Frederick Law Olmsted, best known for designing Central Park in New York City and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, is regarded as the pioneer of modern landscape architecture.

The Olmsted firm went on to design over 6,000 landscapes in North America under general guiding principles of creating accessible green spaces and preserving nature. A colleague of the Olmsted brothers, Emanuel Mische, went on to become the Portland Parks Superintendent in 1908 and had a hand in designing Laurelhurst, Sellwood, Kenilworth, Peninsula and Washington parks in Portland under the Olmsted school of thought.

This year’s annual Olmsted Conference, which is taking place in Portland, is focused on the theme of sustaining public landscapes. Sue Brietkoph, president of the Olmsted Network, and Jim Sjulin, longtime Portland Parks employee and board member of the 40-Mile-Loop Land Trust, both join us to discuss how this rich history and legacy of landscape architecture overlaps with Oregon’s green spaces.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/21/portland-olmsted-conference-tol/