Keeping Grass Green

An article published in the Boston Globe this March 20th announced, "Large events may become uncommon at city's beloved park". At a City Council hearing last Wednesday, Antonia Pollack, the head of Boston's Parks Department said that large events that have taken place on Boston Common in the past should relocate to City Hall Plaza to protect the park's lawns and walkways, including the newly-established turf on the Parade Ground.

[First a note: Although I feel very strongly about this issue, I've been struggling to put my full thoughts into words for all too long. Please bear with me as I make my first attempts at a form of writing that is very new me. I'm sure that this article will barely even brush the surface of my thoughts on the subject. (Next time I will also take extra precautions so that a glitch in blogger doesn't delete half of my work.)]

The Globe article cites Henry Lee, president of Friends of Boston Public Gardens, as saying, "The basic problem of the Common is it has been at all times all things to all people". This is not a problem. Boston Common should strive to continue to invite an enormous diversity of activities and people onto its lawns. After all, it is at the heart of the city, where the worlds of residents, tourists, students and businessmen collide. I personally love that a visit to the Common usually brings a delightful surprise, either in the form of an unexpected bit of nature, people-watching, or event to participate in.

The Project for Public Spaces (one of my new favorite websites) names Boston Common and Public Garden one of the best parks in the world stating:

Both park spaces were the first of their kind in this country and have been centers of public life and civic virtue since their inception. Full of activity, the Common offers some of the city's best people-watching. With its grand sweep down from the majestic State House, the Common provides an uninterrupted view of green expanse, historic city buildings, and people. The parks host concerts, plays and other sorts of gatherings and offers facilities and amenities that support a wide range of more spontaneous uses and activities.

So, why worry about keeping a perfect lawn in a park that is clearly well-used and enjoyed? Events should not be moved away from a space that is serving people well to a City Hall Plaza, a space that clearly isn't. In contrast to the Common, City Hall Plaza tops PPS's list of worst squares in the world. Moving large events (particularly those that fit better in a park to begin with) to such a bleak and uninviting space will not enhance the rarely-visited plaza, and will only lessen the community atmosphere of the Common.

In the words of the Globe Editorial published March 22nd, "The Common is not a decorous parlor where the plastic never comes off the furniture". Let the adjacent Public Gardens have frivolously tidy lawns and paths, but the Common is -- and should be -- Boston's living room.