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Associate Professor, University of Georgia
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Green Laws Org
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Russ Adsit, FASLA
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12 Landscape Architect and Specifier News
Well, spring is in the air and that must
mean you are reading the annual LASN
"Parks" issue.
With that, here are a couple of things
trending in the world of park development.
Recently, the ASLA released a statement
opposing the Trump Administration's
2019 fiscal year budget proposal, because
it "recommended cutting the Land and
Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by 98
percent from FY17 levels and zeroing out
the state grants program." This represents a
potential $900 million savings for the gov't,
but a huge loss for park development across
the country. Since a lot of the allocations
are based on a given state's population,
this retreat in spending would affect states
like California, New York and Illinois to a
greater extent than other less populated states. While I am definitely for less government
spending, this matter does warrant further review. To find out more you should visit:
www.asla.org/FederalGovernmentAffairs.aspx?id=30713
From the NRPA (National Recreation and Parks Association), I recently read a very
entertaining piece on park trends that offered several interesting predictions, including a
trend to renovate underground and otherwise abandoned facilities (like Seattle's Battery
Street Tunnel) into park spaces. Old train stations, subways, rail tunnels and more are all
in play when it comes to this trend.
Another interesting prediction was that puppy waste could become fuel through "small-
scale anaerobic digesters for parks. Patrons could deposit dog waste, which is composted
to produce methane that is used to power park lighting." (See page 120.)
And also from the NRPA is a more somber prediction. Lack of housing is forcing cities
to look hard for available real estate. Some parks are being replaced with high-rise or other
population-dense developments. The NRPA is predicting this trend to grow in 2018, but
offered a potential deterrent to this by "dedicating" land as park land. Apparently in New
York, approving a conversion from a dedicated park to a different kind of development
requires a 2/3 majority in the legislature and the change must also "comply with federal
protections of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act" if the original park was built
with those funds. (Although if Trump's proposed budget changes kick in, this point would
be somewhat moot for future developed parks.) I'm sure every state is a bit different, but
if you can officially dedicate the land as a park it has a better chance of withstanding the
onslaught of developers.
So, it appears that developing a park will not always be a walk in the park, but keeping an
eye on legislation and working the system will definitely help to park the park as a park . . .
God bless and happy Easter . . .
George Schmok, Publisher
gschmok@landscapeonline.com
Park Your Park as a Park!
And speaking of parks . . . I was recently down at
San Diego's Balboa Park and Museum Complex
and found this ASLA Centennial Medallion
recognizing the site as "a National Landmark for
Outstanding Landscape Architecture."