In this work-in-progress, Beauty, as well as Bread, I explore urban parks. Parks in urban settings come in many forms and play integral roles in the lives of cities, large and small. I see the way they have the potential to act as a social and economic leveller as they draw people from a variety of ages, ethnic groups, education and economic means. We all pass through them, by them and/or inhabit them in one way or another at some point in our lives. They provide a literal ‘common ground’ for the citizens of cities and serve a myriad of roles. 

 

This project begins an exploration into the lives of urban parks and some of the people who use them and examines the many ways parks serve our communities. I hope this work encourages those who see it to explore the urban parks in their communities and to understand the critical value of urban parks in the lives of people and other living things in contemporary cities. As the American naturalist and conservationist John Muir wrote, ‘Everybody needs beauty, as well as bread.’