Inside/Out | August 20: Portland, MAINE. Landscapes Renewed.

595 Congress St,Portland ME 04101

20 August, 2022

Description

Portland, Maine welcomes the BSLA for the next iteration of Inside/Out!Portland has a rich history of landscape architecture. Anchored by a master plan developed by The Olmsted Firm, the port city boasts a park system including over 66 parks and playgrounds, 7.5 miles of multi-use trails, 10 community gardens, and dozens of other fields and outdoor amenities. Its green space stretches across the city’s downtown and waterfront, spanning an impressive 721 acres throughout. Join us as we explore Portland’s downtown landscapes, both old and new, and discuss their historical roots, community stewardship, and continued development and redesign. This tour will be led by Cary Tyson, Executive Director of Portland Downtown, and Sarah Hanson, Executive Director of Greater Portland Landmarks. Tickets are free. Tour size will be kept small for health and quality of experience. Please come dressed for the weather, with comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and water (as you like), prepared to walk. We look forward to exploring with you! We look forward to seeing you outside. Scroll down for more details on the projects we will visit.... We will visit... (scroll down)10:30am Congress Square Park:From the Portland Parks and Recreation Department, on the Congress Square Park redesign... “Congress Square is a high quality, distinctive urban space that epitomizes the Arts District while remaining accessible and inviting to all. Year-round, the Square provides a welcome break in the dense, historic district street wall where one encounters a range of activities including events and installations that celebrate local arts and culture, and fosters spontaneity, informal gathering, and fun. As a gateway intersection, the redesigned Congress Square places priority on the pedestrian experience and safety while accommodating all transportation modes in an efficient manner.” Congress Square is advocated for and managed by the City of Portland, The Friends of Congress Square Park, and the Portland Public Art Committee. Its redesign is being led by the landscape firm WRT. Read more about the Park’s Project for Public Spaces activation as well as its plans for the future. 11:30amLincoln Park:From Portland Landmarks... “Lincoln Park is Portland's oldest public park. It was designed by Portland's civil engineer Charles Goodell and was strategically plotted as a protective fire-break in reaction to the Great Fire of 1866. Lincoln Park served as the green space for a densely populated neighborhood at the base of Munjoy Hill and a place of respite for downtown workers. Bounded by Congress, Pearl, Federal, and Franklin Streets, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 for its significance in landscape architecture. It is also recognized as a local Portland Historic Landscape District. Lincoln Park was named to the 2013 Places in Peril list due to long standing neglect of the park infrastructure and lack of city funding for maintenance and repair… [Since], Friends of Lincoln Park and the City of Portland have successfully restored the French fountain, repaved the paths, installed new benches, and revitalized the gardens.” Portland’s Lincoln Park is a good example of the power of participatory planning and community led design. The Park’s management, programming, and redevelopment is spurred by its dedicated community collective, The Friends of Lincoln Park. Read more about the Park’s rich history here. ABOUT INSIDE/OUT:Organized by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, "Inside/Out" is an ongoing series of small group, outdoor, on-site walking tours of landscape architecture throughout our region. Tours are led by landscape architects, designers, planners, municipal leaders, activists, developers, builders, and more and highlight landscape ideas and implementation revolving around issues including climate resilience, health, and equity. Click here watch a brief video about the whole Inside/Out series taking place in locations across Massachusetts and Maine. Where else would you like to go? Let us know.Organized by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, "Inside/Out" is an ongoing series of small group, outdoor, on-site walking tours of landscape architecture throughout our region. Tours are led by landscape architects, designers, planners, municipal leaders, activists, developers, builders, and more and highlight landscape ideas and implementation revolving around issues including climate resilience, health, and equity.Join us outside.Images, title down: Congress Square Park, a Project for Public Spaces Activation - PPSHistoric Lincoln Park, 1876 - Friends of Lincoln ParkWRT renderings of the Congress Square Park Redesign - Portland Parks and RecreationCongress Square Park on a sunny summer day - Friends of Congress Square ParkThe community gathers for an afternoon screening at Congress Square Park - PPSA view of life in Lincoln Park - A Brief History of Lincoln Park from LumintoThe fountain at present-day, post-renovation Lincoln Park - Verdante at Lincoln ParkPandora’s Winter Lights in Lincoln Park - Courtesy of Corey Templeton Photography through the Friends of Lincoln Park Jonathan Taggart hard at work restoring the fence. - Friends of Lincoln Park