What Defines a Park?

The Adirondacks are undeniably a special and beautiful park.  Writer and Adirondack enthusiast Bill McKibben claims, “in my experience, the world contains no finer blend of soil and rock and water and forest than that found in this scene laid out before me” (McKibben, 14).   McKibben’s view of the park is quite common, as many people consider the Adirondacks to be a home, second home, or favorite vacation destination.  Although McKibben and others consider the Adirondacks to be the epitome of an American park, does this landscape define a “park”?  Even though the Adirondacks are quite famous, New York State is home to several other, drastically different, parks, even within the busy metropolis that is New York City.

New York City, which seemingly is the opposite of the Adirondack Park, is home to roughly 29,000 acres of parklands, which is nearly 14 percent of the City (NYC Dpt. of Parks and Rec).  Among these parks are the more traditional city parks such as the famous Central Park.  New York City Department of Parks and Recreation describes Central Park as a place to, “[roam] its grounds, gazing upon nearly 50 fountains, monuments, and sculptures or admiring its 36 bridges and arches” (NYC Parks).  Central Park is the closest reminder of the wilderness that a New York City resident will have in the city, however, as is evident from the below photo, the park looks exceptionally out of place in the middle of the United States’ largest city.

Anthony Quintano/Flicker 

In comparison to central Park, which was designed to be more of a small-scale wilderness, the city’s new park, The High Line, presents an even more drastic interpretation of a park.  The High Line was a raised railway in New York City, opening in 1934 (Friends of the High Line, ‘About’).  Now, after years of designing and constructing, the former train rail structure is now home to a 1.45-mile park.  ArchDaily, a popular architecture blog, explains that the park was, “Inspired by the wild seeded landscape left after the line had been abandoned, the team created a paving system that encourages natural growth which creates a ‘pathless’ landscape” (Cilento, 2009).  The High Line Park is a park by name, though has no real or fabricated "wilderness" within its design.

David Berkowitz/Flicker

The Adirondack Park, Central Park, and the High Line are all categorized as a “park.”  However, there is an obvious difference between the Adirondacks and the parks of New York City, as one is naturally formed, and the others designed by professional park planners.  Unfortunately, the roughly eight million New York City residents do not have immediate access to the Adirondacks, being about five hours away.  As such, it is imperative that city governments continue to fund departments of parks and recreation, so that even large, industrial cities can have a glimpse of the rural oases of the world, such as the Adirondacks.

(Click on the below link to explore the High Line Park on Google Maps Street View!)

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.740364,-74.008137,3a,75y,342.74h,73.01t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s3oebirlKbod19rrtc4NMSg!2e0!3e5

*Thank you to John DeGuardi for reviewing and editing this post

Works Cited:

1. "About." NYC Parks. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nycgovparks.org/about>.
2. "Central Park." NYC Parks. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park>.
3. Cilento, Karen. "The New York High Line Officially Open." ArchDaily. Plataforma Networks, 09 June 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.archdaily.com/24362/the-new-york-high-line-officially-open/>.
4. "The High Line." NYC Parks. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/the-high-line>.

Photos:

1. https://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanomedia/15351915006/
2. https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidberkowitz/5922901497/