The planning concept for Riverside, as designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, with Calvert Vaux and the firm of Olmsted, Vaux And Company, was to create a total environmental suburban community which would answer individual needs for the most modern conveniences found in the village while providing the domestic advantages of living in a rural environment. Olmsted planned such landscaped environment to unconsciously affect its residents and visitors with serenity and tranquility. To achieve this end, he provided an enriched display of nature throughout the community. The best features of the site were dedicated as public land for the use and enjoyment of all. Public lands occupied approximately forty four percent (44%) of the total community's land. These public lands included the land adjacent to the Des Plaines River, two (2) large commons, the triangular landscaped parks, and the roadways with their unique varying public parkway depths. These changing parkway depths allowed for natural tree groupings along the roadways in lieu of in-line street planting. All public areas were landscaped with the same natural landscape approach, creating a pastoral setting of plant groups interspersed with open green meadows. The landscaped public areas, curvilinear road system, and the irregularly shaped private lots provided the rural setting. The roads were built lacking high curbs and were depressed relative to adjacent land, so as to be visually obscure. Ornamental gas streetlights were installed along the road system.
The board is committed to operate and maintain these public lands, roads and streetlights so as to preserve the planning concepts upon which the general character of the village and the historic landmark designation for the Riverside landscape architectural district is based. (Ord. 1971, 12-2-1991; amd. Ord. 2550, 12-19-2005)