Parks and the Health of Great Cities
Deb Smit |
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Some of the most gratifying and profound spaces in our world are the open ones.
Visionary landscape designer Frederick Law Olmstead understood this. Together with his son and nephew, the family left a legacy of designs and visions that have shaped the development of the urban parks in our region and the country for the last 100 years.
This month Pittsburgh will host 10 countries and visitors from 30 states when one of the world’s preeminent gatherings of urban park planners and leaders convenes in Pittsburgh for three days beginning on Sept. 21st: the
2008 International Urban Parks Conference: Body and Soul, Parks and the Health of Great Cities.
In many ways, the event heralds a coming of age for the parks in our region. So when the guests arrive, they won’t be inside for long.
The ambitious 3-day schedule calls for bike shorts, windbreakers and sturdy walking shoes as attendees will be whisked to places where they will experience firsthand the region’s breathtaking beauty and urban undertakings. Outings will include
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, the former industrial town of
Vandergrift and Chatham Village, Pittsburgh’s best green buildings, freshly restored Point State Park,
Phipps Conservatory, a riverfront bike ride and a kayak excursion.
And that’s just the beginning.
“One of the reasons Pittsburgh was selected is that people were really fascinated about the story we were able to tell from a gray industrial wasteland to a green metropolis,” explains Meg Cheever, program chair and president and CEO of the
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. “It is an intriguing story and I think it goes a long way to enhancing Pittsburgh’s modern image in people’s minds.”
In addition to the extensive slate of outdoor tours, panels and keynote addresses will bring a cadre of national speakers to the city. The notables include: Teresa Heinz of
The Heinz Endowments; Luis Garden Acosta, founder of the human rights and environmental organization
El Puente; Bruce Katz of the
Brookings Institute; Carol Coletta of
CEOs for Cities and Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder.”
“There are select American cities that are doing a very good job in this area and the only way to understand it is by being there,” says Drew Becher, executive director of the
New York Restoration Project and board member of the
City Parks Allliance, which organizes the conference biennially with the
National Association for Olmstead Parks.
“What you’ve done with the rivers there is amazing. Pittsburgh should be very honored to have this. It’s a time for the citizens of Pittsburgh to know they’ve done a lot of good work and are being noticed,” Becher adds.
Pittsburgh’s parks are an important part of the region’s green story, adds Cheever. The region has poured $60 million in restoration dollars and new construction into projects. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has spent nearly $40 million alone on the city’s four flagship parks: Frick, Schenley, Highland and Riverview.
“People today realize that parks are not just frills but are fundamentally important to the urban quality of life,” adds Cheever. “Cities are becoming more important and attractive as places to live. We hope to create a context for our next generation of stewards.”
For a complete list of events and information on the International Urban Parks Conference, click
here.
To receive Pop City every week, click here.Deb Smit is Innovation and Job Growth news editor for Pop City.
Captions: Highland Park; Fallingwater; Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
Photographs copyright Brian Cohen