Ask most people in the City of Colleyville, Texas what their community has in common with New York City and they will probably tell you, "Not much!" While New York is known for its fast-paced activity, busy streets, and skyscrapers, life in Colleyville is decidedly more simple. Leisurely living, peaceful streets and custom-designed homes are a way of life in this quaint community. While to most outsiders these two admittedly different cities may not seem to have much in common, both communities have been touched by the hand of Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1857, Manhattan Island was a burgeoning port city and gateway for immigration and commerce. Concerned by the dynamic growth taking place, city officials decided to invest in community development and enhance urban life for its citizens. They proposed creating a centrally-located park where Manhattanites could find relaxation and recreation amid growing urbanization and industrialization; thus was born New York's famed Central Park and a new fruitful career for Olmsted. As the Architect-in-Chief of Central Park, Olmsted had many ideas about civilization and urban planning. Aided by the architectural expertise of Englishman Calvert Vaux, Olmsted was able to implement many of his ideas about the needs of the community. He had a definite vision- and as the premier Landscape Architect, he led a group of other professionals, such as engineers and horticulturists, to make that fixed vision a reality. Now, almost 150 years later, there is still something to be learned from the techniques pioneered by "The Father of Landscape Architecture," as Olmsted is known. The very goals which inspired him in 1857 still inspire Landscape Architects today. Consider the situation of Colleyville, Texas. Located in the north-central portion of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, this small, rural community now finds itself in an expansion mode-- similar to the city of Manhattan in 1857. Colleyville's location is prime/ just minutes from the busy Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and not far from the Alliance Airport, a major commerce area created by Ross Perot, Jr. This growing region has now matured into a prosperous residential community of about 17,000 people. With all of the expanding commercial development in the area, Colleyville expects the steady influx of new residents to continue as area employees and their families seek out homes in the area. Recently, a group of citizens, business owners and city officials living in Colleyville decided the time had come to define themselves as a community and not just another faceless suburb of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Currently, the City does not have a central point such as a town square, main street, or courthouse. One of the goals is to define the community by renovating the existing Colleyville City Park. Much like a youthful New York City, Colleyville wants to create a central park which will provide leisure, recreation, and congregation opportunities for the majority of its citizens. In the same way that Olmsted's Central Park celebrated nature, united the community and provided restful repose from the stresses of "modern living," the City of Colleyville hopes to achieve this through their own City Park. Olmsted wanted to preserve the more attractive features of the real estate set aside for the park. He enhanced the land's natural features like the rocky escarpments, creating pastoral dells and meadows for contemplation and meditation. Engineers constructed reservoirs to handle the drainage for the area, thereby alleviating the swampy conditions as well as adding recreational and aesthetic value to the landscape. Olmsted designed over- and underpasses at intersections within the park to allow pedestrians a leisurely stroll without fear of collision with other patrons using the bridal paths or taking a carriage ride. Also included were a grand promenade and mall area for the congregation, and socialization of New Yorkers of all classes and backgrounds. Olmsted wanted his central park to be a multi-use park, serving a majority of New York's inhabitants. Almost 150 years later. Central Park is a definite monument to the ideals of Olmsted. When Colleyville envisioned a change in its City Park, city officials turned to the expertise of the Landscape Architecture team at Carter and Burgess, Inc., a national consulting firm. The firm offered a master plan inspired by Olmsted's ideals. While designing the renovations to the park. Carter & Burgess Landscape Architects incorporated Olmsted's principle of professional collaboration in order to create a solution to drainage problems. The park's existing system is simply not adequate for handling Texas' seasonally heavy rains, and often renders several of the ballfields unplayable. Working together with engineers and hydrologists, the Landscape Architecture team plans to turn the current drainage problem into an attractive visual element by constructing a pond at the entryway to the park. "By following Olmsted's example of leading a collaborative effort comprised of other disciplines, a Landscape Architect can accomplish a harmony of form and function," suggests Clyde Rountree, Landscape Architect for Carter & Burgess. Another of Olmsted's principles that is being incorporated into the City Park renovation is a focus on over-all community needs. Through meetings between Colleyville city officials, park board members/ and citizens, the Landscape Architecture team obtained valuable input on what types of changes Colleyville envisioned for their park. "Ask the public what they want, and they will tell you," remarks Colleyville Mayor pro tern John Grace, who also serves as City Council Liaison for the Park Board. "What Colleyville wanted was a public facility - which people would use repeatedly and which would reflect Colleyville's civic pride and strong sense of community. The architects carefully listened to citizens and considered their requests." "It is essential to really listen to the client and keep their needs in the forefront of your mind while coming up with creative solutions," expresses Rountree. "We focused on designing a master plan to suit the needs voiced by the citizens and city officials. This is the key to designing a distinct park for any community, whether it is New York City or the City of Colleyville. "One of the most important characteristics of Olmsted was his temperament," said Rountree. "When all was said and done, he could create a finished product which met the client's needs 100%, but still had his own unique signature on it. After seeing our City Park Master Plan, I think everyone involved left the meetings realizing that the design was intended to accommodate all citizens, yet the creativity was not sacrificed." Colleyville's attempt to define their community does more than reflect Olmsted's principles of successful Landscape Architecture and civic awareness/ it is an indication of where the field of Landscape Architecture is headed. As urban expansion spreads into rural communities, the need for conserving green spaces will also increase. To serve the citizens, much time and consideration will be dedicated to providing areas of natural beauty. "As Landscape Architects, we have learned a great deal from Olmsted," Rountree remarks. "Most importantly, we have learned to listen and to lead. First, we listen to the people and consider the surroundings. This gives us the knowledge that we need to lead other disciplines in accomplishing citizen's goals." To avoid being swallowed by the endless wave of expansion, America's smaller towns should perhaps follow Colleyville's lead and define their own sense of identity. The discipline of Landscape Architecture provides a cohesive vision to urban planning?EUR??,,????'??+ giving these growing communities the capacity to manage expansion while still preserving and celebrating what makes them unique "The citizens and their sense of community ultimately define a city. They are the variable to the equation. It is both exciting and amazing that different variables in an identical equation leads to solutions that are truly worlds apart." Though the community of New York City and the City of Colleyville may be "worlds apart," that is one of the wonders of Olmsted's principles and the discipline itself, comments Rountree. "Urban planning is really all about people," he concludes. LASN IN ADDITION TO UPGRADING EXISTING SOFTBALL/BASEBALL FACILITIES, COLLEYVILLE PARK'S MASTER PLAN INCLUDES NEW AMENITIES WHICH WILL OPEN THE PARK TO DIVERSE USER GROUPS. A ONE-MILE TRAIL, HORSESHOE PITS AND COVERED SEATING WILL MEET PASSIVE NEEDS, WHILE NEW TENNIS, SAND VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL AND HOCKEY COURTS WILL SATISFY ACTIVE VISITORS. COLLEYVILLE'S PLANS TO DEFINE THEIR COMMUNITY ARE FAR REACHING. IN ADDITION TO THE RENOVATION OF CITY PARK, COLLEYVILLE WILL EXTEND ITS NEW IMAGE INTO THE COMMUNITY BY ERECTING MARKERS AT THE TOWN LIMITS, AS DEPICTED BY THIS CONCEPTUAL SKETCH. "WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO PUT UP FENCES AROUND COLLEYVILLE," CLARIFIES MAYOR BAKER. HOWEVER, WHAT WE DO WANT TO DO IS CONVEY (AN) IMAGE OF UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE AND CREATE A DEFINITE SENSE OF ARRIVAL All illustrations by Clyde Rountree, provided courtesy of Carter and Burgess, Inc. LANDMARK BANK CAPTURES THE TRADITIONAL GRACE AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CITY OF COLLEYVILLE -- A TRADITION THAT WILL BE CARRIED ON THROUGH THE NEW CITY PARK. "Every city should have a park at its heart." - Frederick Law Olmsted LARGE, ELEGANT HOMES MAKE UP THE RESIDENTIAL SECTION OF COLLEYVILLE, TEXAS, WHICH WILL SOON BE GRACED BY THE MULTI-PURPOSE, "CROWN JEWEL" OF A CITY PARK.