PRINCIPLES OF PARK DESIGN 



accomplished. It will then he found that the analysis has revealed 

 not only rules and principles that governed the particular work under 

 observation but that there has been produced a general set of formulas 

 that w^ill serve in testing unsuccessful j^arks, and be a basis for the 

 synthetic development of new parks. 



BEAUTY AXD UTILITY 



Principles underlying the development of parks are based on the 

 two elements of all art: beauty and utility. A park is always con- 

 sidered as an embellishment of a city plan. The first park acquired 

 by a city is rarely considered an essential but rather a thing of display, 

 a mark of civilisation and culture. Therefore, since its first recognised 

 duty is that of radiating beauty, the first consideration in its develop- 

 ment is that of creating beauty, independent of any practical value 

 which the park may eventually assume. If civic embellishment could 

 be accepted as the only function of parks, their development as beauty 

 spots would be comparatively easy, being simply application of pri- 

 mary principles of pictorial composition. But it soon develops that 

 parks must serve many purposes of use as w^ell as pictorial pleasure, 

 and the problem of designing parks becomes immediately and im- 

 mensely comphcated. The fact that parks must meet very complex 

 demands of traffic, of wear and tear and public abuse, that they must 

 provide for public utility, convenience and comfort, rest, recreation 

 and enjoyment, imposes a set of conditions which the experienced 

 designer recognises as more exacting than those encountered in the 

 landscape development of private property. INIuch as architectural 

 design should express not only good composition but a satisfying of 

 all requisites of construction and use, so a park design must attain 

 pictorial agreeableness without disregard of the practical service 

 which it must render. 



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