New York has many landmarks that characterize the city, capturing its essence as an environment at the intersection of nature and culture. Central Park is chief among them, for its size, its centrality, and its recognizability to tourists. Ubiquitous in numerous classic movies, the park serves as an enormous lung for the city, providing fresh air and green views in an otherwise concrete jungle. Its history is deeply interesting. Perhaps the most interesting fact about it is that, despite the common conception of most parks, Central Park is actually not natural and its construction likely demanded even more time and resources than most New Yorkers imagine, given that the land used to be an irregular area full of swamps, cliffs, and rocky outcroppings.
The Central Park Conservancy is taking advantage of this complicated history by offering a conference on Friday, October 5th focused on the park’s woodlands, design, management, and stewardship. The six hour conference will be held at the Museum of the City of New York and many architects will have the opportunity to attend and learn how to bridge the gap between nature and culture.