Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to look at the history of urban parks. Now, while many people assume Central Park in New York was the first designed public park, it wasn't. The first was actually Birkenhead Park in England, opened in 1847. However, Central Park, completed in 1873, became the model for urban parks worldwide because of its innovative design by Frederick Law Olmsted. What many don't realize is that Olmsted's design emphasized natural landscapes over formal gardens, which was quite revolutionary at the time. This approach influenced not just American parks but also many in Europe and Asia.