Emerald Necklace

Original plan of the parking system from 1894

The Boston Public Garden is the second “gem” in the chain

As Emerald Necklace ( Smaragdkollier ) an approximately 4.5 square kilometers large coalition of will park in Boston and Brookline in the state of Massachusetts of the United States designated by the alleys and waterways are interconnected. The name comes from the shape that the connected parks take on the map, as they seem to hang down from the "neck" of the Boston Peninsula . However, the system has not yet been completed and therefore has gaps in some places.

Components

The chain of parks consists of the Boston Common , Boston Public Garden , Commonwealth Avenue , Back Bay Fens , Fenway , Riverway , Olmsted Park , Jamaica Pond , Jamaicaway , Arnold Arboretum , Arborway , Franklin Park , Dorchesterway and Park Drive stations . The system thus covers a good half of the total park and green areas of the city of Boston as well as other areas under the administration of the city of Brookline and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . Over 300,000 people live in the catchment area of ​​the park chain and use the Emerald Necklace as a local recreation area. It is seven miles from Boston Common to Franklin Park. Some of the connecting routes in the chain - like the parks themselves - are also ecologically important: They form urban ecosystems with resting and nesting areas for migratory birds and contribute to better air quality in the city.

The course of the Emerald Necklace begins near the Boston shopping district Downtown Crossing , follows the border between Boston and Brookline and finally turns into the Boston district of Jamaica Plain . At the southern end of the Arnold Arboretum is the furthest point on the chain in Roslindale . Then the route runs back to Roxbury and Dorchester . The original plan was a U-shaped course with one end at Boston Harbor . However, the last link in the chain, the Dorchesterway , was never put into practice.

history

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted came up with the idea of ​​networking several parks with one another and thus creating a cohesive and varied recreational landscape . The goal was to connect Boston Common and Boston Public Garden with Franklin Park .

The first planning began in 1878 with efforts to control the swamp area and to work it up so that the Back Bay and the Back Bay Fens could be built there. Around 1880, Olmsted proposed that the Muddy River , which flowed from Jamaica Pond through the Fens, be incorporated into the park. The course of the river was adjusted accordingly and led into the Charles River . The resulting corridor continues to connect the parks to one another, and Olmsted's vision of a system of hiking trails along a river that flows through several smaller ponds on its way was completed towards the end of the 19th century.

Over the past decade, approximately $ 60 million has been invested in maintaining and expanding the parks and waterways of the Emerald Necklace from the cities of Boston and Brookline. This includes improved pathways, planting, bridge repairs and the restoration of wooden promenades and buildings. The Emerald Necklace has been neglected in the past 50 years, so that these investments are only the beginning of major restoration measures in many places.

There are several organizations that support the conservation of the parks, including the Emerald Necklace Conservancy , the Friends of the Public Garden , the Franklin Park Coalition, and the Arboretum Park Conservancy . They protect, manage and restore the parks.

See also

• List of entries on the National Register of Historic Places in northern Boston

Web links

• The Emerald Necklace on Google Maps

Individual evidence

1. ^ Columbia Road. In: Database of Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007 ; Retrieved November 5, 2011 . 
2. ↑ Emerald Necklace. In: cityofboston.gov. Retrieved November 5, 2011 . 
3. ↑ The Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Retrieved November 5, 2011 . 
4. ^ Friends of the Boston Public Garden. Retrieved November 5, 2011 . 
5. ^ Franklin Park Coalition. In: Database of Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008 ; Retrieved November 5, 2011 . 
6. ^ Arboretum Park Conservancy. Retrieved November 5, 2011 .