New York City 21st Century Parks

As a fellow of the Design Trust for Public Space, Michele Adams, PE, was a co-author of High Performance Landscape Guidelines— 21st Century Parks for New York City.

Published by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Design Trust for Public Space, the publication provided sustainable guidelines for the city’s 29,000 acres of parkland. Michele’s contribution focused on water, stormwater practices in parks, and construction practices to protect natural systems.

The third in a series of sustainability guidelines for the city, following High Performance Building Guidelines (1999) and High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines (2005), the new guidelines set the stage for a paradigm shift in the way parks and stormwater management projects in New York City are designed and constructed, with emphasis on sustainable site practices.

The full document can be found on the New York City Parks website here.