THE 21ST CENTURY GREEN SPACE

DEFINED BY INCREASING HYBRIDIZATION OF ACCESSIBILITY AND COLLAGE OF AMENITY OR

PROGRAM. FURTHER DEMOCRATIC DISTRIBUTION CREATING A PATCHWORK OF LEISURE
POCKETS IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. MORE SOCIALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY-CONSCIOUS
- THE PARK IS AS MUCH A GREEN RECLAMATION ZONE OR GARDEN AS A LEISURE VENUE.

PRESENT

CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTATION
GREEN WALL
VERTICAL GARDEN
INDOOR/OUTDOOR
DECOR OR FACADE

2015

GREEN ROOF
EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING ROOF.
DOUBLES AS MEANS OF DRAINAGE IN
SOME CASES

URBAN FARM
GROWING COLLECTIVE PARTICIPATION
IN SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES.

BLOOMINGDALE TRAIL (606), CHICAGO

MUNICIPALLY-OWNED, PUBLIC GREENWAY

CONVERSION OF AN OLD
ELEVATED RAILROAD INTO AN
URBAN GREENWAY.
A LINEAR PARK OR CORRIDOR
CONNECTING SEPARATE
NEIGHBORHOODS.

2012-2014

EMERGENCE OF THE
SHARE ECONOMY:
UBER, AIRBNB, ETC.

DENVER CITY LOOP

PORT URBANISM, CORPORATE INTEREST IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

COMPETITION ENTRY TO
REVITALIZE AN AGING PARK
IN ONE OF DENVERS
LARGEST PUBLIC
ATTRACTIONS
A PARK EMPHASIZING
PROGRAM: SPECIFIC
(GREATER ABILITY TO
TARGET CONSUMER
DEMANDS) AND CREATIVE
ACTIVITIES (REQUIRING
PHYSICAL OR MENTAL
SKILL), AND EXPERIENCES.

2009
2007

GREAT RECESSION

2001

WAR ON TERROR

THE HIGH LINE, NEW YORK CITY

MUNICIPALLY-OWNED, PUBLIC GREENWAY

A REVITALIZATION AND
RE-PURPOSING OF EXISTING
INFRASTRUCTURE, THE HIGH LINE
STILL RETAINS ITS UTILITY AS A
TRAVERSABLE MEANS OF GETTING
FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER,
WHILE ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF
SUSTAINABILITY AND PROVIDING A
PUBLIC SPACE FOR ACTIVITY.
A LINEAR PARK OR CORRIDOR
CONNECTING SEPARATE
NEIGHBORHOODS - GREATER
ACCESSIBILITY.

1991

RAPID GROWTH OF
INTERNET / INFORMATION
AGE / COLD WAR ENDS

LANDSCHAFTSPARK DUISBURG-NORD, GERMANY

LATZ + PARTNER, MUNICIPALLY-OWNED

RE-USE OF A RETIRED
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX AS
EDUCATIVE MEMORIAL TO THE
INDUSTRIAL PAST.

1980

AN EXAMPLE OF THE PARK

EVOLVING TO MEET SPECIFIC
SOCIOCULTURAL NEEDS BY
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A
PRE-EXISTING ENVIRONMENT.

INCREASING EMPHASIS
ON SUSTAINABILITY

1954

IBIRAPUERA PARK, BRAZIL

MUNICIPALLY-OWNED, ROBERTO BURLE MARX

A LARGE URBAN PARK WITH

AN EMPHASIS ON A
DIVERSITY OF ACTIVITIES
ACCESSIBLE IN THE CITY
CENTER.

1947

COLD WAR BEGINS

1939-1945

BURLE MARX ONCE SAID,

THE LARGER AND MORE
OPEN A PROJECT, THE MORE
HE LIKED IT, BECAUSE IT
COULD BE ENJOYED BY ALL
SOCIAL STRATA.

WORLD WAR II

1929

GREAT DEPRESSION

1914-1918

WORLD WAR I

1908

FIRST MODEL-T
PRODUCED

TRANSITION FROM MILITARY-RELIGIOUS COMPLEX

TO MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX... ?

1898

~1870

SECOND INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION +
EMERGENCE OF
MODERNISM

THE GARDEN CITY

EBENEZER HOWARDS GARDEN CITY / TOWN-COUNTRY MAGNET

WITH THE CITY BECOMING

SYNONYMOUS WITH THE IMAGE
OF INDUSTRIAL LIFE, THE
GARDEN CITY WOULD OFFER
THE BEST OF BOTH MUNICIPAL
SERVICES AND A CLEANER
COUNTRY ENVIRONMENT.
THE PARK AND CITY BECOME
ONE AND THE SAME FOR THE
BENEFIT OF ALL CITIZENS PERHAPS FORESHADOWING
THE FUTURE OF URBAN PARK
DEVELOPMENT.

1857

CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK CITY

FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED, MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP

THE LAND WAS INITIALLY

OCCUPIED BY FREE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND IRISH
IMMIGRANTS WHO NOT ONLY
RAISED LIVESTOCK BUT BUILT
CHURCHES AND CEMETERIES.
AS THE CITY EXPANDED
NORTHWARD PEOPLE BECAME
DRAWN TO THE EXISTING OPEN
SPACES.
PARK SERVING AS REFUGE
FROM THE NOISE AND
POLLUTION OF THE CITY ISOLATED IN ITS EXPANSE.

1830

BOSTON COMMON
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP

DATING FROM 1634, THE

COMMONS PURPOSE CHANGED
OVER THE YEARS, NOTABLY
SERVING AS A GRAZING FIELD
FOR COWS AT ONE POINT.
IN 1830, ITS SERVICE AS A
PASTURE ENDED AND WAS
OPENED TO THE PUBLIC - AN
URBAN CLOISTER. THE
POPULACE LIVES AND WORKS
ON THE PERIPHERY, BUT THE
PARK IS NO LONGER A SOCIAL
DIVIDE.

THE GARDEN AS PRECEDENT TO THE COMMON OR PARK

1785

VAUXHALL GARDENS, LONDON

MUNICIPALLY-OWNED, PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT VENUE

LOCATED ON THE PERIPHERY OF
LONDON AS APUBLIC LESIURE
VENTURE.

~1760

OFFICIALLY A GARDEN, IT COULD

BE MORE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED
AS A PUBLIC AMENTIY
INCORPORATING ELEMENTS OF
THE FORMAL GARDEN AS WELL AS
MORE URBAN TYPES OF
ENTERTAINMENT; I.E. VENUES FOR
THEATRE AND THE ARTS. A
PRECEDENT TO THE MODERN
PARK, IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY
LANDSCAPE FORMALITY.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
MID-ENLIGHTENMENT

1729

CHISWICK HOUSE GARDENS, LONDON

WILLIAM KENT, PRIVATELY-OWNED ESTATE

THE QUINTESSENTIAL ENGLISH

PICTURESQUE LANDSCAPE GARDEN
FEATURING ELEMENTS OF THE
FRENCH FORMAL GARDEN AND
NATURAL RE-CREATIONS - AN
IDEALIZATION OF NATURE.
AN ATTEMPTED DEPARTURE FROM AN
ARTIFICIAL AESTHETIC IN FAVOR OF A
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AVAILABLE FOR THE PRIVATE
WEALTHY INDIVIDUAL.

1680

NANZEN-JI TEMPLE, JAPAN

SHINTO TEMPLE TAKING
GREAT CARE TO PRESERVE
MUCH OF THE EXISTING
LANDSCAPE.
GARDEN BECOMES INTEGRAL
TO THE ARCHITECTURE.

1668

GARDENS OF VERSAILLES, FRANCE

PLEASURE GARDENS BUILT FOR LOUIX XIV

THE FRENCH FORMAL

GARDEN, PERHAPS GIVING
NEW MEANING TO THE TERM
GARDEN. VAST, SCULPTED,
RESERVED FOR WEALTHY
NOBILITY.

~1400-1600

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE

THE GARDEN REMAINS

HIGHLY PRIVATIZED IN THE
HANDS OF THE RULING FEW.

1096-1487

CRUSADES

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL, ENGLAND, 1258

CLERICAL LEADERSHIP

THE CLOISTER, OR ENCLOSURE INDICATION OF A MONASTIC

FOUNDATION (ABBEY). IT
SEPARATED MONKS FROM SERFS
AND WORKMEN, WHOSE LIVES AND
WORK TOOK PLACE IN THE
CLOISTERS PERIMETER.
THE GARDEN IS EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TO THE PRIVILEGED
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY AND A
SPATIAL BUFFER BETWEEN SOCIAL
CLASSES.

GARDENS OF ANTIQUITY
~700 AD

EMERGENCE OF THE ALCAZAR ON IBERIAN PENINSULA

UMAYYAD CALIPHATE, FORTIFICATIONS / CASTLES, RELIGIOUS-MILITARISTIC LEADERSHIP

THE MILITARY AND RELIGIOUS
INSTITUTIONS WERE LINKED AND THE
FORTIFICATION / CASTLE WAS THE
EXPRESSION OF THIS CONNECTION.
THE ENCLOSED GARDEN SERVED
PRIMARILY AS A MEANS OF REPOSE
OFTEN IN THE FORM OF WALKING
MEDITATION.

~600 BC &
PRIOR
BIBLICAL PERIOD

HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON

KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR II

A MYTHICAL MOUNTAIN OF STEPPED

GARDENS - A POSSIBLE PRECEDENT
THAT WOULD LATER MOTIVATE OR
INFORM THE DESIGN OF CASTLE
GARDENS.
ALLEGEDLY BUILT AS A REMINDER OF
THE HILLS AND VALLEYS OF QUEEN
AMYTIS HOME.