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There are severl types of urban parks. There are some large city parks. Some are well known. The most famous is Central Park in New York City. There is even a urban park part of the National Park System--Rock Creek Park in New York City. They are easy accessable to the people living near by. And in large cities this can be a substantial number of people. Cities can be large places and getting to Central Park outside of Manhattan requires an organized family event. Only kids living nearby can visit on their own. Another kind of park is the neighbthood park with various facilities, often playground equipment and picnic areas, but this varies widly from park to park. Some have unique features and facilities. But the most important characteristic is that they are neigborhood parks located by a short walk or ride that families and children can easily use. They do not have all of the features of a major big city park, but they are commonly green areas that are readily available to children and adults. Some may be stand alone play grounds without green park areas. Some may have had ball fields. Some school play grounds were available outside school hours. City schools were generally fenced in. Suburban schools were not. Many small towns had a town square or some kind of park in the center of town. Commonly this would include decorative shrubery and trees with a statue and/or a cannon--usually a Civil War canon. A specific type of park are zoos. Most but not all are located in cities. Zoos have changed greatky in recent years, doing away with cages and creating more creative living spaces. They now also play an important role with threatened and endangered species.
There are many large city parks. Some are well known. The most famous is Central Park in New York City. There is even a urban park part of the National Park System--Rock Creek Park in New York City. An important event in the daily life of nursery-bound children were daily outings to the parks which were created in important European and American cities. Many autobiographies of British, European, and American cities recall outings to Hyde and St. James Parks (London) and Central Park (New York) and a long list of smaller parks. Some of the first European zoos were attractiins built in these parks. Many property owners maintained private parks in cul de sacs in their own neighborhoods. This and linked pages seeks to show the clothing worn by boys for these outings during various historical periods. They are easy accessable to the people living near by. And in major cities this can be a substantial number of people. Cities can be large places and getting to Central Park outside of Manhattan requires an organized family event. Only kids living nearby can visit on their own.
Another kind of park is the neighborhood park with various facilities, often playground equipment and picnic areas, but this varies widly from park to park. Some have unique features and facilities. But the most important characteristic is that they are neigborhood parks located by a short walk or ride that families and children can easily use. They do not have all of the features of a major big city park, but they are commonly green areas that are readily available to children and adults. Very commonly there are play grounds for the kids.
For most of history, children did not have dedicated or safe places to play or specially designed structures on which they can have fun. This only began to change in the late-19th century. Urban parks began to appear earlier, but children were not encouraged to play there. 'Keep off the grass' proliferated in early urban parks. Some urban parks may be parks where the main feature was stand alone play grounds for the kids. The idea is a very modern innovation. The idea was born in Germany as a way to get the children off the streets which were the primary play ground for urban children. There was at first no playground equipment. Police supervised the children. These parks did not have green park areas or it was not the main feature. The first German parks in fact were po\iles of sand. We are not sure when this trend began, but we think it was the turn of the 20th century as more thought began to be given to creating livable urban environments. The first playgounds we know of were in Boston. Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska, a German woman, brought the idea to Boston (1885). Germany was yhe origin of many child friendkly innovations such as public schools and Kinderkartens. A the idea took hold, we ee playground equipment being installed. Some may have have ball fields as sport was increasing as a part of American life. This was limited in major cities because of the cost of realesrate and the slow to devel children;s sports organizations. This became more common with the move to the suburbs and more land was available. Today, children can slide, swing, run, spin, and jump on a wide variety of creative structures. Standard play ground equipment included merrygorounds, monkey bars, see-saws, slides, and swings. At first very little attention was given to child safety.
Some school play grounds were available outside school hours. City schools were generally fenced in. Suburban schools were not.
Many small towns had a town square or some kind of park in the center of town in front of the yown hall. In Latin America, the main church was on the other side. This wa not common in the Unoted States. Commonly this would include decorative shrubery and trees with a statue and/or a cannon--usually a Civil War canon.
A specific type of park are zoos. The origins of modern zoos are the menageries kept by royal and nobel families on the grounds of their palaces. A zoolgical park was in many ways similar to visits to other urban parks. In fact some of the early zoos were set in existing parks such as the Regents Park Zoo in London or the Cental Park Zoo in New York. The visits to the zoos, however, wer different in that the children came primarily to view the animals rather than to play like roll hoops or to sail model sail boats. Most but not all are located in cities. Zoos have changed greatky in recent years, doing away with cages and creating more creative living spaces. Modern zoos now also play an important role with threatened and endangered species. There also are more features for younger children such as petting zoos. The Brox Zool has a great carosel where insects have replaced the ponies. There are also programs for schol children where specially trained animals are introduced and the children can touch them.
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