Socialisation

Community garden

Enclosed courtyards and green courtyards at housing complexes offer the opportunity to create a liveable city filled with greenery without taking up a lot of public space.

Also consider greening (former) schoolyards, parking lots, or company courtyards. Make collective green courtyards part of the liveable city.

It is important to design the public space in such a way that residents can identify with it and feel at home.

Shared greenery

Through shared ownership with housing corporations and with joint agreements on management and maintenance, owners and users can achieve better combined use for the same or even lower investment.

Shared greenery can prove its value in healthcare, where it is vitally important to be in a green environment but impossible to maintain the garden individually. Open the outdoor space at institutions to the neighbourhood as much as possible. This increases social interaction.

Residential roof space

In a dense city with scarce land space, roofs can be used as extra usable space. This offers possibilities to build a terrace, schoolyard, playground, sports field, swimming pool, or even an extra exhibition space for a museum or art. A meeting space on the roof does have specific requirements for the construction. In addition to its own saturated weight, it also must serve the variable load of people (250 kg/m2).

Citizen participation and self-management

Participating in society is important. By being involved in citizens’ initiatives in their local environment, people can learn skills and improve their quality of life.

Provinces and municipalities are increasingly working together with residents, organisations, and businesses in the construction and management of green spaces.

Meeting places

Trees are ideal for marking a meeting place. One can rest, meet, eat, or play underneath. Trees offer protection against rain showers, and provide cooling in the summer. It is important to prevent damage to a tree when placing benches or a tree deck beneath it. That is why it is necessary to investigate in advance what the most suitable place is for the uprights of the bench or deck. There should be no support points near roots thicker than 3 cm. This can be determined with an auger. Consult a tree specialist who will advise and give instructions.

Lively square

Squares are a place for encounters. Interesting architecture or (art) objects and being enclosed by buildings gives them an attractive character. Ensure that there is sufficient and robust greenery that can withstand footfall and is not likely to be flooded.

Near seating areas, choose plants that people are not allergic to and that are non-toxic. For trees that cause hypersensitivity, see the species table at the end of the chapter Air quality.

Distance

On warm summer evenings, the pressure on public spaces, parks and squares increases. Keeping a distance of one and a half meters has been a new concept since Covid-19 made its appearance worldwide. For many people, distance is not easy to estimate. In the public space, the desired distance can be created with plant boxes or opportunities to sit separately.

Loose chairs and temporary park furniture can help to reduce crowds. Also consider tree stumps as temporary benches.

Porch Garden

Wide sidewalks invite you to go outside. In addition, they provide more space for the integration of greenery (such as façade gardens) to meet each other.

Green places to eat and take a break

A green outdoor space is an excellent place for informal meetings. And a good breeding ground for creativity and innovation. During the (eating) break in the greenery, one also recovers from stress.

Play

An attractive and functionally well-designed green playground can contribute to a better social climate at the playground, In the longer term, this leads to a higher sense of well-being and self-confidence of a child, in addition to learning to work together and treat each other with respect.

Parents often prefer green playgrounds where they meet each other while the children play together.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries are increasingly being used as public spaces. Family and guests have less of a tendency to hold ceremonies as they used to. Opportunities to meet and talk to each other in peace and quiet are welcome.

Dog Owners

In the built environment, dog owners are increasingly relegated to the countryside. 1 in 5 households has a dog. Dog ownership is a remedy for loneliness. People with a dog are more likely to have a chat with each other. In the built environment, design can incorporate elements that suit dog owners and dog walkers.

Green catering

In the hospitality industry, a green environment (indoors and outdoors) promotes turnover. It is inviting to come and stay longer. Planters (combined with windbreak) can be used to indicate the boundaries of a terrace.

With movable or mobile greenery, (temporary) meeting places can be attractively marked. Quick to install and easy to remove. This can be useful when parts of the public space are temporarily allowed to be used as extra terrace space.

Seating

Apart from the presence of catering establishments with terraces, it is important for a pleasant public space to have enough other seating. Preferably with a view of passers-by. People like to look at other people going by.

Safe places with a view of living nature in the form of trees, flowers, animals or water can easily be combined with a meeting function.

To allow the elderly to enjoy a green environment, it is advisable to provide rest every 200 meters – or better yet every 100 meters – creating seating areas with armrests and backrests, and supply stairs with handrails.