The Power of Public Spaces

The Power of Public Spaces, a Hideo Sasaki Foundation event in partnership with Friends of Fairsted and Library of American Landscape History, was a success! We were thrilled to see 75+ participants join us to explore Frederick Law Olmsted’s role in creating America’s national park system and Boston’s own Franklin Park. Thank you to our panelists, Ethan Carr, Rolf Diamant, Monica Rhodes, and Michael Grove, who discussed the historic challenges and enduring power of public spaces, in Boston and across America.

Our selected LALH films highlighted Frederick Law Olmsted’s role in creating America’s national park system and Boston’s own Franklin Park.

• OLMSTED AND YOSEMITE: Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea, directed by Ian Forster, based on the LALH book by Rolf Diamant and Ethan Carr. An exploration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s pivotal role in defining the national park in America.
• BOSTON’S FRANKLIN PARK: Olmsted, Recreation, and the Modern City, directed by Ian Forster, based on the award-winning LALH book by Ethan Carr. An exploration of the history of Boston’s great, long-neglected urban park, and a frank discussion of the crossroads it now faces.

This event is part of Resilient Futures, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation’s 2026 theme connecting design and community-driven action. From climate change, to systemic inequities, to national and global political shifts, we are living in a time of increasing stress and change. How can the design community contribute to our collective resilience as we move into the future?

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The Hideo Sasaki Foundation is a nonprofit advancing equity in design through research and grants, public programs, and design education.

Friends of Fairsted is a non-profit partner of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, devoted to enhancing public understanding of the Olmsted legacy.

Library of American Landscape History is the leading publisher of books that advance the study and practice of American landscape architecture.