Over the past six years, the Seattle parks department has made great progress in sprucing up Denny Park, the city's oldest, giving new life to the "last stand of big trees amid the city's grit and gray."
Once beset by prostitution and drug dealing, Denny Park has come a long way since the city began a concerted effort to revive the park and add new attractions, reports Lynda V. Mapes. The renewal of the park, coinciding with a boom in the adjacent South Lake Union neighborhood, has brought "a renaissance of appreciation" to the quaint refuge originally dedicated in 1884.
"It's a far cry from the scene here not long ago, notes Dewey Potter,
spokeswoman for Seattle Parks and Recreation. Sure, you will still see
people reposing on the grass here and there for what looks to be more
than an occasional nap on a stolen afternoon," observes Mapes. "But there are no encampments here, no sense anymore of the takeover
of this public space by drug dealing and prostitution so brazen that
park staff used to observe the goings on through the windows of the
administration building."
"There isn't anything in the urban core like this, it's pretty unique,"
said Mark Mead, senior urban forester for Seattle Parks and Recreation.
"It's such a concentrated mass of trees, right in the heart of the
city."
FULL STORY: Old Denny Park gets new life with growth of South Lake Union
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.