A breath of fresh air: New York's Central Park

A breath of fresh air: New York’s Central Park

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park influenced the development of urban parks nationwide and is widely regarded a masterpiece of landscape architecture. 


Often referred to as the ‘Green Lungs’ of the city, the park is vital for cleaning the air pollution with its some 18,000 trees. According to Central Park NYC, “in one year, a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds (approx. 22kg) of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, converting it into oxygen” which is a staggering amount considering an average petrol car will produce just 80g of carbon dioxide every kilometre, effectively making Central Park a carbon sink. Removing CO2 from the atmosphere is key to reducing the global warming effect globally, and particularly for such a bustling city, New York could not survive without this green space at its core. 

I have always admired Central Park for its immense scale and how the skyscrapers sit neatly around it in this perfect rectangle. For the North Place design project, I wanted to recreate this ‘Green Lung’ concept on a small scale to benefit the whole of Cheltenham. When looking at Nolli maps of the town, its density of built form can be compared similarly to New York and the boom in developments over the past 50 years has caused the town centre to be sparsely planted with its one true park sitting outside the main central area. North Place’s location therefore provides ample opportunity to increase biodiversity and plant a substantial number of trees to make up for the blank concrete slate it is now. 

Nolli Maps of Cities

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268401219302154


History

“In the 1850s, a competition was launched for the design of a large new park in manhattan. the project sought to address the recreational needs of the rapidly growing city by offering new yorkers an experience of the countryside where they could escape from the stresses of urban life.”

“Olmsted and Vaux designed central park to incorporate a variety of landscapes and experiences. the plan eschewed symmetry, instead opting for a more picturesque design comprising sweeping lawns, woodlands, meandering streams, and broad lakes — all connected by a series of winding paths, a carriage drive, and a bridle path.” - https://www.designboom.com/design/archives-design-central-park-masterpiece-landscape-architecture-06-27-2021/




In the Landscape of Man Book by Geoffrey Jellicoe and Susan Jellicoe, it is conceived that Central Park was innovative because of its inwardness to focus varied elements within a confined space, with key network links running horizontally to the site. They act like rungs on a ladder and compartmentalise the mass of vegetation whilst providing geometric routes across to link to the wider city. Prospect became a them Olmsted continued to explore in his further designs and it is a marked observation that Central Park is overlooked by many but once inside you are transported away from the chaos of the urban city. 



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