Boston's urban wilds : the persistence of an idea over time

Abstract

Many city natural areas programs are constricted due to limited resources for the acquisition and management of land. Boston's urban wilds offer an alternative model for the protection of urban open space that focuses on decentralized advocacy and activism rather than on a centralized city program. This thesis analyzes the forty-year history of the urban wilds, investigating how the idea first captured people's attention and how advocates have kept it relevant over time in the face of political, economic, and social changes. The investigation shows that the urban wilds idea was successful due to the extensive support that early visionaries received to develop and implement it, and that the idea persisted beyond this early period of support because advocates were able to maintain the core vision for urban wilds while exercising flexibility and creativity in realizing it. The thesis concludes with recommendations for other cities wishing to create decentralized networks of special places and for Boston's urban wilds advocates as they move into the next period of urban wilds advocacy.