6 THE DESIRABILITY AND ACQUISITION OF PARKS 



pay for the original investment. The assessed valuation 

 in 1856 of the three wards adjoining Central Park, New 

 York, was $20,500,000. In 1873 it had risen to $236,100,000. 

 The natural increase as obtained by averaging the gain 

 in the other wards was found to be $53,000,000, making 

 the earning capacity of the park for the three adjoin- 

 ing wards, $183,000,000. In three years the valuation of 

 the wards surrounding Prospect Park in Brooklyn rose 

 $7,000,000, which was twice the cost of the land acquired 

 for the park. The wisdom of the " Back Bay " improve- 

 ment at Boston was certified in an increased valuation of 

 surrounding property from 1877 to 1885 of $12,000,000 with 

 a corresponding increase of revenue of $153,000. During 

 this time new buildings were erected to the value of 

 $10,000,000, giving a revenue of $128,000, making the total 

 increased revenue, $281,000. In the city of Newark, prop- 

 erty in the neighborhood of Branch Brook Park has 

 increased in value to a marked extent, and to the Branch 

 Brook development can be largely traced the great popu- 

 larity of the Forest Hill residential section. 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF PARKS 



A convenient classification may be made thus: 

 1. National Parks; 2. State Parks; 3. County Parks; 

 4. City Parks; and 5. Parkways and Boulevards. The 

 first two classes will not be treated in this discussion, since 

 their character is principally that of great reservations of 

 land of especial scenic and natural beauty. County Parks 

 are usually more or less developed. They are suburban or 

 rural in character and are usually of large area. City Parks 

 include the old-fashioned city square and the modern city 

 park whose development may be formal, informal, or both. 

 When the governing board is a county park commission, 



