Waterside Birches
(Middlewood Locks, Salford, Manchester, July 2025)
#photography #streetphotography #urbanphotography #urbanwildlife #urbangreenspace #greenspace #trees #birch #waterbirds #canadagoose #canallock #canal #MiddlewoodLocksSalford #Salford #Manchester
It's impossible not to feel relaxed at Boulevard Park in Bellingham, with calming views across the bay and meandering paths and a boardwalk through the #urbangreenspace.
The 19-acre Gas Works Park in Seattle is built on reclaimed industrial land at a former coal gasification plant. The #urbangreenspace incorporates the plant's structures, incl the exhauster-compressor building. It's integrated into Seattle's trails & offers unrivalled views of the city.
Oh, the irony of spending all day in a windowless, mechanically ventilated conference room discussing research on the benefits of #urbangreenspace. These lift doors were as close to a park as I got today.
Between the return of winter and it being Friday the 13th, it was tempting to stay home today. Glad I didn't or I might have missed the spring colours in Victoria Embankment Gardens. #urbangreenspace
For years, I have watched the re-sodding dance in #BishopsPark. @hfcouncil fences off this eastern part of the #urbangreenspace, the grass is revived, the fences come down and almost immediately the grass is worn away.
St Thomas' Riverside Garden reminds me how beneficial for wellbeing #urbangreenspace connected to a hospital or other healthcare facility is. A turn around the gardens before and after an appointment always helps calm or de-stress me.
Designed my running route tonight so I'd pass the Peace Pagoda in #BatterseaPark. Next week is gonna be a bear, so trying to bank all the calmness I can from time in #urbangreenspace.
Spring is around the corner, but I'm not ready to say goodbye to winter, my favourite season. While the sun and the daffodils were out today, I enjoyed walking through the lovely "midwinter fire" shrubs (Cornus sanguinea). #urbangreenspace
Not gonna lie - the #urbangreenspace in the pedestrianised Gordon Square looks better on Google street view than it did today. Hoping Camden's adjacent trial public realm improvements enhance this section too.
Gates, railings, fences, etc., that enclosed #urbangreenspace have long fascinated me. I even wrote about these in my PhD thesis and a book chapter. As I passed through two very different gate styles today, I was reminded of the cultural weight these structures can carry.
I was going for a late-season blanket of snow, but a blanket of daffodils is not a bad runner up. #urbangreenspace
This wee #urbangreenspace is off the beaten (Thames) Path in Hammersmith. Tucked into the Queen Caroline estate, it goes unnoticed by many it seems.
Bernie Spain Gardens is a hidden gem hiding in plain sight!. I'm always amazed that this #urbangreenspace is not more crowded given it is in the heart of the Southbank. Owned, managed and maintained by Coin Street Community Builders. @coinstreet.bsky.social
St John's Churchyard is a community #urbangreenspace with a colourful history. Initially a field for grazing horses called Horselydown, the site has also been a fairground, yard for local militia, a burial ground, and a recreational space. It is managed by Potters Field Management Trust.
Have you ever noticed how many buildings, roads, neighbourhoods, subdivisions, etc. have park, green or garden in their name? I'd hoped this development, bordering on Wandsworth Park, would have more green infrastructure, thus being worthy of its name. #urbangreenspace
At Malet Street Garden today, I thought about one of my favourite #urbangreenspace quotes: "'Green space,’ of course, is not always perfectly green: sometimes it is a frozen grey or muddy brown or wintry white …. But it is ubiquitous even in the biggest city" (Clark & Jauhiainen, 2006: 2).
Person walking through the tree-lined meridian path in Mexico City.
Small meditation garden along the Amsterdam path in Mexico City. Off of the path there is a sign that says “Pause & Meditate”.
Hanging chair with big purple cushion, and bamboo stalks in the background (and an empty pond). This was in the tranquility garden inside of Parque México.
Bookshelf and trunk full of books under a big umbrella. This was in the tranquility garden inside of Parque México. People can borrow the books to read in the park.
Day 1 in Mexico City. Between the altitude and the poor air quality, I needed to take it slow. Fortunately, I was within walking distance of Parque México, and could walk via the Amsterdam circuit paths. So much #urbangreenspace! Also, all cities need tranquility #parks.
Woburn Square is the smallest of the Bloomsbury squares. This #urbangreenspace was bigger, but, like so many of London's green spaces, development reduced it. Still, it offers a calm place to relax and collect my thoughts on my way to lecture each Monday, even when nonstop rain leaves it a mud pit.
Along the Thames near Wandsworth Bridge is a Tidal planting project, associated with the Battersea Reach development.The project was designed to reintroduce native plant species and provide habitat for wildlife along the riverbank. #urbangreenspace
Holland Gardens in Merton was established as a public #urbangreenspace in 1929, when Lady Holland donated the site to the then-Wimbledon Council. The garden is on a sloping site, with views from the top over rose beds, lawn, playing fields & tennis courts. @mertoncouncil.bsky.social
Trees in a central London private garden give residents with a view of nature rather than a hectic car park. Sometimes aesthetics are the function of #urbangreenspace.
Grade II* listed Edwardes Square Gardens is a late-Georgian #urbangreenspace in Kensington. When the 3.5-acre space was laid out in 1818, its serpentine paths distinguished it from more formal gardens of the day.
Alas, this is a private garden, unless you live in Edwardes Square.
