Central Park, the most visited urban park in the United States, is surrounded by the skyscrapers of New York City.

The Dinosaurs Valley (reconstructions of prehistoric reptiles) within Silesian Culture and Recreation Park in Poland's Upper-Silesian Metropolis.

The Meadow of Atlanta, Georgia's Piedmont Park.

An urban park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens (United Kingdom), is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality. The design, operation and maintenance is usually done by government, typically on the local level, but may occasionally be contracted out to a private sector company.

Common features of municipal parks include playgrounds, gardens, hiking, running and fitness trails or paths, bridle paths, sports field and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps and/or picnic facilities, depending on the budget and natural features available.

History[link]

In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities were purchased by city governments to create "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially the workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks, because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land, the three most visited municipal parks in the United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego.^[1] Other famous urban parks include Monsanto Forest Park (the largest in Europe) in Lisbon, Portugal, Richmond Park in London, UK and Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada.

In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II, new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space was of secondary importance.

As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children.

All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of the large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, these parks can be targeted by city managers or politicians as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature.

See also[link]

• List of urban parks by size
• Greenway (landscape)
• Parklet
• Urban wild

References[link]

This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (April 2009)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Urban public parks

• Essay on diversification in public open space planning and design
• Project for Public Space
• Medway Urban Parks & Green Spaces Forum (MUP&GSF)

James Corner is a Landscape Architect and theorist with numerous works to his credit which explore the contemporary meaning of architectural landscaping, with a focus on "developing innovative approaches toward landscape architectural design and urbanism." His designs of note include Fresh Kills Park on Staten Island and the High Line in Manhattan, both in New York City.

Corner is a professionally registered landscape architect and the principal of James Corner Field Operations, a landscape architecture and urban design practice based in New York City and Philadelphia.

Life and career[link]

Born in 1961, Corner received a Bachelor's degree with first class honors in 1983 at Manchester Metropolitan University in England. He then received a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. He was employed by Wallace, Roberts and Todd on the New Jersey Hudson River Waterfront Development; for Richard Rogers and Partners on the redevelopment of the Royal Docks in London; and for William Gillespie and Partners on the design and implementation of the International Garden Festival Park in Liverpool.

Corner began teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in 1988 where he taught courses in media and theory, as well as design studios. He was elected Chair of the Landscape Architecture Department in 2000. As a professor, Corner's landscape design and environmental research and teaching interests are based upon "developing innovative approaches toward landscape architectural design and urbanism." He has also served as a visiting professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1998 and at the KTH School of Architecture in Stockholm, Sweden in 1999.

Corner's practice, Field Operations, was initially formed in collaboration with architect Stan Allen, but the partners chose to focus on their individual practices in 2005. The firm is at the forefront of the landscape urbanism movement, an interdisciplinary approach that, in theory, amalgamates a wide range of disciplines including landscape architecture, urban design, landscape ecology, and engineering, among other subjects. Corner argues that it is an approach that focuses on on process rather than a style and that it marks a productive attitude toward indeterminacy, open-endedness, inter-mixing, and cross-disciplinarity.^[1]

Works[link]

Corner's designs bring back the open spaces of the natural wild with a rough, natural, and ecologically sound approach; this could be compared to the works of Frederick Law Olmsted, except more unbridled.

• The High Line is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km)-long stretch of abandoned railroad viaduct that runs from the Meatpacking district to Hell's Kitchen. The proposed design by Field Operations is meant to transform it into a 1.5-mile (2.4 km)-long park. Corner envisioned "fantastic, mixed perennial landscape" interspersed by "event spaces." Since its completion,it has made an impact on the surrounding blocks with the addition of 27 new residential towers, hotels, offices, and museums.

• Corner's Field Operations headed up a team that won the international design competition with its "Lifescape" design for the redesign of Fresh Kills Park, a project intended to salvage a massive landfill on Staten Island. The landfill is the largest in the country at 2,200 acres (8.9 km²), or three times the size of Central Park in Manhattan. Today, it is one of the largest publics work projects in the world. The winning design incorporates a World Trade Center memorial, because the landfill was temporarily reopened to accommodate the remains of the towers, as well as a strong, central focus on programs, habitat, and circulation throughout the new park. Fresh Kills Park is reminiscent of Olmsted's massive design for Central Park as far as work load, scale, and project purpose and design. Fresh Kills Park is said to be "one of the most ambitious public works projects in the world," considering 45% of the area is landfill and the remaining land is wetlands and lowlands. The goal of Fresh Kills Park is to create a world class large-scale park which restores the ecological systems, yet allows New York to optimize its local and regional access while reducing traffic congestion. The park will be developed as a setting for a range of outdoor activities, programs, and recreation that are unique to New York.

Books[link]

A new aspect of Corner's approach, one that was responsible for his receiving the Chrysler Design Institute Award in 2000, is his plan of working with graphic artists, photographers, and other artists from various fields. An example of this is the project Corner and photographer Alex MacLean completed when they published their Taking Measures Across the American Landscape which is a journey to explore the types of landscapes in the United States through essays and map drawings by Corner and aerial photos taken by McLean.

• (with Alex McLean) Taking Measures Across the American Landscape (Yale, 1996) ISBN 0-300-06566-3 Received the AIA International Book of the Year Award and the ASLA Award of Honor.
• (editor) Recovering Landscape: Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture (Princeton, 1999) ISBN 1-56898-179-1, a book focused on the revitalization of landscape architecture as a critical cultural practice, it offers insight on how contemporary landscapes are "designed, constructed and culturally valued".
• (editor with Lynn Margulis and Brian Hawthorne) Ian McHarg: conversations with students: dwelling in nature (Princeton Architectural Press, 2006) ISBN 978-1-56898-620-3
• (with Michael Spens and Peter Lantz) Landscapes Transformed (Academy Editions, 1996), 112 pages. ISBN 1-85490-452-3. This book examines the condition of the modern landscape. It presents an international collection of projects which challenge old perceptions and give good cause for confidence in the future of landscape design.

Awards and honors[link]

James Corner was the first landscape architect to receive many of the awards that he has won. In 1996, Corner received the G. Holmes Perkins Award for "distinguished and innovative teachings and methods of instruction in design". The following year, in 1997, he was the first recipient of the Jens Jensen Professorship in Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Architecture and in 2000 he was the second landscape architect, after Achva Benzinberg Stein, to be chosen for the Daimler-Chrysler Award, which recognizes and promotes innovative design.

References[link]

Notes

Sources

• Chrysler Design Institute - Chrysler Design Awards - James Corner
• UNLV School of Architecture Welcomes Lecturer James Corner. Lecture title: Field Operations. Wednesday, February 22, 2006 7-8:30 pm
• University of Pennsylvania Almanac - James Corner: Landscape Architecture Chair
• "The High Line" on New York Architecture Images
• "The Annotated High Line"
• "New York's Newest Parkland - Fresh Kills" on Wired New York
• articles by James Corner
• University of Pennsylvania Alumnae Almanac

Jay Park
Jay Park at the 2011 Mr. Idol press conference
Background information
Birth name	Park Jaebeom
Born	(1987-04-25) April 25, 1987 (age 25) Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Hip hop, R&B, pop, rap, dance, K-pop
Occupations	Singer, rapper, dancer, songwriter, composer, actor
Years active	2008–present
Labels	JYP Entertainment (2008–10) Sidus HQ (2010–present)
Associated acts	AOM, dok2, The Quiett, Prepix, Project Prepix Asia, Clara Chung, Dumbfoundead, Teddy Riley, Rob Knox
Website	jaypark.com

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Park Jaebeom (Hangul: 박재범; Hanja: 朴載範, born April 25, 1987), also known as Jay Park, is a Korean-American recording artist, dancer, rapper, music producer, b-boy, songwriter, composer and actor. He was the former leader of the South Korean boy band 2PM, and is a member of the Seattle-based b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM).

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Born in Seattle, Washington, Park showed great interest in hip hop music and breakdancing at a young age. Park was raised in Edmonds, Washington where he attended Edmonds Woodway High School. In 2004, he auditioned in Seattle, Washington, for Korea-based JYP Entertainment (JYPE), which brought him to Korea in January 2005, to receive further training in dancing, rapping, singing, and the Korean language.

2008–2009: 2PM[link]

Park first appeared through Mnet's Hot Blood Men, a documentary-style reality program that showed the future members of idol groups 2AM and 2PM in training. Park, finishing with the most fan votes, was given the position of 2PM's leader.^[1] On September 4, 2008, 2PM debuted with the song "10점 만점에 10점" ("10 Points Out Of 10") on music program M! Countdown after the release of their first mini-album, Hottest Time of the Day, a few days prior.

Aside from 2PM's music activities, Park created the song "正" ("Jeong") with Yeeun of the Wonder Girls for the television drama "Conspiracy in the Court"'s original soundtrack, and V.O.S's "To Luv...".^[2] He also participated in special stage performances such as Navi's "마음이 다쳐서" ("Heart Damage") on May 3, 2009,^[3] and K.Will's "1초에 한방울" ("One Drop per Second") on June 20, 2009.^[4] He also became a regular cast member in several variety programs, including Star King and Introducing a Star's Friend.^[5] In August 2009, he and Kara band member, Nicole Jung, became the new hosts for a cultural variety show called Nodaji.^[6]

On September 4, 2009, unfavorable comments towards Korea were found on Park’s personal Myspace account from 2005. The comments, written in English to a friend, were translated by Korean media, quickly spreading across hundreds of news articles. In this letter, he explained the unhappiness that he experienced during his early days as a trainee in an unfamiliar country where he lacked family, the ability to easily communicate and an understanding of the culture.^[7] Although outraged protesters demanded that Park should be removed from 2PM, JYP Entertainment's CEO, Park Jin-young, stated on September 7, 2009, that he was going to continue as a part of the group.^[8]

The following day, Park announced on his official fancafe that he would be leaving the group for a while to calm the situation and return to his hometown Seattle, Washington. He also apologized to the other 2PM members, and promised "I will come back a better person."^[9] However, Park Jin-young suddenly confirmed that 2PM would continue as a 6-member group.^[10] Additionally, due to the sensitive topic of Park's departure, all 2PM members were withdrawn from their regular appearances on variety shows,^[11] and the final episode of their reality show, Wild Bunny, was postponed indefinitely.^[12]

The remaining 6 members of 2PM re-filmed their music video for "Heartbeat" without Park on October 31, 2009. According to management, Park's vocals would not be removed from the older songs he promoted with 2PM, but he would be absent from the newer tracks.^[13]

2PM's first official album was titled 1:59PM, to symbolize Park's absence (according to the 6 remaining members).^[14] Through their acceptance speeches at end-of-year award shows for "Again & Again", the members thanked Park and reiterated their wish for his return. At the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the group paid homage to him during their performance of "Again & Again" with a spotlight shown over his usual position in the dance formation and his lines left unsung.^[15][16]

[edit] 2010: YouTube, Solo career, and Nothin' on You

After Park returned to the United States, fans changed their perspective on the matter when they realized that his Myspace messages had been severely mistranslated and taken out of context. However, on February 25, 2010, JYP suddenly announced that Park's contract with them had been terminated, citing separate "personal mistake" that Park had made some time in 2010.^[17] JYP would make reference to this unknown mistake several times in 2010, yet never giving details even when Park's current agency insisted they reveal whatever it is they are hiding. Boycotts on 2PM-endorsed products and protests for Park's return to the group began to take place, not only in South Korea, but internationally as well.^[18] Various Jay Park-dedicated forums and fansites all over the world organized silent protests and flash dance mobs.^[19]

On several instances, Park was the number one trending topic on Twitter, even topping the Oscars on March 8, 2010.^[20] Park's fanbase revealed that they plan to release a self-produced album in his honor on March 27, 2010, to commemorate the 200th day anniversary of his departure from Korea.^[21] However, because the album had been prepared since January, during the time where public opinion on 2PM had changed, the fans decided it would be in the best interest to not release the CDs, instead mailing 10-20 copies to Park's hometown in Seattle.^[22]

On March 15, 2010, Park created his own YouTube channel, "jayparkaom". His first post was a video where he sings a rendition of "Nothin' on You" (with his own rap and lyrics) in his bathroom.^[23][24] The video went viral and reached over 2,000,000 views in less than 24 hours. In Korea, the original song by B.o.B and Bruno Mars topped the Cyworld background music chart in a matter of hours upon the video's release.^[25] "Nothin' on You" also reached #1 on other music sites such as Dosirak, Melon, Mnet, Bugs, and Soribada, profiting $300,000 in sales through the effects of Park's video.^[26] On his 'About Me' page, Park left a message thanking his fans for their support. He also encouraged fans not to hate remaining 2PM members on his behalf.^[27]

In April 2010, he appeared with fellow Art of Movement members at an annual Korean American festival event called Project Korea III: KSA Cinderella Story at Rutgers University, New Jersey, on April 3, 2010.^[28] Videos of the event were uploaded onto internet portal sites, where footage of Park acting as an MC and dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" on stage drew much positive interest.^[29]

On April 24, 2010, Dumbfoundead released a collaboration track featuring Park and Clara Chung on his website, titled "Clouds".^[30] On September 5, 2010, Park participated in the 3rd International Secret Agents Los Angeles concert held in Cerritos, California, together with well-known YouTube celebrities such as Nigahiga, KevJumba, AJ Rafael, Alyssa Bernal, Far East Movement, and America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 champions, Poreotix. Park's performance drew many positive responses.^[31][32]

On June 18, 2010, Park returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport, to the biggest crowd ever at the airport.^[33] "Park Jaebeom has returned" became the biggest headline in Korea that day. "JayIsBack" shot up immediately on the trending topics on Twitter on June 18 at 9:30 AM GMT.^[34] Pictures of Park in Hype Nation were released on July 2,^[35] and Park was able to meet with the Korean media for interviews for the first time, talking about his current activities.^[36] It was also revealed that his single "Demon" would be included in Hype Nation's original soundtrack.^[37]

On July 8, 2010, it was reported that Park will sign a contract with Sidus HQ for his domestic Korean activities in terms of acting and singing,^[38] where his management states that he plans to redebut as a rookie artist.^[39] The contract with Sidus HQ was finalized on July 16, 2010.^[40]

Park released a single album titled 믿어줄래 ("Count On Me") containing 3 tracks, including a rearranged Korean version of "Nothin' on You", on July 13, 2010.^[41][42] The English and Korean lyrics were written by Park himself.^[43] The song immediately reached #1 on Cyworld and Bugs music charts, and also on other music sites as Monkey3, Soribada, Dosirak, and Melon within the hour of its release.^[44] The single album sold 21,989 physical copies on the first day of release, coming in at #1 in sales and #7 in the overall ranking of albums released from January 2010 to July 13, 2010. With more than 41,316 copies sold at the end of 2010 making the album place at #32 on Gaon's ^[45] year end chart, Park earned approximately 700 million won from his single album, which placed him at #3 in the overall annual ranking of album released until at the end of July 2010.^[46]

Park was cast for the 2011 Korean movie Mr Idol.^[47]

On October 10, 2010, Park was one of the performers alongside SE7EN, Taeyang, Musiq Soulchild at the Seoul Soul Festival held at the War Memorial of Korea. Park and Musiq Soulchild also performed a duet song titled "Love" at the festival.^[48]

[edit] 2011: Take A Deeper Look and rise as a solo artist

On January 6, 2011, Park was announced as the winner in "Best Web Video" Category around the globe for his song "Nothin' on You" at the Mashable Awards. He also has been nominated in ‘Must Follow Personality’ category and finished 2nd.^[49]

Park was chosen to be the sole opener for Ne-Yo in his first concert in Seoul for the "2011 Hyundai Mall 40th Anniversary Concert" held on March 29, 2011. He also cooperated with Ne-Yo for a charity event for children dreaming to become musicians on March 28 at the Dream Academy in Seoul.^[50]

On March 28, 2011, Park was a finalist and received the most votes in the special category 'Connecting People Award', a joint venture between Shorty Awards and Nokia. Park also was a finalist in the 'Celebrity' category at the same event.^[51]

Park released his first Korean mini-album, Take A Deeper Look, in April 2011, with the title track "Abandoned".^[52] Take A Deeper Look debuted at #3 in the Billboard World Album Charts and ranked #26 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart.^[53] Park also made his debut stage on Korean music shows such as KBS Music Bank, Mnet M! Countdown, MBC Music Core and SBS Inkigayo for the first time in 2 years as a solo artist. Park made history as the first artist crowned winner at a debut stage, as he won Music Bank on May 6 on his first debut stage on Korean music shows.^[54][55] He won Music Bank again on May 13, 2011.

On August 6, 2011, Park participated in his first KBS Immortal Song 2 episode. He performed "Candy" by H.O.T. with Moon Hee-joon. He had won his round and received 2nd place overall on his first episode. Park followed up with his own R&B rendition of "Aemo" by Kim Soo-hee on the next episode. His remix was well received. On his third episode of Immortal Song 2, Park performed "Tell Me the Truth" by Jinusean with Solbi, Jang Hyuk and Kim Sooro. That performance won Park the competition for that episode, allowing him to choose the order for the next episode. For his fourth episode, Park again made his own R&B version of "Feel Good Day" by Kim Wan-sun. On his fifth episode, Park performed a remixed version of "Look Back at Me" by Deux, where he received attention from his fellow castmates for his incredible and dangerous b-boy moves. On his sixth episode and final appearance on the show, he performed "Dear, Do Not Change" by Nam Jin and won the last trophy.^[56] It was revealed that Park will return to Immortal Song 2 for a special episode "King of Kings" with other singers that have claimed the #1 spot. This special episode will record November 7 at the KBS Open Hall and air November 19.

On September 5, 2011, the single "Demon" was released through various Korean digital music websites.^[57] The music video was also finally released on the same day to negative reviews, and Park apologized, saying he had no control over the release of both the music video and the song.^[58]

On October 1, 2011, Park returned to the USA to perform in the International Secret Agents Los Angeles concert..^[59][60]

On October 29, 2011, Park delivered a performance to over 25,000 fans as he headlined the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) Live in Manila Concert held at the SM Mall of Asia. The concert also featured Californian alternative rock band, Evaline, and international singer/songwriter, Jason Mraz.^[61]

On November 3, 2011, Park released his single "Girlfriend". The song was produced by American producers Da Beat Freakz.

On December 28, 2011, Park released Part 1 of his first full-length Korean album, New Breed.^[62]

[edit] 2012-present: New Breed

Park was chosen by KT Tech to be the official model of TakeHD, a new smartphone by the brand.^[63][64]

On January 11, 2012, Park received the Disk Bonsang for his mini album Take A Deeper Look on the first day of the 26th Golden Disk Awards, which was held in Osaka. He was the only solo artist to receive the Disk Bonsang among the other Bonsang winners.^[65] On January 18, 2012, he received the Popular Artist Award of the Asia Model Awards, which was held in Seoul.^[66][67][68]

Songs composed and written by Park for others artists were released in 2012. Park produced and composed a song with Cha Cha Malone for Korean-American singer Brian Joo, titled "Can't Stop", for his new EP, ReBorn Part 1.^[69][70][71] Park wrote the Korean version of the song^[70], while Joo wrote the English Version^[71]. On April 25, 2012, Park's 25th birthday, idol group U-KISS released their 6th mini-album, DoraDora, which includes the track "4U" written and composed by Park.^[72] Park also produced and composed a song for upcoming girl group Tiny-G, "Polaris". The lyrics are written by actress Lee Si Young. They worked together as a couple through MBC Music and Lyrics.^[73][74]

Park released his first full-length Korean album, New Breed, in February 2012, with the title track "Know Your Name".^[75] The album reached #1 twice on the Gaon Weekly album chart in South Korea,^[76][77] and also reached #1 on the Hanteo Weekly chart by solding more than 80000 copies offline.^[78][79] New Breed debuted at #4 in the Billboard World Album Charts and ranked #16 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart.^[80] Park made his comeback stage on Korean music shows on February 16, 2012. He won Music Bank on February 24, 2012, one week after his comeback.^[81]

On March 3, 2012, Park held his first solo concert, New Breed Live in Seoul, at the Olympic Hall of Seoul Olympic Park.^[82]

On April 23, 2012, Park has been selected as the "R-16 KOREA 2012" (B-Boy) ambassador by the Korea Tourism Organization.^[83]

On April 27, 2012, Park began Asian promotions for the Asian version release of his album New Breed, and will visit 5 countries : Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. On April 28, 2012, Park performed at the Star Awards in Singapore.^[83] On June 13, 2012, Park will release the Japan editions of his albums Take A Deeper Look and New Breed through Universal J. The regular edition of New Breed will contain the English version of "I Love You" as a bonus track.^[84]

Park headlined the APAHM tour organized by Verizon in the USA in May 2012. The tour made stops in Washington DC on May 18, New York on May 21, San Francisco on May 24 and Los Angeles on May 26.^[85][86] On May 16, 2012, Park released his first mixtape, Fresh A!r: Breathe !t^[87][88][89], containing songs he will perform for the APAHM tour.^[90][91][92] The mixtape was released for free on Park's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, official website, Datpiff and SoundCloud.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Notable appearances

• Hot Blood Men (2007)
• Idol Show (2008)
• Star King (2008)
• Wild Bunny (2009)
• Word of the Day - Bromance (2010) - A short skit alongside Ryan Higa and Philip Wang (Wong Fu Productions) .
• Dramatic (2011) - First episode aired.
• Mr. 아이돌 (Mr. Idol) (2011)
• Immortal Song 2 (2011-12) - A regular cast member for parts of 2011 and 2012.
• Music & Lyrics (2012) - with actress Lee Si-young.

Awards[link]

Music Programs[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official website at Sidus HQ (Korean)
• Jay Park on Twitter
• Jay Park on Facebook
• Jay Park's channel on YouTube
• Jay Park Vevo channel
• Jay Park on Me2day
• Jay Park on Weibo
• Jay Park at the Internet Movie Database