Parks, Recreation and Open Space. (Books).Parks, Recreation and Open Space: A Twenty-first Century Agenda by Alexander Garvin Alexander Garvin is a noted American urban planner, educator, and author. He is currently in private practice at Alexander Garvin & Associates in New York City and also an adjunct professor at Yale's School of Architecture. , American Planning Association The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of city and regional planning in the United States. The APA was formed in 1978 when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Planners and the American , Chicago, Ill., 2001. 72 pages, $34, softcover. To order call (312) 786-6344. Parks and open space are community cornerstones. This report tracks the changes in U. S. society from the mid-1800s to the present by following the building of parks in cities and states, as well as the additional time working families have for recreation. This informative volume discusses the duties of government (acquisition, financing, creation, development and maintenance) in providing parks and recreational opportunities. The author explains the role that Frederick Law Olmstead played in designing parks and landscape settings across the country--from Central Park in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. to Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park (yōsĕm`ĭtē), 761,266 acres (308,205 hectares), E central Calif.; est. 1890 as a result of the efforts of conservationist John Muir. Located in the Sierra Nevada, it is a glacier-scoured area of great beauty; Mt. in California. Olmstead's projects included public parks, playgrounds, boulevards and parkways, park systems, conservation, and suburban subdivisions. He also pioneered the nation's first effort at scientific forest management. Olmstead, his partners, his son and his stepson step·son n. A spouse's son by a previous union. stepson Noun a son of one's husband or wife by an earlier relationship Noun 1. were involved in 5,500 projects, including 650 parks and recreation areas, 900 private estates and 270 subdivisions and planned communities from 1872 until 1950. As Garvin points out, parks began in the 19th century to increase the value of nearby property, create jobs, improve neighborhoods and provide protected habitat for plants and animals Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, comprised of guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque, and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woodley.[1] They are signed to Secret City Records. . These goals still hold true today. However, as the author points out, parks need to change and update to meet the evolving needs of users and the community. He suggests involving the community in both decision making about recreational needs and providing financial and sweat equity Sweat Equity The equity that is created in a company or some other asset as a direct result of hard work by the owner(s). Notes: For example, rebuilding the engine on your 1968 Mustang to increase its value. support for specific projects. Garvin uses several case studies of redeveloped parks throughout the United States to illustrate how revitalized parks can provide new recreational opportunities for residents and nearby office workers while upgrading neighborhood values. These parks range from island gardens created in traffic circles and rights-of-way to sports complexes built on old waterfronts and brownfields to older, crime infested in·fest tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests 1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: facilities renovated after falling into disuse dis·use n. The state of not being used or of being no longer in use. disuse Noun the state of being neglected or no longer used; neglect Noun 1. from limited maintenance. He also provides ideas about expanding funding for parks and open space by creating business improvement districts, land trusts and nonprofit foundations, earmarking  It has been suggested that some sections of this article be split into a new article entitled Earmark (USA). sales and real estate taxes, and
establishing separate taxing districts.
The author criticizes reliance on private developers to provide 'open' space that can be used only by residents of gated communities. He argues that open space isn't public space if the majority of the public is excluded. Garvin believes more can be done from a policy perspective to ensure that the public benefits from common open space. He maintains that government has a strong stewardship responsibility toward parks and open space. He proposes an agenda for government to: * Update facilities to respond to changing public demand. * Manage the public resources efficiently and economically. * Renovate and redevelop publicly owned property for public use. * Reclaim abandoned property (brownfields) for public use. * Combine recreation with other public uses. * Make more effective use of open space in public projects. As states and local governments consider land use issues--such as sprawl and growth management, brownfields redevelopment, urban economic development, and how to improve the environment for their constituents--this report provides ideas about what can work to meet resident needs while improving the value of the surrounding neighborhood. |
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