Here in Los Angeles, the local professional basketball team just won its league's national championship. When I was in Barcelona a few weeks back, the local soccer team won a major international championship. These were two days for the cities to celebrate their home teams' triumphs, but the differences in how they celebrated says a lot about these cities and their civic cultures.
Public Space
A Different Kind of New York Street Conversion 100 Years Ago
While New York City is currently taking space away from automobiles and giving it to pedestrians and cyclists, the New York City of 100 years ago was doing exactly the opposite. And it was a popular idea.
The New York Times
Rediscovering the River
Chicago's river has often played second fiddle to its lakefront. A new riverwalk hopes to change that.
Chicago Tribune
Lincoln Center Facelift
A look at the progress in New York's Lincoln Center, as architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro look to refresh the aging public space.
Metropolis Magazine
Public Space Starting Small On Philadelphia's Waterfront
A competition to redesign Philadelphia's Pier 11 represents a concentrated -- and viable -- effort to create quality public space along the city's waterfront, according to Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Finding Public Space Wherever They Can in Cairo
Dense Cairo has few sanctioned public spaces. So residents make do wherever they can.
The New York Times
Making Public Space Hip
The group tasked with reenergizing Bermondsey Square in southeast London see their target audience as "urban safarians."
Building
San Francisco's Instant Public Space
The San Francisco Chronicle's John King looks at the city's new public plaza -- a successful "small move" in the face of unrealized "big plans".
San Francisco Chronicle
New Plaza Conversion Projects Chosen For New York City
Nine new sites have been selected by New York City's Department of Transportation for conversion into public plazas.
Streetsblog
The Evolving Field of Urban Design
Metropolis talks with William Saunders, editor of Harvard Design Magazine, about his new book covering the evolving field of urban design.
Metropolis
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Urban Vision
Poet and longtime San Francisco Lawrence Ferlinghetti told Streetsblog his vision for an urban park in North Beach, in this video interview.
Streetsblog SF
The Planetizen News Brief - 3/12/09
4:30 minutes (4.13 MB)
Florida cans growth management, floundering retail leaves cities high and dry, and advertising takes over public spaces -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Coming Soon: More Ads in Public Spaces
BrandWeek says that the downturn in the economy makes more ads in public spaces 'a no-brainer', because cities get revenue and advertisers get exposure in previously untapped locations.
BrandWeek
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.
Bangkok Post
Another Modernist Plaza Reimagined
Philadelphia's Dilworth Plaza is another modernist civic construction that didn't live up to the architect's utopian ideals. A new design aims to create a more park-like atmosphere and improve transit access.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Look South!
Tue, 02/17/2009 - 16:56
A week ago I spent some time with Enrique Peñalosa, urban strategist and provocateur. North Americans don’t often look south for innovation, but Peñalosa made remarkable changes in the public environment as Mayor of the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Nearly impeached for his actions to push cars aside in favor of people, now he is invited to provoke and inspire others. “We have Environmental Impact Statements; why don’t we have Human Impact statements,” is a sampling from last week.
A New Plaza for a New Stadium
Target Field is the forthcoming ballpark for the Minnesota Twins, and the team and their sponsor recently unveiled their plans for the public space in front of the park. Designs include 40 ft. topiary and a giant bronze glove.
Minneapolis Post
Improving On The Ambiguity of Privately Owned Public Spaces
Cities are filled with spaces intended for the public -- but many of them are clearly owned and operated by the private sector. Though cities bend rules to get these spaces built, the public benefit is often outweighed by the cost. The challenge now is to make them better.
Unused Open Spaces
Korean photographer Hosang Park's recent series exposes tiny, unknown 'parks' that are attached to housing developments around the world.
BLDBLOG
Height-For-Space Strategy Works, Mostly
San Francisco and other cities have historically given developers the incentive to build taller for providing a proportional amount of public space. This article looks at what has worked as well as how it has backfired.
San Francisco Chronicle
