Citizens to Preserve Overton Park
Encyclopedia
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park (CPOP) is a nonprofit advocacy group founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957. CPOP is best known for its success at preventing the extension of Interstate 40
through Overton Park
adjacent to the Memphis Zoo
, through the landmark 1971 Supreme Court case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
.
On March 8, 2008, the organization was reincorporated in response to the Zoo's clear-cutting of a portion of the adjacent Old Forest Arboretum in Overton Park and the enclosing of additional park sections within a security fence in preparation for future expansion.
A year later, in March 2009, CPOP found itself in the public eye once again, opposing plans by the City of Memphis, Tennessee
Engineering Division to create a floodwater retention basin in an extensive, flat, and much-used section of Overton Park
, the Greensward.
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
through Overton Park
Overton Park
Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, and other features...
adjacent to the Memphis Zoo
Memphis Zoo
The Memphis Zoo, located in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. Created in April 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years. The land currently designated to the Memphis Zoo was defined by the...
, through the landmark 1971 Supreme Court case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 , is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that established the basic legal framework for judicial review of the actions of administrative agencies...
.
On March 8, 2008, the organization was reincorporated in response to the Zoo's clear-cutting of a portion of the adjacent Old Forest Arboretum in Overton Park and the enclosing of additional park sections within a security fence in preparation for future expansion.
A year later, in March 2009, CPOP found itself in the public eye once again, opposing plans by the City of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Engineering Division to create a floodwater retention basin in an extensive, flat, and much-used section of Overton Park
Overton Park
Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, and other features...
, the Greensward.