 years ago. Landscape infrastructure nowadays is an efficient vector of the city

development and its metropolitan area. Duality of landscape infrastructure nowadays

means that besides being a vector of the urban planning it possesses important socio-

ecological and cultural factors of the city development. It is the formation of socio-

oriented and comfortable city environment using modern approaches in the sphere of

8

Page 9: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

landscape planning and design as well as new technologies that allows create identity

and unique character of public areas.

This process begins with creation communication transport areas, public gardens,

squares, pedestrian areas, embankments, and finishes with formation of inner

areas of flat complexes and architectural objects designed based on the principles

of “green architecture”. One of the priorities of effective landscape infrastructure

creation is shaping up a continual system of pedestrian links – comfortable green

roads to walk along or cycle along which should go through the whole city, and what is

more be effective links with suburban landscape. It allows not only improve sanitation

role of the city landscape infrastructure, but also creates reliable links between the city

and its suburbs helping provide with accessibility and openness of the city. Each town,

no matter how big or small it is, has its own peculiarities. That is why formation of

landscape infrastructure in every town, metropolitan area, conurbation will have their

own peculiarities in each region as well, their own specific approaches to the methodics

of research and design of effective infrastructure in the symbiosis with development and

transformation of its urban planning structure. It is the landscape-planning city structure

of already existing spatial-planning city structure which is considered to be one of the

main mechanisms of forming a stable, viable, friendly and flexible and open-to-nature

city.

The most valuable from the point of view of urban planning development places are

the territories near the rivers, and they are still occupied with plants and municipal

warehouses. These riverside zones are one of the main elements of landscape

infrastructure and they must be a vector and catalyst element of the whole city

planning development. But modern town planning situation is rather difficult; the

problem is without transport frame development it is impossible to have landscape

infrastructure development.

Thus, currently landscape-urban planning transformation is considered to be the most

balanced way in the reconstruction and reclamation from the principles of stable

development and formation of safe and socio-oriented city environment.

9

Page 10: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

3.2 HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF URBAN LANDSCAPE

1-Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities, exhibited three spatial characteristics

Great importance accorded the symbolic center of the city, which was thought to be the

center of the known world

Often demarcated by a vertical structure of monumental scale representing the point on

Earth closest to the heavens

This symbolic center, or axis mundi, took different forms

The ziggurat in Mesopotamia

The palace or temple in China

The pyramid in Egypt and Mesoamerica

The Stupa in the Indus Valley

2-In Mesopotamia, this area was known as the citadel and housed the elite who lived in

relative luxury ,Streets were paved, drains and running water were provided

Private sleeping quarters, bathtubs, and water closets were provided

Privileges did not extend to the city as a whole

3-The city was oriented toward the four cardinal directions

Geometric form of city would reflect the order of the universe

Walls around the city delimited the known and ordered world from the outside chaos.

Attempt to shape the form of the city according to the form of the universe

Thought essential to maintain harmony between human and spiritual worlds

Example of Ankor Thorn in India

Patterns seen in the city today are a composite of past and present cultures

Two concepts underlie our examination of urban landscapes

Urban morphology — physical form of the city, which consists of

street patterns, building sizes and shapes, architecture, and density

Functional zonation — refers to the pattern of land uses within a city,

or existence of areas with differing functions

10

Page 11: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

LEWIS MUMFORD Compares the current modern cities with the Historic cities ,He

felt there was dramatic dialogue in the Historic cities which is absent in the current

cities.He liked the planning of Greece

Western civilization and Western cities trace their roots to ancient Greece

By 600 B.C., over five hundred towns and cities existed on the Greek mainland and

surrounding islands

With expansion, cities spread throughout the Mediterranean — to the north shore of

Africa, to Spain, southern France, and Italy

Cities rarely had more than 5,000 inhabitants

Athens may have reached 300,000 in the fifth century B.C., including perhaps 100,000

slaves

Cities had two distinctive functional zones —the acropolis and the agora

The acropolis had the temples of worship, storehouse of valuables, and seat of power

Served as a place of retreat in time of siege

The agora was the province of the citizens A place for public meetings, education,

social interaction, and judicial matters It was the civic center, the hub of democratic

life for Greek men.Later, after the classical period, it became the city’s major

marketplace without losing its atmosphere of a social club

Temples were located on sacred sites chosen to please the gods ,Temples were also

sited and designed to please the human eye and harmonize with the natural

landscape

EBENEZER HOWARD GARDEN CITY also had central park as core and public

gardens and green belt dividing the concentric radial city into two

11

Page 12: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Green belt area is half the size of the satellite city

In historic period importance was given to Landscape , there were spaces in city

exclusively designed for gardens, we harly have landscape in city now, but historic

periods had city in landscape

The earliest ENGLISH GARDENS that we know of were planted by the Roman

conquerors of Britain in the 1st century AD. The Roman gardens that we know the most

about are those of the large villas and palaces. where an early garden has been partly

reconstructed. ,symmetrical formal planting of low box hedges split by graveled walks.

The hedges are punctuated by small niches which probably held ornaments like statues,

urns, or garden seats. The formal garden near the house gave way to a landscaped green

space leading down to the waterside below. There is also a small kitchen garden which

is planted with fruits and vegetables common in Roman Britain. 

We know very little about the gardens of Anglo-Saxon England, which is another way of

saying that the warlike Anglo-Saxons probably did not hold gardening to be important.

Gardens influenced from paintings, rolling lawns, organic form, stream, villa garden,

12

Page 13: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

The FRENCH GARDEN depicts the power, command in landscape , its geometric

pattern, symmetrical, hunting gardens planned ,they had both social and public garden,

their garden had yards, flower beds, trellis, sundial, bird bath and fountains

ITALIAN GARDENS influence of both french and english gardens had rare

trees ,secret gardens, medicine and herb gardens,fountains , two levels of garden along

the slope

3.3 LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION

After 19th century because of urbanization no space for the landscape, more

concentration on the development and expansion of cities, Agricultural land lost its

importance

Later in 21st century modern ideas to incorporate green in the urban landscape, Urban

landscape to be a part of the city

13

Page 14: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

URBAN PATTERNS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Cities play a crucial role in creation of green economy by bringing about fair and healthy

economic competitiveness, by being strategic in spatial planning and planning around

landscape ecologies.

Carbon emissions along the urban population increases resulting in climate change.

The cost of renewable energy resources has decreased and that of the conventional non

renewable resources has increased.

Ways to implement green economy in cities:

Large green patches and more sustainable development

Promotion of compact cities (show minimal wastage of space) and planned

extension of cities (curtailing urban sprawl)

Balancing facilities with diverse local economic opportunities

Development of network infrastructure like the development of BRT system

Building greener environment that use water and energy efficiently

Protection of valuable ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots

Industries must be inspired to convert to green industries.

Cities can develop green structures by improving transport efficiency, by

homogenous population distribution, by improving energy efficiency, by making

more productive use of services and promoting sustainable lifestyles that are less

material intensive.To develop structural capacity for sustainable cities, it is

necessary to adopt an integrated approach to planning at all levels of government

and all focus areas.

3.3 APPROACHES FOR LOW-CARBON GREEN CITY

The master plan should have the principles of green design in the city's

expansion.

A green transportation system should be established that encourages public

transport, pedestrian and bicycle routes, electric and bio fuel powered vehicles

and a regular check on the age and emission quantity of the vehicles running on

the roads.

14

Page 15: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Coal should be replaced by other renewable energy sources as it is prone to

exhaustion and yet used most widely for powering the various industries.

4 .METHODOLOGY-MODERN URBAN LANDSCAPE

CASE STUDY

4.1 MADRID RIO

The ambitious plan by madrid’s mayor alberto ruiz-gallardón tosubmerge a

section of the m30 ring motorway immediately adjacentto the old city centre within a

tunnel was realized within a single term of office. The city undertook

infrastructure measures over a total length of 43 kilometers, six of them along the

banks of the river manzanares, at a total cost of six billion euro. West 8 together with a

group of renowned architects from madrid, united under the namemrio arquitectos led

by ginés garrido colomero designed the master plan for madrid rio.In 2005, an

invited international competition was announced. the proposal submitted by

west8 and mrio for the design of there claimed area above the tunnel was the only

submission to resolve the urban situation exclusively by means of landscape

architecture.

The design is founded on the idea »3  + 30« – a concept which proposes

dividing the 80 hectare urban development into a trilogy of initial strategic

projects that establish a basic structure which then serves as a solid foundation

for a number of further projects, initiated in part by the municipality as well as by

private investors and residents. a total of 47 subprojects with a combined total budget of

280 million euros have since been developed, the most importantof which

include: the salón de pinos, avenida de portugal, huertade la partida, jardines de

puente de segovia, jardines de Puentede Toledo, Jardines de la Virgen del

Puerto and the Parque de laArganzuela.

In addition to the various squares, boulevards and parks, a family of bridges were

realized that improve connections between

The urban districts along the river. The First subprojects were realized in

15

Page 16: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

spring 2007. The realization of the whole project is planned for spring 2011.

Roads were planned with park in the center, seating areas ,greenaries

Madrid is located approximately 350 kilometres (around 220 miles, around a 4-hour

drive) from the nearest beach in the region of Valencia, but now the Madrid Urban

beach is a reality!In January 2008, the Madrid Río project (el Plan Especial Madrid-Río)

was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruíz Gallardón. Due to the move

underground of a large section of Madrid's inner ring-road, the M-30, 820 hectares along

the Manzanares River have been converted into a long park, including an urban beach,

rowing lanes on the river, walks, bicycle paths, kiosks, cafés and restaurants, terraces,

16

Page 17: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

cultural and sports facilities, areas for pensioners and children's play areas. All this just

1.5 kilometres from the Puerta del Sol in the centre of Madrid.

Walking the streets of Madrid one is constantly presented with the legacy of more than

1400 years of urban growth and adaptation of the Spanish capital. Public life in Madrid

is largely played out in the incredible system of streets and plazas that are typically

surrounded by cafes, restaurants and shops, overlooked by mid-rise apartment buildings.

The plazas are a record of the history of Madrid with the central medieval centre of the

city extending back more than a thousand years to the Moors. In contrast a series of

large-scale formal parks adjoin the city centre, including the Retiro, Campo del Moro

adjoining the Royal Palace and Casa de Campo the former royal hunting grounds. But

now a third type of public space has been created in Madrid through completion of the

Madrid Rio project. Transformation of a 10 km section of the Manzanares River has

created 120 ha of new public open space and reestablished the cross-city links that had

been severed by a 1970’s motorway along the river corridor. Walking the full length of

Madrid Rio provides some sense of the urban grandeur of this project but it is not until

you drive through the 6kms of six-lane motorway reconstructed in a tunnel below the

open space corridor that you get a true sense of its enormity. Commenced in 2004 and

completed late 2011 the Madrid Rio had a purported budget of $5 billion, of which $4.5

billion was spent to bury the highway, making it the largest urban infrastructure project

of its kind in recent European history. Besides the engineering feat of lowering the

motorway below ground to create public open space above, the project reflects a

particular cultural attitude to the social role of public space. Michael Kimmelman in his

New York Times article (Dec. 26 2011) notes that the Madrid Rio project “… arises

from a political culture which assumes that the public service is an end in itself.” The

Madrid Rio is a reminder of the social and political nature of large scale urban projects

around the world.

Seen by many as a symbol of ‘New Spain’ the project was championed by Alberto Ruiz-

Gallardon, former Mayor of Madrid and now Minister for Justice in the current

17

Page 18: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

conservative government. Madrid Rio has generated a great deal of controversy due to

the amount of public money that was spent. Madrid-based Landscape Architect Eladio

Hernando notes that the project absorbed so much public money it has significantly

limited the availability of funding for other public domain project in the region.

“Important projects in the East side of the region have been abandoned or stopped. Many

small public spaces remain abandoned and the maintenance budgets greatly reduced,

including for historical parks and gardens.”

The MADRID RIO project is one of the biggest inner city park projects within the last

years. The river Manzanares was formerly bordered at both sides by a multi-lane

highway. It was not accessible for the public and hardly visible at all. Now the highway

runs in tunnels and a 120 ha big area became free for a large public park that was

planned in mainly two sections, the “Salon de Pinos” and the “Arganzuela Park”

The facts:

Number of playgrounds within the park: 15

Dimensions of playgrounds altogether about 7.000 m2

Costs for playground equipment approximately 600.000 €

Period of planning and building: 2006 - 2011

18

Page 19: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Madrid's beach is located close to the existing Arganzuela park, near the old

slaughterhouse (Madrid Matadero), which is been converted into a cultural centre, with

exhibitions, workshops and conferences. This area allows tourists and inhabitants alike

to enjoy a seaside atmosphere with areas for sunbathing.

The impressive 10km-long park runs along the banks of the Manzanares River and

offers a wide selection of sports and recreational facilities for the whole family.

Seventeen play areas for children located throughout the park, with 65 different pieces

of equipment. Imaginative equipment made of sustainable, natural materials, suitable for

all ages. The most exciting ones are the slides hill, the tree trunk jungle and the super

zip-line. Then there is Madrid's Urban Beach, formed by three oval-shaped water areas

with different effects: a smooth stretch of water, jets of varying heights and a cloud of

water vapour.

The city of Madrid dug 43 kilometres of tunnels into which the exit routes and

motorways of the six-kilometre section along the River Manzanares disappeared. West

8, working together with MRIO arquitectos, a joint venture of three Madrid based firms

19

Page 20: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

managed by Ginés Garrido Colomero, designed the master plan for the reclaimed

riverbanks and the new urban area. Development plans were then prepared for the

individual components: Salón de Pinos, Avenida de Portugal, Huerta de la Partida,

Jardines del Puente de Segovia, Jardines del Puente de Toledo, Jardines de la Virgen del

Puerto and Arganzuela Park. The most important of which include: the Salón de Pinos,

designed as a linear green space, which links the existing and newly designed urban

spaces with each other along the Manzanares River. Salón de Pinos is located almost

entirely on top of the motorway tunnel and features a"choreography" of 8.000-fold pine

trees and a repertoire of cuts. Avenida de Portugal, by relocating one of the most

important roads into the centre of Madrid underground and providing underground

parking for 1,000 vehicles, it was possible to convert the space into a garden to benefit

local residents. Embellished with Cherry trees and cherry motif, the result is the creation

of an extremely popular public space. Huerta de la Partida, the old Royal Palace is now a

modern interpretation of the original royal orchard and a wide variety of fruit trees in

planted in groups to create an enclosed garden. For the Arganzuela Park, the dominant

motive is the water. The canalized river Manzanares is surrounded by architectonical

walls.The system of streams running through the park will cross through the topography

and merge into the different spaces and motifs Puentes Cascara, serving as bridges and

iconic landmarks, Puentes Cascara creates a place where the river is really experienced.

Designed as a massive concrete dome with a rough texture, the bridges feature more

than one hundred cables resembling whale baleens, which are fixed to the slim steel

deck. The fine detailing becomes visible when entering the bridge. The ceilings are

covered in a beautiful mosaic artwork done by Spanish artist Daniel Canogar. The first

part of the project were completed in spring 2007 and in spring 2011 the entire project

was completed. Arganzuela Park and the Salon de Pinos are connected by two slow

traffic bridges, the Cascara Bridges.

A series of bridges over the river will allow passage from one side of the park to the

other. Designed to link the neighborhoods on the right and left banks of the river, the

Arganzuela Footbridge is the longest of all the built bridges.

20

Page 21: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

The bridge is for both pedestrians and cyclists. The footbridge enables people to cross

from one side of the park to the other while also providing direct access to the park

below. Cone like in structure, the bridge has two interlocking metal spirals, wrapped by

a metallic ribbon. Spaced wooden slats make up the floor of the bridge, allowing the

rays of the sun to penetrate through to the park below. Over 270 meters long, the

Arganzuela footbridge is located between the historic Toledo bridge and the Praga

bridge which leads to the cultural centre of the capital. It links the Arganzuela and

Carabanchel neighbourhoods .The Arganzuela Parc, which hides some of the buried

highway’s technical infrastructures, has an irregular topography. Playing with that

topography, the two cones join above the curve of a hill, and are offset to create a new

entrance point to the park. The first cone – to the south – spans from the

Avenida de Manzaranes, crosses over the river and then joins the top

of the hill. Placed offset to the first cone, the second cone – to the

north – passes over the other side of the park to reach the Paseo de

Yeserias

This positioning creates a platform over the park and the surrounding city, and an

exceptional vantage point from which to admire the famous Toledo Bridge.

21

Page 22: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Each cone rests upon two pillars laid at each end, giving the impression that the

footbridge is floating in the air. Made in steel, the self supporting main structure has two

interlocking metal spirals that cross diagonally.

A silver ribbon, made of metallic mesh, wraps this structure and protects the users from

the sun and the bad weather. “Sewn” like a spiral, this ribbon creates a rhythmic and

dynamic line to the Arganzuela Park.

The metallic mesh, a favoured material of Perrault, transforms and changes the

footbridge depending on the time of the day; alternating between filtering, reflective and

opaque.

4 .RESEARCH FINDING

With cities and dense urban environments, the emergence of the urban park

at many scales has provided a place and opportunity for people to return to nature.

1) Recreation and Entertainment: Recreation opportunities include passive and active

program possibilities.

2) Health and Wellness: Landscape architecture and open space in urban environments

helps to create a balance to the increasingly sedentary lifestyle and workstyle of today’s

22

Page 23: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

working world. Open space, fresh air, places to move and exercise, and places for

passive

and active recreation enhance physical wellness. In addition, they provide relief for the

increasing obesity epidemic and associated health problems.

3) Urban Agriculture: Human settlement used to have an inseparable relationship with

land and agricultural properties. However, such connection has been severed by modern

urbanization and industrial specialization development. Promoting urban agriculture in

park

space reestablishes this deeply rooted relationship.

4) Beauty and Aesthetics: In human history, parks and open space have been sacred,

important, and meaningful. Parks – the outdoors - have been places for gathering, social

activities, sight-seeing, and spiritual or ritual activity. Parks are the places where people

enjoy the landscape as well as other cultural features and enlightenments.

Quality of Environment: Nature is the foundation for human being’s survival. The

processes of urbanization and industrialization, however,

threaten to sever the connection between humans and outdoor spaces. The balance of

landscape and built environment together create

productive human environments. Integrating open spaces, networks, corridors, and

public spaces help improve the vision of the city, the

quality of urban life, and the health of its residents. Furthermore, integrated landscape

ecosystems cohesively in the design framework helps

to restore a natural setting and protect the environment.

1) Water Quality: Parks can improve and enhance existing water systems by increasing

the capability of water management and water

quality rehabilitation. Water can also be improved through a series of functional

processes including infiltration, renewal, collection and

detention, etc.

2) Air Quality: Plants and green spaces are important factors in air quality. Open space

and green landscapes contribute towards the

23

Page 24: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

removal of particles in the air, reduce the urban heat island effect, and increasing carbon

absorption.

3) Urban Wildlife Habitat: Park environments provide space for ecosystems and

habitats. Birds, as one example, thrive on large open spaces

and migratory birds and songbirds need dense, rich ecosystems to survive. Water

systems and water habitats are critical for aquatic wildlife

as well as fisheries.

Urban parks and urban landscapes are critical for the human and environmental well

beingin big cities. In designing great parks, the

following principals are of utmost importance:

1) Urban park development shall accommodate multiple scales and systems, ranging

from small scale green space, to regional green

space system, to national park, and to natural reserve land systems.

2) Park designs shall emphasize the importance of “connectivity” and create networks

that link park and green space at various scales in

order to establish a significant system.

3) Park designs should demonstrate the multi-functional nature of open space and their

abilities to serve people and the environment. All

designs, at all scales, should be developed with an emphasis on efficiency and

environmental quality Urban Parks are a precious natural

environment within our urban setting. Designing them well – to accommodate both the

life and development demands of the present while

also looking forward to the needs of our future generations and landscapes requires a

comprehensive look at creating healthy ecosystems

and prosperous mega cities and how the two can co-exist in the 21st century.

Kevin Shanley

5.CONCLUSION

Urbanization around the world is happening at unprecedented levels.

24

Page 25: Landscape Urban Transformation-sathya

Urban Parks are a precious natural environment within our urban setting.

Designing them well – to accommodate both the life and development demands

of the present ,needs of our future generations and landscapes requires a comprehensive

look at creating healthy ecosystems and prosperous mega cities and the two can co-exist

in the 21st century.

The new and broader view of parks presented here has emerged through innovative

programs and partnerships under way in a growing number of cities. This new view

capitalizes on the tremendous value parks generate by providing open space and

recreational opportunities. But it goes further—it recognizes parks as vital contributors

to the achievement of wider urban policy objectives, including job opportunities, youth

development, public health, and community building—all of which help strengthen the

neighborhoods in which parks are located. For parks managers, this view reinforces the

critical importance of gathering reliable information to help make wise resource choices

based on what communities and their residents most want from parks and decide how

best to deliver on those need

25