This Overview captures Central Park in New York City. Located in the middle of Manhattan, the park spans 843 acres - or 6% of the borough. One of the most influential innovations in the park's design was its "separate circulation" systems for pedestrians, horseback riders, and automobiles. This concealed "crosstown" commercial traffic in sunken roadways (known as "transverses" today), and densely planted shrub belts in order to maintain a rustic ambiance.