Frederick Law Olmsted, 1822-1903
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Tomorrow, after lunch, we will be visiting the
Back Bay Fens, a portion of the “Emerald
Necklace” of parks created for the city of
Boston by Frederick Law Olmsted in the
1880's.
Olmsted is often cited as the founder of
American landscape architecture and a key
contributor to the physical layout and life of
many American cities.
Almost forgotten 50 years ago – his vision is
relevant again today!
A long, varied life
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Born in Hartford, CT; lived in various country
towns after death of his mother; never formally
schooled
Hoped to attend Yale, but a bad case of sumac
poisoning compromised his eyesight and
doctors advised postponing formal study – he
never went back
Sailed on voyages to China and Europe in the
1850's – much taken with English landscapes
Olmsted's life, continued
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In the later 1850's he made a reputation as a
writer – best known work probably The Cotton
Kingdom – an account of travels through the
antebellum American South – described the
effects of slavery-based cotton plantation
economy on the people and the landscape; a
strong anti-slavery message.
1857 – appointed Superintendent of projected
Central Park in New York (no experience with
parks; and Central Park didn't exist yet!)
Life, continued
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In collaboration with Calvert Vaux, Olmsted
created a design for Central Park and oversaw
its realization “off and on” over the next 20 or
so years.
During the Civil War, he served for a time as
head of U.S. Sanitary Commission (precursor
of American Red Cross) – ran Union military
hospitals, etc.
A Calling Found
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After the Civil War, returned to landscape
architecture – devoted rest of his life
Planned and executed parks, college
campuses, public spaces all over the U.S.
Some other well (and not so well) known work:
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Prospect Park in Brooklyn
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Bushnell Park in Hartford
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Capitol grounds in Washington D.C.
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Campuses of Stanford, Wellesley, Yale, …
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Elm Park in Worcester(!)
Later Work
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Toward the end of his life, Olmsted founded a
landscape architecture firm, continued by his
sons and heirs (lasted until 1980!)
Worked on Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC
(one of the Vanderbilt family mansions)
Involved in design of 1893 Columbian
Exposition fair grounds in Chicago
Retired in 1898, but suffered a mental
breakdown immediately thereafter and died in
Maclean Hospital in Belmont, MA (he had
designed the grounds years before)
Olmsted's Philosophy
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1850's – older American cities like New York,
Boston were pretty awful places (very densely
built up but no planning, inadequate sanitation,
growing manufacturing areas, etc.)
The more aesthetically pleasing you make a
city, the more people will want to live in that
city, and the happier they will be
The way to make cities more aesthetically
pleasing is to bring aspects of the country into
them – “natural” landscapes, vegetation, views
– the “City Beautiful”
Central Park in New York
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Overall view from north end:
Central Park
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Grand formal spaces
Central Park
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Together with almost rural areas
Elm Park in Worcester
Effects of a Good City Park
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Gives everyone in the city's population (rich
and poor alike) a “pleasure ground” (Olmsted's
phrase) for quiet contemplation of nature,
activities like walking, running, other sports, …
Trees, other vegetation can serve to minimize
effects of air pollution.
Open space improves quality of life and makes
higher population density options like multistory apartment buildings bearable.
Urban Life
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Cities are much preferable to suburban
“sprawl” from environmental perspective!
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Lower environmental impact
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Economies of scale
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Less need for automobiles for transportation;
easier to provide public transportation
We lost sight of this in the US from 1945 to the
1970's, but Olmsted's vision is coming back!
Maybe recapturing his vision for cities will be a
component of “collapse avoidance(!)”
The “New Urbanism”
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A “new” (i.e. old!) vision of how cities can
work and improve the quality of life for all --
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1. Walkability: Most things within a 10minute walk of home and work; pedestrian
friendly street design
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2. Mixed use/Diversity: Mixed-use within
neighborhoods, within blocks, and within
buildings; Diversity of people - of ages,
income levels, cultures, and races
New Urbanism, continued
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3. Quality Architecture & Urban Design:
Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human
comfort, and creating a sense of place;
Special placement of civic uses and sites
within community. Human scale architecture
& beautiful surroundings nourish the human
spirit/quality of life
New Urbanism, continued
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4. Traditional Neighborhood Structure:
Discernable center and edge, public space at
center, importance of quality public realm.
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5. “Transect” planning – integrates
environmental thinking for habitat
assessment with zoning for community
design – boundary between the natural and
man-made disappears, enabling
environmentalists to assess the design of the
human habitat and urbanists to support the
viability of nature.
New Urbanism
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6. Increased Density – More buildings,
residences, shops, and services closer
together for ease of walking, more efficient
services
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7. Smarter transportation – public, electric,
rail options
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8. Sustainability