Parks are great, but unless they’re directly outside the houses where I can keep an eye on what’s happening they’re not as safe or convenient. Being able to send the kids into the garden to run off some energy whilst I’m in the house doing something, and being reasonably confident that they’re safe is a huge benefit.
That’s certainly not impossible with a bit of sensible planning around how housing is laid out, putting clusters of housing directly around a shared green space, but it is rather challenging to retrofit in existing conurbations, and impossible in more spread out communities. The American style of huge featureless lawns surrounding the house right up to the property boundary are pretty awful, but the more European style of a bit of lawn surrounded by flower beds and maybe trees is rather better.
Parks are great, but unless they’re directly outside the houses where I can keep an eye on what’s happening they’re not as safe or convenient. Being able to send the kids into the garden to run off some energy whilst I’m in the house doing something, and being reasonably confident that they’re safe is a huge benefit.
That’s certainly not impossible with a bit of sensible planning around how housing is laid out, putting clusters of housing directly around a shared green space, but it is rather challenging to retrofit in existing conurbations, and impossible in more spread out communities. The American style of huge featureless lawns surrounding the house right up to the property boundary are pretty awful, but the more European style of a bit of lawn surrounded by flower beds and maybe trees is rather better.