Contemporary Trends in Landscape Design at Urban Parks ‫الحضرية‬ ‫المنتزهات‬ ‫في‬ ‫الموقع‬ ‫لتنسيق‬ ‫المعاصرة‬ ‫اإلتجاهات

Contemporary Trends in Landscape Design at Urban Parks ‫اإلتجاهات المعاصرة لتنسيق الموقع في المنتزهات الحضرية‬ Prof. Essam El din Badran Abo Al Einen1 Dr. Mervat Abd El Aziz Mahmoud Nasr2 Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Saleh Khedr3 Sara Mohamed Hassan Atwa Abstract: Public Parks are an important aspect of the urban environment. Urban nature fulfils many social functions and psychological needs of citizens, which makes urban nature a valuable municipal resource, and a key component for the sustainable city. Lately, it appears a lot of new trends in landscape design process in urban spaces which response to the social, economic and environmental changes to be sustainable. The main problem of the paper deals with the absence of applying sustainability aspects on Urban Parks in Egypt. Also it faces the problem that there is no obvious and right methodology can be used in landscape design process to achieve sustainable aspects in open spaces. The objective of this paper is to find an approach by which sustainable urban landscapes could be reached. The main objective of the paper is to reach a comprehensive framework towards achieving the sustainability of landscape design at urban parks in Egypt.

Keywords: Urban Parks, New Trends, Sustainable Landscape Design. Introduction: Urban Parks play an important role in providing a convenient outdoor environment for the urban community to enjoy their leisure and recreational activities where they are important to enhance the quality of life for people everywhere. So, the landscape design process in Urban Parks should respond to environmental conditions and social changes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to merge the considerations of sustainability into the public Urban Parks. Also, the paper`s main goal is to extract sustainable landscape concepts and guidelines for external and green cover in Urban Parks.

1

Professor, Architecture and Urban Planning Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ismailia, Suez Canal University 2 Assistant Professor, Architecture and Urban Planning Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ismailia, Suez Canal University 3 Assistant Professor, Architecture and Urban Planning Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ismailia, Suez Canal University

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Paper Structure:

Figure 1: Paper Structure Source: (The Researcher)

1.

Urban Parks in the city:

A park is a pleasure garden where masses unable to flee overcrowding, disease and foul air, could find near their home a bucolic agrarian environment. Parks have a long history before being developed into the green oasis we are used to. Just like achievements in architecture and art relate to power and wealth, parks in their initial form consisted of agriculture fields. Like all features belonging to the rich the gardens became a subject of finesse and details and before long they developed into a place of pleasure for the senses instead of agricultural purposes (Nassar, 2010).

1.1.

Benefits of Park Landscapes to the Sustainable City:

Sustainable development is a strategy by which communities seek economic development that relates to a strong economy, a clean environment, social equity and engagement of the community in the development processes. This approach enables the creation of healthy communities that can sustain not only current generations but also generations to come. Within the context of the theme of a clean environment, urban parks are an important element of a sustainable city. They provide opportunities for ecology, environmental improvement, active and passive recreation, aesthetic appreciation and a community focus (Faizi, 2006). The presence of natural areas contributes to the quality of life in many ways. Besides many environmental and ecological services, urban nature provides important social and psychological benefits to human societies, which enrich human life with meanings and emotions. Urban nature is important for citizens’ well-being and for the sustainability of the city they inhabit (Chiesura, 2004).

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Aspects such as “amount of public green spaces per inhabitant”, “public parks” and “recreation areas” are often mentioned as important factors to make the city liveable, pleasant and attractive for its citizens. The relation between urban parks and city sustainability is addressed through the investigation of the value of urban nature as provider of social services essential to the quality of human life, which in turn is a key component of sustainable development (Chiesura, 2004) as shown in Figure 2. Enviromental Economic Social

Urban Parks

Quality of Life

Sustainable city

Figure 2: Urban Parks and city sustainability Source: (Chiesura, 2004), adopted by the Researcher

This Paper will focus on the major park benefit groups considered to have the highest impact to society and it will try to classify these benefits into four classes as shown in Figure 3.

Benefits of Park Landscapes

Environmental Benefits Social Benefits Economic Benefits Public Health Benefits

Figure 3: Benefits of Urban Parks Source: (The Researcher)

1.1.1. Environmental Benefits: Urban parks improve the ambient environmental quality of the city. They can ameliorate microclimate, absorb pollutants from the air, reduce noise levels and contribute to sustainable urban drainage (Tzoulas & James, 2004). The environmental benefits can be the following:  Reduce greenhouse gas – by storing carbon in plant root systems.  Cool the climate –with shade and evapotranspiration.  Reduce energy consumption– by shading paving and buildings.  Restore soil biology.  Reduce/ prevent pollution and waste disposal; reduces environmental harm.  Maximize ecological function and benefit wildlife.

1.1.2. Social Benefits: Urban parks are important to people because they provide opportunities to come in contact with nature, opportunities for healthier lifestyle, they can promote: social

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interaction and can contribute to overall health and longevity of urbanites. The social benefits can be as the following:  Provide flexible recreation opportunities for the community.  Looks attractive and provides seasonal interest.  Safer environments for our families.  Quieter neighbourhoods (from reduced use of power equipment).  Greater opportunities to enjoy nature.  Create new bonds between people involved in tree planting activities.  Provide jobs for both skilled and unskilled labour for planting and maintaining community trees.

1.1.3. Economic Benefits: Open spaces and parks are a good financial investment for a community. And by understanding the economic impacts of parks it can help decision makers to better evaluate the creation and maintenance of urban parks.

1.1.4. Public Health Benefits: Beyond the recreational opportunities offered by Parks, they contribute to increase physical and psychological health and reduced obesity (Sherer, 2003). They contribute to reduce stress and to improve self- reported health and mental health .Also, they have indirect health effects through offering opportunities for recreation, psychological wellbeing, and social support. Parks have indirect health effects through reduced noise and cooling, and increased longevity (C. Konijnendijk, Annerstedt, Nielsen, & Maruthaveeran, 2013).

2.

New Trends in Landscape Design:

There are different kinds of approaches in landscape design process so, the presence of a new trend should be particularly pointed out, the one whose expansion has been increased recently. It is based on giving importance to humane and social aspects of human behaviour. Namely, the engineering and technical problems are no longer the focal point of the designers nor is it solving visual compositional tasks. It is the studying of human psyche i.e. mechanisms of human perception of free space (the environment); also, the forms of human behaviour in free space of a specific character (composition, form), and the behaviour of people who live in it. Landscape design is nowadays much more widely used compared to a number of aspects of various sciences (natural and social), art, architecture, design, and other related disciplines. Landscape architects explore various possibilities of creating a completely new species, a new pattern and form of a spatial composition, which is supposed to represent the spatial materialization of a modern man’s lifestyle on an urbanized planet. This spatial composition should represent a cultural product of its time with the need to establish cultural relations between the human species and the environment (the awareness of sustainable development). The Paper will show some of the new Trends in Landscape Design which take in concern terms of sustainability.

2.1.

Eco-scape:

Eco-Scape is a sustainable landscaping created for a sustainable community. The main goal of this concept is the spread of green and clean ideals and practices and the

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creation of revenue and employment opportunities for the community in which it exists (Fruchey, Andrassy, O’Brien, Pels, & Saul, 2012). Eco-Scape designers are well versed in ecological and Perm-culture design and make every effort to develop systems that are interdependent and include water efficiency, regionally appropriate plant and material selection, optimal plant placement, analysis of soil quality, wind protection and winter warmth ( Ecoscape Environmental Cosultants, 2010).

2.2.

Water Smart Landscaping (Xeri-scape):

Xeriscape is now the generally accepted term for landscaping to conserve water in dry conditions. It is a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation).

2.3.

Biomimicry in Landscape Design:

“Biomimicry is an innovation method that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s time tested patterns and strategies, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies - new ways of living - that are well adapted to life on earth over the long haul” (King, 2014). The core idea of Biomimicry is that nature has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with: energy, food production, climate control, benign chemistry, transportation, collaboration, and more. Ecological and Landscape Urbanism both look at integrating landscape and are conscious about allowing for biodiversity. They are also involved in ecosystem services and how this can be carefully designed into any scheme. Since biomimicry is not a facet of urbanism, it needs to borrow from nature to create places. In natural environments, species self-organize and create biodiversity through species mix (Pawlyn, 2011).

3.

Sustainable Landscape Policy in Urban Parks:

Landscape has become a major issue in spatial policy both as a sector in its own right and, increasingly, as a basis for framing and managing wider socio-environmental systems. This trend reflects two broad “schools” in sustainable landscape developmentone focused on the design and protection of scenic assets and the other emphasizing dynamic multifunctional links between ecosystem services and human wellbeing (Selman, 2008). The need to achieve a sustainable future is the driving force changing the way we live and work in the 21st century. Climate change and global warming, loss of habitat and biodiversity, and decline in water quality and availability all point towards a need for behaviour change in all sectors of our community. Many urban landscapes are resource-hungry, requiring significant inputs of energy, water, nutrients and chemicals while many of our plant selections and practices are unsuited to the semi-arid and arid environments. The result is green parks that are thirsty, hungry, deplete the soil, allow invasive plants to escape, use unsustainable materials, contribute to waterway contamination and provide limited habitat for native fauna. To achieve landscape sustainability and to ensure a healthy future our urban landscapes need to be more efficient in their use of resources and work with our ecological and climatic conditions rather than against them (Pitman, 2006).

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3.1.

Elements of Sustainable Landscape:

Elements of Sustainable Landscape

The following Figure 4 discusses how to make each element used in the parks as a sustainable element in all aspects, ecological, economic and social.

Soils Water Vegetation Air/Energy Materials Landscape Maintenance

Figure 4: Elements of Sustainable Landscape Source: (The Researcher)

3.1.1. Soils: For any plant to stay healthy, it needs a mix of oxygen, water and nutrients. The main goals are creating or maintaining a functioning soil ecosystem and creating valuable and rich soil. This is can be achieved through tracking the following strategies:  Use a soil test to determine existing nutrient levels on site.  Provide nutrients based on soil test recommendations.  Use locally-generated compost as needed to improve soil structure and reduce runoff.  Limit soil compaction using light-impact equipment and being aware of soil moisture.  Use pesticides only when benefits outweigh environmental risk (Barton, Taylor, Loftus, & Robert, January 2009).  Watering during the heat of the day can be very expensive. More than 80% may be lost to evaporation. Grass and other plants can also suffer from leaf burn damage if watered during the hottest part of the day (Sean M. Wheeler, ASLA, November 2000).

3.1.2. Water: In the landscape, water is life. Naturally, the amount needed depends on the specific plants. The main goals to achieve sustainability are: Minimizing the impact and use of public water, Promoting the reuse of storm-water, Promoting the reuse and recycling of effluent, Reducing irrigation requirements and Promoting regulated selfsupply. This can be achieved through tracking the following strategies:  Select plants to fit existing soil moisture conditions.

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      

Provide irrigation only when required for plant establishment or management during extended drought (Barton, Taylor, Loftus, & Robert, January 2009). Automated irrigation systems work well. Use captured and treated rainwater, grey-water, and wastewater when irrigation is necessary. Prevent sediment runoff with appropriate construction practices and maximized plant cover (Barton, Taylor, Loftus, & Robert, January 2009). Use high efficiency irrigation technology, or, use captured rain or recycled site water to reduce potable water consumption for irrigation. Specify water-efficient, native or adapted, climate tolerant plantings (Beer & Higgins, 2000). Reduce generation of wastewater and potable water demand, while increasing local aquifer recharge.

3.1.3. Vegetation: Vegetation provides many sensual benefits. It provides enclosure and defines and articulated space. Vegetation can screen or serve as a background for elements in the environment. It can also contribute color to the landscape. The main goals to achieve sustainability are: Developing plant communities that serve as a foundation for a healthy ecosystem, Green spaces can be used in multi-functional ways to manage water, increase levels of biodiversity, improve air quality, reduce wind speed, and grow biomass and even to grow fresh "organic" food (Shalaby, 2004). This is can be achieved through tracking the following strategies:  Reduce dependence on resource-intensive features, such as manicured lawns thereby reducing extra inputs of chemicals, energy and time.  Eliminate the use of and remove vegetation that can harm ecosystems, such as recognized invasive species.  Select vegetation and site design components that are adapted to the site’s geologic and climatic conditions and support native insects and birds (Barton, Taylor, Loftus, & Robert, January 2009).  Usually mature native species require less water and maintenance. When selecting plants, be sure they are also non-invasive so they don’t create problems for other plants nearby (Sean M. Wheeler, ASLA, November 2000).  Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies (i.e. scouting, life-cycle knowledge and decision making based on that information).  Maintain and increase vegetative coverage to increase biodiversity.

3.1.4. Air and Energy: The main goals to achieve sustainability are reducing air pollution and control emissions, improving air quality in the surrounding environment. Renewable energy can be used to provide electricity, mechanical power, heat or fuel, certain renewable energy technologies are the fastest growing global energy sources, currently expanding at growth rates not seen since the early days of microcomputers. These sources are variable, such as, wind energy, water power, solar energy, biomass, geothermal energy, tidal and wave energy.

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3.1.5. Materials: A sustainable site incorporates renewable, local, and low-energy input landscape materials and avoids materials, products, and practices that are harmful to the environment. The main goal is managing resources and materials efficiently by reducing material needs, reusing materials generated onsite, and recycling materials as much as possible. This is can be achieved through tracking the following strategies:  Select and use renewable, local, and/or low-energy input landscape materials.  Avoid materials, products, and practices that are harmful to the environment.  Employ energy systems that take advantage of wind, solar, and/or geothermal power.  Choose materials with regional character to cultivate a sense of place and establish a connection to the natural history and cultural traditions of your area.  Conserve and use materials already existing at your site.  Consider how materials are transported to your site to promote efficient energy use.  Select long-lasting, durable materials that need to be replaced less frequently. (For example, consider a green roof instead of a traditional roof).  Identify and use materials that can accomplish more than one function in the landscape (e.g. a rain garden that provides aesthetic interest while managing storm-water).

3.1.6. Landscape Maintenance: Landscape maintenance tasks are the recurring procedures and duties required to ensure a viable, functional and attractive facility environment. Landscape maintenance methods are the standards and practices of the landscape industry used to accomplish these tasks. Landscape maintenance should include watering, pruning, mowing, weeding, fertilizing and maybe adding soil amendments. These are all done to keep the plants alive and healthy year round. A low-maintenance landscape is the goal of most owners. The following strategies will help to reduce maintenance requirements:  Limit the size of the lawn.  Use paving or gravel in heavily travelled areas.  Use fences, walls or informal plantings for screening.  Design raised flower beds for easy access and to help control weeds.  Use native plant materials.  Be selective when choosing plant materials. Compact varieties require less pruning; insect- and disease-resistant varieties require less spraying; and drought-tolerant plants require less water.  Keep the design simple

3.2.

The Evaluation Method used to measure the Park Sustainability:

The Paper follows the relative weights method to evaluate the sustainability degree of landscape elements that mainly contribute to Park Sustainability. The Paper assumes the equal importance of each indicator of sustainable landscape elements indicators, as well as it assumes the equal importance of each indicator of aspects of Park Sustainability indicators. Therefore, it calculates the Sustainability degree in accordance with the evaluation hypothesis.

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Figure 5 shows the evaluation proposed model by the Paper describing the evaluation items (Elements of Sustainable Landscape) taking into consideration their contribution in the Park Sustainability Aspects. After the evaluative model, some tables will be concluded to show the detailed evaluation items with score.

Figure 5: The Evaluation Methodology Explanation Source: (The Researcher)

4.

Case study (Giza Park, Imbaba, Egypt):

Giza Park was designed on 38.5 acres of Imbaba Airport land, which serves the residential areas to the north, Al-Matar Village to the west and Al-Amal City to the east. It is connected to the Ring Road at the north, Airport Street and AL-Sudan Street at the south, and the axis of Ahmed Orabi and El-Mohandsen in the east as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Map shows the Location of Giza Park Source: (Google Earth, 2014)

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4.1.

Master Plan and Main Components of Giza Park:

It was taken into account in the design of the Park, the diversity of uses with the needs of the users of this place. The Park receives about 10 thousand visitors per day. The main components of the Park as shown in Figure 7 are : The Roman Theater (for 250 persons) - Theater for lecturing (for 100 persons) – Puppet Theater - Show Plaza–Fanar Cafeteria (180 m2 can accommodate about 70 persons) – Restaurant (670 m2 can accommodate 200 persons) – The Ship Restaurant (325 m2 can accommodate 50 persons) - Village Building Cafeteria (can accommodate 50 persons) –Circular Café (500m2 and a Café which can accommodate 200 persons) - Pigeon Towers - Hobbies and Library Building- Children Playgrounds –Marina for small boats.

Figure 7: Master Plan of Giza Park Source: (Stino, 2012)

4.2.

Applying Evaluation Model on Giza Park:

The following Table 1 will show the evaluative model of Sustainable Landscape Elements in Giza Park according to the previously mentioned evaluation methodology. Elements of Sustainable Landscape

Results of the study

Water

Concern Recyclable Consumption Green Conservation

Indicators Using grey water for irrigation Minimize the use of supplementary water Using irrigation system that supports water consumption Using contemporary irrigation technology for water rationalization

  ×

1 1 0

×

0

Total Score (out of 4)

Vegetation

Convenient Biodiversity Curing Social needs Variety Preserving Cost Maintaining Sense of place

Using local and adaptive plants Provide wildlife habitat Planting areas for air purification Trees provide heating and cooling needs Safety, privacy and freedom of movement Enhance natural views Keeping plants already grow in the site Native plants save money Using plants need less maintenance Using regionally and native trees

2       ×  × 

Total Score (out of 10)

Soil

Safe to nature Appropriate Adaptive Conservation Cost Durability

Using safe soil that doesn’t need harmful pesticides Using the local and native soil Types of soil can be suitable to various types of plants Using soils need less water Native soils save money/need less maintenance Using long term soils without decaying

Waste manageme nt

Reusing Recyclable

Managing environmental ways of waste disposal Allow reusing of the materials Using separated trash receptacles for organic and non-organic wastes



1

 

1 1

 

1 1

×

0 5

×

0

× ×

0 0

Air/Energy

Total Score (out of 3) Green Consumption Enhancing Safe

Using renewable energy Saving electricity Saving water usage Planting areas for air purification Using equipment with less emissions

0 × × ×  

M a t e r i a l s

Total Score (out of 5) Recyclable

Using recycled materials and products

1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 8

Total Score (out of 6) Safe to nature

Points

Element

Availabi lity

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0 0 0 1 1 2

×

0

- 12 Green

Using local / environmentally friendly materials Using less materials Using long term (durable) materials Using materials need less maintenance

Effectiveness Durability Maintenance

×

0

  

1 1 1

Total Score (out of 5)

3

Total Score of Giza Park (out of 33)

20

Table 1: Evaluating the sustainability of elements of landscape in Giza Park Source: (The Researcher)

Concern

Indicators

Biodiversity Natural resources

Environmental

Pollution Safe to nature

Curing Recyclable

Reusing Conservation

Natural variety of plants, animals and micro-organisms Using renewable energy Using native and adaptive plants Using local materials Presence of the park fights the pollution The park is environmentally friendly Enhance landscape microclimate Managing waste disposal Using equipment with less emissions Wide green areas for air purification Using recycled materials and products Using separated trash receptacles Using grey water for irrigation Maximize the reuse of natural materials Replanting existing trees or plants in site Managing waste to allow reuse of materials Using irrigation system that supports water consumption



1

×  ×  ×  ×   × × ×  × × ×

0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Total Score (out of 17)

Social/Functional

Empowerment Diverse Interaction Human-wellbeing

Community participation in decision making Variety of social activities which respond to community needs Attraction of wide scale of visitors Having an open access from the project to neighbouring community Helping to improve health and fitness Creating open spaces for the public

Points

Aspect

Results of the study

Availabi lity

Landscape Sustainability Aspects

7 

1

×

0

 

1 1

 

1 1

- 13 Vital Special Flexible Educational

Welcoming

Comfortable Easy to use

Providing a variety of recreational uses



1

Safe areas Safe areas to the children Privacy areas Compatibility of the variety of users Possibility of holding events Landscapes provide a powerful setting for social sustainability learning Creating spaces for children learning Working hours are convenient to visitors Ticket price is convenient to visitors Pleasant staff Consideration of users` needs and interests Availability of convenient transportation Providing seating and shelters Entrances, Paths, Information, Toilets

 × ×   ×

1 0 0 1 1 0

×  ×   ×  

0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1

Total Score (out of 21) Growth Efficiency Cost reduction

Economic

Conservation Life cycle cost Labour cost Support tourism Social cost Maintainability

14

Opening the market for community crafts The income of the park pays for its expenses

 ×

1 0

Using local materials Using less materials Replant the existing trees Using contemporary irrigation system for water rationalization Selling the recyclables Using highly durable landscape elements Generating income through products and services Reduce landscape maintenance labour Maintenance of attractive scenery to support recreation and tourism Increase the surrounding land value Running convenient periodical maintenance Waste management, water treatment

×  × ×

0 1 0 0

× × ×

0 0 0

× 

0 1

 

1 1

×

0

Total Score (out of 14)

Aesthetic

Attraction Pleasure Integration

Welcoming

Including different spaces Contrast, harmony and unity of landscape Variation in plantation types and colours Having “sense of fit” with the surrounding landscape Convenient with users cultural background Convenient with the surrounding architecture Visually open and relaxing

5    ×

1 1 1 0

 

1 1



1

- 14 Legible

 

Including landmarks Easy to be noticed and reached

1 1

Total Score (out of 9)

8

Total score of Giza Park (out of 61)

34

Table 2: Evaluation of Giza Park with sustainability aspects Source: (The Researcher)

Conservation

  ×

1 1 0

1 1 0

×

0

0

2

2

Total Score (out of 8)

Vegetation

Convenient Biodiversity Curing

Using local and adaptive plants Provide wildlife habitat Planting areas for air purification Social needs Trees provide heating and cooling needs Safety, privacy and freedom of movement Variety Enhance natural views Preserving Keeping plants already grow in the site Cost Native plants save money Maintaining Using plants need less maintenance Sense of Using regionally and native trees place

      ×  × 

Soil

Total Score (out of 24) Safe to nature Using safe soil that doesn’t need harmful pesticides Appropriate Using the local and native soil Adaptive Types of soil can be suitable to various types of plants Conservation Using soils need less water Cost Native soils save money/need less maintenance Durability Using long term soils without decaying

1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 7

1 1 1 1 1

Total Score

Using grey water for irrigation Minimize the use of supplementary water Using irrigation system that supports water consumption Using contemporary irrigation technology for water rationalization

Economic

Recyclable Consumption Green

Social

Indicators

Environmental

Concern

Availability

Water

Element

Aesthetic

Contribution to Sustainability Aspects

Elements of Sustainable Landscape

4

1

1

1 1 1 1

0 1 0 1 5

4



1

1

 

1

1 1

 

1 1

1 1

×

0

0

4

20

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Waste manageme nt

Total Score (out of 11) Safe to nature Managing environmental ways of waste disposal Reusing Allow reusing of the materials Recyclable Using separated trash receptacles for organic and non-organic wastes

4

5

×

0

0

× ×

0

0 0

0

0

0 0 0 1 1

0 0 0 1 1

1

2

2

1

1 0

Air/Energy

Total Score (out of 5) Green

Using renewable energy Saving electricity Saving water usage Planting areas for air purification Using equipment with less emissions

Consumption Enhancing Safe

× × ×  

Materials

Total Score (out of 12) Recyclable Green

Using recycled materials and products Using local / environmentally friendly materials Using less materials Using long term (durable) materials Using materials need less maintenance

Effectiveness Durability Maintenance

Total Score (out of 10)

9

0

1

× ×

0 0

0 0

  

1 1

1 1 1

2

3

0

Total Score of Giza Park (out of 70) Table 3: Evaluating the contribution of Sustainable Landscape Elements into the Aspects of Sustainability in Giza Park Source: (The Researcher)

5.

Conclusion:

The paper reaches a sustainable landscape design framework to be applied on urban parks design in Egypt. This was reached through studying urban parks, sustainable landscape elements and studying some international case studies of sustainable parks then evaluating an urban park in Egypt with sustainability aspects. The result is achieving a checklist containing the sustainable landscape elements in parks which should be applied during the design process.

6.

Recommendations for future studies:

According to the result of this Paper that is to gain general reliability of applying sustainable principles on Urban Parks in Egypt, some additional researches is needed in the area of urban parks design, sustainability and sustainable landscaping. This point outlines some of the further research directions that would be helpful to other researchers, such as: Analyzing different sustainable parks all over the world, Comparing International case studies with ones in Egypt and Developing a comprehensive model for all sustainable elements relating to parks design.

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7.

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