Whitney Gould of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel considers the value and opportunities for the renewal of marginal, residual spaces.
"These 'interstitial spaces'...usually the leftovers created by the design of streets or other infrastructure: odd-shaped parcels that nobody takes responsibility for. It's their amorphous, unclaimed quality that makes these places so attractive to designers...." Some designers warn that these overlooked spaces run the risk of overdesign, and suggest instead to enhance the existing, positive qualities of the site. Whitney Gould writes: "You can find...pockets of opportunity all over the city. Once their ownership has been determined and a maintenance plan devised, these accidental spaces can be brought back to life with the help of inspired design, neighborhood collaboration and a little money."
Thanks to Connie Chung
Read the full story: Pockets of orphaned land are opportunities for lively design
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
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
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.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
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
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority