Town Branch Creek was once the lifeblood of Lexington, Kentucky. Now, more than a century after it was rerouted and buried, city leaders want to resurrect the historic waterway as the focal point of downtown redevelopment.
Credit for the original idea to uncover the waterway goes to Gary Bates, a principal with Norway-based architecture firm Space Group, who was brought on to create a master plan for 62 acres of parking lots and underutilized parcels surrounding the University of Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.
"Building on Bates’ master plan, the Lexington Downtown Development Authority (DDA) issued a RFQ to daylight, or uncover, the downtown segment of Town Branch Creek with new pocket parks along its route." And an international colletion of five design teams are now studying the feasibility of Bates' concept and developing detailed proposals.
Following the presentation of each team's concept at a symposium to be held on February 1, "a jury will select a winning proposal and the DDA will award $200,000 to further develop their concept and establish financial feasibility," notes Klayko. "The winning design will eventually be used to bolster public support and help with private fundraising."
FULL STORY: Silent Creek
Nine Ways to Use Curb Space That Aren’t Parking
California’s new daylighting law bans parking within 20 feet of crosswalks. How can cities best use this space?
How Well Will San Francisco’s Daylighting Program Work?
Unlike other efforts to prevent cars from parking near intersections to improve visibility and road safety, San Francisco has no plans to install physical infrastructure to keep vehicles out of danger zones.
San Francisco Implements ‘Daylighting’ at Intersections
Vehicles are prohibited from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk as part of the city’s Vision Zero efforts to eliminate traffic deaths and make roads safer.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie