Parks

Plenty of quality parks -- along with good weather to enjoy them -- gives these cities the edge when it comes to outdoor enjoyment. San Francisco, which spends the most per capita on parks, ranks first.

Cruise ship designers have announced plans for a new 1,180-foot long ship that will be equipped with a "central park" they are comparing to a traditional town square.

Three years after Irvine, California's "Great Park" was approved, development of the planned public spaces, homes and businesses has struggled to move forward. The housing crisis is being blamed for the lack of action.

In response to the growing demand for urban greenspace, cities around the nation on working on plans for large new parks -- rivaling the urban park boom during the 19th or early 20th century.

Parking structures topped off with synthetic fields offer a practical solution for areas where parking and recreation space is in short supply.

The city of Los Angeles is currently sitting on more than $130 million dollars intended to build parks. But those funds are tied to council districts high in development, leaving districts with little development high and dry.

A public art exhibit in a Baltimore park has elicited complaints and compliments from various voices in the city. But like it or not, the art is good for the city's consideration of and connection to its public spaces, according to this editorial.

Controversy over noise and property values have pitted homeowners against city officials with plans to build an off-road vehicle park in Juneau, Alaska.

Officials in Miami-Dade County have just released their parks master plan, an ambitious proposal that looks to go beyond creating park space by redefining the region's public realm.

Urban projects have resulted in the paving over of significant chunks of parkland in Melbourne, Australia -- land set aside more than 150 years ago to act as the city's lungs.

With a focus on public spaces, Flint, Michigan, is looking to revitalize itself.

What is your county doing to preserve open spaces important to your community? And is it effective? If the answers to those questions are "not enough" and "no", read on and take these effective strategies to your lawmakers.