The roles of private urban green spaces
reevaluated as we develop an
array of novel design features
in an urban context (Fig. 1). S
philosophy and environmental
of large wilderness areas and
Other traditional conservation
stable historic conditions, and managing for biodiversity
will become increasingly untenable in t
populace. These conflicts need to be reconciled with the modern reality that humans
depend on the ecosystem servi
itself is increasingly difficult to define.
As the forms, functions, users, and stakeholders of
emerge with the historical values
of landscape architects and man
been widely viewed as a onerepresented
the social trends and
Figure 1. Design elements of urban green space are increasingly diverse, and range from
complimentary to mutually exclusive. Many of these novel characteristics stem from a growing cast
of stakeholders that have not been traditionally involved in the decision making process of what
urban nature should look like, and what ecosystem services it
humans” (Turner et al. 2004)
rivate and traditional public city parks
“Ecology for a Crowded Planet” (Palmer et al.
and goals has emerged, such as biodiversity conservation
Some of the concepts are at odds with historical
ethics in America, which were based on the preservation
emphasized the intrinsic value of nature as a pristine
ditional priorities—such as eliminating exotic species, maintaining
as opposed to human utility
the face of climate change and a growing
services that nature provides (Sarewitz 2009), and that nature
urban nature diversify, conflict
l embedded in such spaces and the traditional authority
managers (Ackley and Meylan 2010). American p
-time matter of landscaping and basic engineering
aesthetic ideals of its day (Cranz and Boland 2004)
. should provide to local communities.
2004).
are being
2004). An
, conservation
entity.
, utility—
urban
, conflicts can
parks have
engineering, which
2004). As