CENTRAL PARK - a unified experience

In the aftermath of Industrial revolution New York expanded far beyond expectation.
And there was a dearth of public spaces, people visited cemeteries for recreational
purposes. Olmsted found this concept unreasonable. He was inspired by Birkinhead
and wanted to create a similar kind of space for New York city which would act as its
lungs. He understood the space as a medium to relieve the city and its population of
its physical and psychological pressure. Hence when Frederick Law Olmsted and
Calvert Vaux visualized a revitalization of Central Park from the stage of its
germination it was intended to be a democratic design inclusive of people from
different strata of the society. The same was reflected in their design, which was
primarily differentiated from the other competition entries through the
underground vehicular roadways. The ingenuity of the design lies in the fact that this
avoided the compartmentalization of the park. This created a unified experience.
The experiential quality of Central Park is heavily dependent on the visuals it
portrays. According to Olmsted a cluster of wild flowers though might garner lesser
attention but would still be associated with a more intimate feeling of love by our
brain rather than a gaudy bright imported variety of that same flower, though the
latter garners much more attention. A few other decisions like avoiding use of
specimen ornamental trees in favour of woods and expansive meadows points to the
facts that he might have wanted the landscape to have a more calming appeal. The
guards in Central parks were instructed personally by Olmsted to treat each
individual respectably. The ramble exposing the rocky terrain of the region brings the
larger context of passage of time to the foreground. The design at this point appeals
to the universal. Olmsted had envisioned Central Park to be majorly a space for
strolls and other leisurely. The winding and shaded pathways are certain
components of the design which encourage movement. Quoting an article titled
When Parks were Radical, “The giddy impulse you feel, upon arriving at the Great
Lawn or Sheep Meadow, to burst into a full-out sprint—that is by design.”
Adaptability of spaces he created could be the main reason for the success of Central
Park. In a city like New York, inhabited by citizens from various parts of the world
Central Park has evolved over the years with its people just like the city itself.
However this success cannot be measured through a piece by piece analysis of
various components of its design. As mentioned in the book “ Creating Central Park”
by Morrison H Hecksher, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux had submitted
twelve sheets for the competition. Out of them nine contained illustrations by Vaux
which showed the existing condition of the site and the way in which the space
would be transformed. This might provide some insight into the ideologies of design
they were trying to communicate. Their design was not the individual components or
techniques they used. Rather it is more aptly justified by the experience it creates or
the emotion it instills.

SOURCE: “Creating Central Park” by Morrison H Hecksher

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/09/better-than-nature/492716/
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/09/13/design-competition-central-park

SAMPRITI SAHA
PA201217