Design | Green Space
Urban Green Space
Navigating the matrix of trees and concrete
The Sunday Dispatch ~ November 5, 2023
Soft edges, hard lines, the ambient sound of traffic.
When I walk through a city, I instinctively seek the soft touch of nature. I find as much green space as possible to weave into my path. Trails, parks, corner plazas, treed pathways — whatever I can find.
Intersection corner spaces dotted with trees and park benches are wonderful brief respites from harsh concrete corners.
Throughout my city sojourns, one of my favorite places is a park dedicated to Katherine Hepburn. It is more of a retreat space from the urban bluster, a bit like a much smaller Central Park. It is tucked along the edge of Dag Plaza along East 47th Street in New York City.
As you walk through the garden gate, a stone pathway beckons you to step into another realm where time and heartbeat slow and stress falls away.
We design our cities with such harsh edges. Right angles for efficiency. Construction for construction’s sake. But how do we walk through these spaces? What makes us want to walk through these spaces?
Several years ago, I went to a concert in Central Park. I was late, so I parked my…
