Scenic views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, old-growth forests with some trees that are over 400 years old, are a few of the reasons that Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Wash. was recently awarded one of the 10 Great Places in America, according to Denny Johnson, American Planning Association (APA) spokesperson.
The award recognizes American public places of “exemplary character, quality, and planning,” according to the APA website.
The 702-acre Point Defiance Park not only has beautiful scenary, but is easily accessible and hosts a variety of options for recreation and learning—a zoo and aquarium, a living history museum, a beach, a pagoda, a botanical garden, a 5-mile drive, and hiking and running trails. All of these features in one are “unusual for a city park,” Johnson said.
Johnson also indicated that the surrounding-area residents’s “strong commitment to community” is part of what makes Point Defiance Park so succesful.
Anyone can make a submission of a public space to be considered for the APA award, including the general public. Four other Washington state places have been awarded since 2007, when APA began issuing this award.
The award recognizes American public places of “exemplary character, quality, and planning,” according to the APA website.
The 702-acre Point Defiance Park not only has beautiful scenary, but is easily accessible and hosts a variety of options for recreation and learning—a zoo and aquarium, a living history museum, a beach, a pagoda, a botanical garden, a 5-mile drive, and hiking and running trails. All of these features in one are “unusual for a city park,” Johnson said.
Johnson also indicated that the surrounding-area residents’s “strong commitment to community” is part of what makes Point Defiance Park so succesful.
Anyone can make a submission of a public space to be considered for the APA award, including the general public. Four other Washington state places have been awarded since 2007, when APA began issuing this award.
