September 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 62

G R E AT PA R K

Massachusetts, dubbed the " selfie "
capital of Boston, attributes much of
its success to its light-up swing installation, called Swing-Time, designed
by Howeler and Yoon Architects.
Health and Wellness
It's estimated that 34 percent of adults
and 15-20 percent of children and
adolescents in the United States are
obese. Chronic illness is on the rise
worldwide and is the leading cause
of death in the United States. We
also now know that parks provide
immense health and wellness benefits
- everything from stress reduction
and improved mental health, to less
exposure to air and noise pollution.
Great parks offer what we might consider as traditional wellness amenities
(recreational trails, fitness stations and
the like) but also use care to integrate
the healing power of natural systems.
Denver's recently completed park system plan, for example, is called " A
Gameplan for a Healthy City, " and
its strategies link to the many ways
park design can promote healthier
lifestyles and urban wellness.
Resiliency and Climate Change
Across the nation, climate-related

disasters - floods, droughts, tornadoes, earthquakes - are hitting
communities with ferocity. Great
parks can create more climate resilience by integrating green infrastructure, providing places for
community gathering (in both normal and emergency situations) and
preventing future carbon-related
impacts through tree planting and
reduced heat-island effect. The recently completed sections of the
Brooklyn Waterfront, called Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hunters Point
South, provide great examples of
resilient design that simultaneously
provides human delight and ecologically rich spaces that capture water.
Equity and Inclusion
Changing demographics and broader economic trends have resulted in
increasing concern for greater equity and inclusion, particularly as,
in recent years, all racial and ethnic
minorities are growing more rapidly than white populations. Economic change and job loss have
resulted in higher-than-ever numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Great parks are designed
to be inclusive to all. Designers

across the country are testing what
this means - from compassionate
park design that promotes social
cohesion, to programming that celebrates diverse ethnic and cultural
expression. Washington 3DUN in
Cincinnati, Ohio, is managed by
the Cincinnati Center City
Development Corporation (3CDC)
and is a fabulous example of a
place where the music, food and
programmed experiences speak to
the city's ethnic, socioeconomic
and multigenerational diversity.

Multigenerational Experience
Baby boomers and millennials are
nipping at each other's heels for
the " largest generation " moniker
- both in terms of size and profile.
These generations have distinct differences in ideology, but they come
together, most certainly, in parks.
How else can we explain the massive pickleball craze that is sweeping
the nation? Multigenerational experience is a common goal of park
design projects. More and more designers are looking to create unique,
hybrid programs that can relate to
the uber-engaged " Silver Tsunami "
folks, as much as to their millennial
and Generation Z grandchildren.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AECOM

Democracy
The early years of the 21st century
have seen an incredible resurgence
in civic action and political protest.
Movements like Occupy Wall Street
and Black Lives Matter - just two
of many - found a home in the plazas, public parks and streets of our
communities. The Women's March

Parks & Recreation

The Port of Los Angeles' Cruise Ship
Promenade, a catalyst for new investment and revitalization of adjacent
neighborhoods, features sustainable,
contextual landscape architecture with a
dynamic public open space.

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September 2019 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2019 - Parks & Recreation