and pleasure vehicles. The "cross-town" commercial traffic was entirely concealed in sunken roadways screened with densely planted shrub belts, so as not to disturb the impression of a rustic scene. The Greensward plan called for some 36 bridges

The State appointed a Central Park Commission to oversee the development of the park, and in 1857 the commission held a landscape design contest. Writer Frederick Law Olmsted and English architect Calvert Vaux developed the so-called "Greensward Plan"

20TH CENTURY

Following the completion of the park, it quickly slipped into DECLINE. One of the major reasons for this was the disinterest of, the political machine. The 1960s marked the beginning of an “Events Era” in Central Park that reflected the widespread cultural and political trends of the period.

CRIME

The park has its own NewYork City Police Department precinct (Central Park Precinct), which employs both regular police and volunteer citizens. In 2005, such safety measures held the number of crimes in the park — which has more than 25 million visitors annually — to fewer than one hundred per year (down from approximately 1,000 in the early 1980s); this very low crime rate has made Central Park one of the safest urban parks in the world

ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK

Around the turn of the century, the park faced several NEW CHALLENGES. Cars had been invented and were becoming commonplace, bringing with them their burden of pollution. Also, the general mental view of the people was beginning to change. No longer were parks to be used only for walks and picnics in an idyllic