10 Parks that are Changing Cities

 

We’ve worked for 30 years to create some of the most celebrated parks in the U.S. and abroad. These open spaces are critical pieces of urban infrastructure – providing places to play, while also generating economic value, improving public health, and ensuring social cohesion. In our open space practice, we transform underutilized spaces into great urban places, and ensure sustainable stewardship for the generations to come.

 

Tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, we invite you to watch a special television program, called 10 Parks that Changed America, on your local PBS channel. The program, hosted by Geoffrey Baer of Chicago’s WTTW, highlights ten of America’s greatest parks and explores their role in transforming and defining communities throughout the nation. We hope that this program contributes to a growing discussion about the role of urban parks and an appreciation for landscape architecture.

 

In this spirit, we’ve created our own list of ten parks that are changing cities today:

  1. The High Line | New York, NY
    Reimagined what a park can be and how it can define a city
  2. Klyde Warren Park | Dallas, TX
    Reclaimed space over a freeway for leisure and culture in Downtown Dallas
  3. Lakefront Parks | Toronto, ON
    Transformed the lakefront from its industrial past to mixed-use neighborhoods
  4. Brooklyn Bridge Park | Brooklyn, NY
    Laid a cornerstone for Brooklyn’s renaissance, becoming New York City’s first great 21st century park.
  5. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | London
    Used the Olympic Games and this park to tilt development Eastward
  6. Romare Bearden Park | Charlotte, NC
    Affirms Charlotte’s eminence as a choice destination to live, work, and play
  7. Fountain Square | Cincinnati, OH
    Engaged civic leadership to catalyze downtown reinvestment around the Square
  8. Anacostia Waterfront Parks | Washington, DC
    Anchored a new neighborhood and reintroduced residents to the river
  9. Shelby Farms Park | Memphis, TN
    Reimagined Memphis as a city of equity and opportunity
  10. The Lawn on D | Boston, MA
    Demonstrated the value of engaging interim programming in placemaking

As we look to the future, we are thrilled to help shape and sustain the next great urban open spaces. We hope you enjoy tomorrow’s show and continue the conversation with us.