How to Use
the Map

Table of
Contents

Map 1: Plan of Boston Park System, 1894.

Olmsted's plan for Boston's park system, known as the "Emerald Necklace," consists of several small parks that are linked by tree-lined roads called parkways. This concept of separate but connected parks provided a way to link newly-added areas to the traditional city center while providing several forms of recreation for area inhabitants such as pleasure driving, picnicking, and hiking. The Arnold Arboretum, the first arboretum in the United States, makes a unique contribution to the system as a place for the study of trees as well as recreation.

Questions for Map 1

1. Why do you think the system is known as the Emerald Necklace?

2. What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages of having a seven-mile long series of parks rather than one large park as was done in other cities?

3. Note the relationship of Arnold Arboretum (upper left corner) to the rest of the parks in terms of size and position.

* The map on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Map 1, but be aware that the file may take as much as 61 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.