Text by Timothy A. Schuler
Artwork by Naomi Clark
Spaces around the world, people have awakened to the incomparable benefits of spending time in green spaces. Offering respite and opportunities for gathering and exploration, these four famous parks and gardens remain as treasured today as when they first opened.
AN ICONIC LEGACY
Boston Common and Emerald Necklace, Boston
In colonial America, the notion of land held for the public good started with Boston Common, established in 1636 and used early on as pasture for grazing. Four centuries later, the storied park, which boasts 200-year-old trees, remains the heart of Boston. Extending from Boston Common is the equally significant, 1,100-acre chain of parks and boulevards known as the Emerald Necklace. Conceived by Frederick Law Olmsted, the visionary behind Central Park, and completed in 1895, this network of tree-lined streets and urban refugia has since served as a model for park systems around the world.
AN OASIS ON THE NILE
Al Andalus Park, Cairo
Since its unveiling in 1929, Al Andalus Park has been a place where art, culture, and nature quietly intermingle. Part of a collection of century-old parks and gardens that emerged from efforts by Cairo’s rulers to westernize the city, the park features mesmerizing stepped gardens and ornate Arabesque, Andalusian, and Pharaonic architecture, all within view of the Nile River. The lush oasis was designed by architect Zulfugar Ali Pasha, who also gave Cairo its first Japanese garden. Today, the park is dedicated to Ahmed Shawqi, known as the father of modern Arab literature, whose statue overlooks the Andalusian garden.
THE CIVIS STAGE
Soundscape Park, Miami Beach
In just 10 years, Miami Beach’s 2.5-acre SoundScape Park has become an integral part of the city’s arts and culture scene. Instantly recognizable for its swirling “clouds” of pink-flowering bougainvillea, the stylish and contemporary park, designed by Claire Agre and the Dutch design firm West 8, was conceived as a companion to the city’s New World Symphony Concert Hall, an outdoor living room that could accommodate a wide range of events. At night the shady, palm-strewn lawn transforms into a high-tech, open-air performing arts space, with movies, musical performances, and video installations projected onto the concert hall’s facade.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Railway Trail, Bermuda
Sometimes green spaces are best experienced in motion. Bermuda’s Railway Trail National Park is a linear park that stretches nearly the entire length of the archipelago, following the route of the island’s short-lived train line known affectionately as the “rattle and shake.” Initiated as part of a worldwide rails-to-trails movement, the Bermuda rail line was converted into a scenic biking and walking path in 1964. Along its path are secluded beaches, secret gardens, and dizzying array of island ecosystems, not to mention ample opportunities to appreciate the colorful architecture or take a dip in the ocean.