Buffalo's Olmsted Parks

Buffalo's Olmsted Parks. A System of Parks and Parkways. , Parks, Circles, and Parkways: These 'Greenspaces' were inspired by the 'City Beautiful' movement of the late 1800s, an attempt to correct the blighted condition of many industrial cities and make them more liveable through better design. , Circles: Circles served as hubs to collect traffic from major streets through adjacent neighborhoods. , Parks: Parks provided 'natural' features like pools, meadows, and woodlands. , Parkways: Parkways provided separate circulation pathways for different types of transportation. , Olmsted's Vision: Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmsted envisioned Buffalo Parks as a system of parks and interconnecting park as a system of parkways extending through the heart of the city. Olmsted felt that access to green spaces for all city residents was essential for their physical and psychological well-being. , "...the best planned city, as to its streets, public places and grounds, in the United States if not in the world." - Frederick Law Olmsted describing Buffalo. , Park Approaches: Bridal Path in Lincoln Parkway c 1905. This unique feature of Olmsted's original park system consisted of magnificent corridors of green space connecting the parks to almost every neighborhood in the city, with circles at major intersections. , Major urban centers blossomed at key Seaway Trail ports. , Seaway Trail, Inc., Corner Ray and West Main St., Sackets Harbor, NY 13685; 1-800-SEAWAY-T. This exhibit made possible by a grant from FHWA to Seaway Trail, Inc.