Why Cities Need Large Parks

The large parks and green infrastructure presented here illustrate the diverse uses and many benefits of large urban parks across 30 major cities. Demand for large urban parks emerged at the height of the First Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s, when large urban parks represented new ideas of accessible public spaces, often established on land previously owned by aristocracy, royalty, or the army.

They represented new ideas on how city life could be improved and how large green spaces could enhance urban citizens’ physical and psychological well-being (e.g. Birkenhead Park in Liverpool, Bois de Boulogne in Paris, Tiergarten in Berlin, and Central Park in New York City). Today, large urban parks are habitats for biodiversity and spaces of climate change adaptation. For people living in cities, this biodiversity may represent high cultural, recreational, and aesthetic values, but is also important for other aspects of health and well-being, such as reducing the urban heat island effect, air pollution, and risks of flooding.

At a time when we are seriously reconsidering how we live in cities and our urban quality of life, while also grappling with serious challenges of climate change, the authors of Why Cities Need Large Parks detail the much-needed evidence, pathways, and vision for a future of more liveable, resilient cities where large urban parks are at the core.

This book will help park managers, NGOs, landscape architects, and city planners to develop the green city of the future.