"Parks are idealizations of nature, but nature in fact is not a condition of the ideal"

This quote by Robert Smithson speaks to the idea that parks are an idealized variation of nature, but that nature itself is not best. Smithson is suggesting that parks are a way of developing a version of nature that is more aesthetically pleasing and simpler to manage. Parks are frequently designed to be more organized and structured than nature, with thoroughly planned pathways, gardens, and other functions. Nevertheless, Smithson is likewise suggesting that nature is not ideal which it is impossible to recreate it in its whole. Nature is unpredictable and ever-changing, and it is impossible to manage it in the exact same method that parks are created and managed. Smithson's quote is a suggestion that nature is complex and that it is impossible to recreate it in its totality.