The chain of green spaces and waterways that comprise the Emerald Necklace park system is an invaluable urban oasis. Described as “the lungs of the city” this parkland and its rivers and ponds clean the city air, provide habitats for birds and other wildlife, and greatly improve quality of life for Boston residents. Our panel, Karen Mauney-Brodek, Emerald Necklace Conservancy; Representative Nika Elugardo; Chris Reed, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and moderator Sarah Glazer will explore the past, present, and future of this urban wild, beginning with Olmsted’s vision, through the lens of social equity and environmental justice.
Please note, this free April 22 program is an online event hosted by the Green Committee of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and the Massachusetts Historical Society and held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program. Registration is required at https://www.masshist.org/calendar/event?event=3461
This November 7 Friends of Fairsted lecture will address the contemporary challenges and implications of climate change on cities and urban landscapes. Chris Reed will explore how Olmsted’s work in the 19th century can act as a model for multifunctional urban parks, and how new versions of these parks and park systems might best take on the climate challenges and social equity issues we face today. Examples of current work in Boston by Reed’s firm Stoss Landscape Urbanism will demonstrate how climate change has renewed Boston’s leadership in imagining open space systems that respond to contemporaneous social and environmental challenges.
Chris Reed is Founding Director of Stoss Landscape Urbanism as well as Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture and Co-Director, Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design Program, at Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is recognized internationally as a leading voice in the transformation of landscapes and cities, working alternately as a researcher, strategist, teacher, designer, and advisor. Chris is particularly focused on creating resilient social spaces that foster vitality, equality and community within the public realm. His work collectively includes urban revitalization initiatives, climate resiliency efforts, adaptations of former industrial sites, and the creation of vibrant public spaces that act as a catalyst for change—environmentally, culturally and economically. Chris is a recipient of the 2012 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Landscape Architecture, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the 2017 Mercedes T. Bass Landscape Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome.
The event takes place at 43 Hawes Street, corner of Hawes and Monmouth Streets in Brookline. Limited street parking is available, and public parking is not allowed in the Wheelock parking lot. A reception begins at 6 pm and the lecture begins at 7. Free, but reservations are essential at https://friendsoffairsted.org/programs/register/
Join The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for our annual series of engaging and inspirational presentations from leading voices in the field of landscape architecture. Internationally renowned designers present their recent work articulating landscape as a medium of design for the social, cultural, and ecological life of the city. On September 8, at 7 pm in Calderwood Hall, Chris Reed will give the inaugural 2016/2017 lecture. Chris Reed, the founding principal of Stoss, is known for his innovative approach to the design of public spaces. Reed’s recent work includes the award-winning Plaza at Harvard University, which sits above the Cambridge Street underpass on the Harvard campus. This flexible open space accommodates events, pedestrians, and visitors who come to pass the time. Reed’s research interests include the impact of social sciences on design thinking and city-making strategies informed by landscape systems and dynamics. His work at Stoss has been recognized with the 2012 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Architecture and the 2010 Topos International Landscape Award. Tickets can be reserved online, in person at the door, or by phone: 617 278 5156. Museum admission: adults $15, seniors $12, students $5, free for members.
