Roles of Park and Green Space Planning for Establishing Livable Communities in the Environmental Age through Encouraging Linkage of Academic and Practical Approaches

The significance and means of parks and green space planning have been changed dramatically in this century in Japan. The first priority must be given to define the means and purposes of planning., especially the role of ecological, social and economical management with the increasing trend of environmental concern, and the method to estimate values of park and green space from the point of view of regenerative society development. The role of planning parks and green space is reviewed in the following three aspects; as tools for land use control (master plan), as tools for finding appropriate lands for purchasing land (development plan) and tools for application of individual development technique of green space and landscapes(site plan and design). It is a serious issue that the existence of parks in urban setting which used to be considered as a top priority, is now being challenged in terms of economical, social and environmental benefits. In such processes, the most important issue is to define what makes parks and green spaces attractive and ecological to obtain social support to be developed.