GREEN SPACE:
Health and Well-Being

Growing up, the park and savanna was part of my childhood, it was part of many people's lives as far as I could remember. It is where I played, other kids played, rode our bikes, flew kites, played football/cricket, the adults exercised, community gathered and events were held. But as the years have gone by, and development took took the forefront of urban areas, green spaces began to dwindle and replaced with concrete structures.

These pictures show some of the few open green spaces found in Trinidad's urban capital (Queens's Park Savannah, Woodford Square).

Open space is any public lot of land that is not fully developed and to which the public had access too:

Green space: parks, community gardens, and cemeteries.
Schoolyards
Playgrounds
Public seating areas
Public plaza
Vacant lots

But green spaces with lawn and trees are quite limited in urban areas. With increasing development and growth of business, industries and residential areas there is the associated loss of green space and fragmentation. Public and private organizations have placed less interest and importance on public space and to them it is seen as unnecessary and can be used for economic gain.

In the article titled : The Future of Public Spaces: Beyond Invented Streets and Reinvented Places, author Tridib Banerjee explains that public space is becoming less available and of more concern within the past few years. While many trees and green areas are destroyed to accommodate new infrastructure, concern is now being placed on the lack of green space. The decrease in public space is directly linked to changes with respect to political, economic and technological factors. Though much open green space cannot be found in the heart of urban areas, nearby residential areas as planned and designed with green spaces in mind.
There is a general decline in public space as population increases associated with urban growth especially in older cities, Banerjee explains, now these green spaces are mostly found in rich suburbs, which is often not open to the general public, as these areas are gated communities or high rise condominiums and apartments that owners only have access to.

The video below give a brief explanation on the