Boston has a long history of using parks to improve the everyday lives of its residents.
The Emerald Necklace, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, was imagined as a “green ribbon” sprawl of open space providing an escape from what was then an increasingly industrial, polluted city. It was this idea of using parks as a means for public good and well-being that led to the founding of the Trustees of Reservations in 1891 by Olmsted protégé Charles Eliot.
Today, Boston’s need for open space is even greater due to the impacts of climate change compounded by continued waterfront development. Open spaces are becoming more and more rare along the waterfront, which is why we support a network of waterfront parks and look forward to working with Boston’s mayor on plans like the city’s draft plan for greater open space along the Fort Point Channel. If more open spaces are not conceived and built now, the opportunity for future generations will be lost.