Philadelphia’s very own Fairmount Park, a colossal green space clocking in at more than 2,000 acres within city limits, was just named one of the 15 greatest places in America.
The honor was given by the American Planning Association, which today announced the country's 15 Great Places for 2016 through the organization’s national flagship program, Great Places in America.
Three categories were included within the list of 15 Great Places, including great neighborhoods, great streets, and great public spaces. Fairmount Park was named one of the great public spaces, along with Golden Heart Plaza in Fairbanks, Alaska; Central Park Plaza in Valparaiso, Indiana, Findlay Market in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Guthrie Green in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The lengthy description of Fairmount Park reads:
No single landscape architect can claim credit for the design of the park. Its assembly around watershed health, its service to the Centennial’s technological paradise, and its conscious creation of an idealized 18th century rural landscape makes it unique in America.
It’s not the first time Fairmount Park has been recognized this year. In April it was included among PBS’s 10 Parks that Changed America. Want to learn more? Here are just a sampling of Curbed Philly’s past coverage of the massive park.
- 15 beautiful, historic homes of Fairmount Park’s past [Curbed Philly]
- These maps show just how huge Fairmount Park really is [Curbed Philly]
- These vintage posters of Philly’s parks are pretty awesome [Curbed Philly]
- Philadelphia’s Parks: Then and Now [Curbed Philly]