Kathy Poole, ASLA
Evolutionary Infrastructure of Boston's Back Bay Fens: Model of Cultural and Ecological Dynamics
Design Week 2008
This requires thinking about the fens well before Olmsted and following them to the present
Infrastructure is an essential component for us to live in a congregated manner
The bay had a reputation for murkiness and wildness
The bay became a source of valuable salt hay, Spartina
But then a mill dam was built across the Back Bay to support a road, railroad, mill, etc.
Eventually the city gave permission to flush sewage into the Back Bay
Its status slowly became more ambiguous - no longer natural, but not fully part of the city
Olmsted turned it into a working stormwater garden
It was a functioning kidney for the city
Olmsted's brilliance was to make it into a park that would rooted in the city's history
Channels slowly transformed it into parks instead of sewers
By 1920 museums (like the MFA) and schools lined the Fens
(The Liveblog ends abruptly today. Sorry. Just enjoy the photo.)
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