Green space has long been a crucial component of any successful, livable city. Olmsted’s Central Park stands out as the most prominent example of sculpted urban bush country, but Portland, Oregon is also famed for its incorporation of parks and gardens into its civic architecture. My current hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan has a statutorily mandated greenbelt ringing the city. Green space is so valued by planners, in part, because it provides an escape, a place of respite for city dwellers looking to escape the heat, the frenzy, and the concrete. (more…)