Urban Parks Essay

In the essay, “A Literature of Place”, Barry Lopez expresses the importance of nature as it applies to human life. Through this he states that humans’ imagination are inspired by the scenery around them. Lopez revolves around a central perspective; Ancient american literature has always been rooted in nature. By acknowledging that modern human identity has been interpreted by nature, Lopez describes how the landscape of an area can shape the structure of the communities and how it can help with spiritual collapse. Nature writing has often been summarised by being one of the oldest threads in american literature. With our nation's aging one needs to reflect on their literary past; therefore, Lopez insists that we find our path to nature that

The two models of urban recreation were New York’s Central Park and Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Both played a major role of how Coney Island was created because Kasson states “the two projects represented a broad common effort: to provide cultural leadership for an urban industrial society; to present a model of social order, cohesion, and tranquility for fractious people;” (pg. 11). Frederick Law Olmsted was the designer for both New York Central Park and Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of

Rebecca Solnit’s Walking and the Suburbanized Psyche stresses her concerns about the suburban wave that has plagued the world in recent times. According to her, the mind, the body, and the world have a special bond that is being vanquished by the lack of recreational walking. In the eighteenth century, there was a “golden era” for walking because recent accommodations made it possible for the general public to enjoy the untamed nature all around them. This era was short-lived, as suburbs rose to popularity so did their unorthodox labyrinths which made walking simple distances nearly impossible to the public. The reason why walking in nature is important, Solnit shares, is because it allows the mind to flow freely without the corruption of everyday obstacles that the suburbs brought. She explains that in order for the mind to avoid being molded into a sterile dull thing, it must imagine in nature. If we do not continue to walk, the history we have with walking will diminish as will the special bond our ancestors cherished so dearly. Without it, Solnit fears that we will no longer be able to produce such things, however, in recent times walking is not a luxury many can do. I disagree because society has changed to the point where walking is not only a rarity but also a threat to many.

Or, was it because the parkways were considered to be another factor adding to the congestion in the city? Or, the financial concerns of the project were immensely overwhelming for it be turned down by the developers? Nonetheless, Hise and Deverell do show us the positive side of this inhumane corrupt elite behavior of the developers and political entrepreneurs and that they did struggle to improve the urban environment. This book explains essentially where we are today in the Los Angeles and such cities which lack the presence of usable parks, ironically by centering on what to avoid and what actually didn't happen. To complete it, I would say it is strange that even today, many of the same issues that beleaguered us about a century ago, still hang

Numerous films have set Central Park as the backdrop of their stories not because of glitz and glamor, but because of the coordination of all things so ordinary they don't distract from the story and the presentation of something so extraordinary the audience feels an air of joy and importance without realizing the genius of Central Park's simplicity. Plenty of iconic pieces of Americana like farming, mainstream jazz, and the white picket fence have come and gone but the sustainability of Central Park's display of equality, care in environmentally based effects on ambiance, and protection of parkgoers' emotional wellbeing will surely stand the test of time for many years to

The purpose of this paper is to highlight how Robert Hammond and Josh David’s visionary idea transformed an unused, abandoned railroad line into a spectacular green space in the sky –New York’s High Line. Hammond and David were locals who believed that tearing down the railroad line was not a good idea. Meanwhile other people in the community, including property owners and Mayor Giuliani wanted the unused railroad demolished. With the help of photographer Joel Sternfeld who captured the abandoned railroad line’s overgrown greenery and fields of wildflowers that changed with the seasons, they were able to get people to recognize that this was a green space in New York city that was worth keeping.

Parks are “crumbling, with pothole­pocked roads and outdated visitors centers” (Egan and Egan). In addition, due to a lack of funds, there is not enough money to “purchase private properties within parks...to prevent development by private buyers” (Bilmes and Loomis). Steadily, Americans will lose these treasured lands and their artifacts. What is now preserved for a glimpse into the past, will soon be “ravaged by wholesale oil and gas development” if no more funds are provided (Thompson). If Americans wish for their posterity to witness these natural doorways to the past, if Americans wish for the future to not forget the wonders of the past, then a boost in funding is imperative.

I will be reviewing Edward Abbey’s memoir during his time spent in southern Utah. In his book, Desert Solitaire, Abbey illustrates how the Arches National Monument evolves throughout time and including the time he spends there working as a park ranger and observing the change throughout his adventures. The two thematic concepts I will be incorporating onto his memoir are the urbanization and development lenses. Throughout his memoir, Abbey ties in many thematic concepts to each other, but only addressing to these two lenses will give a better description. Thus both urbanization and development do play a role in the main point Abbey portrays in Desert Solitaire. In the beginning of his memoir, Abbey shares his own opinion, in which he uses to give a very descriptive explanation on why urbanization and development are both hazardous but also carry benefits to places like Arches Mountains. Abbey gets his point down and uses his time in Utah to back up his argument.

Since the early 1920s to the 1970s, there has been a debate regarding the perceptions and standards by which national parks should be established and limiting the expansion of national parks, limiting access for people living in urban areas and threatening open spaces due to urban sprawl and over population. Gradually traditional perceptions gave way to the preservationists’ viewpoints which redefined and gradually expanded federal definition of national parks. This was to include areas that may not be extraordinarily scenic but still required environmental protection or allowed recreational access for urban citizens, allowing for expansion and more funding.

In the center of this intersections situates a triangular grassy space. It is a dead-zone, a void that has no functionality other than to be used as a medium for pedestrian crossing. It is not a third space, because no one wants to converse on its grounds; it is not a recreational space, because the space is not welcoming. It is too loud from the surrounding traffic. The space is too small for comfortable gathering, too transparent, and too inaccessible. There is opportunity for development on this land, but the lack of amenities in the surround area means that it will never be as popular as a courtyard plaza or a

Imagine a city that has just over 1 million people living in it; by today’s standards that is a small city. Imagine New York City in the mid-1800s having this population size. This was one of the biggest cities on the east coast of the United States of America. It was growing in both size and value; but as the city grew the natural environment shrink. And in today’s New York City with its 8.5 million citizens the only green that is left in the city are manmade parks ("Immigrant and Foreign Population"). Olmstead, who created all 842 acres of central park, had amazing foresight into what the city would become. He preserved by recreating the environment that millions of people take for granted today. These hundreds and hundreds of green acres

In the American National Park System, there are 407 locations covering more than 84 million acres of land, they all have a passion for caring for the nation's nature and sharing their stories. One of the purposes of the National Park System is to honor the on-going serenity, union and compassion between nations.The National Park System has come a long way

A Boston Case Study, much evidence has found that the increase in tree canopy distribution not only provides a foundation for conservation and preservation in an ecological sense, but it is also pleasing in aesthetic, social, and even cultural ways (Danford, et al., 2014). In another article titled Street and park trees of Boston: a comparison of urban forest structure the authors evaluate a tree canopy in relation to wildlife habitat management and a way for animals to migrate through cities (Welch, 2002). For many decades the improvement of underprivileged neighborhoods was looked at solely from an ecological and environmentally accommodating perspective. In the past ten to fifteen years the tide has turned and ecological endeavors may be

The research article selected for this critical deconstruction is Managing urban parks for a racially and ethnically diverse clientele, by P.H. Gobster, published in 2002 by the journal Leisure Sciences. Chosen for both its relevance to the question of the greenspace needs and preferences associated with urban communities of increasing density and diversity, as well as its academic quality, it is intended that the analysis of the article informs the development of a future research proposal.

National parks signify the beauty and compassion of our national heritage through nature and wildlife. National Parks also deliver other invaluable economic, social, cultural and health benefits. With many people traveling yearly, there is always going to be someone new telling you to go to this way cool national park they visited during their vacation. The generations that follow us should know the importance of wanting to explore and appreciate nature around them and why there are parks dedicated and protected to them. Nature should be experienced through a kind and peaceful manner, so that everyone can enjoy. National parks have been woven into American society since the mid-1800s, and have been enjoyed and loved ever since.