Asset or Barrier?
The public parks and green spaces of Ballard are an asset. The neighborhood has many accessible parks that residents can enjoy, free of charge. These parks and green spaces are an incredible asset to the neighborhood. They provide practical benefits, such as improving the quality of the air residents breathe and producing a natural habitat for wildlife. Not only do they give a place for the residents of the community to connect with nature and recreate outdoors, they also provide aesthetic and recreational benefits for neighborhoods.
Sights
The pictures to the left are of the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, named after one of the leading horticulturalists in the Northwest. With his expertise as a botanist, he was able to create this area into a lovely garden that residents of Ballard may visit. This garden borders the Ballard Locks of Shilshole Bay. The pathway provides a scenic route of incredibly tall trees, shrubs, and flowers. This pathway also gives a great view of the Hiram Chittenden Locks.
History
While walking along the garden's pathway, people will come across signs that tell the history of how the botanical garden came to be. Such as the sign for Michael E. Fleming. Fleming was a horticulturist who devoted three decades to maintaining the garden. The other sign honors the people who have been superintendents for the Ballard Locks.
Cultural Connections
Bergen Place is located in the downtown area of Ballard. It is a green space that honors the Sister City of Seattle, Bergen, Norway. Ballard has strong ties with Scandinavia because of its high Nordic population. And this can be seen in this park, with its mural of Nordic peoples and towers of Nordic culture that are especially significant.
Sources
Crowley, Walt. “Seattle Neighborhoods: Ballard -- Thumbnail History.” HistoryLink.org, 31 March 1999, https://historylink.org/File/983. Accessed 3 December 2021.
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“Ballard Seattle | Ballard Neighborhood Seattle | MySeattleHomeSearch.” Seattle Real Estate, https://www.myseattlehomesearch.com/seattle-neighborhood-guide/ballard-seattle/. Accessed 4 December 2021.