Exploring the Public Parks in Chennai

A public park is generally described as a green space used for relaxation, playing and entertainment. It provides an immediate sense of relief from the busy and bustling city life. Green spaces instantly give a calm and pleasant feeling and hence very important in an urban environment. Similar to malls and beaches, public parks are also perceived as places where people from all walks of life can come to relax and rejuvenate themselves. The lush greenery, landscaping, the quiet ambience, chirping of the birds make a harmonious combination.

Apart from being a place of entertainment and social gathering, they also provide many benefits like improving air quality, urban heat reduction, biodiversity conservation etc. It is mandatory to include green spaces in an urban fabric to increase the vitality and exuberance of that space.

Chennai has got many public parks that contributes to the green heritage of the city. Some of the well-known public parks in Chennai are Semmozhi Poonga (Teynampet), Kalaignar Centenary park (Gopalapuram), Senganthal Poonga (Gopalapuram), Anna Nagar Tower park (Anna Nagar), Chetpet Eco park (Kilpauk), Secretariat Park (Fort St. George), Natesan Park (Theagaraya Nagar), Panagal Park (Theagaraya Nagar), Jeeva Park (Theagaraya Nagar), Tholkappia Poonga or Adyar Eco-Park (Raja Annamalai Puram), May Day Park (Chintadripet), Sivan Park (K.K.Nagar), Thiru Vi Ka Park (Shenoy Nagar), My Ladye's Park (Periamet) etc.

The one which I have visited the most is the Semmozhi Poonga in Teynampet, the word Semmozhi denotes the Tamil language due to its ancient origin, rich literature and deep-rooted cultural significance. As we read through history, public parks have also played an important role in the culture and civilisation of a place.

Semmozhi Poonga is located along the Cathedral Road stretch, providing the visitors an easy access into the park. The park is one of the important landmarks in that area and creates a place of calmness and lush greenery (Image 1) among the busy city traffic. The entrance to the parks has green walls with vertical arrangement of plants and top portion has the name Semmozhi Poonga written in the ancient Tamil text writing style.

The landscaping design and the plant collections of the park provide a natural environment for nature lovers and plant enthusiasts in the city. The park is divided into various seven themed gardens such as the Bonsai Garden, Bamboo Garden, Herbal Garden, Rock Garden, Shade Garden, Butterfly Garden and Aroma Garden. My most favourite is the Bonsai Garden which has plant miniatures arranged around a seating area. The exposed brick work of the rectangular arches and the vegetation around give sense of calm and organic aesthetics to the park (Image 2).

Image 1: View of the lush greenery inside Semmozhi Poonga.

Image 2: Arches made of exposed brick work inside Semmozhi Poonga.

Other elements like the water fountains, well-paved pathways, hardscapes, park furniture, light fixtures, seating spaces, amphitheatre make the place more user friendly and the pond located in the park acts as the water feature and provides a natural cooling to the place. The park has many tall trees with wide spreading canopies providing shade and comfort to the visitors of the park and the vibrancy of the various species of flora makes the place colourful and attractive. The play area located for kids in the park helps parents to keep the kids engaged while taking a stroll around the park. The green and picturesque views excite the visitors to take many photos and videos around the park.

The park has also been used for other activities like photoshoots, movie shootings, short film shootings, horticulture business at the entrance, flower shows etc and the flower shows, where the plants are creatively sculpted into various colourful sculptures create a creative streak in this park.

Hence, a public park is an essential infrastructure and one major concern when constructing a public park is that it should be located and designed with inclusivity in mind, it should consider access to elderly, children and disabled people etc. A park for all approach should be considered and it should be located within a walkable distance in a residential area to enable people to visit the park and spend time at their convenience. Small parklets can also be planned in urban spaces as tactical urbanism and this will also contribute towards more greenery and sustainable city planning.

Humans and Human interactions are the core and fundamental of any community and the feeling of being included increases the affinity towards the community. Hence, the public parks must be located within an accessible distance from the residential area so that everyone can access them, make use of them and feel included in the neighbourhood. This also helps in incorporating green spaces at regular intervals in the urban space.

Let us imagine a city where every neighbourhood has a public park to relax, rejuvenate and make evergreen memories.

About the Author:

Krithikaa Kathirvel is an Architect and Urban Planner. She completed her Master degree in Urban Planning and Design in Singapore. She is fond of research and writing about Urban related topics. Having been born and brought up in Chennai she has always had many aspirations for the city since her young age.

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