City’s Franklin Park Action Plan wins American Society of Landscape Architects award

Overseen by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, the Franklin Park Action Plan was one of 34 winners representing the highest level of innovation and achievement in the landscape architecture profession. Jury panels representing a broad cross-section of the profession, from the public and private sectors to academia, select the annual winners each year. The 34 winners were chosen out of 435 entries nationwide.

Re-investing in a Legacy Landscape: The Franklin Park Action Plan received the highest recognition, an Award of Excellence, in the Analysis and Planning category. In their comments, the jury acknowledged that the plan “rejuvenates the park while respecting and protecting its value to adjacent communities. This thoughtful plan honors the park’s design heritage while engaging and expanding its users without reinvention.”

Released in December of 2022, the Franklin Park Action Plan is a comprehensive vision for the future of the 527-acre park, widely considered landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted's crowning achievement and the conclusion of a trilogy of great parks that includes Manhattan's Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park. 

“Congratulations to our team at Parks and Recreation, the design team of Reed Hilderbrand with Agency Landscape and Planning and MASS Design, and our dedicated community partners at the Franklin Park Coalition and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, all of whom helped this Plan become a reality,” said Boston Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods.

Award recipients were honored in person at the awards presentation ceremony during the ASLA 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture in Minneapolis in October. 

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