Nature and Geometry in the Park

Urban parks consist of two major elements: nature and man-made forms. Parks play an important role in the urban environment, offering relief in everyday life. While parks provide green spaces, they are not natural spaces; they are highly designed. This series of short videos explores parks, focusing on form.

This video, shot in the spring of 2017, features Herbert Von King Park which is located in the heart of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Von King Park is one of the first parks in the history of Brooklyn, with a design submitted by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who is famous for designing Central Park, and Calvert Vaux. A unique Cultural Arts Center, equipped with an outdoor amphitheater, was added later on thanks to the community’s efforts.

For Greene Park was originally the site of forts. It was designated a park in 1847, which was the first one in Brooklyn. In 1896, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux prepared a plan for the redesign of the park. Fort Greene Park is a vibrant recreation space for the community in Downtown Brooklyn.

WNYC Transmitter Park is a relatively new park located on the waterfront of in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which opened in 2012. As the name itself suggests, it was once the site of the public radio station WNYC's original AM transmitter towers. The radio towers on this 1.6 acre site was in use from 1937 to 1990—back then the station was operated by the city. In addition to the lawn, the park includes a pier over the East River.