SOCIAL CONNECTION FEATURE OF GREEN CITIES: PUBLIC AMENITIES

Public amenities, defined as a resource or facility provided for public use by a local government or city council, is a service provided to the public. Social facilities, parks, playgrounds, and community centers are common examples of public amenities. Accessibility and inclusivity are two essential functions of them. These essential functions play a crucial role in urban because it provides equal opportunity for both advantageous and disadvantageous groups without any distinction. Projects such as Sultanbeyli Pond Park and Social Facilities of Erus Group’s Erb Landscape set an example for successful results by combining these features. These kind of projects significant because especially in recent years, researches show that high-income and highly-educated people tend to have more access to green spaces in cities than less privileged neighborhoods.[1] This scenario is getting worse, especially in metropoles. Fortunately, examples like Sultanbeyli Pond Park and Social Facilities proves that it is not impossible to reverse this worst-case scenario.

Access to urban green areas is not only for the advantageous groups but is highly needed for all people. The reasons behind this need are not only based on physical well-being and environmental causes but also it is based on mental and social health.

Okay but first, what is the role of public amenities in green cities?

Public amenities are the intersection point where green cities meet inclusivity and accessibility. Accessible social facilities, parks, playgrounds, and community centers that promote green with their designs are the solution to the inequality of access to urban green areas. Due to their nature, social facilities and community centers tend to build in less privileged areas of the cities. Social facility and community center designs that promote green essentials and support green ideas are the way to create inclusiveness for cities. Whereas, the role of public amenities in green cities can not only irreducible to this intersection because it is more than that: public amenities are the social connection feature of green cities.

So what does this mean?

Public amenities are the places where people interact with each other positively as well as the urban green areas. These two concepts feed each other; are offers a better quality of social life for people. Designs that encourage people of all ages to be active and spend time in the green; open a ground to be socialized in healthy and positive ways. These kinds of designs viably contribute to the quality of life. People are more blissful and feel prevalent in these kinds of designs. Green design-based public amenities welcome social interaction and work out. People meet each other for a chat in a social facility, or the children mingle with each other on the playground. However creating these kinds of designs is challenging, especially in metropoles, but it is not impossible. Sultanbeyli Gölet Park and Social Facilities is the best example of the intersection of public amenities and urban green areas.

Sultanbeyli Gölet Park and Social Facilities are designed for Turkiye’s metropolitan city İstanbul by Erb Landscape. Sultanbeyli Gölet Park and Social Facilities is a 204,000 m² public amenity that combines green and blue areas. The design of the pond park and social facility creates “environments that connect people to each other and to the natural world” in parallel with the words of Chairman of Erus Group Fatih Başçı about the Erus Group’s design team works.

Sultanbeyli Gölet Park and Social Facilities offer a water game playground and water show areas, an amphitheater, sports fields, playgrounds, picnic areas, walking tracks, and viewing terraces for its visitors. While a water game playground designed for children to increase their interaction with water, sports fields and walking tracks are encouraging visitors to be active and healthy. On the other hand, picnic areas provide an opportunity to be in nature and spend time on the green. Sultanbeyli Gölet Park and Social Facilities also have basketball, football, volleyball courts, tennis courts, and skateboard ramps. Designed for all age groups to come and spend time, the facility offers opportunities for many different activities.

Sultanbeyli Gölet Park and Social Facilities is a great example of how public amenities can be a social connection feature of green cities and how these types of designs can be for everyone.