Boston ’ s Urban Wilds
KYLE ZICK , ASLA DANIELLE DESILETS , RLA
“ Vast salt marshes once covered most of East Boston and the Dorchester shoreline , meadows dotted the hilltops of Roxbury , and pristine streams coursed through the forests of Hyde Park and West Roxbury . Although almost all significant portions of these habitats have been lost due to extensive human-induced manipulation of land and water , remnants of these original ecosystems — urban wilds — still dot the landscape and provide brief glimpses of the natural world .”
from the Urban Wilds Initiative , City of Boston Parks website
Image | Boston Public Library Archives
Urban wilds provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and a place where people can be immersed in nature and history . They are important wildlife habitats and protect natural communities that are otherwise not found in the city limits . The sites that have had design interventions are , for the most part , rustic ( in keeping with the natural aesthetic ) and simple . They provide opportunities for passive recreation : for strolling , picnicking , small-craft launches , and educational interpretation . The urban wilds highlight the natural character of the neighborhoods in which they are located and some of their history as well . Even without interpretation , urban wilds are small pockets in our city where we can remove ourselves from the concrete and the cars and where we can stroll and find a connection to the natural environment and maybe see some of its other inhabitants . And , if we so choose , we might get a glimpse of what Boston looked like in the day of John Adams or John Eliot and the Olmsteds . While the urban wilds are one of the City ’ s best kept secrets , we want people to discover them and enjoy what they have to offer .
At Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture , Inc . ( KZLA ), we have designed for three urban wilds in the last several years : two in Roxbury — Puddingstone Gardens and Warren Gardens — and Allandale Woods in West Roxbury . As each of the sites has its own natural resources , topography , urban
Photo | KZLA
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