Csepely-Knorr Luca: Barren Places to Public Spaces. A History of Publick Park Design in Budapest 1867-1914 (Budapest, 2016)
Public Parks and Public Park design in the Second Half of the 19th Century
A short overview of the evolution of public park design In Britain, the urban green spaces, both the smaller and the bigger ones, also served the interests of property development, as these were seen as features raising the value of the properties around them. The creation of closed, smaller green spaces in cities - which were called squares - started in the 18th century, and served as an example in many European capitals. The ‘square’ included a small green space, enclosed by a fence, and with noble buildings around it. The small gardens were only accessible to the residents living in the square, and was not open to the general public.102 The first major city development project, combining property development - the creation of a noble living environment with villas - and park design was Regent’s Park, designed by John Nash.103 Although it is often deemed the first public park, it was not initially open to the general public and was a transitional solution between the opened Royal Gardens and real public parks. However, the financial solution which made its establishment possible remained an example. Parliament decided to build Regent’s Park for the use of the public in 1811.104 The investment did not follow previous traditions, and the main goal was to find the best financial solution for the development of what was then still a crown estate. The Prince Regent - later George IV - wanted to create a property development project on his land.105 The original idea was to create a high-profile living environment for middle-class citizens - industrialists, financiers - who had to live in the city, but had high demands for a living environment similar to the upper classes, with their own garden, but couldn’t achieve this in the city centre areas of London.106 The design consisted of a large park, surrounded by detached and semi-detached buildings overlooking the park, which were placed next to a circular drive. The buildings had direct access to the park, both visually and physically. John Nash, Plan of Regent's Park in London, 1813 / HU MNL-OL S 68 XIII. No. SO 29
