Aaron Hanauer and Colleen Ayers explain that the "rural cemeteries", a form that began in the early 19th century, used to be a popular place for family outings. With land in cities at a premium, could they be so again?
Hanauer and Ayers write:
"Visitors flocked to the cemeteries because it was one of the few opportunities to feel the calm of the country near the industrial city. The increasing separation of death from private family life throughout the 20th century and the development of parks within cities has left most cemeteries as forgotten places, rather than the often jubilant and leisurely destinations they once were."
The authors point to movie nights at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and live concerts in a cemetery in Minneapolis as examples of an increase in interest in using cemeteries.
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