Open Spaces

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Open Spaces
What it is?
 Land or open surface open to sky !
 Surface not covered by impermeable surface!
Characteristic
 Relatively free from development
 Vegetated to provide visual contrast to man
made environment
 It is much more than a leftover category of
land.

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

 Open Spaces
What it is?...

Physically, Open space is described as -

• Land not intensively developed for residential,
commercial, industrial or institutional uses.
• Public or privately held land.
• Agricultural lands and forests.
• Undeveloped shorelines and scenic lands
• Public parks and preserves.
• Water bodies, wetlands, streams, floodplains.

Source: H. Clough & Associates LLP,2007

Open Spaces
Open Spaces contains one or more of the
followings-
• Rural landscape
• Ecological and environmentally sensitive areas
• Recreation areas
• Trails

Source: H. Clough & Associates LLP,2007

Ian McHarg,1967 identified 8 important types of
open space
 Surface water
 Marshes
 Flood plains
 Aquifers
 Aquifers recharge areas
 Steep lands
 Prime agriculture land
 Urban forest and wood lands

Source: McHarg, L. I. (1967).

 Types of Open spaces..

A. Utility Open Spaces

B. General open spaces
C. Corridor open space
D. Multi use open space

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

 Types of Open spaces..

A. Utility Open Spaces

i. Resource lands- for production and extraction, eg.
Forests, grazing areas, lakes and rivers for water supply
ii. Urban utility space- Dam sites, reservoir, land fills,
waste disposal area, treatment facilities
iii. Flood control and drainage- flood plain, flood banks,
watershed, drainage ways etc.
iv. Reserves and preserves- forest, area for wildlife, lands
for future expansion etc.

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

 Types of Open spaces
B. General open spaces
i. Wilderness areas- Scenic & ecological values etc.
ii. Protected areas- controlled for development, coastline and
shore areas etc.
iii. Natural parks- National parks, forests, city parks etc.
iv. Urban parks- Zoos, botanical garden, urban forest, water
bodies, amphitheater etc.
v. Recreational areas- golf courses, play grounds, swimming
pools, picnic area etc.
vi. Urban development open spaces- Green belts, setbacks
and open space around buildings etc.

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

Types of Open spaces
C. Corridor open space- Right of way spaces of
highway, streets etc.
D. Multi use open space- Campuses, private
clubs with recreation facilities, cemeteries &
garden areas etc.

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

Function of open space
Adequate open space is vital for proper
functioning of urban system.
Functions
◦ To give structure, shape and form to the city.
◦ To provide space needed for recreation,
preserve scenic value, protect watershed,
aquifers, natural habitats, flora and fauna and
provide natural drainage

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

 Benefits of open space
A. Social benefits
◦ Interaction between man and nature, enjoyment,
recreation etc.
B. Aesthetic benefits
◦ Preserve natural beauty, improve ugliness, buffering
unpleasant view and disturbing spaces, visual relief
from manmade cityscapes.
C. Psychological
◦ Maintain emotional well being

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

 Benefits of open space
D. Economic
◦ Spatial improvement are linked to cities economic
future through development.
E. Structuring development
◦ Buffer between conflicting land use
F. Ecological process
◦ Adequate amount of carefully located spaces are
necessary for the improved management and use of
our essential natural resources, air and water

Source: Rye, R.D., 1998

The Value of Open Space
 There is value to preserving most types of open
space land uses, but the values tend to vary
widely with the size of the area, the proximity
of the open space to residences, the type of
open space, and the method of analysis.

 Both publicly held and privately held lands can

provide open space benefits, but because people
who do not directly own the land still enjoy the
benefits, open space is likely to be
underprovided by the private sector.
Source: H. Clough & Associates LLP,2007
 The Value of Open Space…
 Beyond the benefits to private land owners Open space
provides a range of benefits to citizens of a community
 Parks and natural areas -recreation;
 wetlands and forests supply storm-water drainage and
wildlife habitat;
 farms and forests provide aesthetic benefits to
surrounding residents.
 And in rapidly growing urban and suburban areas, any
preserved land can offer relief from congestion and other
negative effects of development.

Source: H. Clough & Associates LLP,2007

 The Value of Open Space…

 It also depends on the size and location of open spaces.

(Small fragment open space or large open space in distant location.)
 use value- the benefit is related to seeing or using the open
space. ( such as having a pleasant view, experiencing improved water quality, or
having increased opportunity for viewing wildlife.)
 direct use of the open space –(without knowing that open space exists-
also called passive use values)
 People may get utility, or satisfaction, from knowing that
farms on the periphery of an urban area exist as they have
for generations.
Open space planning in philippines
 Functional open space- an important element of
CLUP(Comprehensive Land Use Plan)
◦ Functional open spaces are lands that are deliberately
kept in their open character for their contribution
towards maintaining the amenity value of the
environment.
Local open space (LGUs are responsible to manage)
- Communal forests, river banks, prime agricultural
lands, historical sites, environmentally critical and
hazardous areas could form part of open space.

Source: Serote, 2004

Open space planning in philippines
 Protected areas are part of the open space
system. NIPAS(National Integrated Protected
Areas System) protected areas are:
◦ Strict nature reserve
◦ Natural park
◦ Natural environment
◦ Wildlife sanctuary
◦ Protected landscape or seascape
◦ Resource reserve
◦ Natural biotic area
◦ Other categories established by national and
international agreements

Source: Serote, 2004

 Open Space
Summary
 It is more than residual land.
 It is not physically intensively developed and can be public
and private.
 Regardless of the ownership of the land almost every one
can benefit from the open space
 Adequate open space is vital for the functioning of urban
system
 Planning and regulatory framework of the Philippines have
given emphasis on conserving and protecting various types
of open spaces.
Thank you!
References
M. Connell Virginia and W. Margaret, 2005, THE VALUE OF OPEN
SPACE: EVIDENCE FROM STUDIES OF NONMARKET, Resources for
the Future
Clough Harbour & Associates LLP,2007, Natural resources and
open spaces conservation plan, Town of halfmoon, Saratoga County,
New York
McHarg, L. I. (1967). Design with Nature. New York: American
Museum of Natural History.
Rye, R. D., Open spaces Development Plan of Quezon City,1998,
MA Thesis, School of Urban and Regional Planning, UP, Diliman
Rationalizing Local Planning System, A source book (2008) 1st
edition, Department of interior and local government, Bureau of Local
Government Development
Serote, E.M., Property, Patrimony & Territory, 2004, Foundations
of Land Use Planning in the Philippines, SURP-UPPDRF, UP, Quezon
city