IMPACT OF OPEN SPACE ON HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

It’s a special Sunday evening here in Nigeria and it’s a great privilege to be among these great minds on this great community once again, what I will be discussing with you today is what I titled

IMPACT OF OPEN SPACE ON HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

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Open space is a term we are all familiar with and subsequently use in our day to day wordings even though it might not be in the planning context i.e not is professional definition, but at least we still have the basic understanding of what open space means. So let try to check the professional meaning of open space and then it impact on the human environment.

Meaning of open space

Open space can be said to be an area of land that is dedicated mainly for public or private use, it can also be for the merriment of the residents and inhabitant of a neighbourhood. It can essentially be an unimproved land or water body that’s free of buildings or other physical structures except for the outdoor recreational facilities.

Open space does not have street or drive in and it can also be a vacant land or unused land from the right of way to the building corridor and It’s very imperative that up to 25% of the entire land of an area be set aside as open space.

Types of open space

In term of development there are two major type of open space and they are;

 Developed open space

 Undeveloped open space

Developed open space

This is an area or parcel of land that has being developed and improved for public or private use.

Undeveloped open space

This is a parcel or an area of land that’s still unused and undeveloped but is still being use for public or private use.

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In term of uses there are three types of open space and they are;

 Public open space

 Private open space

 Common open space

Private open space

Private open space is often referred to as the utilizing of an area of land adjacent to residential buildings owned by individuals in the environment.

Public open space

Public open space can be attributed as a government land [legal land] use majorly for commercial purpose as a source of revenue to the government and it’s deliberately secured or acquired by the government for public use.

Common open space

This refer to a parcel of land set aside by residents of an area and its much closer to public open space only different in is legal ownership because common open space is owned by either cooperate society or a private body within the same neighbourhood.

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It must be noted that in both terms the most important thing is that the site natural element are preserved for public interest.

The absence of open space is an urban curse therefore there is the need to reserve sufficient land for open space activities within a neighbourhood, layout and even the master plan for a city –Gallion [1950]

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IMPORTANT OF OPEN SPACE ON HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

 Open space serve as recreational centre to children and adult alike in the environment.

 Open space can also serve as economy booster especially when used for both recreation and tourism purpose.

 Open space when cover with grasses and tree helps in checking infiltration of solar radiation thereby reduce the loss of plant and body moisture as a result of evaporation.

 Open space also enhance intake of solar radiation and illumination and it also provide tremendous sunlight and ventilation to the buildings around.

 Open space also makes the whole environment attractive and livable and it also helps to create quality development with lasting value.

 Open space planted with grasses, ornaments plants and trees check soil erosion on its own.

 It also improves the aesthetic quality and arrangement of housing unit and pattern in an environment.

 Open space can be use as buffer zone i.e to separate the various land uses from other and it also preserve wild life and biodiversity in the human environment.

 Sufficient open space is is also indispensable in an environment as it may reduce to a greater extent urban environmental dispute, crisis and crime.

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Open space is so important to the human environment because it created an aesthetically balance and peaceful environment where both the children, youths and adult interact and associate freely without any problem or commotion.

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Thanks for taking your time to read this research article, do have a lovely day.

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