Urban green spaces the lungs of Port of Spain
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| Woodford Square park. |
Urban green spaces are important for the sustainability
of a city as they recuperate the city's aesthetics and
encourage increasing biodiversity. This is a recognition that plants play
a role in 'moderating the impact of human activities ' in
cities by absorbing emissions (Haughton and Hunter 1994:118). Green spaces can
be small gardens, rooftop gardens, parks, sports fields, lakes
and savannas/pastures. Port of Spain has multiple
green spaces such as Woodford Square and Queen's Park Savannah. Woodford Square
is a small park located in the central business district of Port of Spain.
It is important to Trinidad and Tobago’s political history as it was the
heartbeat of the independence movement. The Queen's Park Savannah is Port of
Spain’s largest open space and park; it also has the record as being the
largest roundabout in the world. The Savannah, as the locals call it, covers
260 acres and a perimeter of 3.5 km. various sporting and recreational
events are held there; the main recreational event is the viewing of
the bands on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
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| Woodford Square information board |
The benefits of urban green spaces.
- Recreational
- Reading
- Walking dogs
- Play parks
- Growing food
- Raise property values
- Community gatherings
- Town-hall meetings
- Visual assets
- Clean air
- Carbon sink
- History
Ecological benefits
- The green spaces reduce the urban heat island effect where buildings, asphalt, and concrete absorb solar radiation and then remit it as heat. Reducing air temperature of the city could save the electricity bill use for air conditions.
- Plants absorb carbon dioxide which is produced when humans breathe out and exhaust from vehicles, the more tress the more oxygen and clean air.
- Green spaces and their inhabitants is a good indicator
of overall ecological health of the ecosystem. This is an important measure in
judging the ecological sustainability of the community.
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| LRC Greens ,UWI St. Augustine campus. |
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| Queen's Park Savannah, with Port of Spain in the background. |
Social benefits
- Provides recreational
use: a place to play, meditate, gather, or rest.
- Green spaces give a sense
of social place, allow one to gain social recognition, enhance feelings of
family kinship and solidarity,
and in general allow users to feel free and independent.
- Green spaces introduce
the natural into the urban environment.
- Green spaces foster a
connection between community residents and the natural environment that
surrounds them, thus allowing for a more livable city. This is essential in
order for a community to be sustainable.
Reference
Haughton, G and Hunter, C.1994 Sustainable Cities, London: Routledge
This is really informative....all I think you need to do now is link it with investment and the shift to a more entrepreneurial governance. How do green spaces benefit a developing country?
ReplyDeleteI like the way you listed the social and ecological benefits that green urban spaces provide so it can be clearly seen. I agree that green spaces can reduce a lot of the environmental impacts that are created in cities and how it is impotant to have these areas within thw city.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! How do you suggest more green green spaces to be created
ReplyDelete? I honestly believe that most the amin urban centre; Port of Spain is greener taht the suburban areas. I say this becaause many spaces for greening within suburbia are simply being leap frogged for example parking lots.They are not used to thier maximum capacity.