Olmsted's ideals could help solve our real estate mess, Michael G. Messner, OpEd, Washington Post, January 5, 2011

More than 150 years ago, America's greatest landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, created Central Park and changed New York forever. He went on to transform dozens more cities, leaving a priceless legacy of vibrant, beautiful cityscapes. And, in the process, he increased property values.

Olmsted discovered this himself when he tracked the value of land around Central Park and found that the city's $13 million investment had led to an astounding $209 million increase in just 17 years. The architect recognized what many planners still fail to grasp: Parks and managed green space are vital pieces of urban infrastructure that not only improve the quality of life for millions of people but also drive economic growth.   (Emphasis added.)

Today we must act again to transform our cities. . . .

 For the rest of this interesting opinion piece by Mr Messner, please click here.