| This thesis will study the resident's perceptions of a community park in the new urbanism community of Mt Laurel, Alabama by evaluating the thirteen principles established by William Hollingsworth Whyte for creating successful urban parks. The thirteen principles are: (1) The parks proximity/relationship to the street; (2) Location of the sidewalks to the street; (3) Its ability to consistently sustain a constant flow of people through its boundaries; (4) Its amount of defined spaces rather than large open spaces; (5) Its amount of sitable space, in terms of ledges, steps, planters, chairs etc.; (6) The parks sense of security among its users; (7) The incorporation of water features within the parks boundaries; (8) The extent of tree canopies within the park for shading purposes; (9) The availability of food concessions; (10) The parks number of waste receptacles; (11) Routine performers; (12) Outdoor cafes in the park; (13) Occasional art and music exhibits.;Keywords: New Urbansim, Public Open Space, Urban Parks, Suburban Parks, Conventional Subdivision Planning, Urban Sprawl, William Hollingsworth Whyte... |