24 College of Forestry 



parkways and boulevards into a comprehensive system has 

 been termed " the one great contribution of America to the 

 modern art of city planning." 



A T ew York City, although the pioneer among American 

 cities in the creation of public parks and the possessor of 

 some of the most magnificent individual park areas in the 

 land, alone among the great cities of America possesses 

 neither a park system nor a definite plan or program for the 

 creation of such a system. 



In the other boroughs of the city, save Manhattan, the 

 opportunity exists for working out a park system with 

 the usual park connections and doubtless all of these bor- 

 oughs will some day possess, in greater or less degree, such 

 systems. In Manhattan, however, due to the intensive use 

 of all available real estate, a park system by means of these 

 ordinary forms of park connections would appear to be prac- 

 tically impossible. If a system of connecting ways is to be 

 secured in Manhattan at any reasonable outlay, we must make 

 use in some form of the existing streets. 



With this thought in mind in approaching the street tree 

 problem, the writer was impressed with the feasibility of 

 securing a system of park connections in Manhattan by 

 means of a comprehensive and organized system of tree 

 planting on carefully selected streets. By selecting streets 

 which will permit of successful tree growth and by secur- 

 ing in our planting design a reasonable degree of interest 

 and individuality, a park system unique among American 

 cities may be secured. Such a scheme of street planting 

 would not only coordinate the existing scattered park areas 

 of the borough into a comprehensive system, but would also 

 impart that peculiar or individual character and beauty 

 which is necessary if Manhattan, the heart of Xew York 

 City, is to take its place, as its importance in all other lines 

 justify, among the beautiful cities of the world. 



A careful study has been made of every street in Manhat- 

 tan leading to or from the various park areas. It has been 

 found possible in the case of practically all of the more im- 

 portant parks to select streets suitable for inter-park con- 



