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Category Archives: infrastructure
Central Park Goes Car-Free Forever on June 27
If New York can do it, surely we can too!! ‘The campaign for a car-free park has lasted more than half century and involved thousands of people. Today’s historic announcement by Mayor de Blasio belongs to all of them. Central … Continue reading
Posted in Car-free parks, health and safety, infrastructure
Tagged bicycling, central park, golden gate park, safety, urban parks
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S.F. breaking ground on wastewater recycling plant
The sprawling lawns of Golden Gate Park and two major San Francisco golf courses are very thirsty places, and in the coming years, recycled wastewater will satisfy that thirst, thanks to a new treatment plant being built by the city’s … Continue reading
Posted in infrastructure
Tagged drought, golden gate park, irrigation, urban ecology, urban parks, waste water reuse
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Metson Lake
Metson Lake, south-east of the Polo Field, is an out-of-the-way gem in Golden Gate Park. Built in 1908 and intended as a reservoir to hold irrigation water for the park, it opened in conjunction with the Murphy Windmill, a … Continue reading
the bowling lawns in golden gate park
The bowling lawns in Golden Gate Park are vivid green and very flat, a striking backdrop to the traditional white that lawn bowlers wear on tournament days. To me these lawns are beautiful, but they also look almost unreal, more like carpeting than grass. … Continue reading
aquarium’s unexpected virtue: drought tolerance – SFGate
I often wonder about the impact of the current drought on Golden Gate Park. Here’s an uplifting article about the water supply at the aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences. ‘The Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences opened at its new home … Continue reading
pedestrian underpass in Golden Gate Park avoids cars and serves as impromtu bandshell
A pedestrian underpass beckons like an intriguing cave opposite the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, offering a vehicle-free means of traversing JFK Drive. On a sunny day, the sunlit steps on the other side are an invitation to enter and the reward … Continue reading
Posted in arts, concerts, history, infrastructure
Tagged concert in the park, golden gate park, golden gate park history, music in the park, urban parks
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the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park
The Conservatory of Flowers is the emblem and pride of Golden Gate Park. With its elegant symmetry, white-washed glass panes and delicate wooden fretwork it commands an imposing prospect overlooking formal flowerbeds and gracious green lawns. More than anything else, the Conservatory establishes the park’s nineteenth century pedigree, … Continue reading
Golden Gate Park aquifer to augment Hetch Hetchy water
Here’s an interesting article about the aquifer that underlies Golden Gate Park: “The ongoing California drought and the constant threat of earthquake have driven home the need for The City, which draws 85 percent of its water from the Tuolumne … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety, infrastructure
Tagged golden gate park, urban parks, water in golden gate park, windmills
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landmark windmill gets new dome
‘San Francisco officials and international representatives will celebrate a crowning achievement this morning when a refurbished dome is placed on top of the Golden Gate Park windmill that is considered the largest of its kind in the world. The 106-year-old … Continue reading
murphy windmill stub on the verge of renovation
“During the next month neighbors of the Murphy Windmill in Golden Gate Park can watch workers finally cast the old stub’s fourth, fifth and sixth floors. A large crane installed the windmill’s eight main posts during the weekend and now … Continue reading
golden gate park: views from the thicket 