Parks and Open Space

On the original city plan, the Richmond district contained open fields having a total area of approximately five acres. Adams felt these spaces were of indifferent recreational or scenic value and absorbed them into building areas. For a park he had the Commission purchase Fort Needham, the highest point in the area, encompassing over eight acres.

In addition to this space, playgrounds were provided in the form of open courts of three hundred feet in depth and one hundred and forty feet in width forming the grass and street area in front of the row houses. Streets fronting these houses were deliberately narrow and not laid out as main thoroughfares; furthermore, the row houses had service lanes. Thus the playground courts had a measure of protection.

While the Needham Park scheme derived wholly from Adams' plans, the playground concept may have originated in part with Ross who had responsibility for the row house area (34). However, given the fact that Adams had managed the Garden City of Letchworth, and had taken an interest in Manchester, Wolverhampton, and Liverpool Garden Suburbs, it seems more likely that he must have taken the lead in working out the concepts. He already had written in the 'Influence of Town Planning on the Social Life of the Community' that 'air space should be secured at the scientific fixing of distances between buildings.'(35)

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This document was last modified on March 8, 2000.