Letter from the Editorial Team
LETTERS
/ BSLA
Letter from the Editorial Team
Parks are the visual cornerstone of landscape architecture . After all , this was how Frederick Law Olmsted got started : make an outdoor space look good and be enjoyable for all citizens .
In the past 100 + years , landscape architects have brought parks to homes , businesses , and academic campuses . What constitutes or defines a park has expanded , and now almost defies having a single definition .
It is easy ( and sometimes surprising ) to see the expansions of definitions to include parks for people-watching , parks for equestrian activities , and parks for enjoyment of nature ( even if that “ nature ” was an artificial construct of “ wilderness ”). Now we are regularly seeing interactive water features , solar powered and Internet-connected trash cans , and parks with their own Facebook pages . Looking forward , we see benches that count visitors and measure rainfall as well as adaptive lighting effects , not just light poles . We see more native plantings , less hands-on maintenance , and more social activities .
There are parks for healing and for burning calories ; for quiet reflection and skateboarding ; for children , for dogs , and for seniors . There are parks that have changed the surrounding community or altered how the community socializes . Parks are managed by the federal government , states , counties , cities and towns ; by professionals and by amateurs ; by staff and by volunteers . In some , nature prevails and , elsewhere , installed hardscape is the majority of the footprint . And we didn ' t even mention playgrounds .
In this issue , you will find parks , such as Pulaski Park in Northampton , that have been renovated and adapted to better suit their communities , as well as a project at Wellesley College which has redefined what a campus park can be . People tend to gravitate toward water , so you ’ ll find riverside brownfield restoration parks such as Pope John Paul II in Neponset , as well as Fan Pier Park along the South Boston Waterfront . Park maintenance and adaptability are constant challenges ; read about how the Town of Brookline is managing and learning from its open space . Parks can also be catalysts for change , such as a park in Worcester that was created through community action to stand for and propagate peace . Read what a youngster tells us about community input . And don ’ t miss members ' photos of their favorite places and scenes .
Take this issue out to a park near you . Sit down on the bench or at a table . Take a few minutes to enjoy the scene and have an enjoyable reading break .
Fieldbook Editorial Team Elizabeth Knox , Associate ASLA Vicki Carr , Affiliate ASLA Tim Nickerson , ASLA Jeanne Lukenda , ASLA
Fieldbook Contributors Ngoc Doan , Associate ASLA Steve Fusco , ASLA Joude Mabsout Emily Milliman , Associate ASLA Sigurd Sandzen Joe Strayer , ASLA Siddhi Wagholikar
Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
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