A UBC study published Thursday (Nov. 17) found that 15-24-year-olds are often not considered when city planners design their parks, especially when compared to the needs of children and seniors. “We’re very good at providing playgrounds for younger children or including things like park benches for older adults,” researcher Sara Barron said in a press release. “But when it comes to youth and young adults, there’s a noticeable lack of purposefully designed spaces where they can just be themselves.” Barron and researcher Emily Rugel developed a three-pronged tool to better judge how young adults will use parks and green spaces. Young people respond best to parks that are well-kept and feel safe. Rugel says safety is a primary concern for young women using parks. “That’s for sure [an area] where we have to think about what safety is like for young adults versus other people who might be in a green space.” READ MORE: More adult children are living with their parents. new study BC to dive deep into dynamics In terms of diversity, parks with a variety of plants and available activities scored higher, according to the study. There is also a demand among young people for quiet spaces that are more secluded. “Some people will kind of seek that retreat,” Rugel said. “But many other young adults want a place where they can come together with their friends, play games and have a loud conversation that they would be yelled at in a library.” Exploring the parks and streets of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia as case studies, Rugel and Barron found very few parks scored highly in all three domains of class, diversity and isolation. Conflicts between the three are a challenge for cities wishing to adapt the framework. “There will be tensions between young adults and other park users,” Rugel said. “People who might want to use a large open space to play a game [conflict] with people wanting to sit there and have a picnic…That’s definitely a tension that we think can be easily resolved, particularly by creating different areas that will provide options for people who have their heads down when they’re there for different purposes.” However, there is an opportunity to improve smaller ‘pocket parks’ and even alleyways to better serve young people – such as Melbourne’s streets which feature street art, plants and shrubs. “If you see a place where there’s graffiti, that means there’s an opportunity for a great mural,” Rugel said. “That would add to the sense of order and the feeling that it’s a well-cared-for place.” The study finds that green spaces can positively affect mental health by relieving stress and strengthening social bonds. During the COVID restrictions, the lack of access to the outdoors had direct effects on young people’s mood, ability to pay attention and focus on important things. Rugel hopes the approach will be used as a checklist for improving parks in Metro Vancouver and other cities in the region. @[email protected] Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Developer development
