INTRODUCTION 



out sacrifice to its original purpose, be added to the group of recrea- 

 tional or service parks, and vice versa. Consider, for instance, the 

 small triangles, circles or squares, to be found in nianj^ localities, 

 rich in shrubberj^ and flora, but only to be looked at. Many of tliem 

 have stood as barriers to a direct approach to a main thoroughfare or 

 car line. Many a car has been " just missed " because one had to 

 make two sides of a triangle or swing around a half circle when there 

 might be a pretty straight cut through the little park. The new con- 

 ception of the usableness of parks is to develop these practical aids 

 to the general satisfaction in jjarks. 



Quoting from an article in the American City on "Intensive Park 

 Develojjment ": 



" The plans for the beautification of Washington have attracted 

 much attention, and the public is quite generally familiar with the 

 INIall scheme Avhich is to furnish the great vista connection between 

 the Capitol building, the Washington Monument and the new Lincoln 

 JMemorial now being designed. Simultaneously with this, however, 

 there is being also worked out a secondary scheme of civic beautification 

 that is not spectacular in its presentation but holds promise to the 

 everj^-day worker and resident in the National Capital as well as the 

 sight-seer and tourist there. 



" George Burnap, landscape architect of public buildings and 

 grounds, is making a radical departure from what has been done 

 heretofore in connection with the many small parks. His idea is to 

 make them both striking as focal j^oints of the street system and pos- 

 sessed of personal and livable interest to the many residents of the 

 immediate neighbourhood. The one-time idea of laying out each jJark 

 according to geometrical pattern is giving way to the development of 

 walk lines of practical use, recognising both traffic requirements and 

 the desirability of location for numerous park benches. Trees and 

 shrubs are being planted, not for the value of individual specimens, 

 but for the purpose of background and setting, as elements of design 



