More than 40 percent of Dallas residents live within a half-mile of a park, but the school district and the city are working together with nonprofits to improve that figure.
The Dallas Morning News editorial board expresses support for a new program in Dallas that is opening school playgrounds to use after school hours and during the summer to provide more open space and play options for families.
The Dallas Independent School District (ISD) and the city of Dallas are teaming up on an effort the editorial board calls good government after a year of quiet work to open and improve five schools in park poor areas in Dallas. The results are also due to the hard work of the Texas Trees Foundation and the Trust for Public Land, according to the editorial.
"An average of 80 trees were added to each campus, from oaks to ornamentals. Updated park equipment was installed, and things like loop trails and embankment slides were constructed," explain the editorial.
The editorial board also congratulates the effort for keeping prices down. "All of the work done to get these five campuses into better shape cost about $1 million, a bargain for such public improvements. And $750,000 of that money came not from taxpayers but from a generous, albeit anonymous, donor."
FULL STORY: Dallas is transforming school playgrounds into city parks — and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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.