Emerald Necklace

Emerald Necklace

The Emerald Necklace consists of an 1,100-acre chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. The Emerald Necklace includes:


* Boston Common
* Boston Public Garden
* Commonwealth Avenue Mall
* Back Bay Fens
* The Fenway
* The Riverway
* Olmsted Park
* Jamaica Pond
* The Jamaicaway
* Arnold Arboretum
* The Arborway
* Franklin Park
The parks are almost contiguous with one another and are irregularly-shaped according to whatever land was available at the time of each park area's foundation. From Boston Common to Franklin Park it is approximately seven miles by foot or bicycle through the parks. [http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/necklace.asp City of Boston - The Emerald Necklace] ]

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.

History

This linear system of parks and parkways was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to connect the Boston Common (dating from the colonial period) and Public Garden (1837) to the great country estate known as Franklin Park.

The project began around 1878 with the effort to clean up and control the marshy area which became the Back Bay and the Fens. In 1880, Olmsted proposed that the Muddy River, which flowed from Jamaica Pond into the Fens, be included in the park plan. The current was dredged into a winding stream and directed into the Charles River. The corridor encompassing the river became a linear park. Olmsted's vision of a linear park of walking paths along a gentle stream connecting numerous small lakes was complete by the turn of the century.

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* [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi?page=tournecklace See Diagram]

As implied by the name "Emerald Necklace," these parks do not proceed in a straight line but rather form a sort of "L" shape. The Emerald Necklace begins near Boston's Downtown Crossing, proceeds along the Boston/Brookline border, then curves back into Jamaica Plain. At the south border of Arnold Arboretum, at the point most distant from its beginning, the Emerald Necklace is in Roslindale.

Olmstead's original plan called for a "U" shaped necklace which terminated at Boston Harbor. This final link, The Dorchesterway, was never realized. [http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/DisplayPlace.asp?id=11460 Heart of the City Project, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Harvard University and Northeastern University] ]

Jurisdiction

*Arnold Arboretum is leased to and managed by Harvard University.
*The west banks of Olmsted Park and the Riverway are under the jurisdiction of Brookline.
*The rest of the Emerald Necklace is maintained by the City of Boston and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Recent improvement

Over the past decade, almost $60 million in capital expenditures for parks and waterway improvements have been made in the Emerald Necklace by the City of Boston and the Town of Brookline. These efforts have included improved pathways, plantings and signage, bridge repairs, and the restoration of boardwalks and buildings. In some areas (especially Franklin Park) these efforts have only begun to address the over 50 years of neglect the Emerald Necklace has suffered.

Future plans

The Emerald Necklace Parks Master Plan was completed in 1989, and updated in 2001. [http://www.muddyrivermmoc.org/html/NecklaceLinks/masterplan.html]

The parks have long been subject to flooding from the Muddy River. The Muddy River Restoration Project [http://www.pinebank.org/muddyriverproject.htm] will dredge contaminated sediments and implement other major structural improvements, unburying the river and improving its integrity, appearance, and flood control capabilities. [http://www.muddyrivermmoc.org/html/RestorationLinks/floodControl.html] [http://www.geocities.com/muddybemuddy/summary.html]

The Conservancy

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy was established in 1996 to support and build upon public sector initiatives. A not-for-profit organization, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a public-private partnership composed of community, business government and institutional representatives, residential neighbors, representatives of Necklace-related associations and interested citizens.

Other areas

There are a few other green areas in the vicinity of the Emerald Necklace that are never considered a part of it but are worth mentioning:

* Charles River Esplanade is not contiguous with the rest of the Necklace but is not far from Commonwealth Ave and is a scenic greenspace.
* Forest Hills Cemetery fills in much of the area of Forest Hills between Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park and is a beautifully-landscaped and waterscaped convert|275|acre|km2|sing=on attraction in its own right. It is adjacent to several other large cemeteries.
* In recent years, the Massachusetts Audubon Society established the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary on the grounds of the former Boston State Hospital in Mattapan. American Legion Highway separates the santuary from Forest Hills Cemetery.
* Larz Anderson Park is a wooded, landscaped, and waterscaped 64 acre parkland that extends into Brookline from the vicinity of Jamaica Pond. It was donated to the public in 1948.
* VFW Parkway and West Roxbury Parkway extend from one corner of the Arboretum towards Dedham and Brookline respectively. They are bordered by cemeteries, river banks, and other green spaces.
* Columbus Road in Dorchester, once intended to be the final link in the Emerald Necklace, has recently undergone improvements under the guidance of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

ites along the Necklace

Along or near the Emerald Necklace one can find:

* Boston Latin School
* Hatch Shell
* Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
* Museum of Fine Arts
* Emerson College
* Emmanuel College
* Fenway Park
* Franklin Park Zoo
* Landmark Center
* Massachusetts College of Art
* Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
* Massachusetts State House
* Northeastern University
* Saint Clement's Eucharistic Shrine
* Simmons College
* Suffolk University
* Symphony Hall
* Wentworth Institute of Technology
* Wheelock College

References

External links

* [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi The Emerald Necklace Conservancy] (map)
* [http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/necklace.asp City of Boston Website]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/86bostonparks/86bostonparks.htm "The Emerald Necklace: Boston's Green Connection," a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]


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