During the month of September 2019, the Gottesman Libraries at Teachers College displayed a special collection titled: Learning from Parks.
"Learning From Parks explores the urban park as a metaphor for the acquisition of knowledge and importance of social infrastructure. The display draws attention to the history, design, and politics of New York City parks, especially the iconic Central Park, our nation’s first major landscaped public park, inspired by reformers who sought to improve public health and strengthen civil society.
We offer an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between city parks and urban schools, with inspiration drawn from Eric Klinenberg’s Palaces for the People; Michael Graner’s The Urban Park As An Educational Asset, and John Fischer’s The School Park. We hope to encourage socially conscious modes of teaching, as well as play and creativity in the learning process."
The books in the collection include:
- Programming for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services: A Servant Leadership Approach by Donald G. DeGraaf, Debra Jean Jordan, and Kathy H. DeGraaf
- A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park by Ashley Benham Yazdani
- Metropolitan Landscape Architecture: Urban Parks and Landscapes by Clemens M. Steenbergen, Wim Platvoet, and Wouter Reh
- Future Park: Imagining Tomorrow's Urban Parks by Amalie Wright
- Outdoor Science Lab for Kids: 52 Family-Friendly Experiments for the Yard, Garden, Playground, and Park by Liz Lee Heinecke
- City Parks: Public Spaces, Private Thoughts by Catie Marron
- Urban Landscapes in High-Density Cities: Parks, Streetscapes, Ecosystems edited by Bianca Maria Rinaldi and Puay Yok Tan
- Central Park, An American Masterpiece: A Comprehensive History of the Nation's First Urban Park by Sara Cedar Miller
- Urban Ecology: A Natural Way to Transform Kids, Parks, Cities, and the World by Ken Leinbach
- The Politics of Park Design by Galen Cranz
- A Pedagogy of Place: Outdoor Education for a Changing World by Brian Wattchow and Michael Brown
- Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg
- Great City Parks by Alan Tate