An informative article, spoiled by overuse of the tired "government can't do anything right" trope. Good citizens make good government; a good government produces good citizens. Working together, each playing to its strengths, government and the citizenry will get the job done.

Bravo, when we travel, we seek out interesting parks, whether it's Scottsdale, NYC, new Orleans, Chicago, altamonte springs, fla,the parks beckon....thnx

How sad to see Robert Campbell echoing the conservative ideologues who are discrediting the legitimacy of government as some alien "other," dismissing the notion of the commons, and advocating for privatization of the public realm. Yes, Robert, this is the way to build more Chicago Millennium Parks, where every feature sports a corporate brand name. This is the way to empower more Greenway Conservancies, which siphon off public money, fattening a private bureaucracy chartered to protect the interests of the corporate and propertied abutters with no public accountability. This is the way to more Central Park Conservancies, whose elite funding corp guards the gates to that iconic public space, citing lawn protection when the wrong kinds of crowds want to assemble in their front yard. This is the way to more Post Office Squares, self-funding with giant parking garages that create regional pollution pumps, and subsidized by huge, and little-known, property tax breaks. I would have hoped that you would remind people of the fundamental importance of the public interest, the need for all of us to support not only our own back yard but the larger realms we share. Very disappointing, Robert, and very alarming.

Mr. Campbell overlooks history, as the Esplanade was developed as part of a regional park system -- it was never intended as a City park. Then, of course, he overlooks that the intended privitazation of these publice spaces. Starting with the Esplanade Association's plannign process: a closed process, limited to a few in the City. From that report, are we all supposed to embrace their "well-heeled" view of the Esplanade and implement their report? What about the views of the commoner in other parts of the city or state? So much is wrong with this approch to limiting public and political access to park spaces.

I meant "political" in terms of planning and acoountability, theoretically, flowing up through elected officials. Sorry for the spelling...