Urban oasis
Encyclopedia
An urban oasis is a public open space, park
, or plaza which is located in between buildings or formed by surrounding buildings in an urban setting. It can exist in any kind of culture
. There are various sizes of urban oases. Central Park
, Frederick Law Olmsted
's park in New York City
, can be considered as a very large urban oasis
. The Los Angeles
Central Library’s plaza can be considered to be a small scaled oasis.
The oasis is used by residents, workers, and visitors during everyday activities. The urban oasis offers many benefits to the community by inviting people to stop, sit, eat, play, and relax. Plant material provides shade and screens the noise of vehicular traffic while fountains help to drown out the noise pollution. The oasis adds value to cities and neighborhoods while providing identity, economic benefit, environmental benefit, and a site for cultural activities in cities.
Identity is one of the most significant roles of an urban oasis. Great public icons like Rockefeller Center
's ice-skating rink, and Central Park’s woodlands, open fields, and fountains are good examples of identifiable places in New York City. Both are well known and visited often, allowing tourists and residents to take advantage of an urban oasis.
Another role of the urban oasis is to provide economic benefit to the community. Land values in a city are considerably affected by parks and surrounding attractions. The highest land values in New York City tend to be around Bryant Park
, Central Park
, and Riverside Park
. The green-market has been a major catalyst in revitalizing the surrounding neighborhoods. The parks revitalize streets for walking, gathering, and shopping and provide economic benefits to a city.
Plaza-like urban oasis features provide settings for cultural activities like farmers' markets, art galleries, and music events. They not only provide for cultural activities, but plazas also provide economic activity to the communities. One good example is the WaterFire night event in Providence, Rhode Island
. During the summer and early fall, bonfires are placed just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence, which give out pleasing smells of aromatic wood. This, combined with live music, creates a public cultural event that brings people into a central urban area after dark while engaging the senses and emotions of those who stroll the paths and bridges of Waterplace Park
.
.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, or plaza which is located in between buildings or formed by surrounding buildings in an urban setting. It can exist in any kind of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. There are various sizes of urban oases. Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
's park in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, can be considered as a very large urban oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
. The Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Central Library’s plaza can be considered to be a small scaled oasis.
The oasis is used by residents, workers, and visitors during everyday activities. The urban oasis offers many benefits to the community by inviting people to stop, sit, eat, play, and relax. Plant material provides shade and screens the noise of vehicular traffic while fountains help to drown out the noise pollution. The oasis adds value to cities and neighborhoods while providing identity, economic benefit, environmental benefit, and a site for cultural activities in cities.
Role in the community
Identity is one of the most significant roles of an urban oasis. Great public icons like Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
's ice-skating rink, and Central Park’s woodlands, open fields, and fountains are good examples of identifiable places in New York City. Both are well known and visited often, allowing tourists and residents to take advantage of an urban oasis.
Another role of the urban oasis is to provide economic benefit to the community. Land values in a city are considerably affected by parks and surrounding attractions. The highest land values in New York City tend to be around Bryant Park
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
, Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, and Riverside Park
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
. The green-market has been a major catalyst in revitalizing the surrounding neighborhoods. The parks revitalize streets for walking, gathering, and shopping and provide economic benefits to a city.
Plaza-like urban oasis features provide settings for cultural activities like farmers' markets, art galleries, and music events. They not only provide for cultural activities, but plazas also provide economic activity to the communities. One good example is the WaterFire night event in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. During the summer and early fall, bonfires are placed just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence, which give out pleasing smells of aromatic wood. This, combined with live music, creates a public cultural event that brings people into a central urban area after dark while engaging the senses and emotions of those who stroll the paths and bridges of Waterplace Park
Waterplace Park
Waterplace Park is an urban park situated along the Woonasquatucket River in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Finished in 1994, Waterplace Park is connected to 3/4 mile of cobblestone-paved pedestrian walkways along the waterfront known as Riverwalk. Venice-styled Pedestrian bridges cross the...
.
Environment
Environmental benefits including the perception of a landscape as naturally beautiful, increasing plant reliability and decreasing costs, improving planting success, richer living environment, or preventing habitats, are gained from urban oases. Our appreciation of the natural environment is enhanced by vegetative parks that add open spaces and create animal and bird habitat areas. Central Park is a significant example, as it lends enormous environmental benefits to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.