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Infrastructure and urban change Assignment
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Abstract
The term of architecture is incremental in nature. The development and growth of the country are usually signified by its infrastructure. Through the medium of infrastructure, the creation of the urban center takes place out of the given space. This essay explores the green infrastructure and promotion of mental and physical well-being on the Oxford Road. The Oxford Road was selected as the best choice for the conduction of the research as it is undergoing regeneration in various ways. This essay aims to provide insights to the importance of backstage values of adopting the green infrastructure and how it is beneficial towards promotion of the mental and physical well-being of people along with social cohesion with literature that is entrenched throughout the essay. This essay begins by highlighting the term infrastructure followed the discussion of regeneration process of the Oxford Road. Finally, the paper explains the details of promotion of the physical and mental well-being of people. The results of the study have been presented with a creative writing passage for assisting the well-being experiences and social cohesion at the community level, and then the findings and results are discussed in detail with the concluding opinions.
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Introduction
Present use of the term "infrastructure."
Tinbergen (1962: 133) had distinguished between the infrastructure and the superstructure where he started that the former included the roads, education, etc. and the latter encompasses agricultural, mining and manufacturing, etc.)
Although fixed definitions or any related theoretic references have not been found related to these terms. Recently, Nijkamp (200:88) discussed regarding the infrastructure as any public material capital encompassing the railways, airports, pipelines, roads, etc. and the suprastructure include the immaterial public capital that includes culture, knowledge networks, education, communication, etc. without providing any sufficient detail these proposed terms.
The renowned economist Reimut Jochimsen, whose definition is considered to be the most persuasive in the German discussion of the proposed term infrastructure. He defined infrastructure as " the sum of material, institutional and personal facilities and data which are available to the economic agents and which contribute to realizing the equalization of the remuneration of comparable inputs in the case of a suitable allocation of resources, that is complete integration and maximum level of economic activities."
It should be critically noticed that Jochimsen (1966) mentioned that the material infrastructure as the enumeration of various essentially public facilities that are characterized by detailed attributes. But till today, a well-defined and useful definition of infrastructure, the word stems from the Latin language where "infra" means below, and therefore we can consider it as "foundation."
Green infrastructure
When the up gradation in the urban areas much emphasis has been given to green infrastructure that related to upgrading the green spaces systems as a part of coherent planning entity Sandström (2002). The green infrastructure encompasses all the natural, semi-natural and various artificial networks of the multifunctional ecological systems that can be present within, surrounding and between the urban areas. When a green infrastructure is planned, developed and also maintained proactively, then it has a sheer potential for guiding the urban development by providing a regulated framework for the economic growth and also towards the conservation of nature (Walmsley 2006; Schrijnen 2000; van der Ryn and Cowan 1996). Such planned tactic offers various opportunities towards integrating between the conservation of nature, urban development and the promoting the public health as well as interaction.
Oxford Road
Oxford Road is one of the most important routes of Manchester city that spans from the St Peter’s Square to Whitworth Park towards the University of Manchester’s southern extent. Being the center of the local economy of the city; this corridor is one of its kinds. The Oxford Road includes important universities like ' the University of Manchester' and ' Manchester Metropolitan University" and the Central Manchester University Hospital. Therefore, the area is regarded as the most extensive clinical and academic zone of the country.
Discussion
Promoting physical and mental well-being
The World Health Organization has defined human health not only in terms of disease or any illness but as a state of the mental, physical as well as social well-being (WHO, 1948), and recognizes a plethora of factors that contribute towards the overall good health. This contribution of green infrastructure towards the health of human can be regarded as a form of ecosystem services as it benefits the human health and maintains the healthy functioning of ecosystem. The green areas ameliorate the cases of air pollution, urban heat effect (Whitford et al. 2001), and therefore leads to higher amount of time being sent outdoors for being physically active. Various theoretical and empirical evidences have reflected upon the importance of the physical environment and its influences on the neighborhood walking and other physical activity. (Humpel et al. 2002)
Various studies have indicated that with the presence of green infrastructure increases the amount of time spend outdoors which benefits the physical health. (Booth et al., 2000; Humpel et al., 2002; Humpel et al., 2004; Pikora et al., 2003).various studies have linked the green spaces with the self-perceived health of a given area. (de Vriers et al., 2003; Payne et al., 1998). A study held in China has related the accessibility to the walkable green streets and the spaces with the increased longevity of senior citizens (Takano et al., 2002) and also to reduced body mass index and reduced blood pressure (Orsega-Smith et al., 2004). Korpela et al., (2001), have stated that visiting a favorite spot of natural beauty regularly is a great source of emotional release and therefore enables people to relax as well as clear their mind from all the troubles. Further studies have also illustrated that the green spaces that are available near the residential areas can reduce the mental fatigue of residents living nearby (Kuo, 2001). Further the presence of green infrastructure plays a vital role in social cohesion at the society level. Kim & Kaplan (2004), the green infrastructure have increased the likelihood of interactions amongst the people and therefore promoted the sense of community spirit.
Methods
A variety of methods were used for gathering the qualitative as well as quantitative data. The major technique used for observation of the tranquility of the green open spaces with respect to the features of visual as well as the acoustic stimuli. (Pheasant, 2008). Therefore I conducted my research using the sensory techniques. For my study I selected major locations like Whitworth Park- 18 acre Green Park which is located between the Mossside and Rusholme, Piccadilly Gardens- green space with water works between the Market Street and the Northern quarter’s edge and All Saints Park near Holden Gallery Manchester. All these locations were selected on the basis of their varying degree of greenery. Each of the location was visited for two hours every day for gaining the comparison of these places. According to Pheasant et al (2008), higher the percentage of the natural characteristics in the locations higher the key factors for influencing the tranquility; these were the reasons for selection of the locations for the research. I recorded all my experiences by writing them down in a journal and clicked pictures whenever necessary. I tried to dig deep into the research and used all the senses so as to understand the essence of nature around me. With time, my inner sights and thoughts were encouraged and with the help of visual, auditory, texture and the smell senses I recorded all the data. Similarly, I used the technique of photography for presenting my experiences in the form of accurate as well as holistic data.
I also conducted various interview with the passersby and daily morning joggers and walkers using questionnaires with the main focus on the impact of their mental, physical and social health. The importance of green infrastructure were mentioned along with the questionnaire. I spoke to the people who gradually became my friends because of my daily routine to the same place, they provided me the insights on their well-being and cohesion in society at the community level and how the green infrastructure has impacted their health. I scrutinized carefully whenever I saw people exchanging gestures or greeting each other to make out if they had become friends because of spending more quantity of time in near the green spaces. This helped to think critically regarding the social cohesion criteria of my research.
Finally, I used internet for gaining as much information as I can along with that I read a lot of online journals and different readings that gave me an impression regarding the importance of green infrastructure in the modern world and how it has impacted the general people. I made my research limited to the physical, mental and social well-being of the people due to development of the green spaces.
Results and findings
Using all the data that I collected, be it photography, daily journal, questionnaire, I have constructed a creative passage to explain my experience with the place with and without green areas.
Whitworth Park
The entrance of the park resembled the gates of heaven as I would have pictured it with a perfect collection of daffodils and lilacs. As I always went for the daily walk, I could easily feel the warmth of the sun and the whole scenario with green grass and breeze around, trees with moss and fungus around them, all gave me a state of soft and timid fascination and induced an aaa aah-feeling of taking all the area around me. I felt relaxed and calm. There were ancient oak trees and flowers surrounding the park, and I could not have felt so liberated in my whole life. I could see some kids playing cheerfully and a lot of morning joggers who were busy interacting with each other. I could see them waving to some of the people entering the park giving me an insight that they might be the "park-friends" in the same morning joggers group. Some of the people were reading silently in a secluded place, and various people just sat there and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. I could hear the sound of traffic and cars going by, but it sounded vague in front of all scenic beauty. I could also see some kids playing with the butterflies, and that just made me smile for real. In the nutshell, I felt relaxed, stress-free and could visibly see the social cohesion in the park.
Piccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens are one of the largest open areas in the city and has water fountains as well as grassy areas. I loved the view every time I visited the place. The grassy area is skirted by bars, restaurants, cafes, etc. and I found the place to be a great one for relaxing on the grass. It provided me with a tremendous view, and I felt I could sit here all day long to watch the world go by.
The fountain was very beautiful, and it was indeed a beautiful view to watch on a sunny day and but the place could not provide me with the same tranquility. As the gardens are near to the bus station and the metro link, the voices and noises from the bus station and the Metro link were recognized easily, and that was distracting me from enjoying the view. I loved the place for the initial days. However, I got tired of watching the same and distraction flooded with the transportation system being exactly near to the gardens.
All Saints Park
When I entered the place that was surrounded by on its three sides by the Manchester Metropolitan University, I felt lively and cheerful. It was a tiny park and not even comparable to the Whitworth Park. There were cherry trees that enhanced the scenic beauty of the place. It was a small park, but it has so much serenity in it, I could see groups of students studying and chatting. Most of them were having fun and were playing with each other. I could not realize that I was not more than 100 yards away from the busiest road in the Western Europe. The place only had the chattering voices of the students and was instil cheerful and lively feeling in me. I asked various students and found out that most of them were not from the same class and became friends only after meeting each other on the university grounds. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and could see the squirrels roaming around in the green grounds. I felt like a part of the Manchester University sitting on my bench and analyzing the serenity of the place. Some students had their bacon sandwich, and the smell could easily reach others. Within the throwing distance, I could see many fruit stands and fast foods stalls. Amusingly, there were a lot of mini recycling centers that were dotted about. Overall, I loved the place; it had a unique, lively feeling about it.
Finally, I circulated my questionnaire in all these three places to figure out regarding the point of views and perspective of others on the physical, mental and social wellbeing and their relation with the green spaces.
This morning routine of going to the three places mentioned above went on for a month, and I noted down all the changes in my health from all the perspective, be it physically, mentally and socially.
Analysis
My research and study on green spaces and green infrastructure helped to realize the relationship between the mental, physical and social well-being. This study was beneficial in educating me towards the importance of green infrastructure along with the infrastructural development of the city. All the data from my daily journal and was compiled from the questionnaire. It was analyzed that the green spaces help to alleviate the mental fatigue as they tend to relax as well as restore the mind. Further, this green spaces along with built environment especially in the case of Piccadilly Gardens, the places encourage social interaction. These interactions help to de-stress by conversation and therefore provide calming settings. Whereas, the places with landscapes and vegetation as in the case of the Whitworth garden and all saints park, these places provide visual access and the greenery help to restore the primary focus of the mind. This ultimately enhances the performance in the school or universities as it benefits by alleviating the mental stress and illness.
The places where students study require the students to be focused and have high-level of cognitive functioning. Various researches have indicated that the adding of plants and green areas near the college area reduces the stress of the children studying. The presence of plants and green spaces near an educational institution improves the performance of the children and furthermore, (Maller, 2007) students regularly posted to the green spaces have seen to score higher than the other people.
Keeping away from an inactive way of life has an assortment of medical advantages. For instance, higher level of physical action related to access to green spaces is directly connected with a reduced danger of a cardiovascular illness (Lee et al., 2001; Sesso et al., 1999; Wei et al., 1999), stroke (Wannamethee and Shaper, 1999), and increased BMI (Nielsen and Hansen, 1007). Accessibility of adjacent Green infrastructure in this manner not just urges individuals to indulge in more physical activity, additionally to travel all the more economically by either foot or using a cycle through the green spaces has an extra advantage in decreasing CO2 discharges done by other transport (Moffat et al., 2010).
Various epidemiological studies have found that dynamic contact with nature, i.e. recreational strolling in a green setting, instead of the urban condition has been found to altogether reducing the risks of blood sugar (Hartig et al., 2003). Taking an interest in exercises in green settings purportedly enhances the functioning of 7-12-year-old kids with a lack of ability to concentrate consistently disorder (Faber-Taylor et al., 2001). One proposed instrument for such affiliations is that emotional changes activated by nature can impel or intervene physiological changes (Tzoulas et al., 2007).
Green infrastructure can likewise assume a great part in expanding the social cohesion. In the UK and other urban cities around the globe, it has been noticed that the distribution of socially excluded territories usually coincides with the green space of poor quality (PACIONE, 2007). In Greater Manchester 33% of the area is classed as open space, yet in the inward city trees and green space just constitute 2%, while in costly territories they make up 10% (RAVETZ, 2000). In high population urban zones open space is fundamental for social communication and satisfaction of the society. However, it must be of good quality (with great access, cleanliness, satisfying, pleasing and incorporates flora and fauna) to guarantee that it doesn't turn into a sanctuary for any kind of anti-social behavior (CABE SPACE, 2005).
Conclusion
This study gave an insight into the importance of green infrastructure and its impact on the physical, mental and social well-being of humans. The study a thorough detail on the benefits of green infrastructure along with the advancement of the global world.
It must be noticed that this exploration gives just a depiction of an individual viewpoint. A more noteworthy example size could be used from all over the city and information assembled from various areas inside the parks center at different times of the day. A similar study can be accessed from other factors related to the infrastructure as well in the whole nation and then a broader, and clearer picture of the perfect well-being of human health can be explored.
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