Moscow is actively promoted trend, in many world capitals, has become a symbol of new quality of life: relationship to public areas as self-sufficient values. The whole country is, to put it mildly, not quick. In the big cities are still trying to build on every spare yard, and to urban communities, architectural historians, historians in this matter is not heeded. Giving sites for development projects, the authorities do not always take into account what the public space will be between them and developers are not always willing to listen to each other and to agree on the coordination of design decisions.
the result is rather primitive public areas where there is no possibility to play with the children and chat with neighbors. The methodology of the creation of the yard today looks like this: a developer on the properties leaves a possible recreation area and a very unsophisticated it is zoned. Playground with a plastic slide, a few benches for mothers looking after the children, and the elderly. In this fantasy some developers ends.
In Western countries, for qualitative development of public spaces is now widely used concept of playability (i.e., “playability”, “creating solutions for spontaneous games”), which prescribes a strict destination sites and territories, and follows the needs of those it is. When the space is overly designed, it turns out that you dictate to people what they should do. Good public space is a place without a strict purpose, it is multi-functional and adaptive. It is made of diverse landscaping, there is a place for walks, and read books and to communicate with neighbors, and for games. And most of it doesn’t occupy a huge bulky complex, which usually has a small part of the tenants.
playgrounds are also needed, but in the format playability – when infrastructure does not impose to the child theme and type of game, but becomes a space for free imagination and creativity. Forcing the child plastic slides-roundabouts, which are like to instill in their projects, many developers, we limit his imagination, creative thinking. Instead, the projects it is better to use a simple, yet powerful children’s complexes and solutions that motivate children to independent thinking and creativity. For example, the wavy borders of the bench on which to sit, places for people to hide or use as a surface for games. Or log, on which you can walk or jump with them. Systems for creative activities with sand, water and other forms of help to develop motor skills, cognitive, contact�� and interactive abilities.
not all of the Muscovites, and inhabitants of other cities can afford to have a walk in the Park (they still need to get), so a quality local environment is a very important part and quality of life in General. We often advise the developers and management companies to break up a small garden or even ornamental garden on the adjacent residential areas and insist that they had no special “purpose”. Let this be the most useless footage in the whole project – from the developer and the management company. But in the eyes of residents, this green oasis can become one of the most comfortable and favorite places in the city.
However, the concept of playability is not only gardening and the distribution of areas for different activities. It is also a variety of opportunities for landscape design that makes the stay here interesting at least, is the aesthetics of small architectural forms and special infrastructure, adapting the space for the various user groups. Take, for example, sensory gardens, which in Russia yet are not often used, but in other countries have a lot of fans. It is an Autonomous garden area where residents can enjoy a different touch sensations, the lack of which is experiencing any resident of the metropolis. To achieve the effect uses a variety of plants planted close by, but with significant differences – in the form of leaves, their color, tactile sensations, form and texture of the trunk, etc. are usually Involved and the various elements of landscape design – paving, wooden walkways, gravel, different surface textures. All this can be used for educational programs, including for people with autism and older people with dementia. Well the relaxation effect and aesthetic pleasure from such objects is indisputable for all healthy children and adults.
While in Russia almost do not pay attention to medium and small public spaces. But it’s a matter of time: the future of projects contributing to the development of local communities, helping to establish social connections and knows how to inspire his people.
