The Associació de Veïns de la Massana de Salt has promoted a study on the nocturnal degradation of the parc de la Massana, a report that places the focus on the lack of lighting, deficient maintenance and the presence of incivility as main factors of deterioration of the space when night falls.
The work, prepared by the Girona-based consultancy Asecrim, applies CPTED criteria, oriented towards crime prevention through environmental design. The analysis concludes that the park presents a clear duality between day and night, with a normalized neighborhood use during daylight hours and a change of scenery from late evening/night.
A park with two realities
During the day, the Massana park functions, according to the study, correctly, with the presence of families, children and neighborhood activity. That pattern changes at night. The report detects low natural nocturnal surveillance, insufficient lighting and a feeling of abandonment and dirt, elements that affect the perception of safety and the daily use of the environment.
"Due to lack of maintenance of the space, because it is a poorly lit space and because people who carry out activities that are not those that should be destined for the park gather there, it is a space that is degrading" - Daniel Bruns, head of the study
The document attributes that nocturnal degradation above all to three factors. The scarce lighting in accesses and routes. The deficient state of conservation. And the concentration of uncivil behaviors in a space that, during the day, has a very different use profile.
Direct observation and neighborhood participation
The study has been developed in several work phases. Among them, the direct observation of the park at different time slots, with the objective of comparing dynamics and uses of the space according to the time of day. Also, a security exploratory walk was carried out with neighborhood participation to collect perceptions, complaints, and demands.
The process also incorporated a workshop with children from the neighborhood to find out how they would want this space to be. In that section, Daniel Bruns points out that many minors conveyed the feeling that the park is a disconnected place for them, a perception that the report incorporates into the general diagnosis.
The measures that the report proposes
Among the proposals gathered in the study is the need to reinforce the identity and territoriality of the park, with interventions designed to improve both the perceived security and the functionality of the enclosure.
- Integral improvement of lighting in accesses and routes
- Structural pruning to eliminate blind spots
- Renovation and relocation of the children's area
- Construction of a sports court
- Reinforcement of maintenance and signage
The stated objective by the promoters of the report is to transfer these conclusions to the Salt City Council so that they can be taken into account in future actions in the La Massana park. Despite this, municipal sources assure that the council has not received the study, so for the moment there is no official assessment of the document or of the proposed measures.