Summary of London landscape planning

The key periods in the history of London landscape planning have been:

1. When Henry VIII acquired the hunting lands which later became London's central royal parks
2. The redesign of Henry VIII's hunting parks under the Stuarts and the Hanovarians
3. The establishment of public parks in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries
4. The re-planning of London, after 1943, and the great  Abercrombie Open Space Plan. See History of London landscape planning.
5. The late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century drive to create a linked system of long-distance paths, greenways and blueways. See Commentary on London landscape planning.

The Greenways and Blueways initiative is much in need of debate: are they single-purpose or multi-purpose? do they link origins to destinations? are they well-used? how could their scenic quality be improved?