Public space across the UK is often undervalued. Yet, parks, gardens and playgrounds offer a myriad of mental and physical health benefits, giving developers and urban designers the ideal opportunity to truly enrich and improve the lives of all who use them through the design of safe and accessible public realm landscapes.
As people become increasingly aware of the need for a change of scene, some fresh air or a walk to de-stress after work or focus thoughts, urban green spaces offer a perfect outlet.
Research from Japan underlines the important role open space can have on physical and mental health, noting that well-designed neighbourhood green space can have a positive impact on life expectancy.
However, some of the most deprived urban areas are home to badly designed and managed public spaces due to a lack of investment, poor planning, or a focus on higher-density housing rather than the provision of good-quality green spaces.
With urban green spaces offering an incredible opportunity to improve the quality of life for all those that use them, landscape designers and architects have a crucial role to play now and in the future.
In urbanised areas and major cities, green spaces often provide local communities with a vital hub in which they can congregate for social activities and community events.
Acting as natural gathering spots, parks, gardens, and trails can encourage interactions between people from different walks of life who otherwise may not meet.
While increasing feelings of local pride, safety and community ownership, having an inclusive and welcoming environment can help to reduce social exclusion for disadvantaged or marginalised groups.
Furthermore, a more collaborative environment can often have a positive impact on local crime while empowering residents and visitors to work together on community-managed green projects.
For landscape designers and urban planners, inclusive public realm design not only provides them with the peace of mind of knowing they are providing residents and visitors with a safe, welcoming and stunning green space; it also helps them comply with BS 8300.
Promoting good practice design principles, the BS 8300 standards aim to ensure all external areas, such as parks, streets and landscaped areas, are truly inclusive – not just to disabled people but all who use them.
Having detailed the importance of designing inclusive and welcoming green spaces, it’s also imperative to underscore just why ensuring these areas are truly accessible and safe for all must be a key part of the design process.
This is especially pertinent given landscape designers and urban planners will need to ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
Requiring that public spaces are designed to avoid ‘substantial disadvantage’ to disabled people through ‘reasonable adjustments’, it mandates inclusive design to ensure access for all users – including those with sensory, cognitive or mobility impairments.
In addition to ensuring legal compliance and fostering inclusivity among the local community and visitors, creating accessible public spaces has the primary benefit of allowing all individuals of all ages and abilities to participate in community life as much or as little as they want.
Whether it’s incorporating step-free routes or tactile paving, or implementing thoughtful design that reduces hazards, helps people feel safe and encourages physical activity, accessible green spaces offer an inviting and welcoming environment for all.
By creating clear physical and visual boundaries between pathways, hedgerows, planting areas and other soft landscaping features, border edging can have a critical part to play in the creation of safe, inclusive and accessible green spaces in urbanised areas.
In addition to improving the visual definition in a green space, landscape edging – especially when utilising sustainable materials such as steel and aluminium – can support healthy plant growth, enhance safety and accessibility and create a professional and aesthetically pleasing appearance to encourage more community pride and ownership.
The utilisation of flush, clear transitions between surfaces, such as separating grass areas from pathways, is a very effective method of preventing uneven ground that otherwise can cause trips and falls.
Similarly, correctly designed and implemented border elements protect pedestrian areas and pathways from hazards while preventing debris encroachment, such as gravel or rocks.
Border edging, such as Kinley’s Urban steel edging, can also play a vital role in enhancing safety in playgrounds and other children’s play surfaces, ensuring loose-fill materials remain at the necessary depth to cushion falls.
Incorporating border edging into landscape design early means green spaces are accessible to everyone. For instance, using low-profile borders means public areas and playgrounds are accessible to those with strollers and wheelchair users.
Furthermore, effectively used edging, such as Fort steel landscape edging, can help guide pedestrians along clean, safe and designated pathways. This discourages walking through unsafe or overgrown areas.
Enabling the clear separation of different zones – such as defined pathways, relaxing areas and playgrounds – well-designed and implemented landscape border edging is a highly effective method of making public spaces more secure and organised.
Furthermore, having well-defined border edging, such as Kinley’s Bison steel kerbs, can contribute to an aesthetically pleasing and well-maintained appearance that improves the perception of safety for local residents and visitors.
Of course, stylish and beautiful border edging can make a substantial difference to the look of any urban green space. However, equally as important is the material it is manufactured from and the durability it offers.
Specifying high-quality, weather-resistant materials, such as aluminium or steel, will ensure that landscape edging remains sturdy and effective over time.
This prevents degradation that can create hidden safety hazards and reduces the need for maintenance – avoiding landscaping professionals having to step on, or work on, planting areas and garden spaces.
As Kinley’s flagship edging, AluExcel combines aesthetic appeal with flexibility and durability. Made from Aluminium grade 6005A, AluExcel is manufactured from recycled material that’s built to last and won’t rust. As a result, minimal maintenance is required.
As the UK’s trusted standard-setter for landscape and border edging, Kinley specialises in helping clients from across the UK meet BS 8300 landscape design requirements.
Helping to create accessible public spaces through the manufacture and installation of stylish, durable and sustainable metal edging, Kinley’s market leading products can be seen in gardens, public parks and commercial landscaped areas across the whole of the UK.
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