About This Project
With 175 sunny days per year and 87 city parks, and thousands of acres of green space, Spokane, Washington is an ideal destination for outdoor exploration. Thanks to strategic planning of city leaders in the early 1900s, and collaboration with the Olmsted Brothers, one of the most reputable landscape architect firms of the early 20th century, more than 80% of Spokane residents are within walking distance of a park or greenspace.
When it comes to city planning, the Olmsted Brothers believed that every household should have access to a green space, that these spaces should remain mostly undeveloped, and that more is more when it comes to city parks. Under these tenets, the leadership of the burgeoning city of Spokane were able to secure the acreage and funding to create the protected spaces that we know today, including Manito Park, the Finch Arboretum and Downriver Park.
As the region continues to expand beyond the city limits of Spokane county, access to green space becomes harder to maintain without intervention. By implementing “Olmsted 2.0,” Inland Northwest Land Conservancy will identify opportunities for future park development and conservation, ensuring that 100 years from now, our great-grandkids will enjoy ten-minute walks to their local park or green space, and all the individual and community health benefits associated with it, throughout Spokane county.
