This study analyzes and interprets the usage patterns of small parks from the perspective of social activities, focusing on the fact that small parks are closely connected to everyday life and form social connections. Furthermore, it highlights the so...
This study analyzes and interprets the usage patterns of small parks from the perspective of social activities, focusing on the fact that small parks are closely connected to everyday life and form social connections. Furthermore, it highlights the social value of small parks located throughout cities and explores ways to enhance that value.
In a densely urbanized environment, small-scale parks are established as urban planning facilities under an institutional framework to ensure a comfortable quality of life and equity in park distribution across regions, with consistent intervals and scales. Recently, small parks have been created through redevelopment projects, such as reconstruction and redevelopment using the donation method. Despite a nationwide decrease in urban park areas, the area and number of small neighborhood parks have increased by the standards set by the 「Act on Urban Parks, Green Areas, ETC.」 In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been creating small parks by utilizing idle spaces in the city for some time, and in 2025, it plans to expand green spaces throughout the city with the declaration of 「Garden City Seoul.」 However, small parks created under the current system are often modest green spaces with only a few trees planted. Rather than creating spaces that merely serve as decorative elements for urban aesthetics, what is more needed in cities are spaces where people can take a brief rest or enjoy themselves comfortably in their daily lives, with human use as the primary consideration.
Some small parks in Seoul serve as everyday spaces where people gather regularly and engage in various social activities, such as meeting others and looking after children, going beyond the role of simple rest areas. Four small parks where such phenomena were observed were selected, and their daily usage patterns were investigated using research methods such as observation of usage behavior and interviews. Moreover, the research compared and analyzed the low usage patterns of small parks created through donations following recent apartment reconstruction and urban redevelopment projects.
Small parks in cities that are closely connected to everyday life serve as places where individuals spend their daily lives, and everyday behaviors are intertwined with social behaviors. Small parks are places where individuals or groups can relax and spend time as they please. Park users engage in passive social activities, such as walking, standing, sitting, and talking, and they repeatedly recognize other park users, seeing and hearing them. These repetitions lead to encounters and conversations, and natural relationships are formed through interaction.
In addition, small parks serve as playgrounds for children, and through interactions between children and their guardians, relationships are formed and trust is built between children and residents, serving as a place of care and a hub for the local community. In parks where social relationships between users have been established, users take the initiative in observing and monitoring the park, maintaining order, and sharing responsibility.
Through observing and analyzing the practical aspects of activities in small urban parks, it was found that the everyday value of small parks lies in predictable encounters through repetition, casual relationships without obligation, the formation of loose communities, and the expansion of personal daily experiences into social activities, thereby functioning as a venue for social activities for urban residents.
The value of small parks closely tied to everyday life lies in the various social activities connected to the repetitive daily lives of park users. This study proposes three directions for enhancing this value. First, select locations and plan programs closely tied to daily life routes. Second, design spatial structures that allow for multi-layered use. Third, create physical environments that induce sensory and emotional experiences. These three directions will serve as a foundation for improving the quality of life of urban residents within their daily living areas and creating a pleasant urban environment.
This study is significant because it observed the daily activities that take place in small urban parks created on a legal basis, interpreted them from the perspective of social activities, discovered the everyday value of small neighborhood parks that had been overlooked, and proposed directions for enhancing that value.