Paving over Patterson Park

Your article about expanding road and parking access in Patterson Park reflects a disturbing tendency to think within "the box" ("Residents irate over proposal to pave over green," Sept. 19).The city's plan to pave over a significant green space reminds me of the trees that were cut down to make way for the Grand Prix and never replaced.

Having worked outdoors in Baltimore during the summer, I know how charm free Charm City can be when its paved surfaces turn into heat islands that radiate sweltering temperatures. Baltimore needs all the green space it can get. The more of it there is, the less stressed out city residents will be, and the city will also have a better chance to cool down at night.

Paving over green space creates less opportunity to manage rainwater run-off and is incompatible with many of the native plantings throughout the park. It appears that the concerns of Patterson Park neighborhood residents will be neglected in favor of a detached vision that lacks the elegance and wisdom Baltimore residents deserve.

If parking space must be created, why not consider a "green" parking lot similar to the one at Irvine Nature Center? That's a better option than creating another heat island.

Lucy Howard, Baltimore