Wilderness for leisure activities

New wilderness in the peri-urban landscape can offer places for different leisure activities. These are different from commercial leisure activities as they offer the visitor a contemplative perspective on nature. From this per­spective, the lack of any obvious design in the new wilderness equals a lack of information. On the other hand, this lack produces relaxation, which is a rare quality today because of the increasing information density in our environment (e. g. computer work and media).

However there are also active leisure activities which new wilderness can offer. It may provide space for “wild” activities that cannot be toler­ated in urban parks (e. g. moto-cross or mountain biking). For this reason, new wilderness areas should not only be ecological sanctuaries but should be accessible to the public. At least some of them should be dedicated to “wilder activities”. To curtail vandalism and littering, these areas need management including design goals, social controls and maintenance.

Updated: October 17, 2015 — 8:19 am