Urban oasis

An urban oasis is a public open space, park, or plaza which is located in between buildings or formed by surrounding buildings in an urban setting. It can exist in any kind of culture. There are various sizes of urban oases. Central Park, Fredrick Law Olmsted’s park in New York City, can be considered as a very large urban oasis. The Los Angeles Central Library’s plaza can be considered to be a small scaled oasis. The oasis is used by residents, workers, and visitors during everyday activities. The urban oasis offers many benefits to the community by inviting people to stop, sit, eat, play, and relax. Plant material provides shade and screens the noise of vehicular traffic while fountains help to drown out the noise pollution. The oasis adds value to our cities and neighborhoods while providing identity, economic benefit, environmental benefit, and a site for cultural activities in cities.

Identity is one of the most significant roles of an urban oasis. Great public icons like Rockefeller Center’s ice-skating rink, and Central Park’s woodlands, open fields, and fountains are good examples of identifiable places in New York City. Both are well known and visited often, allowing tourists and residents to take advantage of an urban oasis.

Another role of the urban oasis is to provide economic benefit to the community. Land values in a city are considerably affected by parks and surrounding attractions. The highest land values in New York City tend to be around Bryant Park, Central Park, and Riverside Park The green-market has been a major catalyst in revitalizing the surrounding neighborhoods. The parks revitalize streets for walking, gathering, and shopping and provide economic benefits to a city.

Environmental benefits including the perception of a landscape as naturally beautiful, increasing plant reliability and decreasing costs, improving planting success, richer living environment, or preventing habitats, are gained from urban oases. Our appreciation of the natural environment is enhanced by vegetative parks that add open spaces and create animal and bird habitat areas. Central Park is a significant example with environmental benefits to a city.

Plaza-like urban oases features provide settings for cultural activities like farmers’ markets, art galleries, and music events. They not only provide for cultural activities, but plazas also provide economic to the communities. The Water Fire night event Providence, Rhode Island is for example brings people out into a central area after dark. During the summer and early fall, lighted dusk bonfire placed in bodies of water give out pleasing smells of aromatic wood while live music creates a public cultural event. This event brings people into a central urban area after dark while engaging the senses and emotions of those who stroll the paths and bridges of Water Park.

An urban oasis is a valuable landmark in a community that invites people and produces many benefits. It also contributes the surrounding community by producing economic benefits and environmental benefits, and a place for cultural activities.