Category: Equity & Inclusion

Field Notes
Olmsted’s First Walk in a Public Park
Nearly 175 years ago, Frederick Law Olmsted’s passion for parks as democratic spaces was ignited by a trip to Birkenhead Park in England.

Conservation & Advocacy
Olmsted’s Legacy at the Capitol Lives On
The Olmsted Network’s guide to the U.S. Capitol Grounds makes its way to Congress just in time for the upcoming presidential inauguration.

Field Notes
Beloved Olmsted scholar’s library finds a new home
Tony Horwitz’s collection of Olmsted books was recently donated to the University of Virginia’s Center for Cultural Landscapes.

Field Notes
Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy wins grant for park improvements
Thanks to an AARP Community Challenge Grant, Olmsted Network partner Maplewood Memorial Park in NJ will receive a new walkway and new entryway plantings—updates that will better pedestrian access and bring the park closer to its original designs.

Field Notes
Rock Creek Conservancy helps shape future of historic amphitheater
Alliance forms to revitalize the historic Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park.

Field Notes
Olmsted Now Committee of Neighborhoods Wins BSLA Award
A multi-pronged campaign to establish public spaces as essential infrastructure for democratic exchange and community health is recognized by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

Reprints
Looking Southward
Originally published circa 2008, this blog by John Stauffer of Harvard University explores Frederick Law Olmsted’s trips to the South to research the institution of slavery.

Field Notes
Park Pride’s Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference in Atlanta Attracts Hundreds
It takes many hands to build a parks system that meets everyone's needs.

Equity & Inclusion
Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Twenty-First Century City
Among those who study the work of Olmsted, there is a growing consensus that Olmsted’s experiences in the South had a profound impact on his later career as a landscape architect who would design some of the nation’s most beloved parks.

Equity & Inclusion
“Communitiveness” in the Age of Coronavirus
Frederick Law Olmsted sought to build “communitiveness” and healing through landscape design. As we mark the first anniversary of the pandemic, we need parks now more than ever.

Equity & Inclusion
Olmsted’s Democratic Vision
Olmsted’s parks give us an opportunity to enjoy natural beauty together -- and regain community and connection.

Equity & Inclusion
Explore: Olmsted’s Crusade Against Slavery
In addition to writing about the scourge of slavery, Olmsted was a fierce advocate for abolition and an early supporter of equal rights for Blacks in America.
