Urban park

Central Park, the most visited urban park in the United States, is surrounded by the skyscrapers of New York City.

The Dinosaurs Valley (reconstructions of prehistoric reptiles) within Silesian Culture and Recreation Park in Poland's Upper-Silesian Metropolis.

The Meadow of Atlanta, Georgia's Piedmont Park.

An urban park, is also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens (United Kingdom), is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality. The design, operation and maintenance is usually done by government, typically on the local level, but may occasionally be contracted out to a private sector company.

Common features of municipal parks include playgrounds, gardens, hiking, running and fitness trails or paths, bridle paths, sports field and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps and/or picnic facilities, depending on the budget and natural features available.

History

In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities were purchased by city governments to create "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially the workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks, because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land, the three most visited municipal parks in the United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego.^[1] Other famous urban parks include Monsanto Forest Park (the largest in Europe) in Lisbon, Portugal, Richmond Park in London, UK and Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada.

In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II, new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space was of secondary importance.

As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children.

All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of the large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, these parks can be targeted by city managers or politicians as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature.

Urban parks by size

Note: 1,000-acre (400 ha)

City	Park	Size (acres)
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa	Table Mountain National Park[2]	60,070 acres (24,310 ha)[3]
Moscow, Moscow, Russia	Losiny Ostrov National Park[4]	28,717 acres (11,621 ha)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India	Sanjay Gandhi National Park	25,700 acres (10,400 ha)
El Paso, Texas, USA	Franklin Mountains State Park	23,909 acres (9,676 ha)
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA	Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge	22,770 acres (9,210 ha)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA	South Mountain Park	16,094 acres (6,513 ha)
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA	McDowell Sonoran Preserve	11,250 acres (4,550 ha)
Houston, Texas, USA	Cullen Park	9,270 acres (3,750 ha)
Los Angeles, California, USA	Topanga State Park	8,960 acres (3,630 ha)
Jacksonville, Florida, USA	Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve	7,870 acres (3,180 ha)
Houston, Texas, USA	George Bush Park	7,800 acres (3,200 ha)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA	North Mountain Preserve	7,500 acres (3,000 ha)
New York City, New York, USA	Gateway National Recreation Area (part)	7,138 acres (2,889 ha)
San Jose, California, USA	Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)	6,800 acres (2,800 ha)
Louisville, Kentucky, USA	Jefferson Memorial Forest	6,011 acres (2,433 ha)
Eufaula, Alabama, USA	Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge (part)	6,000 acres (2,400 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Mission Trails Regional Park	5,840 acres (2,360 ha)
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA	William B. Umstead State Park	5,579 acres (2,258 ha)
Moscow, Moscow, Russia	Bitsa Park	5,457 acres (2,208 ha)
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park	5,229 acres (2,116 ha)
Portland, Oregon, USA	Forest Park	5,157 acres (2,087 ha)
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA	Eagle Creek Park and Golf Course	4,766 acres (1,929 ha)
Memphis, Tennessee, USA	Shelby Farms	4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Anchorage, Alaska, USA	Far North Bicentennial Park	4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA	False Cape State Park and Natural Area Preserve	4,321 acres (1,749 ha)
Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain	Casa de Campo	4,256 acres (1,722 ha)
Los Angeles, California, USA	Griffith Park	4,217 acres (1,707 ha)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	Fairmount Park proper[5]	4,167 acres (1,686 ha)
Jacksonville, Florida, USA	Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve	3,896 acres (1,577 ha)
Austin, Texas, USA	Walter E. Long Park	3,715 acres (1,503 ha)
Chico, California, USA	Bidwell Park	3,670 acres (1,490 ha)
Fort Worth, Texas, USA	Fort Worth Nature Center/Wildlife Refuge	3,662 acres (1,482 ha)
Dallas, Texas, USA	Mountain Creek Lake Park	3,643 acres (1,474 ha)
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA	Bays Mountain Park	3,585 acres (1,451 ha)
Meridian, Mississippi, USA	Bonita Lakes Park	3,462 acres (1,401 ha)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA	North Landing River State Natural Area Preserve	3,440 acres (1,390 ha)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA	First Landing State Park	3,410 acres (1,380 ha)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Fish Creek Provincial Park	3,331 acres (1,348 ha)
Dallas, Texas, USA	Trinity River Park	3,173 acres (1,284 ha)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA	Mohawk Park and Golf Course	3,100 acres (1,300 ha)
Brecksville, Ohio, USA	Brecksville Reservation (part)	3,026 acres (1,225 ha)
Jacksonville, Florida, USA	Cecil Field Greenway	2,866 acres (1,160 ha)
Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil	Cocó Park	2,855 acres (1,155 ha)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Nose Hill Park	2,785 acres (1,127 ha)
Bronx, New York, USA	Pelham Bay Park	2,765 acres (1,119 ha)
Newport News, Virginia, USA	Newport News Park (part)	2,688 acres (1,088 ha)
Louisville, Kentucky, USA	Otter Creek Park[6]	2,600 acres (1,100 ha)
Lisbon, Portugal	Monsanto Forest Park	2,471 acres (1,000 ha)
Paris, France	Bois de Vincennes	2,456 acres (994 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Los Penasquitos Canyon	2,405 acres (973 ha)
Birmingham, England, UK	Sutton Park	2,400 acres (970 ha)
Kansas City, Missouri, USA	Longview Lake Park (part)	2,381 acres (964 ha)
London, England, UK	Richmond Park	2,360 acres (960 ha)
Kansas City, Missouri, USA	Blue River Parkway	2,319 acres (938 ha)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada	Wascana Centre	2,300 acres (930 ha)[7]
Strongsville, Ohio, USA	Mill Stream Run Reservation (part)	2,238 acres (906 ha)
Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA	Fleming Park (part)	2,229 acres (902 ha)
Bristol, Tennessee, USA	Steele Creek Park	2,224 acres (900 ha)
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada	Rockwood Park	2,200 acres (890 ha)[8]
Houston, Texas, USA	Bear Creek Pioneers Park	2,168 acres (877 ha)
Paris, France	Bois de Boulogne	2,090 acres (850 ha)
Berkeley, California, California, USA	Tilden Regional Park	2,077 acres (841 ha)
Nashville, Tennessee, USA	Warner Parks	2,058 acres (833 ha)
Los Angeles, California, USA	Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area	2,031 acres (822 ha)
Galveston, Texas, Texas, USA	Galveston Island State Park	2,013 acres (815 ha)
Belgrade, Serbia	Ada Ciganlija	1,976 acres (800 ha)
Portland, Oregon, USA	Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area	1,973 acres (798 ha)
Dallas, Texas, USA	White Rock Lake Park	1,952 acres (790 ha)
Kansas City, Missouri, USA	Swope Park	1,805 acres (730 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Torrey Pines State Reserve	1,800 acres (730 ha)
San Jose, California, USA	Calero County Park	1,782 acres (721 ha)
Staten Island, New York, USA	Greenbelt Park	1,778 acres (720 ha)
Austin, Texas, USA	Barton Creek Greenway	1,771 acres (717 ha)
Jacksonville, Florida, USA	Little Talbot Island State Park	1,768 acres (715 ha)
Dublin, Ireland	Phoenix Park	1,760 acres (710 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Mission Bay Park	1,756 acres (711 ha)
Washington, D.C., USA	Rock Creek Park	1,754 acres (710 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Tijuana River Valley Regional Park	1,710 acres (690 ha)
Jacksonville, Florida, USA	Big Talbot Island State Park	1,708 acres (691 ha)
North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA	Burns Park	1,700 acres (690 ha)[9]
Mexico City, Mexico	Chapultepec Park	1,695 acres (686 ha)
Lawrence, Indiana, USA	Fort Harrison State Park	1,640 acres (660 ha)
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA	Lake Leatherwood Park	1,620 acres (660 ha)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	Pennypack Park	1,618 acres (655 ha)
Claremont, California, USA	Claremont Hills Wilderness Park	1,589 acres (643 ha)
Upper-Silesian Metropolis, Silesia, Poland	Silesian Culture and Recreation Park	1,532 acres (620 ha)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA	Adobe Dam Recreation Area	1,526 acres (618 ha)
Riverside, California, USA	Hidden Valley Wildlife Area	1,510 acres (610 ha)
Des Moines, Iowa, USA	Water Works Park	1,500 acres (610 ha)
Vienna, Austria	Prater	1,500 acres (610 ha)
Nashville, Tennessee, USA	Beaman Park	1,493 acres (604 ha)
San Francisco, California, USA	Presidio of San Francisco Park	1,491 acres (603 ha)
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA	Wilderness Park	1,472 acres (596 ha)
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA	Mt. Airy Forest	1,471 acres (595 ha)
Houston, Texas, USA	Memorial Park	1,466 acres (593 ha)
Omaha, Nebraska, USA	Glenn Cunningham Lake	1,439 acres (582 ha)
Los Angeles, California, USA	Hansen Dam Recreation Center	1,437 acres (582 ha)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA	Stumpy Lake Park	1,435 acres (581 ha)
Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA	Longview Lake Park (part)	1,429 acres (578 ha)
Riverside, California, USA	Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park	1,424 acres (576 ha)
Anchorage, Alaska, USA	Kincaid Park	1,411 acres (571 ha)
Munich, Bavaria, Germany	Englischer Garten	1,400 acres (570 ha)
San Antonio, Texas, USA	Rancho Diana	1,392 acres (563 ha)
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Sacred Falls State Park	1,374 acres (556 ha)
Huntersville, North Carolina, USA	Latta Plantation Nature Preserve	1,343 acres (543 ha)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA	Garden of the Gods Park	1,319 acres (534 ha)
New Orleans, Louisana, USA	New Orleans City Park	1,300 acres (530 ha)
St. Louis, Missouri, USA	Forest Park	1,293 acres (523 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Black Mountain Park	1,284 acres (520 ha)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA	North Cheyenne Canyon Park	1,260 acres (510 ha)
Queens, New York, USA	Flushing Meadows – Corona Park	1,255 acres (508 ha)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Tommy Thompson Park	1,235 acres (500 ha)
Oakland, California, USA	Martin Luther King, Jr. Shoreline Park	1,220 acres (490 ha)
Chicago, Illinois, USA	Lincoln Park	1,216 acres (492 ha)
Washington, D.C., USA	Anacostia Park	1,215 acres (492 ha)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA	Cave Buttes Recreation Area I & II	1,200 acres (490 ha)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA	Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park	1,200 acres (490 ha)
Jersey City, New Jersey, USA	Liberty State Park	1,188 acres (481 ha)
Glendale, Arizona, USA	Thunderbird Conservation Park	1,185 acres (480 ha)
Tallahassee, Florida, USA	McClay Gardens State Park	1,179 acres (477 ha)
Columbus, Ohio, USA	Three Creeks Parks	1,156 acres (468 ha)
Bronx, New York, USA	Van Cortlandt Park	1,146 acres (464 ha)
Mesa, Arizona, USA	Red Mountain Park	1,144 acres (463 ha)
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA	Pioneers Park	1,139 acres (461 ha)
Memphis, Tennessee, USA	T.O. Fuller State Park	1,138 acres (461 ha)
Austin, Texas, USA	Emma Long Park	1,137 acres (460 ha)
Huntsville, Alabama, USA	Monte Sano Nature Preserve	1,107 acres (448 ha)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada	Assiniboine Park	1,100 acres (450 ha)
Detroit, Michigan, USA	Rouge Park	1,100 acres (450 ha)
London, England, UK	Bushy Park	1,099 acres (445 ha)
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA	McDowell Nature Preserve	1,098 acres (444 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Balboa Park	1,091 acres (442 ha)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA	Cheyenne Mountain State Park	1,060 acres (430 ha)
Bedford, Ohio, USA	Bedford Reservation (part)	1,033 acres (418 ha)
Dallas, Texas, USA	Rochester Park	1,032 acres (418 ha)
Arlington, Texas, USA	River Legacy Park	1,031 acres (417 ha)
San Francisco, California, USA	Golden Gate Park	1,027 acres (416 ha)
San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico	Parque Tangamanga I	1,015 acres (411 ha)
Birmingham, Alabama, USA	Ruffner Mountain Park	1,011 acres (409 ha)
San Antonio, Texas, USA	Olmos Basin	1,010 acres (410 ha)
Willoughby Hills, Ohio, USA	North Chagrin Reservation (part)	1,004 acres (406 ha)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	Stanley Park	1,000 acres (400 ha)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA	Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge	988 acres (400 ha)
Staten Island, New York, USA	Richmond Parkway	984 acres (398 ha)
Detroit, Michigan, USA	Belle Isle Park	982 acres (397 ha)
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA	Bryan Park	980 acres (400 ha)
Morgan Hill, California, USA	Anderson Lake County Park]]	975 acres (395 ha)[10]
Huntsville, Alabama, USA	Blevins Gap Nature Preserve	971 acres (393 ha)
Kansas City, Missouri, USA	Riverfront Park	955 acres (386 ha)
Grandview, Missouri, USA	Longview Lake Park (part)	952 acres (385 ha)
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Koko Head Regional Park	951 acres (385 ha)
East Meadow, New York, USA	Eisenhower Park	930 acres (380 ha)
Walton Hills, Ohio, USA	Bedford Reservation (part)	924 acres (374 ha)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	Centennial Parklands	900 acres (360 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex	900 acres (360 ha)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA	Papago Park	895 acres (362 ha)
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA	Lake Wheeler Park	869 acres (352 ha)
San Antonio, Texas, USA	McAllister Park	856 acres (346 ha)
Long Beach, California, USA	El Dorado Park	850 acres (340 ha)
Buffalo, New York, USA	Delaware Park	846 acres (342 ha)
Huntsville, Alabama, USA	Wade Mountain Nature Preserve	843 acres (341 ha)
Manhattan, New York, USA	Central Park	840 acres (340 ha)
San Antonio, Texas, USA	San Antonio Missions National Historical Park	835 acres (338 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Scripps Miramar Open Space	822 acres (333 ha)
La Porte, Texas, USA	San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Park	820 acres (330 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Tierrasanta Open Space	818 acres (331 ha)
New York City, New York, USA	William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge	814 acres (329 ha)
Nashville, Tennessee, USA	Shelby Bottoms	810 acres (330 ha)
Nashville, Tennessee, USA	Bell's Bend Park	809 acres (327 ha)
Youngstown, Ohio, USA	Mill Creek Park	802 acres (325 ha)
Kansas City, Missouri, USA	Robert H. Hodge Park	801 acres (324 ha)
Plano, Texas, USA	Oak Point Park	801 acres (324 ha)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA	Tres Rios	800 acres (320 ha)
Brooklyn, New York, USA	Gerritsen Beach (Marine Park)	798 acres (323 ha)
Nashville, Tennessee, USA	Hamilton Creek Park	790 acres (320 ha)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	Cobb's Creek Park	786 acres (318 ha)
Zagreb, Croatia	Maksimir Park	781 acres (316 ha)
San Diego, California, USA	Sabre Springs Open Space	780 acres (320 ha)
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Ka'ena Point State Park	779 acres (315 ha)
Dallas, Texas, USA	White Rock Creek Greenbelt	773 acres (313 ha)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA	Bear Creek Canon Park	769 acres (311 ha)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA	Druid Hill Park	745 acres (301 ha)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA	Theodore Wirth Park	742 acres (300 ha)
Bronx, New York, USA	Bronx Park	718 acres (291 ha)
Tacoma, Washington, USA	Point Defiance Park	702 acres (284 ha)
Leeds, England, UK	Roundhay Park	700 acres (280 ha)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India	Guindy National Park	697 acres (282 ha)
Queens, New York, USA	Alley Pond Park	655 acres (265 ha)
Manchester, England, UK	Heaton Park	650 acres (260 ha)
London, England, UK	Hyde Park	625 acres (253 ha)
Brooklyn, New York, USA	Prospect Park	585 acres (237 ha)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Toronto Islands Park	600 acres (240 ha)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Downsview Park	572 acres (231 ha)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA	Frick Park	561 acres (227 ha)
Queens, New York, USA	Forest Park	538 acres (218 ha)
Seattle, Washington, USA	Discovery Park	534 acres (216 ha)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Parc du Mont Royal	529 acres (214 ha)
Boston, Massachusetts, USA	Franklin Park	527 acres (213 ha)
Chicago, Illinois, USA	Jackson Park	500 acres (200 ha)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA	Phalen Park	494 acres (200 ha)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA	Schenley Park	456 acres (185 ha)
Christchurch, New Zealand	Hagley Park	407 acres (165 ha)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada	High Park	398 acres (161 ha)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA	Como Park	384 acres (155 ha)
Chicago, Illinois, USA	Washington Park	372 acres (151 ha)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India	Tholkappia Poonga (Adyar Eco Park or Adyar Poonga)	358 acres (145 ha)
São Paulo, Brazil	Ibirapuera Park	345 acres (140 ha)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India	Cubbon Park	334 acres (135 ha)

^[11]

See also

• Black Country Urban Park - a major initiative in the UK
• Chicane (barrier)
• Greenway (landscape)
• List of parks in Montreal
• Millennium Park in Chicago
• Parklet
• Toronto ravine system
• Urban wild

Gallery

• 

  Ibirapuera Park decorated for Christmas 2007, in São Paulo, Brazil.

• 

  Millennium Park Beach on the banks of the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan..

• 

  Alexander Garden in Moscow

References

1. ^ "America's Most Visited City Parks". http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/citypark_facts/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks_09.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-13. 
2. ^ "Table Mountain National Park: Park Profile". South African National Parks. http://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/about/profile.php. Retrieved 6 August 2010. "...the TMNP is surrounded entirely by a City..." 
3. ^ "About SANParks". South African National Parks. http://www.sanparks.org/about/default.php. Retrieved 6 August 2010. 
4. ^ "Losiny Ostvor official site". South African National Parks. http://elkisland.ru/index/0-2. Retrieved 26 June 2011. 
5. ^ "Fairmount Park" is officially the name of Philadelphia's entire municipal park system, consisting of 63 units. The system is named after the original Fairmount Park, the system's oldest unit, which occupies nearly half of the system's area.
6. ^ The park is currently closed. Although owned by the metropolitan government of Louisville, it is located outside the government's territorial jurisdiction in Meade County, Kentucky. It is in the process of being purchased by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and is scheduled to reopen in 2011 as a state-operated outdoor recreation area. "Otter Creek Park to Reopen in 2011" (Press release). Louisville Metro Government. June 16, 2010. http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Mayor/News/2010/06-16-10-ottercreek.htm. Retrieved December 21, 2010. 
7. ^ "Walk 1 - A Place for People!". Wascana Centre Authority. http://wascana.ca/index.php?id=52. Retrieved 2010-04-02. 
8. ^ "Rockwood Park". Tourism New Brunswick. http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/Product.aspx?pid=39. Retrieved 2010-08-19. 
9. ^ "Burns Park". http://www.northlittlerock.org/entries.aspx?id=246&section=1&subsection=19&filter1=&filter2=&filter3=. 
10. ^ http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/parks/parksarticle?path=%252Fv7%252FParks%2520and%2520Recreation%252C%2520Department%2520of%2520%2528DEP%2529&contentId=5ebef6fa8d311110VgnVCM10000048dc4a92____&cpsextcurrchannel=1 access date: 5/22/2010
11. ^ [U.S. data comes from the Trust for Public Land's Center for City Park Excellence."The 150 Largest City Parks". Trust for Public Land. http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/citypark_facts/ccpe_150_LargestParks_4_2010.pdf. Retrieved May 6, 2010. 

External links

• Essay on diversification in public open space planning and design
• Project for Public Space
• Medway Urban Parks & Green Spaces Forum (MUP&GSF)