This sequence allows the people in a neighborhood to build a small park or "green" over time, at weekends, or whenever they have a chance, applying the same rules repeatedly to the continuous improvement of the green.
Neighborhood Green
As a result of this repetition, the individual green will come to work as a whole uniquely adapted to the neighborhood, with its own appropriate and unique character, according to the position of nearby trees, and houses and roads in the existing neighborhood.
These are the steps you will follow in making your neighborhood green:
HUNT FOR A FOCUS
What might make your neighborhood more "glued together?" Some little place, where a person can belong, sit and enjoy the sun, or chat with a passing stranger.
DRIVE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
To identify spots which have the potential for being such a place, drive around the neighborhood, looking for a small area of public land that can be improved by active stewardship and that they have a reason to care about. It needs to be small, could often be no more than 40 feet square.
FIND A CENTRAL POSITION, AND DO IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE
As far as possible, and if you have any choice in the matter, choose a piece of land which is in a place which people see, and come by every day, so that they could imagine seeing other people there.
If you begin to see some possibilities, take one or two other neighbors with you, to see if you can arrive at a consensus about the best place to start.
ESTABLISH THE POSSIBILITY OF STEWARDSHIP
Establish that, in principle, potentially, this place can be owned or managed by the neighborhood.
EXPERIENCE THE CHOSEN PIECE OF LAND
With some of your neighbors, spend time there and find the main centers of the land.
Look for its natural borders, its principal features and strengths. Note its major trees, flora, aspect, sunlight and shade, and probable water flows. What now detracts from these strengths? How might it be improved?
IDENTIFY THE MAJOR CENTERS IN THE LAND;
WORK OUT HOW TO PRESERVE AND EXTEND THE STRUCTURE OF THE LAND
What natural boundaries exist, which need to be extended or intensified.
What secondary centers exist; a great tree, a tree that might be made great by careful pruning, and by clearing underbrush.
Is there an obvious view, a place for a seat which looks towards a certain direction, in a nice and compelling way? Mark it with a stake.
Is there an unusual place, a place with its own character, something which might form the natural basis of your desire to be there, if it could only be enhanced?
Is there a place which cries out to be leveled, or enlarged, or made smaller; to make it intense and memorable, something to go towards, to remember.
What is the important place; the natural place you gravitate to. Stand there, get sure about it, and mark the spot with a stake.
MAKE A ROUGH SCALE DRAWING OF THE LAND
PUT IN THE EXISTING CENTERS AND THE WAY YOU INTEND TO INTENSIFY THEM
With some of your neighbors, spend some time there and find the main centers of the land. Look for its natural borders, its principal features and strengths. Note its major trees, flora, aspect, sunlight and shade, and probable water flows. What now detracts from these strengths? How might it be improved?
On a roughly scale drawing of the land, sketch in these natural centers as they presently exist.
LEVEL THE LAND FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT CENTER
Even at this earliest stage, with the design not yet entirely clear, it is essential that you take physical action to establish, and embellish, the place which is most important.
The extent of it, its height, the levelness of its surface should all be established. If you need equipment to accomplish it (a bobcat or small backhoe) borrow it from the city, or ask Public works to come and help you do it.
It may be necessary to build a retaining wall, with steps, to make a level surface where you want it. You must then plan to build a retaining wall. It can be made with dry stacked blocks, using dry bagged concrete in the cells, and then puddled. Or you can form it and cast it in concrete.
BUILD YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD GREEN
