Cork Views: Give the northside a park for its young people

Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin recently outlined how more than a quarter of adolescents described their mental health as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad,’ more than a third reported self-harming in their lifetime, and one in ten reported attempting suicide.

The study was carried out as part of the Planet Youth programme which surveys mental health and substance abuse problems in adolescents every two years.

Teenagers, more than any other age groups, depend on public spaces. Evidence shows the vast majority (80%) prefer being outdoors than indoors, with almost 30% regularly using streets and parks for socialising, yet in the development of the urban spaces, the needs of youngsters are often ignored.

Not so in the much-lauded public realm space of the Marina Park, with wonderful playgrounds, cycling lanes, football grounds, seating, pedestrian walkways, places to skateboard, chat over coffee and much more.

Similar facilities are long overdue on the northside – and now it seems there just might be an opportunity to ensure those needs are met.

Cork City Council is seeking the public’s input on a new 116-hectare park planned for the north-west of the city. The lands are zoned as public open space, are about 2km from the city centre, and close to some of the areas in the city most in need of green spaces and well-designed public facilities – Hollyhill, Knocknaheeny and Fairhill.

The North West City Park is designated a key deliverable in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028. City council says it will provide a range of recreation opportunities and enhance biodiversity for this area of the city.

Now the project team is engaging with the public, local communities and groups to develop a masterplan for the park. People can contribute by filling out a short questionnaire at https://app.maptionnaire.com/q/cork-nwcp

I have a few suggestions.

Public space for teenagers

In terms of the specific needs of teenagers, in 2022 Kildare County Council carried out a study to investigate what type of outdoor facilities teens in Celbridge, Co Kildare, wanted.

The teens said the town did not have any outdoor facilities specifically for their age group. This forced them to appropriate existing spaces, such as playgrounds and car parks. The teenagers saw a link between the lack of youth facilities and anti-social behaviour and wanted a safe, teen-specific space with multiple functions.

They requested outdoor gym equipment, charging ports, WiFi and zip lines. Skate parks, ball parks and teen playgrounds were also high on the list, with multiple outdoor youth facilities rather than just one. This would allow ease of access, reduce overcrowding, and more likely meet the needs of most teenagers and all ages.

There is a growing design urban movement that seeks to provide outdoor spaces that meet the unique needs of teenage girls. Common themes in relation to making outdoor spaces more welcoming to teenage girls include offering a range of smaller spaces, social seating, exercise bars and swings, improving safety with better lighting and good sightlines, making sure paths have no dead-ends, putting seating in well frequented areas, and providing facilities such as public toilets.

Carefully designed, more playful and inclusive spaces work for all teenagers. The teenagers in Celbridge suggested that many adults have a negative attitude towards them, and reported feeling excluded or unwelcome within the town by adults.

One of the most important factors in the provision of outdoor space for teen play and recreation is the need for far greater recognition of their right to occupy the public domain.

The Forest Play School

In a recent Substack, anaesthesiology trainee and member of Irish Doctors for the Environment, Dr Ola Løkken Nordrum, asked that while children spend most of their time indoors, what would happen if they spent their days outdoors instead. Nordrum describes the concept of the forest play school.

“The idea is a simple as it is brilliant,” he writes. “Parents bring their children to a designated meeting point in the city, where a bus takes them out of the urban core to a forested areas. The bus ride itself can be used for singing or educational activities, before the children are set free to roam in the forest for the day. Summer or winter, sun or rain, they spend their day outdoors.”

Nordrum suggests that natural forests have everything children need to learn and grow, and suggests Dublin with its access to the mountains has enormous potential for forest play schools or similar initiatives aimed at reconnecting people, and especially our children with nature. Could a forest playschool be developed on this new green space on the northside of the city?

The mind blowing benefits of nature

Green areas aren’t just for nature – they are critical to our mental health. We are starting to understand just how vital they are with implications for how we design towns and cities.

Emerging evidence increasingly points to the bountiful benefits that come from spending time in nature. While the links are not fully understood, the fact of their existence is clear. As competition for urban space increases, and the data analysts predict 70% of the population will be living in cities by 2050, it has never been more critical that green spaces are prioritised as a vital element of the urban infrastructure. The benefits include the promotion of community bonds; physical and mental wellbeing; and a vital boon for biodiversity.

Green spaces can promote physical activity that is linked to endorphin-induced wellbeing and better mental health. A northside green space should facilitate more socialisation – places to gather, be entertained, and eat together in the open air. There is very strong evidence that loneliness is linked to anxiety and depression and that being part of a strong urban community is good for mental health.

Author of Nature And The Mind, Marc Berman is an expert on the impact of the natural environment on the brain. He describes how a 50-minute walk in nature can boost memory and attention by 20%, independent of whether it is a calm sunny day or lashing rain, whether they enjoyed the outing or even whether they walked – just being in nature was enough.

In a world where our ability to focus is constantly being redirected by beeps and likes and vibrations, the impact of nature could be seen as revolutionary - facilitating the ability to listen, to focus, to be empathic, and in doing so, reduce our own personal stress levels.

The development of the Marina Park space on the southside of Cork City demonstrated what can be achieved with political commitment and good design. A modern, well-designed urban green space that addresses the needs of northside citizens could be a haven for kids, teenagers, adults and nature.