A slice of nature in today's urban landscape can have a powerful effect on community development. According to the Washington-based Urban Land Institute (ULI), a good park can increase property values and draw businesses and residents. In October, ULI named the 10 best parks in the nation, judging how they blend with the surrounding cityscape, whether they have broad appeal and whether there was enough input from the public on the parks' designs. The Allegheny Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh topped the list, among four other waterfront parks and others that incorporate a water feature. Each park was completed within the last 10 years, though No. 5, Heart of the Park at Hermann Park in Houston, is the result of a renovation of part of the original Hermann Park that opened in 1915.
Source: Urban Land Institute, October 2006
Top 10 parks
- Allegheny Riverfront Park, Pittsburgh
- Campus Martius Park, Detroit
- Capitol Plaza, New York
- Chess Park, Glendale, Calif.
- Heart of the Park at Hermann Park, Houston
- Jamison Square, Portland, Ore.
- Louisville Waterfront Park, Louisville, Ky.
- Pier A Park, Hoboken, N.J.
- South Boston Maritime Park, Boston
- Wade Oval, Cleveland, Ohio
