Landscape architect Paula Meijerink is calling on designers to rethink asphalt, and she's taking her efforts to the streets.
"'It's one of the most liberating materials of the 20th century, increasing our mobility, allowing us to travel,' Meijerink maintains, citing its cheapness, sustainability, and malleability. 'It's the real public landscape, at the crux of what we're thinking about in terms of designing our open space, and we have to rethink the role asphalt plays in our lives.'"
"It's also sticky, waterproof, and 100 percent recyclable, a natural component of crude oil. Yet its very ubiquity is part of what's given asphalt such a bad reputation, Meijerink says, adding that it is "being suffocated by its own success." The goal of her new project is to generate ideas for reimagining existing asphalt areas as well as more creatively and consciously integrating asphalt into new landscaping."
Read the full story: Architect finds beauty in the asphalt jungle
Study: Pavement covers 40% of Phoenix
A new study reveals how ultrafine particles emitted by pavement worsen air quality.
Cultivating Color and Community: Seasonal Planting at Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens’ annual planting of 35,000 tulip bulbs showcases the power of seasonal design to enhance public spaces and engage visitors.
To Make Cities More Livable, Get Rid of Pavement
Paved surfaces take up close to a third of space in U.S. cities, polluting waterways and contributing to the urban heat island effect.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions
Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello