Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to look at the history of urban parks. While many people assume that parks were designed purely for recreation, in fact, the earliest public parks in the 19th century were created with a strong focus on public health. City planners believed that green spaces could improve air quality and provide a healthy escape from crowded, polluted streets. For example, Central Park in New York was designed not only as a leisure area but also as a way to offer all citizens, regardless of income, access to nature. Interestingly, the original designs often included facilities for exercise, such as running tracks and open fields, to promote physical activity among the working class.