Joe Edmiston will give an overview of the history of open space in the next program in the Chautauqua series sponsored by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority on April 18, 7:30 p.m. in the dining hall in Temescal Gateway Park (at Sunset and Temescal Canyon). Open space has been an integral component of the urban landscape since the founding of the first cities, and its use has been determined by visionaries and politicians. Interest in open space has risen and flagged throughout history, motivated largely by the politics of the day. For example, the Victorian era saw a rise in open space as rich philanthropists sought to alleviate discontent in overcrowded cities by creating parklands. World War II saw a decline in open space as parks were plowed to grow food. The audience will journey through the history of parks and open space, from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the private grounds of kings; from New York’s Central Park through the contemporary fight to preserve natural areas and bring back nature to blighted urban communities. Edmiston serves as the executive officer of both the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. He regularly teaches the course “From Central Park to the Santa Monica Mountains: A History of the Park Movement in the United States” at UCLA, and has lectured on environmental planning, park development, and urban land use at UC Berkeley, USC and Cal Poly, Pomona. He has also given public lectures on park history for the National Park Service and the Ranger Training Institute. Contact: 454-1395, ext. 106.
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