Urbanization around the world is happening at unprecedented levels. Urban parks are a precious natural environment within our urban setting. Designing them well, to accommodate both the life and development demands of the present while also looking forward to the needs of our future generations and landscapes, requires a comprehensive look at creating healthy ecosystems and prosperous mega cities and how the two can coexist in the twenty-first century. This book includes many world fabulous urban park landscapes. Through comprehensive presentation of pictures, explicit explanation of technical drawings, and detailed descriptions, the book can be a useful tool for designers to gain some inspiration and enlightenment.

Offers advice on planning public spaces in urban areas, discussing the positive effects that parks and gardens can have on cities and their residents; and covering design, maintenance, volunteers, public funding, and private donations; with a list of plants and other resources.

The city does not exist without landscape, nor landscape without the city. The original landscape is always reflected in the form of the city. But how is architectonic coherence between the city and the landscape really achieved? 'Metropolitan Landscape Architecture' sketches the development of the urban landscape from the Renaissance to the present. The examples include urban landscapes and parks in Rome, Paris, London, Berlin, New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Boston, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Cologne.

The positive effects of urban green spaces are well-known, ranging from the promotion of health, support of biodiversity to climate regulation. However, the practical implementation of urban landscapes is less discussed. How can we make these spaces functional, economically feasible and inclusive, especially as cities become more diverse? The publication explores strategies to reconcile the various demands, such as food production, resilience and nature conservation. Indeed, urban landscapes have to be restorative, ecological and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. This is a particular challenge in high-density cities like Singapore, Seoul or New York where space is a scarce commodity. The continuing growth of the worldwide urban population imbues the topic with a special urgency.

Focusing on iconic parks in Paris, New York, and Mexico City, Heath Schenker explores the cultural and social meanings embedded in these elaborate stage sets. Schenker teases out the goals and ambitions of park proponents and describes the singular ways in which the public received and used the parks in each city. The book showcases some of the trademark features of these parks, ranging from the soaring, rocky cliffs of Buttes-Chaumont in Paris to the mythic Aztec springs of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City to the secluded Dairy in Central Park.

Great City Parks is a celebration of some of the finest achievements of landscape architecture in the public realm. It is a comparative study of thirty significant public parks in major cities across Western Europe and North America. Collectively, they give a clear picture of why parks have been created, how they have been designed, how they are managed, and what plans are being made for them at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Based on unique research including extensive site visits and interviews with the managing organisations, this book is illustrated throughout with clear plans and photographs– with this new edition featuring full colour throughout. Tate updates his seminal 2001 work with 10 additional parks, including: The High Line in NYC, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam. All the previous city parks have also been updated and revised to reflect current usage and management. This book reflects a belief that well planned, well designed and well managed parks and park systems will continue to make major contributions to the quality of life in an increasingly urbanized world.

The Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency, was founded in 1942 by William 'Wild Bill' Donovan under the direction of President Roosevelt, who realized the need to improve intelligence during wartime. A rigorous recruitment process enlisted agents from both the armed services and civilians to produce operational groups specializing in different foreign areas including Italy, Norway, Yugoslavia and China. At its peak in 1944, the number of men and women working in the service totaled nearly 13,500. This intriguing story of the origins and development of the American espionage forces covers all of the different departments involved, with a particular emphasis on the courageous teams operating in the field. The volume is illustrated with many photographs, including images from the film director John Ford who led the OSS Photographic Unit and parachuted into Burma in 1943.