The fortifications were made into 4 parks: Ørstedsparken, the Botanical Garden, Østre Anlæg, and Kastellet. Each park recycled the moat from the fortifications to create one or more lakes, and can be seen in the map below. Kastellet is the most recognizable, for its star-shaped design. It is built up around the moat, and is filled with paths along which many Copenhageners jog and walk. Østre Anlæg by contrast, has many more trees and this creates a more wooded atmosphere. It is home to the Statens Museum for Kunst at one end. The Botanical Garden's purpose is twofold. It serves both as a place where city dwellers can go to enjoy the outdoors, but it is also a research facility. In this park, each plant is tagged with a name, and there are conservatories filled with tropical plants that can be a welcome respite from the harsh cold and dreary winter. Ørstedsparken, just south of Nørreport station, is dominated by a central lake, with grassy banks. The paths are lined with benchs, and when it's warm, the grass and the benches are filled with people taking breaks from work or class to eat and relax.
Today, these parks are an integral piece of life in Copenhagen. Green space in urban areas has been proven to have numerous positive effects on the environment, including increasing rainwater retention, cooling cities and improving air quality. What may be most noticeable, however, is the positive effect urban green space has on the social aspect of life. Exposure to nature enhances a person's psychological and emotional well-being. Parks provide a place to relax, get fresh air, exercise and connect with friends and family. In Copenhagen, parks and green spaces are utilized to their fullest extend in this way. When the weather is nice, the parks and full of people - myself included - and the atmosphere, along with the fresh air, is rejuvenating and invigorating.
You mention the social benefits of parks and urban greenspaces. As we know, Copenhagen has harsh winters leaving many of the moat frozen for most of the winter months. Do you think that these social benefits of urban greenspaces decreases during the winter months or just the knowledge that they exist make us better off?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the social benefits decrease during the winter - I just think that the green spaces are used differently. Obviously, they aren't exactly green and people don't spend long amounts of time outside when it's cold, but the parks still provide places of solitude to get a fresh breath of air. Even if you're only walking through on your way somewhere else, or you're out for a jog, I think the green spaces still provide a much-needed escape from urban living.
DeleteThe greenhouses in the Botanical Gardens are also a nice place to go when it's cold out. I have noticed though that when it is nice out the parks can get very crowded and it is almost difficult to find a place to sit and relax away from large groups of other people. Do you think there is anything the city can do to make parks a quiet sanctuary even on the nicest days?
ReplyDelete