2026-09-19T20:40:19Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/875242022-01-13T07:54:09Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Anne Whiston Spirn.
Bird, Caroline J. (Caroline Jennifer)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
n-us-ma
2014-05-23T19:41:35Z
2014-05-23T19:41:35Z
2014
2014
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/87524
879676196
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 51-53).
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.
by Caroline J. Bird.
M.C.P.
53 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Urban Studies and Planning.
Boston's urban wilds : the persistence of an idea over time
Thesis
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