Urban Parks & Green Spaces Sustainable Architecture

Sustainable aspects of public green spaces: Prevents hot-island effect Preserves animal/plant life Promotes alternative transportation Encourages healthy activity Decreases green house gas emissions and global warming: less buildings, less cars, less pollution Less taller structures to block natural sunlight Ponds and lakes help cool the city in the summer Trees influence thermal comfort, energy use,air quality, and blocks winter winds Decreases noise pollution Natural storm water treatment

Psychological Effect of public green spaces: A place to relax and to get away from the city A safe area to bring children Increases property worth Brings communities together Good source of exercise opportunities A place to bring pets Relief of mental stress from city life and work Brings neighborhoods together by working together and preserving the parks Educational: Supports play and brain development Creates diversity and brings cultures together Opportunity for personal gardens and to grow your own produce Opportunity to host outdoor events

Frederick Law Olmsted April August American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer “Father of American Landscape Architecture”

Olmsted’s List of Work: Arnold Arboretum:

Olmsted’s List of Work: Back Bay Fens:

Olmstead’s List of Work: Also hundred’s of other urban parks mostly in the US Central Park:

Central Park: New York City First urban landscaped park in the US Construction began in 1857 based on the winner of a park design contest “Greensward Plan” spanning 2 miles from 59th-106th Street in orginal plan

Central Park: Manhattan NYC Olmsted’s and Vaux’s plan included four transverse roads to carry traffic below the park level. Kept architectural structures to a minimum. Only four buildings were in the original plan of Central Park