Prof. Sarath W. kotagama Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences Doctor of Philosophy University of Aberdeen, Scotland

1. AYUBOWAN
May all living-beings live long

2. Urban Parks – and the
Environment
Professor Sarath W Kotagama
Professor of Environment Science
University of Colombo

3. What is the environment ?

4. Agricultural practice
INSECURITY,
and
UNCERTAINITY
OF THE FUTURE
SECURITY
and
CERTAINITY
Hunter –
Gatherer
? Present society

5. NATURAL

6. BUILT
BUILT

7. Theoretical
THEORITICAL

8. THEORITICAL
ENVIRONMENT
NATURAL
BUILT

9. Past development caused
these three elements to
move apart

10. ENVIRONMENT
NATURAL
STRUCTURED
THEORITICAL

11. ENVIRONMENT
NATURAL
BUILT
THEORITICAL

12. ENVIRONMENT
NATURAL
BUILT
THEORITICAL

13. Resolution of present
environment issues require
the understanding of these
three components and seeking
to bring them back as close as
possible….

20. Open space: should, it is suggested, be defined as
that part of the urban area which contributes to its
amenity, either visually by contributing positively to
the urban landscape, or by virtue of public access. It
is therefore defined as combining urban green
spaces and civic spaces.
“a mixture of public (or civic) and green space, where
public spaces are mainly ‘hard’ spaces such as
squares, street frontages and paved areas.”
It is also compatible with the approach proposed in
Scotland, which defines open space as “a mixture of
civic spaces and green spaces”.

21. Public open space is defined as open space,
both green spaces and hard ‘civic’ spaces, to
which there is public access, even though the
land may not necessarily be in public
ownership. (This is different from the legal
definition in the Town and Country Planning
Act 1990 and the more traditional planning
definition of ‘public open space’ (POS), still
used by some local authorities, to mean
publicly accessible green space without any
formal facilities for recreation provision).

22. Urban green space: is defined as land that
consists predominantly of unsealed, permeable,
‘soft’ surfaces such as soil, grass, shrubs and
trees (the emphasis is on ‘predominant’
character because of course green spaces may
include buildings and hard surfaced areas); it is
the umbrella term for all such areas whether or
not they are publicly accessible or publicly
managed. It includes all areas of parks, play
areas and other green spaces specifically
intended for recreational use, as well as other
green spaces with other origins.

28. Social Benefits: green spaces offer important
opportunities for people to make contact with nature,
to take exercise by involvement in both passive and
active recreation, and to be involved in many kinds of
social, cultural and community activities. The
following two aspects merit particular attention:
– Health benefits: the environmental and social
benefits that green spaces bring in themselves
create further physical and mental health benefits for
individuals and communities;
– Educational benefits: green spaces offer a wide
range of both formal and informal educational
opportunities to all age groups;

29. Environmental Benefits: green spaces
can be shown to play an important part in
wildlife and habitat conservation, so
helping to meet biodiversity objectives, as
well as contributing to landscape and
cultural heritage, improving urban air
quality and ameliorating the urban
climate, and reducing noise levels;

30. Economic Benefits: green spaces can
help to attract inward investment, to
retain businesses, to create employment
opportunities, to support tourism and to
increase the value and marketability of
nearby property.

39. Singapore recommendations…
• Transplant and plant “instant trees” (fast-
growing indigenous trees that are shady,
easily available and require little
maintenance) to achieve results in a short
time-frame
• Design roads to include adequate planting
areas
• Require paved areas such as car parks to
be planted with trees to attenuate the heat
of the large asphalt surfaces

40. • Cover concrete structures such as flyovers,
overhead bridges and retaining walls with
creepers and climbers, and screen them with
shrubs and transplanted trees to provide visual
relief from the built environment
• Encourage provision of shade along walkways
and roadsides through planting policies,
particularly in civic and governmental areas
• Encourage property owners and residents to
focus on the greening of rooftops and sides of
high-rise buildings – maximizes land use while
improving the environment.
Singapore…..

41. • Require developers of residential areas to plant
roadside trees and set aside land for open
space
• Cater to and reflect the diverse recreational
needs of the population
• Capitalize upon and enhance existing natural
assets
• Create an identity where natural assets were
lacking, including the installation of sculptures,
challenging playgrounds and creating habitats to
attract wildlife such as birds
Singapore…..

42. • Maintenance: The Heritage Trees Scheme is
aimed at conserving the trees that have been
maturing gracefully while the Heritage Roads
Scheme seeks to preserve roadside landscapes
with beautiful mature trees and greenery.
• Ensuring access: a comprehensive network
linking major parks and nature areas is currently
being developed. When completed, the system
of parks and park connectors will span some
360 km and enable the population to explore the
island through one continuous green network.
Singapore…..

43. • Educating the population: the website of
the National Parks Network offers a rich
amount of information about the park
system, the history of the greening
initiative, and resources for citizens and
corporations interested in participating in
greening activities (such as a resource
book for creating rooftop gardens and
green buildings).
Singapore…..

44. 1972
POVERTY the cause
for
ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION
ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION the
cause for POVERTY
2002
DEVELOPMENT
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
SOLUTION

45. (Theruvan Saranai)
Professor. Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama
Professor of Environmental Science
University of Colombo
(Wasanawan)