Park systems enhance civic life in cities, providing major economic, social, ecological, and health benefits. The University of Adelaide's upcoming symposium brings together experts from across the nation to discuss the future of park systems.
The River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri located within the Adelaide Park Lands was a major factor for choosing the site of the City of Adelaide. Photo credit: Dr Scott Hawken
A park system is defined as an interconnected network of parks and green spaces within a metropolitan area.
Taking place on 5 August at the National Wine Centre, The Next Generation Park Systems Symposium will discuss the challenges and opportunities in delivering park systems locally and around the world. Attendees will have the opportunity to give input on the next steps of Adelaide's park systems.
"Park systems provide economic, ecological, and social benefits for humans and other species, and integrate a range of landscape types including urban forests to community gardens, sports parks, coastal vegetation to riparian corridors," says Dr Scott Hawken, Director Landscape Architecture at the University of Adelaide and symposium convenor.
"Investing in nature is vital in making cities more resilient to challenges, such as chronic disease and mental health for citizens, as well as providing resilience in the face of climate change and other pressures."
Dr Hawkens explains that the benefits prioritising park systems are significant.
Economic savings include:
- Reduced healthcare costs by reducing air pollution and promoting physical activity. For example, a shift to active transport (walking and cycling) through better parks and park systems can reduce the incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, leading to savings in healthcare expenditures.
- Lower infrastructure costs where park systems can reduce the need for expensive stormwater management systems. This can be seen with the new Victoria Park Wetlands in the Adelaide Park Lands, which helps the city adapt to major rain events and to manage flooding.
- Increased property values. It is well demonstrated that proximity to green spaces and efficient walkable neighbourhoods can increase property values, leading to higher tax revenues for cities.
Environmental and social benefits include:
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions where park systems are in themselves a carbon sink locking up carbon in its above-ground biomass and soil systems. Shifting to active transport can also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Improved air quality and urban temperatures. Park systems are literally the lungs of the city providing healthy air and cooling air flow. Humans with better access to nature have better health outcomes.
- Enhanced quality of life where green infrastructure and active transport options offer more recreational opportunities, reducing traffic congestion and reliance on cars, and create more liveable urban environments.
Dr Hawken says South Australia currently has a world class Park System in its Adelaide Park Lands; however he says there is limited access to this central park, and there is opportunity to extend park systems throughout the city to more equitably serve the suburban populations, as is outlined in his 2022 research paper.
"Although there is a rich repertoire of park systems from around the world to learn from as a type, they are often invisible or overlooked by governments and urban agencies," he says.
"For instance, whilst Adelaide's Park Lands are appreciated as a globally significant urban park, the idea to expand it through new green networks and according to a larger vision seems to be largely forgotten despite the historic ideas of planners and designers such as Charles Reade. It is the aim of the proposed symposium to put park systems firmly back on the agenda for Adelaide and for Australia."
The symposium will bring some of the best thinking from local and international experts and authorities on park system design and planning including Professor Mark Tyrrell from Tyrrell Studio, who has collaborated with the NSW Government Architect to deliver what is currently the most innovative spatial framework for park systems in Australia known as the Sydney-Green-Grid.
Also, a keynote speaker at the event is landscape architect Dr Matthew Skjonsberg from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. Dr Skjonsberg is a world authority on park systems, and his new book "Living Cities: three hundred years of park systems," will be a major talking point at the event.
Other presenters include Professor Maria Ignatieva from University of Western Australia who will share her expertise on green networks and biodiversity.
The current management plan for Adelaide Park Lands is open for public comment until 9 August and the next iteration of Adelaide's Open Space Systems is in development. The symposium is an opportunity for attendees to have their say on these future focused initiatives.
"By attending the symposium, professionals and citizens alike can learn how to advocate for better environmental outcomes for their communities," Dr Hawken says.
"It is vital that residents everywhere communicate clearly and keep pressure on all levels of government to develop safe walkable access to park systems. Park systems should be ubiquitous and accessible to all for a just and healthy city."
