Green Cities

Green spaces are usually at a premium in the city. Those cities that have incorporated trees, gardens and parks into the urbanscape are considered to be more desirable. But most urban areas have a long way to go in this area.

Some urban neighborhoods are known as garden districts, according to Get Urban! by Kyle Ezel. They are usually made up of single- or double-family homes which have yards (usually tiny yards, but nevertheless, there is enough room for trees and small gardens). Many of the streets are lined by trees and there are often parks sprinkled throughout. If you took these neighborhoods out of their city environments, you could mistake them for small towns or older suburbs (which is what they were before the city swallowed them up). These neighborhoods are usually close to main arteries of transportation and within walking distance of stores, boutiques, restaurants, art galleries and movie theaters. They are a good compromise for people who want the convenience of city living but don't want to be surrounded by "hardscape."

But when you get closer to downtown, green spaces are usually at a premium. There may be open plazas and pedestrian-only avenues but grass and trees are often forgotten in favor of large planters or hanging baskets of flowers (which are better than nothing, but don't quite satisfy the soul's longing for nature. And that's not even taking into account the roles trees play in offsetting pollution.) Many people figure that lack of greenery is just the price you pay for urban living, but it doesn't have to be that way. Even New York City has Cental Park.

Americans could do worse than to look to Europe for inspiration. In many countries trees are planted in every conceivable place. They are even liberally sprinkled throughout parking lots--what a concept! People are more prone to planting gardens in containers on their balconies and in the smallest patches of land in between buildings and along sidewalks--and they take care of them, too. All too often, we leave the job up to municipal entities instead of doing what we ourselves can do to make our environment as green as possible.

"The Urban Gardener," in the urban area of Columbus, Ohio known as the Short North, does a brisk business helping people to bring greenery into their city scapes. It's a relatively small nursery built on a former parking lot and it's literally a breath of fresh air. It's largely geared toward container and small gardens, but at least it makes it more convenient for city gardeners to get most of what they need to plant them.

Columbus has invested a lot of money in planting trees along city streets, but park space is still at a premium in the city proper. There are a fair number of small parks but not that many large ones. We do have the Franklin Park and its Conservatory, but it's two miles east of downtown Columbus. Still, it's 88 acres of green space and a popular place for weddings.

You can find out about the parks in any city by visiting its department of parks and recreation.