BEESTON TOWN CENTRE BEST PRACTICE LANDSCAPE GUIDE
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01: INTRODUCTION SUSTAINABLE PLACEMAKING
CONTENTS
02: SITE SPECIFICS LOCATIONAL MAPPING FIGURE GROUND
03: REINFORCING PLACE DESIRE LINES SITE SECTIONS
04: HEALTHY PLACES A PARK FOR THE PEOPLE COMMUNITY TREES AND PLANTING WSUD
05: TRANSPORT SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT THE BICYCLE
06: GENERAL GUIDANCE BY NIGHT LONGEVITY TEXTURE-TONAL BUILDING DENSITY AND HEIGHTS
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INTRODUCTION
THE BIG PICTURE APPROACH
Beeston town is a small, dense, community; increasingly popular to live in, as both a suburb of Nottingham and a community in its own right. Through creating good quality, usable, public space in dense area we reduce our dependency on areas further away. For this reason I shall promote the idea of sustainable placemaking as a sub-theme to the general approach. The document looks into creating places that facilitate the sustainable communities from a variety of facets. BREEAM defines a sustainable community to be not just environmental, but also social and promoting the community alongside the physical scheme itself is hugely important.
“What we need is designed landscapes that provoke those who are in them to make changes. We need to recenter human conscience from egocentric to biocentric.” Elizabeth K. Meyer
GOOD PATHS TO OPEN SPACES
WALKING FOR TRANSPORT
GOOD FACILITIES
PLEASANTNESS
RECREATIONAL WALKING
LACK OF NUISANCE For the purposes of this document, I define a healthy community as one which is both collaborative, physically active and sustainable. To lead sustainable lifestyles, people need the supporting systems to enable them to do so. This includes transport options, infrastructure and general surroundings. Although many of the benefits are qualitative and intangible, we must nonetheless design to the best of our abilities to enable healthy communities to exist. The community spirit itself is essential to successful landscape and use. In Beeston there are already many community groups with sustainable and landscape uses. Involving them in the process is essential to “soft-landings” and long-term management and development of the scheme.
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A more pleasant neighborhood open space is associated with a 40% increase in the likelihood of achieving more than 1 hour recreational walking per week. [Catharine Ward Thomson]
The diagram above illustrates the importance of good placemaking on a healthy community.
“The best friend of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth.� Frank Lloyd Wright
Beeston Hight Street, a centre of activity and community. Source: Charlie Harris
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University Park
Train Station
SITE SPECIFICS LOCATIONAL MAPPING
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Semi-Public
Public Highstreet
Market place
Bus Interchange
Church
SITE SPECIFICS FIGURE GROUND
There is a large amount of publicly accessible space already in the area. The scheme should aim to enrich this by reducing the amount of semi-public space and improving the quality of the public space in general Source: Digimaps and Charlie Harris
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DESIRE LINES
VIEWS TO BE RESPECTED IN DESIGN There are few important vistas to be considered on the main site, however, around the peripheries there are many important individual buildings and avenues that must be considered.
PROSPECT/REFUGE - MAKING A SAFE PLACE Jay Appleton’s “Prospect / Refuge Theory” suggests that a picturesque and pleasant scene is merely one that we have evolved to fine pleasant as somewhere beneficial to survival. He suggests the following conditions of a safe-feeling place: - Open views and vistas - Access to water - Food sources - Places of refuge nearby He also suggested that we prefer to be near the edge of these places. Desire lines are a critical part of this theory and should be respected to avoid creating a site which feels enclosed and claustrophobic.
Source: Digimaps and Charlie Harris
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SITE SECTION
1:1000
SITE
Station Street
Generally, the surrounding buildings are no more than five storeys high, this should be considered as a maximum in design, to avoid being overbearing. 10
TESCO
SITE SECTION
1:1000
SITE
Styring Street
Bus Interchange
High Road Market
Source: Digimaps and Charlie Harris
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IN PRAISE OF THE TREE THE VALUE OF TREES TO BEESTON
“In any civilised society, access to high-quality public space should be a fundamental human right. Everyone should be able to see a tree from their window, sit on a bench, walk to a square and cycle to a park.” Richard Rogers Rogers Stirk Harbour
Increased property value
£ ££££
KEY:
Expense of installation Benefit X XXX X Maintennance 12
Safer streets [more careful driving]
Biodiversity
Reduction of storm effects
Cooling
Health and Wellness Trees have been shown to reduce stress levels in the urban environment. Wildlife Increasing biodiversity through creating urban green corridors. WSUD Trees for part of WSUD and can help with flood attenuation (see next section). Sense of Place Trees (particularly large ones) help to create a local identity and uniqueness. They can encourage social activities and community participation. Property Value Proximity to trees and green space can increase property value by 7-15%. Temperature Can help control extreme changes in temperature and demand for heating and cooling. Safer Streets Promote calmer driving and so encourage more active transport options, such as cycling and walking. Air Quality
Shading
Rooftop Planting
£££££ XXXXX
May be the closest access to outdoor space for many. Significant structural work required and suitable species must be chosen.
New Central Reservations
Street Trees
££££ £
£££££
XX XX X
A good alternative to street planting, where complications such as services arise.
XXXXX
With sufficient root space, larger species can grow to maturity.
Source: adapted from “The Canopy - London’s Urban Forest: A Guide for Designers, Planners and Developers
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TREES
LOCAL SPECIES AND SPECIMENS
LOCAL SPECIES Alder
Ash
Birch Mature Plane Trees
Mountain Ash
Biophilia
Plane
“An innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world.”
Yew
Biologist E. O. Wilson Local species should be used as a base-line for what to use on-site.
Mature Ash 14
PLANTING
GUIDANCE FOR TREES AND VEGETATION
TREE DENSITY
5-10 years Right Place, Right Tree Correct size and species to ensure successful planting. Soils Sufficient soil for root ball to grow. The trees selected must be appropriate for prevailing soil type and pH. This will involve soil preparation. Water Trees for part of WSUD and must be considered as such. When young, they need sufficient water to survive.
20-50 years
Services Surveys to establish services near to planting and avoid damaging them (generally planted no closer than 600mm). Future Invest in long-term care and management plans. This should allow for removal [and replacement] of failed trees.
50+ years Planting at peripheries - a mental and physical barrier, which defines the space. Planting should be respectful of desire lines and key buildings.
Source: Digimaps, Charlie Harris, some adapted from 123rf
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A PARK FOR THE PEOPLE AN INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE
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“Green infrastructure, if planned and managed appropriately, can deliver a wide range of social, environmental and economic benefits.” Dr Jonathan Wentworth Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
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Grass Tram Lines, Greece Breaks thresholds between transit and pedestrian. A witty means of sharing space.
Removing the dominance of the car on the street and giving it back to the pedestrian has huge benefits, as drivers and pedestrians are both expecting each other and are more careful. By sharing space, it can be more efficiently used. A successful integrated streetscape should have the following features (shown opposite): - Flat and level access suitable for disabled people, with slopes no more than 1:12 - Clear and legible signage - Free transit through street, without significant barriers, such as curbs - pedestrian is king
Exhibition Road, Kensington Shared streetscape, with carefully considered public realm, giving dominance to the pedestrian and cyclist.
- Low speed limits - Incorporation with WSUD
Source: some adapted from 123rf, see reference section
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WSUD
CONSIDERING WATER IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Areas deliberately allowed to flood
Planting and Marginal Areas
£££££ £ £ £ ££
KEY:
Expense of installation Benefit XXXX X Maintennance 18
XXXXX
Absorbs water and slows flow into waterways and drainage. Cost may vary significantly due to site specifics.
Pollution Reduces pollution from flooding and excess runoff. Flood Attenuation Slows ingress of water into waterways and drainage, reducing the effect of heavy rainfall. Flood risk is reduced by managing areas that can flood. Biodiversity Healthy ecosystems and more biodiversity is encouraged. Thermal Helps to reduce Urban heat island Effect. Community Brings together communities inn managing and maintaining. Infrastructure directs water into soak-aways, not mains drainage
Tree pits catch water
Green Roofs
£££££ XXXXX
Absorbs rainwater and introduces ecology to the roofscapes.
Permeable Surfaces
£ ££ £ £ XXXXX
Allows surface water to permeate into ground and slows flow into drains.
Waste Water Storage/Re-Use
£££££ XXXXX
Washing water re-used in lavatories, reducing the requirement for fresh water. Source: Charlie Harris and WSUD.org
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TRANSPORT
GETTING AROUND BEESTON “A lot of people aspire to afford a car. It should be the other way around; the ones who can afford cars should take busses.� Enrique Penalosa
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Beeston is arguably an example of transit oriented development [TOD]. as such it can be considered as an interchange in a system of flows, with people moving through it. Regardless of the dominance of mechanised transport, the pedestrian is of primary importance and should be though of as the client in any design decision. 50 people 20
50 cars
50 bicycles
1 bus
Such considerations have already been made in Beeston high-street, which is completely pedestrianised and even closed to cyclists for parts of the day.
ACTIVE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT
PROMOTING A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
DECREASED POLLUTION
FOSTERS COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS
DECREASED CONGESTION
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE Active transport, such as cycling and walking is an essential part of sustainable transport, and can form part or all of a journey. Facilitating easy transport should reduce the dominance of the car and encourage a socially and physically healthy community. 21
The majority of Beeston can be accessed quickly on foot or by bicycle, if a town centre is developed that encourages people to stay within it, then fewer mechanised journeys need take place and a sense of community can be developed.
10 MIN CYCLING
10 MIN WALKING
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
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The site is designated as a transport hub, an interchange of bus and tram. Design must respect the transient nature of the population in enabling unhindered thoroughfare.
NET TRAM
INDIGO BUS
NCT BUS
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Source: WalkScore and Digimaps
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Trails
“A citizen on a $30 bicycle is equally as important as someone on a $30,000 car..”
Bicycle-friendly routes
Enrique Penalosa
Cycling is a viable alternative to car travel and offers benefits including fewer cars on the roads and a more healthy and active population. To promote and enable cycling successfully, the following should be considered: - Dedicated cycle lanes and paths - Incorporation into existing cycle infrastructure - Ample and secure places to lock bicycles - Distinctions between pedestrian, motorised transport and bicycle thoroughfares. - WSUD surfaces of infrastructure
FACILITATING THE BICYCLE BICYCLE-FOCUSED DESIGN
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TEXTURAL MORPHOLOGY
TEXTURES AND COLOURS TO RESPECT IN DESIGN
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BY NIGHT 24 HOUR BEESTON
Presence of security personnel
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Well lit
Overlooked for perceived safety
LONGEVITY
MAINTAINING A SAFE AND PLEASANT ENVIRONMENT
Community Involved throughout in community-run schemes. They are the project champions Signage Up-to-date signs that are helpful and concise. People can understand what happens, even when it isn’t taking place. Repair and Replant Maintenance is essential to publically appealing scheme, as it increased the care others will give to it.
Management of wild space
Refuse clearance/recycling
(bins stored discretely)
Review access and transport strategies
Repair damage
Strategies The success of the scheme relies on tyeing in long term strategies with sustainable aims, such as WSUD and TOD. Replace trees and remove dead wood
This is a sustainable park for use by all the community. Please respect the environemt around you.
TIMESCALE Long Term/Future Short Term
Continuous
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CONCLUDING REMARKS To summarise; a sustainable landscape strategy for Beeston will have the community at its core, focused around community participation. The strategy is not just about the materials and process, but about the city, county and planet, centered around the community. As such every decision made must consider this as a core strategy. The issues we face today, in terms of climate change and resource scarcities mean that sustainability must be central to everything we do and considered from the onset. It is not enough to merely design something and then make it sustainable. Localism is essential, with materials, craft and labour sought from as close a radius as possible.
“How attractive is a green lawn, when it is kept alive with harmful pesticides?” Elizabeth K Meyer
Design itself must reflect the fact that it is sustainable, which should deliver explicit messages of sustainability. We can’t merely assume that people will understand the sustainable benefits, unless they are directly told to them. The sustainable beauty itself is partucular to Beeston itself and its nuances of site and community and not generic. No “superficial beautification” should take place.
“Natural process over natural form.” Elizabeth K Meyer 985 words in total, excluding quotes and diagrams.
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REFERENCES
healthyplaces.org.au landscapeinstitute.org thetram.net nct.org.uk greeninginbeeston.weebly.com lh5.ggpht.com building.co.uk dailymail.co.uk guardian.co.uk wsud.co.uk Broxtowe.travelright.org.uk walkscore.com Ian Mcharg - “Design with Nature” (1969) Jay Appleton - “Prospect/Refuge Theory” “POSTNOTE 380” Houses of Parliament document Kongjian Yu “Designed Ecologies: The Landscapes of Change” (2012) “The Canopy – London’s Urban Forest” Anne Spirn - “Granite Garden” (1984) Robert Holden, Jamie Liversedge - “Construction for Landscape Architecture” Laurence King (2011) Ward Thompson, Catharine, Aspinall, P. J., Bell, Simon - “Innovative approaches to researching landscape and health: open space: people space” (2010) Nick Robinson - “The planting design handbook” Scenario Journal - Issue 04 BREEAM Communities Nicole Porter “Landscape Design:Meaning and Making” lecture series 31
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