In Berlin and elsewhere, defunct airstrips are transformed into valuable public space.
A former airfield in Berlin is now a popular public park, and other disused airports around the world could have the same fate.
MaryLou Costa describes the history of Berlin’s Tempelhofer Feld in a piece for Reasons to be Cheerful, explaining how the airfield went from prison camp to refugee waypoint before it closed completely in 2008. After the city reopened it as a park, residents voted in 2014 to preserve the space permanently for public use.
These vast spaces offer land ready for conversion to green space, particularly in dense urban areas. In New York City, Floyd Bennett Field, the city’s first municipal airport, now offers 1,300 acres of grassland and recreation. In London, the WWII-era Hanworth Air Park was converted to public space in 1949. According to Costa, “There are thought to be more than 1,000 abandoned airports in the U.S., 750 abandoned, on-hold, or underutilized ones in Europe, and a significant number in Asia and South America, too.”
Read the full story: Reclaiming the Runways
Philadelphia sees 29% drop in gun violence near new green spaces
A city-backed program that cleans up blighted and vacant lots is creating new public spaces and reducing crime in surrounding communities.
Chattanooga Earns North America’s First ‘National Park City’ Designation
The award recognizes cities that prioritize biodiversity and resident access to parks and green spaces.
From Queens to Chattanooga, Federal Funding Cuts are Killing Park Projects
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority