Shared Spaces

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy first broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the “Longest line of garden flamingos” on June 21st, 2018, in Bidwell Parkway. Since then, the flamingo, re-named FLOmingo in honor of Frederick Law Olmsted, has also become the unofficial mascot of the Conservancy.  In October 2019, the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ was taken back […]

Riverside’s defining characteristics include abundant greenery across its two square miles. This idyllic National Historic Landmark village is where I grew up climbing trees in the ‘90s.

In the final decades of the 19th century, the new art of landscape architecture was born, in large part due to the efforts of Frederick Law Olmsted. This new profession offered “very specific responses” to the social, political, and environmental challenges of the time, argued Charles Waldheim, Hon. ASLA, the John E. Irving professor of landscape […]

Following up on our previous post about the Urban Park Grant Opportunity (ORLP)… City Parks Alliance, and our partners the National Recreation and Park Association and the Trust for Public Land, is hosting an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program technical assistance webinar in partnership with National Park Service. National Park Service staff will provide […]

Family picnics. Concerts under the stars. Tossing the frisbee with friends. Riding bikes. Watching birds. Summer is finally here and people everywhere are gathering in America’s green, open spaces again. Whether you’re traveling across the street to your favorite neighborhood park or across the country to visit a national park, we want to see what […]

Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek, CA: Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. played an important role in the establishment of the California State Park System, as outlined by California Forever, a two-part documentary series. Hired by the California State Park Commission,  Olmsted Jr. released a report in December 1928, recommending 125 park sites, ranging from […]

It’s been a long, hard year of social distancing, Zoom meetings, and virtual school. But, now that we’re easing out of the pandemic and into sunnier days, let’s not forget the places that made the pandemic bearable. From city parks to our own backyards, greenspaces have helped us retreat from our homes, safely connect with […]

Shortly after the Civil War, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux transformed the lands around Bridgeport Harbor, Long Island Sound, and Black Rock Harbor into what is today – Seaside Park (Project No. 12021). Thanks to advocacy by Bridgeport’s daily newspaper, plus land donations from nearby residents, Seaside Park came to fruition. Most notable among […]