ABSTRACT
Minneapolis arguably has the best park system in the nation. Its 6,400 acres are anchored by the Grand Rounds, a 50-mile loop of interconnected green space that has won awards as a model of urban design and landscape architecture and acclaim for its provision of recreational opportunities. In addition, the Grand Rounds offers a textbook example of how to succeed in open space preservation: Start with an inspiring plan, and never stop perfecting and implementing it, even if it takes more than 125 years. In 1967, the Minnesota legislature responded by creating the Metropolitan Council, a planning and coordinating agency for the seven-county region. In collaboration with local governments, the Metropolitan Council develops and administers a metropolitan urban service area. The Twin Cities regional parks system was born in 1974, when the Minnesota legislature re-designated 31,000 acres of existing city and county parkland as regional parks and authorized the Metropolitan Council to acquire land for 10 additional parks.
