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Save Olmsted Spaces!
3/9/2025Leave a Comment
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Thanks to Frederick Law Olmsted, public parks are one of America’s defining democratic achievements. As places open to all, parks benefit tens of millions of Americans each day by offering free outdoor space for community gatherings, recreation and restoration.
The importance of accessible public greenspace was illustrated and appreciated during the pandemic, but these vital spaces continue to face serious threats. Today, in too many places, they are under attack and often seen as playgrounds for those with money and power.
In an essay called “The Spoils of the Park,” Olmsted railed at politicians and public officials who regarded parks as building sites. Olmsted wasn’t talking in a legal sense, but he understood that misguided park development would inevitably result in irrevocable harm. Once public park land is lost, it is lost forever.
The Olmsted Network has witnessed an increase in the privatization of public parkland across the country and is working hard to address this distressing trend. In March, two different webinars will draw attention to this issue.
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“Demolition begins on White Stadium in Boston's Franklin Park.”
On March 5, the Olmsted Network kicked off a new webinar series—Save Olmsted Spaces— with a discussion on the proposed demolition of White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park. Historian and author Ethan Carr moderated, while Emerald Necklace Conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek and community leaders Louis Elisa and Renee Stacey Welch acted as panelists. Watch the recording here.
On March 18 at 3 pm ET, Conversations with Olmsted: What Ever Happened to Parks for All People will explore the issue of privatization through a national lens. The Olmsted Network will welcome perspectives from moderator Bonnie Jean Feldkamp of Louisville, Derrick Evans of Boston, Bronwyn Nichols Lodato of Chicago and Wyman Winston of Milwaukee. Register for this free conversation.
These webinars will examine how communities can respond to this injustice and discuss what can be done to ensure parkland is viewed as an essential public amenity. Afterall, these places did not appear by accident, and they will continue to require generations of dedicated stewardship going forward.
The importance of accessible public greenspace was illustrated and appreciated during the pandemic, but these vital spaces continue to face serious threats. Today, in too many places, they are under attack and often seen as playgrounds for those with money and power.
In an essay called “The Spoils of the Park,” Olmsted railed at politicians and public officials who regarded parks as building sites. Olmsted wasn’t talking in a legal sense, but he understood that misguided park development would inevitably result in irrevocable harm. Once public park land is lost, it is lost forever.
The Olmsted Network has witnessed an increase in the privatization of public parkland across the country and is working hard to address this distressing trend. In March, two different webinars will draw attention to this issue.
“Demolition begins on White Stadium in Boston's Franklin Park.”
On March 5, the Olmsted Network kicked off a new webinar series—Save Olmsted Spaces— with a discussion on the proposed demolition of White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park. Historian and author Ethan Carr moderated, while Emerald Necklace Conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek and community leaders Louis Elisa and Renee Stacey Welch acted as panelists. Watch the recording here.
On March 18 at 3 pm ET, Conversations with Olmsted: What Ever Happened to Parks for All People will explore the issue of privatization through a national lens. The Olmsted Network will welcome perspectives from moderator Bonnie Jean Feldkamp of Louisville, Derrick Evans of Boston, Bronwyn Nichols Lodato of Chicago and Wyman Winston of Milwaukee. Register for this free conversation.
These webinars will examine how communities can respond to this injustice and discuss what can be done to ensure parkland is viewed as an essential public amenity. Afterall, these places did not appear by accident, and they will continue to require generations of dedicated stewardship going forward.
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