Public Parks
Who Gets Hurt When Redevelopment Gets Abandoned?
Ron Nyren examines the various types of projects that will be negatively impacted by California's decision to abandon redevelopment.
Urban Land
Parkour on City Streets Vexes Officials
Parkour, a sort of sport that uses urban spaces as a series of obstacles to spring over and around, is a growing trend in South Florida. But local officials are concerned about the liability issues of careening "traceurs" in public parks and plazas.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Turning Old Schools Into Parkside Apartments
In Grand Rapids, a number of no-longer-needed elementary schools are being transformed into apartment buildings, while the playgrounds and sports fields are turned into city parks.
The Grand Rapids Press
New Jersey Parks Get Partially Privatized
A new plan from Governor Christie involves the state retaining control over the parks but contract with non-profit and business partners for services.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
How to Build a Better Park
New Urbanist Peter Katz presents his guidelines for creating a popular urban park. First published in 1995, Katz's ideas still hold up.
New Urban Network
Critics and Designers Pick Their Favorite Public Spaces
For the past few weeks, we’ve been asking you to help us crowdsource the Top 100 Public Spaces in the U.S. and Canada, in collaboration with Project for Public Spaces. For a different perspective, we asked some top architecture critics and practitioners to give us their favorites.
San Francisco's Parklets a Success
Warren Karlenzig pays San Francisco a visit to tour its 15 "parklets", tiny urban public spaces carved out of underused road space or a couple of parking lots.
GreenFlow
Food Trucks Bring Peace to Contested Park
Grey Park in Evanston, Illinois is used primarily by mentally ill residents of a nearby facility, who make the space uncomfortable for the general public. A community group brought in food trucks, and everyone came together over cupcakes.
Project for Public Spaces blog
The Pied Piper of Parks
That's how Inga Saffron describes New York's High Line, the unique park built into unused infrastructure that has cities clamoring for their own version. Philadelphia might get one too, on the Reading Viaduct.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Emergence in Public Parks
The sudden appearance of a ping pong table in a public park in Dallas is a perfect example of the concept of emergence in cities, according to this post on Pegasus News.
Pegasus News
Refocusing Seattle on its Waterfront
Landscape architect James Corner, whose eponymous firm designed the High Line, turns its attention to Seattle. Last week, Corner presented his plans for reorienting the city towards the waterfront.
The Seattle Times
How Far Will People Walk to a Park?
Ryan Donahue of the Trust for Public Land says that it depends on age, health, time availability, quality of surroundings, safety, climate, and many other factors.
City Parks Blog
Loved Cities Prosper
When people love a city, it succeeds. That's the semi-obvious conclusion of a recent survey. So why aren't we working hard to make cities people will love?
The Infrastructurist
Why Are Public Spaces Unusual in Africa?
Stacy Passmore writes that public spaces "take on a different form and meaning in a West African city."
re:place Magazine
Family Tells City to Stop Using Public Park Against Ancestor's Wishes
Joe C. Stuart donated parkland to the city of Cleveland, Tennessee in 1979 under the stipulation that it be used as a place for quiet contemplation. The city has since built a bandstand and held concerts there, and Stuart's heirs aren't happy.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
Taking New York City's Parks Through Tough Times
New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe talks with Next American City about the city's increased emphasis on creating active public spaces and how his department is handling budget cuts.
Next American City
The Conflicting Needs of Tourists and Residents
A new Independence Mall stands in the historic heart of Philadelphia, a decade after the old mall's demolition. According to The Inquirer's Inga Saffron, the new space has been a major boon for tourists but has alienated many city residents.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Larger Importance of Small Parks
A new book shows that even small parks have the potential to engage social and ecological issues through thoughtful design.
re:place Magazine
Following the High Line
New York City's High Line was an instant success when it opened in the rapidly gentrifying Meatpacking District in June of 2009. The park attracted two million visitors in its first year and is widely viewed as economic boon to the neighborhood. But does that make it a model for other cities?
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Philadelphia Plans to Green 500 Acres by 2015
Today Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced the ambitious 'Green 2015' plan to turn approximately 500 acres of city land into public green space over the next five years, with a focus on bringing parks to currently underserved communities.
PlanPhilly
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
- How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?
- Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
- NY Times Defends the Port Authority
- Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time
- Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?
- The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit
- Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl
Information Sources in Planning: Principles -- Michael Dudley
Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future -- Todd Litman
Faculty Using Web 2.0 to Show Images -- Ann Forsyth
Information Sources in Planning: Introduction -- Michael Dudley
Liveblog: ULI Rose Center Kansas City Study Visit -- Jess Zimbabwe
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
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