preprints.org > environmental and earth sciences > other > doi: 10.20944/preprints202408.0621.v1 (registering DOI)

Preprint Article Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 8 August 2024 / Approved: 8 August 2024 / Online: 9 August 2024 (02:49:05 CEST)

The sustainable development of public open spaces (POS) in suburban areas is crucial to enhancing neighborhood livability, especially in the face of uncontrolled urban sprawl. Therefore, the question was asked: what forms of gathering and recreation places are in suburbs that are subjected to mature urban planning? The research focuses on the Netherlands (Bunnik commune), a country known for its sustainable suburban areas. By conducting field research that involved analyzing physical traces and engaging in non-participatory observation, the study identified and categorized 18 distinct spatial-functional units of POS looking from a top-down design and planning lens. The types of gathering and recreation places identified through top-down development included: estates with recreational areas for neighbors; communal playgrounds; greenery sites by pedestrian routes; social places in central zone; open sports grounds; public allotment gardens; multi-purpose recreational areas at schools, communal facilities generating informal meetings. POS types created as a result of both top-down and bottom-up development were: entrance zones to public facilities with a social value; viewpoints accompanying pedestrian routes; network of green walks for recreation in rural and natural landscapes. Other POS types (resulting from bottom-up development): diner's garden and urban farm.

Sustainable suburbs; public open space typology; suburban community; livable urban planning; natural, rural and build environment; urban-rural planning

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Other

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