April 9th, 2009
It Ain’t Easy Being Green
I never thought I would say this, but you know what? I miss grass. I miss being able to visit a park and do what I want in an expanse of unstructured space. Hong Kong doesn’t have many parks to begin with and those that do exist are invariably full of concrete, with greenery encased in planters or rigidly corralled into playing fields. There are lots of fences, too, so I can’t even enjoy the vast field down the street from me when it isn’t being used for rugby, soccer or cricket, because the gate is locked at night. I’m not asking for much — just a publicly-accessible lawn, open at all hours, where I can sit and read or play an informal game of soccer or throw down a jacket and have a nap.
Tags: Hong Kong, Montreal, Parks, Urban Design
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J. says:
>…and those that do exist are invariably full of concrete, with greenery encased in planters…
You mean like Viger Park?
April 9th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Christopher DeWolf says:
Depends on the park but yeah, there are some quite similar to that. An even bigger problem is the poor design of many small squares and plazas (officially known here as “sitting out areas”), which have lots of bulky planters, awkward seats and stuff that separates them from the street, making them feel dank and dingy. There’s a small square a block away from me that has a bunch of gorgeous trees and a perfect location. It’s generally okay but marred by weird metal bucket seats that are spaced too far apart from one another, icky tile paving and a low wall that limits access from the street.
There are some good parks and squares here but they’re in the minority.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:30 am