Urban parks like Hyde Park in London, Le Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris or Central Park in New York are famous the world over. Nobody would suggest that they are wasted space and should have been developed.
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| Jardin de Luxembourg, Paris (photo: Robert Doisneau) |
But in suburbia the situation is quite different. Here open space is just raw land waiting for development. Parks and great public spaces are rare and even designated open spaces are usually just leftovers on the fringe and not central places. Park departments consider themselves as stewards for ball-fields and playgrounds, not unimportant spaces, but with the typical emphasis on fences, parking, lighting, bathrooms and support buildings, they rarely are good civic spaces, they don't serve general purposes and are not meant to connect with nature.
Recent fiscal austerity has taken a heavy toll on the departments of park and recreation all across the country. ("
Underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed").We often talk about failing infrastructure and mean roads and bridges. But parks, another piece of infrastructure, are much worse off.
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| Ill maintained tennis court in Austin, TX |
Land trusts have stepped up nationally