CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
April 2002
Archives—Table of Contents

Conservancy-Sponsored Book Traces Parklands' History

To all appearances, the Charles River is tranquil and unchanging. Long viewed as one of Greater Boston's most attractive and carefully preserved natural features, the Charles has in fact undergone substantial alteration. Inventing the Charles River, by Karl Haglund, charts the river's changing course, both geographic and cultural, from colonial times to the present. Virtually every bend in the river has been created and re-created, generating political, commercial and social ferment at every turn. This book gives that varied history contemporary relevance as the Big Dig forces Bostonians to reconsider their cityscape, and reinvent it once again.

Originally a tidal river, the primal estuary gave way to commercial use in the 18th century and industrial exploitation in the 19th. But before the environmental blight that had overtaken the Charles could be remedied, the area that would become the Basin first had to be imagined as a single public space.

After the Civil War, Boston enlisted the help of Frederick Law Olmsted, who developed what has come to be known as the "Emerald Necklace," extending from Boston Common to Franklin Park, with a link to the river at Charlesgate. In the subsequent construction of esplanades on both sides of the river, Charles Eliot, Guy Lowell, and Arthur Shurcliff created an extraordinary public domain, a landmark in what has been called "the culture of refinement."

In our own time, the design and construction of the Central Artery/Harbor Tunnel project (at over $14 billion, the largest highway construction project ever undertaken in the U.S.) has presented the city with opportunities similar to those encountered a century ago. These include the development of public spaces across the city, with twenty acres of new parkland near Boston Harbor and over forty acres along the Charles.

But a unifying vision of civic refinement has yet to emerge. Meanwhile, divergent political and commercial perspectives have left the Charles River Basin and its parklands behind, while public debate centers on the controversies of the Big Dig.

Inventing the Charles River makes the story of a great public resource available to all through its rich text and extensive use of full-color illustrations. The book also bears the mark of an experienced urban planner and enthusiastic practitioner of narrative history. Karl Haglund's long interest in urban design, and his thorough understanding of the historical context from which the Basin has emerged, make his book an invaluable tool. Urban planners, students of architecture and landscape, and all who value our public spaces will find his lucid recounting of the river's development a useful guide to future action.

The images that illustrate the text give visual power to the Charles's engaging history, remarkable beauty, and great potential. In addition to the comprehensive collection of historical images represented in the volume, the book will feature the images of photographer Peter Vanderwarker. His aerial views and contemporary matches of historic photographs bring the story of the river to the present day. Numerous images of abandoned or yet-to-be implemented visions illustrate that the invention of the Charles River Basin remains unfinished; the process of renewing Greater Boston's most significant public space must continue.

In conjunction with the publication of Inventing the Charles River, the Conservancy is planning a major symposium concurrent with the book's release in October of 2002. This event, including a panel presentation, discussion groups, and a river tour, will welcome the Greater Boston community to enter the discussion proposed by author Karl Haglund on the future of the Charles River Parklands. Professionals from such fields as urban planning, transportation, environmental advocacy, and public health will be invited to discuss the implications of Haglund's research for future parkland improvements and the benefit of generations to come.

Look for more details on this event in Conservancy communications later this year!

Charles River Parklands is published by The Charles River Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the Basin parklands of the Charles River.

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© 2002, The Charles River Conservancy.