Assessment

The Framework can be used for assessing the health promoting features of parks.
The assessment is based on ten key characteristics.
Each characteristic has been matched with some selected key indicators.

↓ download Appendix of Indicators (pdf)

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Characteristics

Connected green network & routes

Green streetscapes and routes

Variety of landscapes

Diversity of view
Naturalisation
Landscape features

Comfortable spaces

Facilities
Shaded spaces
Cleanliness
Places to sit

Fun spaces & activities 

Play equipment
Social Activities
Points of intrigue and / or fun (e.g. artwork, wildlife info, local facts, etc)

Reflects the locality

Influence
Features

Welcoming & inclusive

Active outreach
Inclusive design

Quiet & calm spaces

Quiet spaces
Low (traffic) noise
Tree canopy coverage

Active spaces

Gardening in parks
Physical exercise (non-sport)
Sports facilities

Open & communicated to all

Communication
Inclusive Wayfinding
Inclusive communication

Safe Spaces & Routes

Safe cycling access
Pedestrian safety
Street lighting

Indicators

1. Quantitative Assessment

The quantitative indicators are used to assess and score a park in a consistent & comparable manner.

The indicators are scored from a scale 0-3 based on an audit or knowledge of the park. You can use available data where it is possible but it not essential.

The overall score for each characteristic can be displayed on a spider diagram.

Quantitative Example

For example, after selecting the score for each indicator of safe space & route characteristic for healty parcs a table like below can be produced.

Characteristic	Indicator	Score (0)	1	2	3
Safe Spaces & Routes	Safe cycling access	There are no cycle paths connecting to the park, or cycle parking available nearby.	There are limited cycle paths (not well connected or well maintained) and there are no cycle parking.	There are some cycle paths connecting to the park and cycle parking at only one entrance.	There are multiple cycle paths connecting to the park and cycle parking available at every entrance.
Park spaces and routes near parks are safe, have good visibility and are well-lit at night.	Pedestian safety	There are no dedicated pedestrian crossing to the park.	Pedestrian crossings are limited, not visible or not well connected directly to the park entrances.	Pedestrian crossing is direct to the entrance and visible but only one entrance.	Each entrance has a direct and visible pedestrian crossing connecting to wider street network.
	Street lighting	No or very limited street lighting and none in the park.	Street lighting on approx. 50% connecting streets but lighting in park is limited or none.	Street lighting on all connecting streets but lighting in park is limited or none.	Street lighting on all connecting streets and throughout the park.
	Average score			2

Following the same process for all the characteristics you can produce an overview table like below and a spider diagram.

	Characteristics	Score
	Fun spaces & activities	2
	Variety of landscapes	2
	Welcoming & inclusive	1
	Quiet & calm spaces	2
	Reflects the locality	2
	Active spaces	3
	Safe spaces & routes	2
	Open & communicated to all	2
	Connected green networks & routes	1
	Comfortable spaces	3

2. Qualitative Assessment

The qualitative indicators provide a set of reflective questions to bring people together to discuss and develop a deeper understanding the characteristics of a space.

If appropriate, you can generate a numerical score through a participatory scoring process.

Reflective question

PUT AN EXAMPLE HERE

Characteristics	Score (0)	1	2	3
Fun spaces & activities
Variety of landscapes
Welcoming & inclusive
Quiet & calm spaces
Reflects the locality
Active spaces
Safe spaces & routes
Open & communicated to all
Connected green networks & routes
Comfortable spaces

Some things to remember

A zero score isn’t necessarily a negative because not all parks can be all things to all people.

You can develop your own indicators or pick and choose between the examples we have provided depending on the data sets, information or time available to you.

If you want to compare lots of park spaces in a wider neighbourhood area, then you might use the same indicators across them all to ensure to can assess each of your parks consistently

Or you might try to use the same indicators to assess the park over time or before and after a redevelopment.

Assessment

↓ download Appendix of Indicators (pdf)

Characteristics

Connected green network & routes

Green streetscapes and routes

Variety of landscapes

Diversity of view
Naturalisation
Landscape features

Comfortable spaces

Facilities
Shaded spaces
Cleanliness
Places to sit

Fun spaces & activities 

Play equipment
Social Activities
Points of intrigue and / or fun (e.g. artwork, wildlife info, local facts, etc)

Reflects the locality

Influence
Features

Welcoming & inclusive

Active outreach
Inclusive design

Quiet & calm spaces

Quiet spaces
Low (traffic) noise
Tree canopy coverage

Active spaces

Gardening in parks
Physical exercise (non-sport)
Sports facilities

Open & communicated to all

Communication
Inclusive Wayfinding
Inclusive communication

Safe Spaces & Routes

Safe cycling access
Pedestrian safety
Street lighting

Indicators

1. Quantitative Assessment

Quantitative Example

For example, after selecting the score for each indicator of safe space & route characteristic for healty parcs a table like below can be produced.

Characteristic	Indicator	Score (0)	1	2	3
Safe Spaces & Routes	Safe cycling access	There are no cycle paths connecting to the park, or cycle parking available nearby.	There are limited cycle paths (not well connected or well maintained) and there are no cycle parking.	There are some cycle paths connecting to the park and cycle parking at only one entrance.	There are multiple cycle paths connecting to the park and cycle parking available at every entrance.
Park spaces and routes near parks are safe, have good visibility and are well-lit at night.	Pedestian safety	There are no dedicated pedestrian crossing to the park.	Pedestrian crossings are limited, not visible or not well connected directly to the park entrances.	Pedestrian crossing is direct to the entrance and visible but only one entrance.	Each entrance has a direct and visible pedestrian crossing connecting to wider street network.
	Street lighting	No or very limited street lighting and none in the park.	Street lighting on approx. 50% connecting streets but lighting in park is limited or none.	Street lighting on all connecting streets but lighting in park is limited or none.	Street lighting on all connecting streets and throughout the park.
	Average score			2

Following the same process for all the characteristics you can produce an overview table like below and a spider diagram.

	Characteristics	Score
	Fun spaces & activities	2
	Variety of landscapes	2
	Welcoming & inclusive	1
	Quiet & calm spaces	2
	Reflects the locality	2
	Active spaces	3
	Safe spaces & routes	2
	Open & communicated to all	2
	Connected green networks & routes	1
	Comfortable spaces	3

2. Qualitative Assessment

Reflective question

PUT AN EXAMPLE HERE

Characteristics	Score (0)	1	2	3
Fun spaces & activities
Variety of landscapes
Welcoming & inclusive
Quiet & calm spaces
Reflects the locality
Active spaces
Safe spaces & routes
Open & communicated to all
Connected green networks & routes
Comfortable spaces

Some things to remember

A zero score isn’t necessarily a negative because not all parks can be all things to all people.

You can develop your own indicators or pick and choose between the examples we have provided depending on the data sets, information or time available to you.

If you want to compare lots of park spaces in a wider neighbourhood area, then you might use the same indicators across them all to ensure to can assess each of your parks consistently

Or you might try to use the same indicators to assess the park over time or before and after a redevelopment.

The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 2000

Click here to view a copy of this license.

The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 2000

Click here to view a copy of this license.

Assessment

Characteristics

Connected green network & routes

Green streetscapes and routes

Variety of landscapes

Diversity of viewNaturalisationLandscape features

Comfortable spaces​

FacilitiesShaded spacesCleanlinessPlaces to sit

Fun spaces & activities

Play equipmentSocial ActivitiesPoints of intrigue and / or fun (e.g. artwork, wildlife info, local facts, etc)

Reflects the locality

InfluenceFeatures

Welcoming & inclusive

Active outreachInclusive design

Quiet & calm spaces

Quiet spacesLow (traffic) noiseTree canopy coverage

Active spaces

Gardening in parksPhysical exercise (non-sport)Sports facilities

Open & communicated to all

CommunicationInclusive WayfindingInclusive communication

Safe Spaces & Routes

Safe cycling access​Pedestrian safetyStreet lighting ​

Indicators

1. Quantitative Assessment

Quantitative Example

2. Qualitative Assessment

Reflective question

Some things to remember

Assessment

Characteristics

Connected green network & routes

Green streetscapes and routes

Variety of landscapes

Diversity of viewNaturalisationLandscape features

Comfortable spaces​

FacilitiesShaded spacesCleanlinessPlaces to sit

Fun spaces & activities

Play equipmentSocial ActivitiesPoints of intrigue and / or fun (e.g. artwork, wildlife info, local facts, etc)

Reflects the locality

InfluenceFeatures

Welcoming & inclusive

Active outreachInclusive design

Quiet & calm spaces

Quiet spacesLow (traffic) noiseTree canopy coverage

Active spaces

Gardening in parksPhysical exercise (non-sport)Sports facilities

Open & communicated to all

CommunicationInclusive WayfindingInclusive communication

Safe Spaces & Routes

Safe cycling access​Pedestrian safetyStreet lighting ​

Indicators

1. Quantitative Assessment

Quantitative Example

2. Qualitative Assessment

Reflective question

Some things to remember

The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 2000

The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 2000

Diversity of view
Naturalisation
Landscape features

Comfortable spaces

Facilities
Shaded spaces
Cleanliness
Places to sit

Fun spaces & activities 

Play equipment
Social Activities
Points of intrigue and / or fun (e.g. artwork, wildlife info, local facts, etc)

Reflects the locality

Influence
Features

Active outreach
Inclusive design

Quiet spaces
Low (traffic) noise
Tree canopy coverage

Gardening in parks
Physical exercise (non-sport)
Sports facilities

Communication
Inclusive Wayfinding
Inclusive communication

Safe cycling access
Pedestrian safety
Street lighting

Diversity of view
Naturalisation
Landscape features

Comfortable spaces

Facilities
Shaded spaces
Cleanliness
Places to sit

Fun spaces & activities 

Play equipment
Social Activities
Points of intrigue and / or fun (e.g. artwork, wildlife info, local facts, etc)

Reflects the locality

Influence
Features

Active outreach
Inclusive design

Quiet spaces
Low (traffic) noise
Tree canopy coverage

Gardening in parks
Physical exercise (non-sport)
Sports facilities

Communication
Inclusive Wayfinding
Inclusive communication

Safe cycling access
Pedestrian safety
Street lighting