"PASSING-THROUGH" PARKS 



LEFT-OVER AREAS 



The large number of parks whicli have been termed odds-and-ends 

 in city development, the left-over or cut-off pieces of land often found 

 at street convergings, are usually so limited in area as to offer small 

 opportunity for walks, seats or other development. 



The most that can be done with these parks is to give them a purely 

 decorative character, providing them with some simple motif of in- 

 terest, such as an urn or flower bed or small fountain, keeping the treat- 

 ment restrained and never so spectacular as to call undue attention to 

 the design. The j^lanting must always serve purely as setting and 

 background for the motif of the park and be kept subdued and secon- 

 dary unless it is the only embellishment of the park, in which case it 

 may take a positive character. Planting in a small reservation of this 

 kind should never be of the sort to insistently demand recognition. 



As a general admonition, passing-through parks should not be 

 overloaded with ornamentation. Too profuse display or undue elab- 

 orateness is derogatory and in poor taste. The park may be " rich but 

 not gaudy," and its design should express its intent and satisfy its 

 purpose. Although conformity to enviromnent may appear to 

 threaten individuality of the park, and adherence to rule may appear to 

 reduce all design to standardisation, the result in each case will dis- 

 prove such sophistry, for passing-through parks, perforce, are abso- 

 lutely reflective of the governing conditions — and in civic and park 

 design the governing conditions of no two problems are ever found 

 to be identical. 



