FRI-A08: What's Next for The Necklace?: Evolving Historic Parks for the 21st Century

Friday, October 27, 2023

9:00am – 10:30am CT

1.50 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

Lydia G. Cook, ASLA (she/her/hers)

Senior Associate
Reed Hilderbrand
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Speaker(s)

Amy Whitesides, ASLA (she/her/hers)

Design Critic Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard GSD
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jhanea D. Amazi

Principal
MASS Design Group
Boston, Massachusetts

Historic park systems are positioned to take on issues contemporary to our time. We will explore how milestone planning efforts across Boston's Emerald Necklace (Moakley Park, Franklin Park, and The Embrace at the Boston Common) lay the groundwork to address climate resilience, historic and cultural relevance, and equity and justice.

Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate how planning processes can translate complex themes of climate resilience, historic and cultural relevance, and equity into actionable strategies and recommendations.
Understand how City-wide planning goals, such as urban forest management and community advancement, can gain traction through updating existing park systems with adjacencies to a broad cross-section of communities.
Explore how the layering of historical significance, diverse contemporary cultures, and ecological resilience can enrich and strengthen our shared public spaces.
Learn how public art can play a prominent role in furthering discourse around equity, justice, and inclusion.