One argument I haven’t read here yet is that you shouldn’t seal the ground at all, for reasons of ecological preservation, ground water conservation etc. That’s what killed the skatepark that was briefly on the table in my German suburb in ca 2000. They wanted to build a skatepark but couldnt get a permit to cover up the random field where it was to be. The last suggestion before the project died was to put a pyramid in the middle and have four narrow strips of brick run towards the four sides of it.
Guess every country has their own set of concerns.
Basically you could design an ecofriendly skatepark, for instance:
- collect rain water with special drains in bowls and recycle it to water the rest of the park during heat waves. You can even make it into an obstacle like the drain in the fountain at Flushing Meadows
- paint everything white so it will reflect almost all the heat back instead of absorbing it (like tarmac does i.e). This will not be easy on the eyes on sunny days, but great at night as you will need less lights, kind of like a full moon night
- incorporate as much grass, plants and trees as possible. Think of a Carlsbad High grass gap instead of stairs, or a tree next to a hip you can wallie it or something
- All sitting space could be grass too with some benches.
- Use solar power with batteries to power lights at night. Solar panels can be installed above some areas of the park. In theory you could even create a small covered/rainproof part. This will also reduce the reflection of the area.
Would be cool if someone designed a park like this. Since skateboarding is a CO2-neutral sport it could actually reduce the ecological footprint of (part of) a park, especially compared to a grassy field full of dog feces.
Topic: NYTimes: In Brooklyn a Fight Over Paving Over Parkland for Skateboarding (Read 4751 times)