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Wednesday, 19 September 2007 |
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Page 2 of 22
SECTION ONE: SITING
The location of a skatepark has as much impact on its health as with any other recreational facility. As with all parks, the design must be sensitive to its location and place within the community. Skateparks are unique in that they attract a young group of users and, as a result, have special needs put upon them that may not exist for many other recreational or athletic facilities.
The site for any new skatepark should
consider how all the park visitors will
interact with the skateboarding space.
That is not to say that skateparks must be used exclusively by skaters. For many people they are fun to be in or around whether you’re skating or not. The structures are curious to the eye and fun to climb around. Street-style structures provide interesting climbing blocks and ramps while the labyrinthine canyons and slides of the transition areas attract curious adults and active children alike. However, it’s important to not think of skateparks as playgrounds. When they are designed well, they comply with a long and complicated list of requirements for safety, access, visibility, quality, aesthetic design, and traffic control.
Many communities feel that skateparks are exclusive facilities only appealing to a small number of local teenagers. This flawed thinking presumes that no sane adult would want to enjoy a skatepark and that younger children should not be interacting with teenagers. It also leads to the erroneous conclusion that the skatepark should be located “somewhere” that the teenagers can do what they want without impacting the well-being of anyone else. That “somewhere” is usually in an industrial area or on the outskirts of town.
SITE COMPONENTS
A great skatepark site has four qualities. Without them, these facilities often struggle to succeed.
It is less common today to see skateboarders exiled to the edge of the community than it was five or six years ago. Sadly, it’s still too common to witness wise and well-meaning professional planners establish criteria for placing new skateparks somewhere where it’s least likely to offend rather than where it’s most likely to succeed.
The nation’s best skateparks are designed for success and are situated in the neighborhood with confidence. They welcome broader community interaction and allow different visitors to interact without feeling threatened. The healthiest skateparks are designed for skaters, and are the skaters’ place, but still behave like public space. People may come and go freely. They might watch comfortably from a bench, ledge or rock … or maybe even a raised dais … without being “in the way.” When skate-parks are situated within the community, skateboarders become a part of the community.
Sadly, it’s still too common to witness wise and well-meaning
professional planners establish criteria for placing new skateparks
somewhere where it’s least likely to offend rather than where it’s most
likely to succeed.
A site charrette is an exercise where the prospective site is analyzed, usually by a diverse group of stake-holders.
Most cities, and even some towns, struggle to contain uncontrolled skateboarding in the downtown area. Contemporary urban architecture has had enormous influence on today’s skateboarding style. Skateparks can help draw unwanted street skating away from downtown areas if that skatepark is also accessible. There is little sense in curbing downtown skateboarding by building a skatepark in the suburbs.
In this chapter you will choose locations and compare them using identical criteria.
Site Criteria
Skateparks can be as diverse in design and purpose as any other kind of park. Some are designed to attract and sustain lots of users and constant use while others are small and tailored to only support a few users at once for limited periods of time. Your best skatepark or skate-spot locations will always have some things in common. The common qualities that make all skateparks work best are the same qualities that urban planners (and theorists) use to describe vibrant public spaces.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 August 2008 )
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