This document discusses how obsolete landfill sites in Cardiff, Wales could be integrated into the city's network of parks. It notes that landfill sites are substantial areas that can provide insights into a city and its growth. The author explores transforming Cardiff's landfill sites similar to how New York City converted its Freshkills Landfill into parkland. The document recommends linking Cardiff's major parks with smaller green spaces to create a structured network of green linkages that improves accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. This "finger plan" would help define a clear vision and structure for the city's future development.

1. Post Industrial Landscapes
The Parks of the Forgotten Land
Marga Munar Bauzá

2. This research started with an interest in how obsolete landfills could be
integrated as part of the layer of the structure of city parks.

3. Landfills have a determined life span defined by their size and the rhythm
with which they are filled in.

4. Until recent times, city landfill sites have been a measure of the size of
that city, the type of society and the amount of activities happening there.

5. Therefore landfills are elements capable of being used to measure and
understand a city and its society. Most cities have an area identified as
landfill and in most cases, these areas are substantial
Freshkills Landfill site in New York when operational

6. I wanted to explore how the landfills in Cardiff could be integrated as
part of the network of parks and how this could be a great opportunity to
give a clear structure to the city of Cardiff.
Freshkills Landfill site in New York – the transition to parkland

7. Freshkills Landfill site in New York – the landscape masterplan

8. Growth associated with the Industrial Revolution created a public health
crisis in our cities. As a result, service infrastructures were introduced
which in turn affected the structures of cities.
Sewers Map of London in 1930 – an alternate map of the City

9. At the same time as hidden infrastructure projects were transforming
public health, there started to be a recognition for the need for more
visible “lungs” in the city, as people such as Haussmann (Paris), Cerda
(Barcelona), and Semper (Vienna) recognised.

10. Now we are facing the dual challenges of dwindling resources and climate change, which
will impact on the design of buildings and city infrastructures.
This paper tries to explore how one particular structure of the city can be set, and how in
this specific case study we can define the way we read and understand the city.

11. Cardiff is revising the 1996 Local Plan. The vision for the city has also been
revised and already agreed. T he vision is:
“To ensure Cardiff is a world class European capital city with an
exceptional quality of life and at the heart of a competitive city region.”
This is general and could fit many medium sized cities in Europe. A vision
inspires to celebrate, encourage and reinforce the uniqueness, the essence
of a place - To make the city distinctive in relation to other competitors
cities.
Nowadays this is not easy as most cities are driven by commercial interests
and it is nearly impossible to avoid the globalised image.

13. If we ask citizens and visitors of Cardiff; what defines Cardiff? They will respond that
Cardiff is defined by its centres. Each of them with its own role, scale, aesthetics and
principles.

15. For others Cardiff may be defined as a city with small centres and big neighbourhoods.
This will be the view of some academics and planners working in the local authority.

16. For others Cardiff may be defined as a city with small centres and big
neighbourhoods. This will be the view of some academics and planners
working in the local authority.

17. Big neighbourhoods, small city centres

18. Though most people will agree that the best assets of the city in conjunction with its
arcades are its big, medium and small parks.

19. >10% of Cardiff is dedicated to parks or green spaces
Currently has more than 137 parks

20. The parks are relatively new phenomena in cities. In Britain parks were
encouraged with the 1848 Public Health Act. Cardiff has gone through a
long and onerous journey in order to acquire land for parks, create them
and maintain them. The parks reflect the big effort of the citizens and some
benefactors of the Industrial times. The parks are a consequence of the
Industrial time and the crowded city where citizens had the need for space
the breath and distress in clean environments.
•Cathays Park, 2.5 hectares, 1928
•Bute Park (different phases): 1873, 1901 as a private garden to the castle.
•Cathays Cemetery; at least at 1925
•Roath Park; 1887, marquis of Bute, opened in 1894, 130 acres (0.53 Km2)
•Heath Park; 1960s, 37 hectares
•Thompson Park
•Wern Gorch Park
•Victoria Park, 1897, 20 acres
•Barrage; developed 1990s, opened in 2001
•Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, 8 hectares, 19.8 acres, 2002
•Thompson’s Park, after 1970s
•Howardian Local Nature Reserve, 32 acres (13 hectares), ~ 1989. It was a refuse tip in the 1970s, large
proportion of the site was a landfill site.

21. It is interesting to see the correlation of the introduction of parks in the city of Cardiff
related to the growth of the population. Some councillors have expressed their concerns
about the provision of green open space in relation to expected growth of population. This
needs to be considered with the cost of maintenance of green areas. . Now the parks can
offer a healthy, comfortable and exacting life style to its citizens and help to reduce the
CO2 emissions.
1848 Public Health Act
1891 First Parks
Superintendant

22. The WAG “Strategy for Sport and
physical activity - Climbing Higher”
indicates a commitment that no one
should live more than a six minute
walk (approx 300m) from their
nearest green space. This exceeds the
standards established in the Urban
Task Force. Cardiff is close to
achieving this aspiration, which
shows the big commitment to and
recognition of green space in Cardiff.
Footfall; catchment area. 10 to 15 minutes walk
Demographics
Facilities, open space, retail,

23. It is not easy to move through the city just by using green spaces. The axial direction works
well, however the radial direction is often fragmented.

24. Therefore there is an opportunity of linking the big major structural parks of the city with
the smaller open spaces to create different degrees of green linkages.
As part of the structure of green spaces, the current landfill of Cardiff should be
incorporated. Part of it has already been identified as green space. Though it is not link or
part of a structure. To get the most a green area is that it is supported with other
structures and preferably with residential.
Environment
Agency Mapping
showing historic
landfill sites

25. Cardiff has already transformed some of the historic landfills into
parks, such as part of Roath Park (Roath Rec) and more recently
Grangemore, near Grangetown.

26. It is proposed that the parks are a fundamental element of the city and
become the structural elements. The entire city could be understood in
relation to the parks. The new areas for development will take into
consideration this parameter. Therefore we are after a layer of city capable
to organise and structure the city. For this the parks need to work as
individual elements but also as part of a whole (all the parks together).
During recessionary times the city cannot contemplate large interventions
which imply great expenditure of money. It needs to be the “little by little”
intervention that will make the big and strong structure. Other things to
consider:
1. Make it work for the users: Pedestrians and cyclists;
2. With adding little interventions making the whole;
3. Keep down the management cost of open spaces and parks;
4. Involve the citizens: Ask them to take responsibility and give them rights.

27. The green spaces at present are like fingers entering the city and reaching
all its different parts. This is very similar to a well-known abstraction of
urban growth in Copenhagen, but inverted:
The “Finger Plan” for Copenhagen was introduced in 1948, and it has since formed an
important basis for all further development. Train and bus lines service the “fingers” both
radial and concentrical, and the inhabitants are assured short distances to the green
structures between the “fingers”

28. The fingers will culminate with anchors (parks) of certain importance and with a more
public character. These parks also could be understood as the interfaces between more
public and commercial areas and the intimate residential areas.

29. Other smaller parks should be identified that interact with the anchor parks. The lines will
help to form a grid. This will be a distorted grid to adapt to existing situations as much as
possible.

30. Therefore the linkages have great importance and all should be designed in relation to the
contextual requirements. This means that the linkages should be studied in relation to
what they link; which degree of linkage.
Linking units to a local park. These links should be suitable for pedestrian and cyclists.

31. Linking unit parks to an anchor park. Where possible the infrastructure for pedestrian and
cyclist should be improved. If a dedicated lane cannot be provided the speed road should
be controlled to 30/20 m/h max.

33. Advantages of this proposal:
• Create a clear structure for the city;
• Embrace a clear vision defining a loose way of establishing a criterion
to identify development sites;
• Promote neighbourhood areas making them stronger;
• Enhance the sense of community through a way of living;
• Develop a sense of belonging at different scales and with this a sense
of respect for the environment;
• Integrate cycle routes as part of the urban fabric from residential areas
to the city centre.

35. The above strategies will help to set up a series of guidance that can be
presented to the City Council.
The strategies won’t be developed in detail as it can take a long time to
develop and should be done in a piece-meal fashion. The guidance should
Views of Cardiff
set up the principles and aims with a direction but be open to alteration
and adaptation to social, economic and political changes and also to
accommodate any contextual singularities for any area. (contextual means
physical, social, economic, historic and political).