Public Spaces

A Car-Free Avenue Grows in Brooklyn

New York City's car-free "Summer Streets" events are proving to be popular. A three-and-a-half minute video offers a look at Saturday's Williamsburg Walks event on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.

July 22, 2008 - Streetsblog

Some Say National Mall Needs Renovation

Washington D.C.'s National Mall is crumbling. Many say now's the time to start thinking about a new future for one of America's most prized public spaces.

July 22, 2008 - Newsweek

The Park-Poor City

This article from LA Weekly looks at L.A.'s parks deficit and what some are trying to do to address it.

July 21, 2008 - LA Weekly

Guerrilla Gardeners

Guerrilla gardening- planting flowers and edibles in untended pockets of cities- is a growing phenomenon. This article looks at a group of Toronto residents who've turned ugly medians into lush gardens.

July 20, 2008 - CTV Toronto

Ads in Public Places Raise Money, Concerns

In an effort to raise extra money, cities and counties in Florida have been selling advertising in public spaces. Some say it's a good way to get extra revenue, but others worry about the visual pollution of public areas.

July 8, 2008 - Herald Tribune

The Importance of Posters in Public Life

Street posters play an important role in participatory civic life, according to this article from re:place magazine.

July 7, 2008 - re:place

Prague Hopes to Clean Up its Public Space

With tourist season in full effect, the Czech city of Prague is hoping to clean up its notoriously dirty streets with a new ban on littering and urinating in public places.

July 6, 2008 - Ceske Noviny

Why Preserve a Failed Public Place?

In this column, landscape architect Bill Thompson, FASLA, takes a look at the shortcomings of Boston's City Hall Plaza as a public space and what he feels are misguided efforts to preserve it.

July 5, 2008 - Land Online

Protests as Union Square Gets Privatized

New York's Union Square is the scene of a lively protest featuring Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. At stake is the square's pavilion, which is set to be transformed into a restaurant.

July 3, 2008 - The Village Voice

Skirting Process, Bremerton Makes Beautiful Public Spaces

Landscape architect Gary Sexton worked on a tight budget and dodged commissions and regulations to create a beautiful vision for downtown Bremerton (near Seattle).

June 25, 2008 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

New San Francisco Parks Key to Neighborhood Vibrancy

Two new parks in San Francisco show how great neighborhoods are defined by their public spaces, according to this article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

June 25, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Cap and Play

This commentary from the Los Angeles Times calls for creation of a central park for the city, made by putting a "cap" over a section of freeway.

June 21, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Activists 'Depave' Dead Parking Lot

This film from Streetsblog looks at a community effort in Portland to remove pavement from unused parking lots.

June 20, 2008 - Streetsblog L.A.

Eroding Beach Sparks Property Rights Battle

As a Texas beach erodes and the waves come closer to shore, homeowners are scrambling to figure out what to do when the public beach invades their private property.

June 19, 2008 - NPR

Soccer Fans Join Together for Street 'Carnivals'

"Football Carnivals" are on the rise in Germany, where the community viewing buzz from the 2006 World Cup has hung around and revived itself for the current European Championship.

June 18, 2008 - Der Spiegel

Portland Goes Car-Free, For a While

For six hours this Sunday, streets in North Portland will be off-limits to cars.

June 18, 2008 - The Oregonian

Ambitious City Center Plan Moves Forward

Despite the economic downturn, city officials in Spokane Valley, WA move forward with a plan to build something the city has always lacked: a true city center.

June 13, 2008 - Spokane Journal of Business

Controversial Public Art Piece Given the Boot

Vancouverites send a sculpture packing, stirring up a debate over the role of public art.

June 13, 2008 - The Canadian Press

Municipal WiFi: Boon or Boondoggle?

Santa Monica, CA is succeeding where other larger cities have failed, creating a public WiFi system that actually makes money.

June 12, 2008 - Marketplace

Cloning Speaker's Corner

A charity in Britain wants to replicate the success of London's heavily used Speaker's Corner in other parts of the country to encourage public interaction and discussion. Some say it's an idea that could never be.

June 12, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.