The Emerald Necklace is a great system of parks designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. It is a world-renowned treasure and national asset whose restorative spaces have been serving Bostonians and diverse visitors for over 100 years. It is a Boston landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
But day in and day out, especially in environmental justice communities, the city is viewing the park area as a place for building rather than a part of Boston’s public health infrastructure, critical to addressing climate change. The proposed intrusions continue to grow.
In recent years, city officials have appropriated more and more parkland for nonpark and private purposes. Today, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy states that 40%, or 200 acres, of Franklin Park cannot be accessed freely by the neighborhoods and the general public. No wonder the Emerald Necklace Conservancy has sued the city for unconstitutional privatization— a lawsuit we fully support.
Proposed plans for White Stadium now under review increase the size and footprint of the Stadium, reducing the amount of open green space available to neighbors and the broader community. The plans break up historic connections between Olmsted’s Overlook area and the Playstead. They significantly increase traffic in ways that are incompatible with the park and intrusive to the neighborhoods.
That’s why twenty individuals and our Olmsted Network partner the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston, the Trustees of the George Robert White Charitable Trust, and Boston Unity Soccer Partners to protect and preserve Frederick Law Olmsted’s landmark Franklin Park. This active litigation insists on regulatory compliance and seeks to prevent the privatization of a public asset.
Despite pending litigation and the Judge’s warning that any city action would be at its own risk, city processes have continued apace. Twelve commissioners of the Boston Landmarks Commission opposed the city’s fast-track process and called on the Mayor to “operate within the established legal frameworks when balancing competing goals.” What happened? The Mayor fired its chair.
Elsewhere in Franklin Park, plans call for the largest substance abuse treatment facility in North America. While treatment facilities serve a purpose, so too does park space. A recent report examining the Health Superpowers of Parks by the Trust for Public Land, shows that “green spaces are increasingly valuable, cost-effective public health resources.”
In the Charlesgate area of the Necklace, high-rise construction threatens the natural vitality of the Necklace. Along the Arborway, a similar project, known as Longwood Place, is planned. The amount of shade created by the proposed developments will negatively impact the ecology and historic character of the Necklace.
The accumulated impact will— bit by bit— fragment and dismantle this great linear park. Once gone, public park space is gone forever.
We can’t trust our public officials to save our parks. If we don’t raise our voices, we’ll lose them. In Boston, Chicago, Louisville, and cities around the country, park lovers and taxpayers need to stand up against privatization and development. We want what Olmsted sought: Parks for all People.
Act Now! Ask the Boston Parks Commission to do its job and stand up for Boston parks. On Monday, July 29, the Commission will be reviewing the Demolition and Design Review for White Stadium. Urge the Commission to postpone any action until the litigation is resolved.
Please email:
PRC@BOSTON.GOV
carrie.marsh@boston.gov
ryan.woods@boston.gov
info@olmsted.org
Anne “Dede” Petri is the President & CEO of the Olmsted Network.