Boston's Emerald Necklace
Case Study
The Emerald Necklace
Location - Boston, MA
Summary - Frederick Law Olmsted had recently designed Central Park for New York City when the City Council of Boston decided in 1870 that it too was overcrowded and did not have enough pleasant fresh air for its citizens. Olmsted designed what he initially designated the “Green Ribbon” as a series of linked parks that was accessible to a large majority of the city’s residents. This later was named the Emerald Necklace, which Bostonians still enjoy today as a retreat from the city.
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Key Vulnerabilities - The city of Boston believed that its residents could greatly benefit from a park where they could travel to in order to improve their health.
Before
After
Living Conditions - At the time the residents here were overly concentrated in loud and unsanitary conditions that were largely the result of an Industrial Revolution. Ability to Travel - Many of the people within the city did not have the means to travel outside the city limits and into open countryside so it seemed that a park might be the best resolution. Olmsted later argued that a series of parks would be more interesting and overall suitable for the city of Boston than a single park. This design allowed its visitors to explore within Boston under the greenery of its tree lined parkways as they moved between the larger parks such as the Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue.
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About the Plan - Boston’s unsanitary conditions were largely the result of the Industrial Revolution and the mismanaged development that took over in many places. On the edge of the city expanded the Back Bay, where people would dispose of sewage so that it would wash out with the incoming
tide. When Roxbury Dam was constructed, the sewage would not be washed away, but rather collect and produce a foul smell and disseminated populations of wild species. The city decided to convert this area into the Public Garden by filling it in and turning it into a flowering park. The people of the city saw that some of the other cities nearby had been implementing more extensive park systems, which led to a push for the same in Boston.
The Park Act was passed for Boston in 1875, and soon the city council called for Frederick Law Olmsted to study the sites proposed for Boston. Connected Parks - Here he saw that it would be more advantageous for Boston to connect the proposed sites by parkways that follow the Muddy River as they connect the Back Bay Fens to Franklin Park. These parkways proved vital to the integrity of the Emerald Necklace and the goal of letting people put the city behind them.
Today - The six parks that make up Olmsted’s design for Boston are now managed by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Visitors enjoy an arboretum and zoo that are within the park as well as the multitude of “recreational activities like sailing, hiking, golf or softball” Yet amidst this vibrancy, the simple luxuries of shaded seating alongside extensive walkways remain intact.
