Garden of the Gods named one of 10 great public spaces
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- Created on Monday, 03 October 2011 21:54
- Written by R. Scott Rappold
The arbiter of all things sensible and thought-out, the American Planning Association, has called Garden of the Gods one of the top ten public spaces in America.
On a day of negative headlines for the city (see here, or here, or heck, any local media website this afternoon....), officials issued a news release heralding the designation under the APA's Great Places in America program.
From a news release:
“It’s an honor to be one of APA’s Great Places,” says Mayor Steve Bach. “Colorado Springs residents and the two million people that visit each year already know Garden of the Gods is a great place. This designation highlights the role the City and dedicated community members have played over the years in preserving the land where ancestors of the Ute Indians, lived many thousands of years ago.”
And:
“Except for issues of ownership, Garden of the Gods would have been America’s second national park, a status it undoubtedly merited,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “Its most recent master plan – which incorporates Ian McHarg’s Design with Nature principles – has reduced the potential for degradation and deterioration, ensuring that this magnificent landscape will be enjoyed by future generations.”
Who else won, you might ask? Though I have never been to any of these places, I'm thinking the Garden probably has them beat!
· Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA;
· Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN;
· Gray's Lake Park, Des Moines, IA;
· Rice Park, St. Paul, MN;
· Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Nashville, TN;
· Fair Park, Dallas, TX;
· Maymont, Richmond, VA;
· Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA; and
· Milwaukee RiverWalk, Milwaukee, WI.
