Fairmount Park - Philadelphia, PA

Fairmount Park is one of the largest city parks in the United States. With a size of 4,167 acres, the park commands an overwhelming presence in the northern part of Philadelphia. The natural land the park protects and preserves stands in stark contrast to one of the most heavily developed and densely populated cities in America that surrounds it. As the park offers almost limitless recreation opportunities and access to nature within city limits, it plays an extremely valuable role in the fabric of Philadelphia life. It is the centerpiece of the Philadelphia park system and allows residents an escape from hectic city life as they completely immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the park. When the canopy of the trees and vegetation are fully in bloom, it is possible from many points in the park to completely disassociate from the city as the tall buildings and other infrastructure become fully obscured and distant.

The park spans both sides of the Schuylkill River in the northern section of Philadelphia. It is yet another example of an urban area taking an early proactive approach in land preservation to promote the welfare and quality of life of the general public. If the park did not exist, it is completely conceivable that many of the areas within the park would be extremely valuable parcels of real estate. As the park is along the river and varies in elevation, several prized neighborhoods would probably exist full of nice homes. However, the land was made public by the city and it is now one of the top destinations in the region for all kinds of people. Besides its land preservation importance, the park also doubles as a grand urban nature preserve as well as an one of the most immaculately landscaped and designed parks in the country. At first, the park was preserved purely along the river as an effort to preserve the water supply for the substantially growing city in the 1800s. By 1865, the city acquired a significant portion of the present-day park that had yet been developed. These areas of the park along the water in the northern and western sections of it, are largely untouched besides the development of trails. It gives into the Pennsylvania countryside that largely existed throughout the entire urban sprawl of the Philadelphia metropolitan region before it became one of the important centers of American life.

The park is also home to beautiful landscaping and architecture, as well as many of the most recognized landmarks in all of Philadelphia. The oldest section of the park is nearest to Center City Philadelphia and the majority of the city's tourist attractions. Therefore, it is also one of the most visited and heavily photographed areas of the park. In this area of the park lies the famous Art Museum. Directly behind and to the north of the museum along the Schuylkill lies the beautifully maintained and historic walkways of the Philadelphia Water Works, which have been in place as urban public land since the 1830s. This area was once the heart of the city's water supply activity from the river. Therefore, it doubled as an important civic infrastructure source as well as a valuable open space outlet for the growing city's residents.

While Fairmount Park is certainly an incredible civic asset and a model to follow for urban parks and land preservation, it has the potential to be so much more. Located directly to the east of the park lies the vast neighborhoods of North Philadelphia. Despite having such close access to a treasure such as Fairmount Park, North Philadelphia is one of the most struggling and disinvested areas of the entire city. North Philadelphia has long been synonymous with urban decay and has some of the highest rates of poverty and crime of any area of any major city in America. This is an unfortunate reality, as the park has the incredible potential to be an effective community development tool, especially for youth in the area. So much more could be done in the park to provide an outlet for structured activities for those in the surrounding neighborhoods. There are efforts, but more could be achieved due to the incredible size of the park and the large, dense population of North Philadelphia. It is a conundrum that one of the most dangerous and dense urban areas of America lies within such close proximity to one of the largest urban natural preserves in the country. The physical infrastructure is already there. Some have already realized this incredible potential and have utilized the land for such purposes. Here is an example of an innovative idea in action:

Access to open space has an incredible positive effect on quality of life. This is especially true in dense areas such as Philadelphia. Hopefully, more will begin to realize the potential it can have alleviating many problems associated with such areas.