Parks of the 21st Century

Presentation of 52 parks in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, and China that have repurposed damaged, contaminated, derelict land (including former factories, railroads, industrial waterfronts, airports, quarries) and created productive new public landscapes. This may be considered adaptive reuse of land (adaptive reuse" is typically applied to buildings). Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings. Among the subthemes: Development of parks in Asia and Europe; historical precedent for parks fromthe 19th and 20th centuries built on former infrastructure. Environmental contribution of parks--how park features (including constructed wetlands or porous edges) can filter pollutants, rehabilitating/remediating the damaged land and contributing to a cleaner environment. How parks can mitigate major storms and protect against flooding by collecting water and releasing back into the environment only slowly. Social impact of new parks: they increase real estate values and thus often lead to gentrification, but can also improve traditionally underserved/neglected areas and neighborhoods"--