However, within most cities today, there is a lack of high quality open space. This is a legacy from the past as a low priority has been placed on the provision of open space. The predominant form of open space within urban areas today takes the form of municipal parks with closely mown grass areas, borders of carefully kept flowers, and duck ponds, designed for promenading and gentle exercise, rather than as a location where escape from urban life is possible and where the natural environment can be experienced. This situation was reinforced by the post-war redevelopment of cities whore the pervading culture was one of concrete structures and short grass. To gain access to natural space, people are forced to travel further, whether it is to Country Parks located on the outskirts of cities, or even further into the countryside.
Evidence indicates that people want access to wildspace within their daily lives.
These natural areas are locations in which people are able to escape from the rigours of urban life, whereas the formal and structured nature of public parks fail to provide this by being merely an extension of the rigid formality imposed by urban space. The parks in Milton Keynes have been so successful that people are actually travelling into the city from the surrounding countryside to make use of the extensive network of parkland. This reversal of the natural trend to flee the city in search of countryside demonstrates that where high quality wildspace is provided it will receive considerable use and be highly valued. Further to this, direct and easy access to a local landscape which is alive and vibrant is crucial to the physical and mental health of the urban population. Whilst Milton Keynes is an exception in terms of being a highly planned development which gave a high level of priority to providing a healthy living environment for its population, it shows the direction in which we should be striving to move, and clearly reveals that the provision of such open space can contribute to achieving a sustainable countryside.