Parks

The Planetizen News Brief - 4/30/09

4:15 minutes (3.9 MB)

The missing Office of Urban Policy, the unlikely success of a park under a bridge, and a plan to map the nation's playgrounds, all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.

30 April 2009 - 5:00am

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100,000 Playgrounds

Advocacy group KaBOOM have launched a campaign to map play places across the U.S. called 100,000 Playspaces in 100 Days. The goal is to create a useful tool for planners for evaluating networks of parks and recreation.

28 April 2009 - 9:00am

Next American City

Under the Bridge: A New Park Surprises in Providence

The park under a new bridge in Providence succeeds in creating an interesting space in the city, and shows that concrete doesn't have to be dull.

26 April 2009 - 11:00am

The Providence Journal

New York's Unprecedented Park

Preconceptions and lofty goals surround New York's soon-to-open High Line park. But the unprecedented inner city rail line conversion leaves much up in the air, according to this piece from The Architect's Newspaper.

20 April 2009 - 8:00am

The Architect's Newspaper

Transit, or Schools?

Atlanta school leaders consider renegotiating a Tax Allocation District (TAD) agreement that was set up to help fund projects such as the Beltline, a 22-mile loop of transit, trails, parks and development around the city.

17 April 2009 - 1:00pm

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Miami Seeks Cheaper Finish to Gehry Project

Officials in Miami are looking to cancel out part of a contract with architect Frank Gehry for a park element to the new campus he's designed for the city's New World Symphony. The city wants to find a cheaper alternative, but critics are opposed.

31 March 2009 - 9:00am

The Miami Herald

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Downtown LA Park Falls Short as a Whole

According to architecture critic Chris Hawthorne, Downtown Los Angeles' Civic Park does nothing in the way of creating its own identity. Instead, it neglects its image as a whole by being too fixated on its "aesthetic responsibility."

15 March 2009 - 9:00am

Los Angeles Times

Olympic Park Still Serving Beijing

The Olympic Forest Park in Beijing is standing out as one of the rare Olympics-related projects to remain in use after the 2008 event. Hu Jie, the park's designer, talks about its planning and the role of public space in Beijing.

10 March 2009 - 8:00am

Bangkok Post

Atlanta's Greenspaces Inadequate for a Growing Population

Atlanta has been recognized as having some of the lowest proportion of greenspace per capita. The city has borrowed more than $100 million in its commitment to create more parks.

18 February 2009 - 12:00pm

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Park Walks Shown to Boost Memory and Attention

A new study shows that walks in the park are more beneficial than those on city streets, in terms of memory and attention. The natural scenery requires less direct attention, so it's sharper when needed next.

18 February 2009 - 9:00am

The McGill Tribune

Unused Open Spaces

Korean photographer Hosang Park's recent series exposes tiny, unknown 'parks' that are attached to housing developments around the world.

10 February 2009 - 9:00am

BLDBLOG

Going After Graffiti

The city of San Marcos, Texas, near Austin, plans harsher measures to crack down on graffiti, including holding a minor's parents responsible and banning certain graffiti-making tools.

10 February 2009 - 7:00am

Austin American-Statesman

New Orleans Riverfront Redevelopment Approved

Plans to redevelop a section of the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans have been approved and construction could begin by the end of 2009.

16 January 2009 - 1:00pm

New Orleans Times-Picayune

New York City Park Wi-Fi Fizzles

Plans to install free Wi-Fi internet in New York City parks has fallen through. Unable to find corporate sponsors, the private contractor leading the project has been forced to remove all equipment. But the idea may not be completely dead.

9 January 2009 - 11:00am

The New York Times

Cities and Cognitive Burnout

Compared to natural settings, busy urban environments can be detrimental to cognitive functioning and self-control. Well-designed, biodiverse parks are integral to counterbalancing the concrete jungle.

7 January 2009 - 8:00am

The Boston Globe

From Garbage Hole to Park

Turning a New York landfill into a park may just reorganize the way people think about public parks in America.

30 November 2008 - 1:00pm

New York Magazine

L.A. Freeway Cap Park Edges Towards Feasibility

For years, citizens have been calling for a freeway cap and park in Hollywood. Now, a preliminary design has been released and advocates say work could begin as soon as 2012 -- if funding comes through.

28 November 2008 - 5:00am

Los Angeles Times

New Yorkers Still Oppose Park Redesign Already Underway

Plans to redesign New York City's Washington Square Park have been hotly protested by community members since their inception. The work is already underway, but the opposition sentiment remains.

26 November 2008 - 7:00am

The New York Times

Planning a Better Public Space in San Francisco

Planners and parks officials in San Francisco are making moves to reimagine currently underused public space in the heart of the city as a new civic park and gathering place.

19 November 2008 - 7:00am

San Francisco Chronicle

Texas Canyon Preserved to Avoid Sprawl

Development has been creeping closer and closer to Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, the country's second biggest canyon. But despite a recent sale of nearby land to developers, preservationists have secured the deed to prevent sprawl from moving in.

16 November 2008 - 11:00am

NPR