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Thanks to ARLIS for help yet again to a new architecture librarian. You
guys are great and I always learn a lot.
Some LC search terms would be:
Urban parks--Design
Urban parks--Design--Social aspects
Urban parks--Social aspects
Parks--Design and construction
Parks--Psychological aspects
Parks--Social aspects
Public spaces--Psychological aspects
Public spaces--Social aspects
These books might help:
_Designing Small Parks: A Manual for Addressing Social and
Ecological Concerns_ by Ann Forsyth
_Urban Open Space: Designing for User Needs_ by Mark Francis
Therapeutic Landscapes Database might be
useful. http://www.healinglandscapes.org/index.html
There is an article on the CABE
website entitled: "Decent Parks? Decent Behaviour: the Link Between
Quality of Parks and User Behaviour." The link for that is:
A good source for your
patron's query about the design of parks is the artist and cultural critic Nils
Norman.
His work goes to great
lengths to think of public (often urban) park space from both creative and
sociological perspectives. His proposals and discussions always center around
what your patron is interested
in: communication and
positive behavior. I found his research on "adventure playgrounds"
particularly intriguing.
In example...From his show
at Mass MoCa:
British-born artist Nils
Norman asks such questions through his work, encouraging us to think about
public spaces in new ways. Through computer-generated graphics and models often
made of recycled materials,
Inside the old Kmart shell,
a town archive and community information center are now available to research
and discuss local and global issues. Instead of Kmart's vast asphalt parking
lot,
might try "pocket
park" as a start....
Great question! The title that immediately comes to mind is "The
social life of small urban spaces" by William H. Whyte. The LC subject
headings that seem most appropriate are:
Parks -- social aspects
Open spaces -- social aspects
Land use, urban -- social aspects
..and I just stumbled on a book by a (favorite) former faculty member-
Designing small parks: a manual addressing social and ecological concerns by
Ann Forsyth and Laura Musacchio. (Wiley, 2005)...and that has the subject
heading of :
Urban parks -- design -- social aspects.
Avery seems to use the heading urban parks -- sociological aspects.
Although I think these first
suggestions tends to be more therapeutic than your patron intends, the term
"healing garden" or "restorative garden" may be useful to
you. For example, if you search in Worldcat, using the term "healing
garden," you will come up with a book titled "
appropriate. You can also
use these terms on the web and come up with
some hits of interest.
Perhaps more on point, your
patron may also want to browse through the book "The Social Life of Small
Urban Spaces," in which William Whyte discusses why certain urban spaces
(such as
promotes reflection,
communication. The reference book "Time Saver
Standards for Urban
Design," 2005 (?) by R. Shibley et al. has a number of suggestions for
designing urban spaces to promote communication, walkability, etc.
Just a few ideas that may be
useful,
Dorothy Tao
--On Thursday, August 03,
2006 12:26 PM -0700 "
<[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>
>
> I have a patron from
the county here in
> information on the
design of parks for communication, positive
> behavior of people in
parks. I have been searching now some time
> trying to find the
proper search terms. Landscape architecture is a
> new filed for me. I
know there are articles about designing hospital
> parks or nature areas
for patients. She wants to design a park between
> two large building in
the downtown area that foster communication and comfort.
Try medication gardens or zen
gardens. These are terms I’ve heard used for such places.
Paula
Wolfe
Fine Arts and
Architecture Librarian
Fine Arts Library
Office 231b
520-626-9434