Urban Green Areas – their functions under a changing lifestyle of ...

esponsible administrative level, etc. However, it is difficult to cover all these aspects in
just one definition and hence one main aspect has to be chosen which fits to the nature of
the research. However, since research on UGAs is frequently for more than one purpose,
several categories may have to be used. In addition, a practical classification should be
suitable with the integrated area (about existed names, local’s usages, particular landscape
and so on).
Several systems classifying UGA follow the above aspects in earlier studies and projects.
Or even in one project, different categories have been used for different regions. Thus the
large European Greenkeys project (GO'RNIAK 2008: 50-53) uses five different typologies.
The first such system was implemented by Bristol council, UK. It uses five types of UGAs
whose key components are usages and various specific elements. More recently the Bristol
city council’s web page (Council) provides another more complicated system with four
main types defined by attributions (formal/ informal), age and usage. These cover all kinds
of UGA but create difficulties in specific areas. In short, in one region, some UGA’
typologies can be existed concurrently as long as those UGA are well functioning.
The Doncaster (UK) system classifies UGAs into nine types, mainly by size or by usage.
However, this system does not discriminate finely, for example, the first and the seventh
type (sub-type: neighbourhood park) are not distinguished (see GO’RNIAK 2008).
Another popular typology characterization of UGA’s, introduced by DUNNETT (2002: 53-
55), used extent or size as the principle criterion. In this system, there are four levels
starting from local parks, which are less than 1.2 hectares, to principal, city and
metropolitan parks, which are more than 8.0 hectares. This hierarchy is useful for the
purposes of land management. In the study cited, it also commented that “these are often
combined or amended”.
Last but not least, the typology in Bydgoszcz (Poland) is simple and fits well to the types of
UGAs which exists Vietnam. The key attributes are special characteristics and location of
green areas subsumed under nine UGA types: parks, green squares, gardens, city forest,
green belts, street green, green space of cemeteries, green accompanying buildings and
temporary green.
In Vietnam:
With urban structure as outlined above, UGAs are organized as networks. The Greenery
Planning for Public Utilities in Urban Areas Design standards (TCXDVN 362- 2005)
stipulates the use of a system dividing a city by a green-tree net. Due to complexities
introduced with multi-functional parks, it is necessary to separately examine UGAs in inner
and outer city areas.
38