BCC/Keswick Land Sale Reading Room

Library of Urban and Suburban History and Green-space Articles

The purpose of this page is to present a variety of scholarly articles about the history of early suburbs in America and about green-space theories of development.

In each case, click where indicated to bring up a PDF of the document in question. All documents are presented in exactly the same form, and with exactly the same content, as when received by RolandPark.org. We are particularly indebted to RP resident Mike McQuestion for forwarding most of these articles to RolandPark.org.

If you have primary-source material that you believe would be useful for this web page, please e-mail it to rpcommunication@rolandpark.org. If you have no electronic version, please e-mail rpcommunication@rolandpark.org anyway and we can make arrangements to scan the material.

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Historical Articles

Mini-Revisionism in City Planning History. In this 1970 article from the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Harry G. Schalck argues that the influence of Plat 1 planner George E. Kessler and Roland Park Company driving force Edward H. Bouton should not be overlooked in favor of the Olmsted connection when considering Roland Park's layout. Click here for the article.

Historic American Parks and Contemporary Needs. Catherine Ward Thompson, in this 1998 article for the Landscape Journal, describes the historical, cultural and artistic significance of 19th century city parks on the east coast. Read it here.

Elegance and Grass Roots. In the journal of the Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society (2004), Carol J. Nicholson discusses the artistic and social philosophy of Frederick Law Olmsted, father of the designer of RP Plats 2 and 3. The article is here.

Environmental Articles

Giving People More Green Space. Writing in the Journal of Urban Health, David Sharp in this 2006 piece discusses the relationship between good health among city dwellers and their access to green space. Interested? Look here.

Resisting the Costs of "Development." Writing in Environmental Politics journal in 2007, Irish academic Mark Garavan makes a spirited defense of NIMBYism, of which RP has been accused in relation to the BCC/Keswick affair, most notable by ex-Sun columnist Barry Rascovar (here). "These ‘defences of place’ may be far more socially and politically significant than is generally recognised," says Garavan. Click here to see Garavan's fascinating article.

Linking Ecological and Built Components of Urban Mosaics. Say authors S.T.A. Pickett and M.L. Cadenasso, "Quality of life,
human health, public appreciation of ecological processes in cities, and scientific understanding can all be enhanced by participating in a cycle of ecological urban design." Green, they write in the Journal of Ecology (2008), is a vital component of the urban fabric. The article is here.

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