Comfort
Comfort in the Park - Ann Tindall Park, Harbourfront, Toronto. This park creates a comfortable environment by including natural elements and desirable seating arrangements.
Comfort is a concept that needs to be considered in conjunction with health. Comfort is defined as being a “sensation of physical and mental well-being”; it is the state of physical, and mental ease and freedom from pain or constraint, grief or distress.[1] Health is defined as being “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being” and not just referring to the absence of disease or illness.[2] When looking at buildings or public spaces, there are different categories that comfort is divided; physical comfort, thermal comfort, air quality, visual comfort and acoustical comfort.[3] Jan Gehl states in "Twelve Quality Criteria”, that there needs to be options for mobility; the site needs to be accessible, and the passage through the site should be with ease.[4] Gehl also states that there needs to be options to stand and linger, options to sit, there needs to be variety in activities and options for exercise, options for “seeing” and finally options for talking and listening.[5] We decided based on our previous observations as well as Jan Gehl’s criteria for a comfortable space, that seating, shelter from weather (sun, rain, wind, etc.), noise, vegetation and water, accessibility (access to the space as well as parking), and finally whether the site is dominated by pedestrians or vehicles were all important aspects. We determined that all four of the spaces, in terms of comfort, were quite successful for a few main reasons: Proximity to Nature, Pedestrian Dominated, Variety of Activities, Shelter, and finally, Topography, Noise & Urbanization.
Proximity to Nature
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The four parks of study, Palmer Park, Ann Tindal, Nathan Phillips Square, and Bell Park, were all in close proximity to a lake, or a water feature that acts as a main attraction to the site; it gives people something to look at which is part of Jen Gehl’s “options for seeing” criteria. Palmer Park, Ann Tindal and Bell Park are all located on a lake with walkways and boardwalks along the water giving people the opportunity to stand and linger as well as making the sites accessible. We determined that the lake was one of the main drawing points to the sites as people enjoy walking around the site to experience and look at the water and water activities such as boats. Bell Park specifically draws people to the water as they can swim and play in Ramsey Lake. Nathan Phillips Square is a slightly different case because it is not close to a lake, but has a reflecting pool that draws a lot of visitors to the site. We determined that by having some form of water on the site, it was a positive feature that made people come, and in some cases stay.
Pedestrian Dominated
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All four sites are pedestrian dominated, as parking was located in close proximity to the sites, but not directly on or through the sites giving them a sense of comfort. When users do not need to worry about their safety with regards to vehicles, it makes the space more relaxing and comfortable; people are more likely to enjoy themselves. The four parks were dominated by people cycling and walking through the site.
Variety of Activities
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We found that with Palmer Park and Nathan Phillips Square, the users did not stay for long periods of time, whereas Ann Tindal Park and Bell Park were destinations and people spent much more time in the space partaking in different activities. Ann Tindal Park and Bell Park promote a variety of activities and offer exercise opportunities. In Ann Tindal Park, there was a group of dancers that performed on one of the stages. At Bell Park, there is a space dedicated to toddlers and children, there is the lake for people to swim and play, and sometimes there are Zumba classes or similar classes being held in the park as well. With Palmer Park people would pass through the park on morning walks along the water or tourists would walk along the water during their visit to the downtown restaurants and retail stores. We observed that in the case of Palmer Park, the majority of the users are tourists. We inferred that the reason that locals to Port Perry do not utilize the space is because everyone in Port Perry has a backyard whereas in the city (where many of the tourists come from) there is a lack of backyards and exterior spaces. Nathan Phillips Square was observed as being more of a ‘connection’ between places. Many people use the space as a shortcut, or a route to get to and from destinations.
Shelter​
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When we observed thermal comfort and physical comfort, it was important to take note of shelters that could protect users from wind, rain, or sun. All four of the spaces studied have an abundance of trees that provided shelter and places to sit. Many users in all cases studied utilized the trees for the shade and protection that they provided. Palmer Park, Ann Tindal Park and Bell Park all have small gazebo structures that could protect users in the case of bad weather, but the shelters would not promote people to stay when the weather conditions are less than desirable. The abundance and locations of seating are also crucial to the overall comfort of the space; in order for a space to be comfortable seating needs to be conveniently located, as well as the choice to sit in the sun or in shade.[6] Palmer Park, Ann Tindal Park and Bell Park provided multiple different seating options and locations scattered around the space either in the sun or in shade under the trees that were highly utilized throughout the day.
Topography, Noise & Urbanization
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We also observed that topography plays a role in the comfort of the site. Palmer Park and Bell Park also have significant topography change that separates the road from the park. The topography makes the parks seem like they are a different space and separates them from the streets and high volumes of vehicular movement. Having the parks at a lower grade also limits the amount of noise in the park. In the case of Ann Tindal and Nathan Phillips Square, they are both flat sites that are in close proximity to busy Toronto roads; therefore there is more noise from cars passing by the spaces. When looking at these observations with regards to comfort, it can be extremely useful in architecture. In the case of Palmer Park and Bell Park, they are in cities or towns that are less urbanized than Toronto, this means that there is a stronger presence of natural elements; trees, grass, water, etc. whereas Ann Tindal Park and Nathan Phillips Square are located downtown Toronto so there is less of a presence of natural elements. Ann Tindal Park is comfortable because it has a large number of trees which makes the space popular due to these natural elements, contrasting the busy urban city. Nathan Phillips Square is a completely concrete space with a few trees and a reflection pool, but the space is less desirable as there is a lack of natural elements. We observed that it does in fact benefit users to have natural elements, and as we have learned biophilic design is extremely important for the health and well-being of users. We have learned that people are more productive, less stressed when there is a presence of nature.[7] Health and well-being can be improved when there is a connection with nature, and this was proved through our observations and should be utilized in the design of buildings to make them more comfortable. Therefore, we learned that comfort comes in many different forms, but being in close proximity to nature and natural elements makes for a positive, more comfortable experience of the space.
[1] Emilie Pinard, “Healthy: Happiness and Well-Being”, ARCH 4016 EL: Cultural Sustainability (class lecture, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, October 2020).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Twelve Quality Criteria” (Gehl Institute, n.d.), https://gehlinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/QUALITY-CRITERIA-FINAL.pdf, 3.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “What Makes a Successful Place?,” Project for Public Spaces, n.d., https://www.pps.org/article/grplacefeat.
[7] Emilie Pinard, “Healthy: Happiness and Well-Being”, ARCH 4016 EL: Cultural Sustainability (class lecture, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, October 2020).