Tonight, WTTW-Chiacgo and PBS will air the second in a three-part series, called "10 That Changed America." The project explores the architecture, design, and urban planning that revolutionized American communities.
This evening's episode, "10 Parks That Changed America," features outdoor spaces that have transformed how people interact with the outdoors. From small public parks, like the public squares of Savannah, Georgia, to the urban utopia of New York City's Central Park, these parks show the unique ways American architects aimed to preserve outdoor spaces and create new models for post industrial landscapes.
Seattle, Washington's Gas Works Park (pictured above) is revolutionary for it's reclamation of a toxic site thru bio-remediation and the unique vision of landscape architect Richard Haag.
Here to discuss this West Coast park is urban landscape historian Thaisa Way. She's a professor in landscape architecture and director of urban@UW, at the University of Washington. She's also a recipient of the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture at the American Academy in Rome, where she currently lives.
Check out the nine other parks featured in the PBS series below.
Central Park — New York, NY
Squares of Savannah — Savannah, GA
Fairmount Park – Philadelphia, PA
Mt. Auburn Cemetery – Cambridge, MA
Chicago's Neighborhood Parks — Chicago, IL
San Antonio River Walk — San Antonio, TX
Overton Park — Memphis, TN
Freeway Park — Seattle, WA
