Urban Greenspace

Functions of Urban Greenspace

Urban greenspaces were initially developed in response to the problematic urban conditions of the industrial revolution in the 1800s. In what is known as the Parks Movement, English philanthropists of this time worked to improve the quality of life for the working and urban classes. To do this, designers like John Claudius Loudon created spaces within cities that felt more like rural areas. Today, people still enjoy the benefits of these and other similar parks, which include health benefits, recreational space for relaxation, play, picnics, music, sports, learning, and personal relationship and community building. Other functions of urban greenspaces include their ability to create habitats for wildlife, promote biodiversity, reduce excess runoff, combat negative effects of pollution (as trees act as filters for pollution and reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, thus decreasing temperature rises), and improve local economies with increases in tourism, revenue from entrance fees, and increases in real estate value in neighborhoods near parks.

In the city of Copenhagen, several historic parks clearly function to improve the well being of danish citizens as well as visitors. Today we visited four of these parks that had been converted from old fortifications with motes, to public urban greenspaces with lakes, as well as one relatively new urban space. These are known as Ørstedparken, Botanisk Haven, Østre Anlæg, Kastellet, and Amaliehaven.

In these parks, quality of life is improved every day as the people of copenhagen enjoy the benefits of  free public greenspaces. In all of these parks, children and adults can be seen enjoying the health benefits of fresh air and a place to exercise, by either walking, playing or jogging (especially in Kastellet where there are often many joggers).

The parks also offer benefits for mental health as well; the beauty of the landscape seems to be useful in improving mood, and the parks provide a place to escape from the everyday chaos and stresses of an urban lifestyle. In most of these parks, especially in the botanical gardens and Ørstedparken, it is quite easy for one to forget that a busy city surrounds the park, as most exterior buildings are blocked from view by the strategically placed hills and walled off by dense foliage of trees and shrubs. The botanical gardens especially serve as a resource for learning about plants and ecological systems, allowing interested adults and children alike to peruse environmental interests and expand their knowledge base. 

The parks seem to especially give children a space to engage in recreational activities, with large fields to run and play sports on, and playgrounds for younger children to enjoy. For older children and adolescents, one park, Østre Anlæg, had a basketball court, which was surprisingly popular for a Monday morning. 

These parks also seemed to serve an important social function, as venues for people to develop and enhance a variety of types of relationships. Many friends could be seen strolling through the parks, deep in conversation. Others were with their families or larger groups, playing together and picnicking.

Another function of the Copenhagen parks that I noticed today was their ability to provide habitats for wildlife. I saw and heard a variety of types of birds that I had not yet seen in my other travels around the city, and saw fish in all of the ponds within individual parks. In the botanical gardens I even saw a snake, though he was gone before I could get a picture of him unfortunately. Overall, the parks seem to play a variety of functions, especially for the people and animals of Copenhagen.