Parks in Chicago

The riverfront pavilion in Ping Tom Memorial Park

Parks in Chicago include open spaces and facilities, developed and managed by the Chicago Park District. The City of Chicago devotes 8.5% of its total land acreage to parkland, which ranked it 13th among high-density population cities in the United States in 2012.[1] Since the 1830s, the official motto of Chicago has been Urbs in horto, Latin for "City in a garden" for its commitment to parkland.[2] In addition to serving residents, a number of these parks also double as tourist destinations, most notably Lincoln Park, Chicago's largest park, visited by over 20 million people each year, is one of the most visited parks in the United States.[3] Notable architects, artists and landscape architects have contributed to the 570 parks, including Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jens Jensen, Dwight Perkins, Frank Gehry, and Lorado Taft.[2]

  1. ^ "City Park Facts: Total Parkland as Percent of City Land Area, FY 2011". The Trust for Public Land, Center for City Park Excellence. November 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  2. ^ a b "History of Chicago's Parks | Chicago Park District".
  3. ^ "City Park Facts". The Trust for Public Land, Center for City Park Excellence. June 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-19.