Parks in the 21st Century Chicago
Parks in the 21st century Chicago
Municipal parks are a key component of any metropolitan area. A park provides residents and visitors in the urban space a place to relax in the nature. Traditionally, parks are designed to resemble open woodlands where people find most relaxing. A typical park often consists of short grass that allows for picnics and sports activities, trees that provides shade and beauty as well as ponds. While traditional parks focus on passive recreation activities such as picnics, walking, and running, more and more parks are investing in active recreation activities that engage the residents in group activities to evoke a sense of community and increase visiting.
The official motto of Chicago has been Urbs in horto, Latin for “City in a garden”, since 1830s. Daniel Burnham’s plan for the city of Chicago also makes clear that the green space is a cornerstone of Chicago. Its commitment to city parklands is undeniable as the city of Chicago devotes 8.2% of its land to city parks. More than 7,600 acres of parklands are divided into 570 parks within the city limit. Upon the founding of the city of Chicago, the land east of Michigan avenue are designated “public ground – a common to remain forever open, clear and free of any buildings, or other obstruction, whatever.” Thus created the foundation of Grant Park, Millennium Park and Burnham Park. Millennium Park, the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo and the Bloomingdale Trail represent the three distinctive types of parks that can be found in Chicago: active recreational parks that engage the visitors with attractions, passive recreational parks that provide the visitors with natural environment to relax in, and linear park that renovates the abandoned infrastructure to green spaces. Millennium Park occupies the north western section of Grant Park, originally an undignified rail-yard and parking lot. The six year construction of Millennium Park was finished in 2004, four years behind
Municipal parks are a key component of any metropolitan area. A park provides residents and visitors in the urban space a place to relax in the nature. Traditionally, parks are designed to resemble open woodlands where people find most relaxing. A typical park often consists of short grass that allows for picnics and sports activities, trees that provides shade and beauty as well as ponds. While traditional parks focus on passive recreation activities such as picnics, walking, and running, more and more parks are investing in active recreation activities that engage the residents in group activities to evoke a sense of community and increase visiting.
The official motto of Chicago has been Urbs in horto, Latin for “City in a garden”, since 1830s. Daniel Burnham’s plan for the city of Chicago also makes clear that the green space is a cornerstone of Chicago. Its commitment to city parklands is undeniable as the city of Chicago devotes 8.2% of its land to city parks. More than 7,600 acres of parklands are divided into 570 parks within the city limit. Upon the founding of the city of Chicago, the land east of Michigan avenue are designated “public ground – a common to remain forever open, clear and free of any buildings, or other obstruction, whatever.” Thus created the foundation of Grant Park, Millennium Park and Burnham Park. Millennium Park, the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo and the Bloomingdale Trail represent the three distinctive types of parks that can be found in Chicago: active recreational parks that engage the visitors with attractions, passive recreational parks that provide the visitors with natural environment to relax in, and linear park that renovates the abandoned infrastructure to green spaces. Millennium Park occupies the north western section of Grant Park, originally an undignified rail-yard and parking lot. The six year construction of Millennium Park was finished in 2004, four years behind