Frederick Law Olmsted

When Boston was young, after our revolutionary era, the Shawmut Peninsula looked onto a forested hillscape. Nearly everywhere in sight was Roxbury. The hills held a secluded sylvan valley nearby: Franklin Park. Then, as now, Bostonians escaped to nature there.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined city officials and local activists Tuesday for the release of the Franklin Park Action Plan, an overarching road map, still open to public comment and input, for an approximately $28 million overhaul of the historic park.

Parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted around Boston are getting shaken up this year. In celebration of the 2022 Olmsted bicentennial, Olmsted Now Parks Equity & Spatial Justice Grants totaling $205,000 have been distributed to 16 artists. These artists will activate Olmsted green spaces and the parks’ histories throughout the fall with the specific purpose of welcoming and celebrating marginalized groups.