best fashions: September 2011

Monday 19 September 2011

Emerald Neclace parks linked by parkways

The Emerald Necklace consists of an 1,100-acre (4.5 km2) chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. It gets its name from the way the planned chain appears to hang from the "neck" of the Boston peninsula, although it was never fully constructed.
Contents
* 1 Overview
* 2 History
* 3 Shape
* 4 Jurisdiction
o 4.1 The Emerald Necklace Conservancy
* 5 Future plans
* 6 Nearby attractions
* 7 References
* 8 External links
Overview
The Necklace comprises half of the City of Boston's park acreage, parkland in the Town of Brookline, and parkways and park edges under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. More than 300,000 people live within its watershed area. The Emerald Necklace is the only remaining intact linear park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, America's first landscape architect. From Boston Common to Franklin Park it is approximately seven miles by foot or bicycle through the parks.
The Emerald Necklace includes:
* Boston Common
* Public Garden
* Commonwealth Avenue Mall
* Back Bay Fens
* The Riverway
* Olmsted Park
* Jamaica Pond
* Arnold Arboretum
* Franklin Park
Several components of the Emerald Necklace pre-date the plan to unite them. Some links of the Emerald Necklace not only offer an opportunity for recreation in a wooded environment, but are also ecologically important urban wilds that provide nesting places for migratory birds and improve the air quality of the city.