Back Bay, Emerald Necklace Among APA 'Great Places'

The American Planning Association has announced its 2010 batch of "Great Places in America," and Boston's Back Bay and the Emerald Necklace Conservatory in Jamaica Plain have both made this year's list.

Here's a bit of what the APA had to say about each:

Emerald Necklace, named one of America's great public spaces: "Spanning nearly 400 years of public involvement and advocacy, planning, land acquisitions, land filling, construction, and reconstruction, Boston's Emerald Necklace is one of the country's undisputed urban park crown jewels."

Back Bay, named one of America's great neighborhoods: "Inspired by 19th century plans for Paris, the Back Bay is a marvel of urban design, simultaneously historic and hip. With nearly 27,000 people, the neighborhood was the first successful attempt in the U.S. to realize the monumental effect of open spaces, grand boulevards, and imposing vistas that were possible only through large-scale city planning."

Since 2007, the APA has designated great places in 47 states and D.C., which leaves us ultimately wondering who has been left out in the cold for four years running.

For more on Boston's Back Bay, click here.

Photo courtesy Greater Boston Convention and Vistors Bureau